An American colonel stationed in Afghanistan has been fired following a colourful rant about the top-heavy bureaucratic brass cluttering up the staff headquarters at an ISAF command.

Though it certainly wasn’t the first time he had been allowed to write op-eds about the situation in Afghanistan, it was the first time he had so directly condemned the command structure and the futility of any progress being made. Here are some choice observations:

I have been assigned as a staff officer to a headquarters in Afghanistan for about two months. During that time, I have not done anything productive. Fortunately little of substance is really done here, but that is a task we do well.

[...]

For headquarters staff, war consists largely of the endless tinkering with PowerPoint slides to conform with the idiosyncrasies of cognitively challenged generals in order to spoon-feed them information. Even one tiny flaw in a slide can halt a general’s thought processes as abruptly as a computer system’s blue screen of death.

[...]

The commander’s immediate subordinates, usually one- and two-star generals, listen to the CUA in a semi-comatose state. Each briefer has approximately 1 or 2 minutes to impart either information or misinformation. Usually they don’t do either. Fortunately, none of the information provided makes an indelible impact on any of the generals.

I suppose it isn’t very surprising that Col Lawrence Sellin was sent packing after referring to the generals as “cognitively challenged” and that the command headquarters was merely created “to provide some general a three-star command”. It almost sounds as though this op-ed was a resignation letter by media.

[h/t Mark Collins, who observes that NATO member countries aren't exactly difficult to pronounce, with the possible exception of Hvratska [Croatia]. I’ve actually visited Hvratska, back in 1997 two years after the Croatian War of Independence. That was when Blue Helmets were still deployed in the area, preventing me from visiting Serbia as I had wanted. A lovely country, save for the strip search received at the border crossing.]