Enquete Commission “Lessons from Afghanistan – The view of the forces”

Yesterday, the Enquete Commission’s discussion event “Lessons from Afghanistan for Germany’s future networked engagement” took place on the premises of the German Bundestag. Advisory Board member Dr. Jana Puglierin moderated the event, which took a critical look back at the experiences of the Afghanistan mission and discussed lessons learned from Afghanistan for other missions.

Advisory Board member and member of the Enquete Commission Winfried Nachtwei made it clear: “The Enquete Commission worked independently and self-critically. In retrospect, it demonstrates a political willingness to learn, which was lacking during the mission. The strategic failure of the mission was not due to the “ground staff” of those deployed, who did their best and achieved partial successes. It was due to inadequate or flawed strategic planning and decisions in many capitals from Washington, Kabul and Islamabad to Berlin.”

The Chairman of the Advisory Board, Dipl. Krim. Lars Wagner referred to the necessary next steps: “It is now crucial that the interdepartmental evaluation and the interim report on the Afghanistan mission are taken into account comprehensively and consistently in the planning of future missions.”

Advisory Board members: Lars Wagner, Jana Puglierin, Winfried Nachtwei