Learning From The Afghanistan Experience: Re-Assessing U.S. Weapon and Security Assistance

Please join the Forum on the Arms Trade and Security Assistance Monitor for a conversation examining lessons learned from security assistance in Afghanistan and the potential consequences of weapons lost there, as well as  insights that should be applied to existing security assistance efforts in the Middle East and elsewhere, especially those riddled by corruption.

James Cunningham, project lead examining security sector assistance for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), will share insights on equipping the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and continuing efforts to understand the ANDSF’s rapid collapse, including the status of equipment provided. Jodi Vittori, former Air Force lieutenant colonel and NATO counter-corruption task force member in Afghanistan, will expand on recommendations for ongoing U.S. security assistance published in a commentary by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she is a non-resident scholar in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program. Elias Yousif, deputy director at the Security Assistance Monitor (SAM), will share findings from SAM’s database on weapons transferred to Afghanistan, an earlier report on lessons learned, and a new report on broader security assistance trends — with an eye on potential ramifications in Afghanistan and beyond.

Panelists

• James Cunningham, Project Lead, Security Sector Assistance, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)

• Jodi Vittori, Co-chair, Global Politics and Security Program, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service; Non-Resident Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

• Elias Yousif, Deputy Director, Security Assistance Monitor, Center for International Policy