By Charles Hoskinson

THE ADMINISTRATION’S OVERALL AFGHAN STRATEGY also is coming under fire from the inside. In a journal article that’s already making the rounds, Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis sums up his experience in Afghanistan last year by saying, “I witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level.” Davis’s article in Armed Forces Journal also is the latest harsh assessment of the effectiveness of both the Afghan government and security forces, pouring cold water on the administration’s plan to depend on those institutions after NATO forces withdraw. “I saw little to no evidence the local governments were able to provide for the basic needs of the people. Some of the Afghan civilians I talked with said the people didn’t want to be connected to a predatory or incapable local government,” he writes. “From time to time, I observed Afghan Security forces collude with the insurgency.” The full article is here: http://bit.ly/AsWMjy

THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS TODAY that Davis’s criticism is getting an audience on Capitol Hill. “For Colonel Davis to go out on a limb and help us to understand what’s happening on the ground, I have the greatest admiration for him,” HASC member Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.), who has met with Colonel Davis twice and read his reports, told the daily. Read Scott Shane’s story here: http://nyti.ms/ybCxRZ

FIRST LOOK – More heat is expected to come down on the Army today over the issue of whether to arm Medevac helicopters in Afghanistan. A group of 17 lawmakers asked Panetta in a letter to examine whether the current policy should be changed and report back to them. We’ve obtained a copy of the letter and you can see it here: http://bit.ly/x3a0eU

WE TOLD YOU LAST MONTH that lawmakers had gotten interested in the issue through lobbying campaign by blogger Michael Yon that started after the death in September of Army Spc. Chazray Clark that he blamed on delays in finding an armed escort for a Medevac helicopter. The Army is standing behind its policy, but the lawmakers’ letter could take the issue to a higher level. Our story is here: http://politi.co/xNbn4l

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