Why is “partnering” with the Afghan military so important?
Eventually, the mission of securing Afghanistan will fall to Afghan soldiers, so it’s important to get them ready as soon as possible. McChrystal explained it this way on Wednesday during a briefing in Afghanistan: “President Obama’s speech is clearly a demonstration of commitment. ‘Embedded partnering’ … is a demonstration of commitment. “There’s a saying that the Germans use … ‘feel of the cloth.’ And it came from a time when soldiers fought in tight formations and the shoulder rubbed up against the shoulder next to them, and from the feel of the cloth they got confidence because they knew they weren’t alone. From the feel of the cloth they knew they were part of the team. “What we are trying to do with embedded partnering is to provide that same confidence.
