Logistics ...

Once again, as I've said here a million times, any success for the "surge" in Afghanistan depends on the ability to supply the combat units in-theater. As we pull out of Iraq, consolidating our presence there, you'd think we'd rotate equipment no longer needed to Afghanistan. Ah ... no:

Even as the U.S. military scrambles to support a troop surge in Afghanistan, it is donating passenger vehicles, generators and other equipment worth tens of millions of dollars to the Iraqi government.

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Some of the items that commanders may now leave behind, including passenger vehicles and generators, are among what commanders in Afghanistan need most urgently, according to Pentagon memos.

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It's one thing to get "boots on the ground" and quite another to keep them in the fight. 30,000 troops and their personal gear are the easy part; load 'em onto transport aircraft in the States and drop 'em off half a world away. Getting them stuff like electricity, potable water, vehicles of all kinds, and all the other accoutrement is the hard part.

Bringing stuff into a place like Iraq, where we have access to a sea route (container ships and ro-ros can carry far more than C-5s and C-17s) is easier by orders of magnitude than to fly everything in, due to the fact we have no water access to Afghanistan. Trucking the shit through Pakistan is virtually impossible due to the threat to the supply line in the "lawless areas" along the border like Waziristan and Baluchistan. Leaving "flyable" stuff behind in Iraq when it could be used, and is sorely needed, in Afghanistan seems like very bad policy to me.