enhanced_deficit
04-25-2019, 10:36 PM
Almost every US metric for the war in Afghanistan 'is now classified or nonexistent,' so obviously things are going swimmingly
Jared Keller
April 25, 2019 at 02:22 PM
Analysis
So, how goes the never-ending war in Afghanistan? According to the United States's top government oversight authority on it, well, we don't know and can't say.
"Almost every indicia, metric for success or failure is now classified or nonexistent," John F. Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), told (https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/04/24/sigar-drug-lab-bombing-was-a-dead-end-and-most-metrics-for-success-or-failure-in-afghanistan-are-classified-or-nonexistent/) Wednesday. "Over time, it's been classified or it's no longer being collected ... The classification in some areas is needless."
To be clear, Sopko isn't just saying that the Pentagon has opted to keep more information on its progress in Afghanistan classified — he's saying that the Pentagon has outright ceased gathering critical data on whether the United States is actually succeeding or failing after sinking 17 years, 2,400 fallen service members, and $900 billion dollars into a seemingly endless conflict.
This isn't just alarming statement coming from a government watchdog, but a level of mind-numbing epistemic gymnastics on par with Donald Rumsfeld's "unknown unknowns."
https://taskandpurpose.com/sigar-metric-afghansitan-war
Jared Keller
April 25, 2019 at 02:22 PM
Analysis
So, how goes the never-ending war in Afghanistan? According to the United States's top government oversight authority on it, well, we don't know and can't say.
"Almost every indicia, metric for success or failure is now classified or nonexistent," John F. Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), told (https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/04/24/sigar-drug-lab-bombing-was-a-dead-end-and-most-metrics-for-success-or-failure-in-afghanistan-are-classified-or-nonexistent/) Wednesday. "Over time, it's been classified or it's no longer being collected ... The classification in some areas is needless."
To be clear, Sopko isn't just saying that the Pentagon has opted to keep more information on its progress in Afghanistan classified — he's saying that the Pentagon has outright ceased gathering critical data on whether the United States is actually succeeding or failing after sinking 17 years, 2,400 fallen service members, and $900 billion dollars into a seemingly endless conflict.
This isn't just alarming statement coming from a government watchdog, but a level of mind-numbing epistemic gymnastics on par with Donald Rumsfeld's "unknown unknowns."
https://taskandpurpose.com/sigar-metric-afghansitan-war