A discussion with
Major General W. Lee Miller Jr., USMC
Commander, Regional Command (Southwest)
II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward)

Brigadier Paul Nanson, MBE
Deputy Commander, Regional Command (Southwest)

Mr. David Sedney
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia
US Department of Defense

Moderated by
Mr. Barry Pavel
Vice President and Director, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security
Atlantic Council

As the United States and its coalition partners plan for new roles in Afghanistan after 2014, many people in Washington and elsewhere are attempting to gauge the progress made to this point. One of the untold stories of Afghanistan is how the coalition transformed Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) into a fighting unit that could defeat the Taliban in key districts, built an Afghan National Army training facility and surgical medical center, all while cutting its footprint in Helmand Province by more than half. To discuss these developments, Major General W. Lee Miller, Jr., and USMC, Brigadier Paul Nanson, MBE, will be joined by David Sedney to talk about the challenges of transitioning combat and security operations to the Afghan National Security Forces and improving the governance in the region while undergoing a reduction in forces and equipment amid uncertainties created by an unsigned Bilateral Security Agreement.

The theme of the past year in Helmand and Nimroz Provinces is one of transition; from American and coalition-led operations to Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).  As coalition advisory teams, have diminished with the drawdown, Afghan security forces and the local government have taken the lead in a region that has historically seen very intense fighting.