'The Outpost" carries with it a sense of déjà vu. There are echoes here of Sebastian Junger's book "War," about soldiers billeted in Afghanistan's dangerous Korengal Valley; like those soldiers, the troops of "The Outpost" are stationed in a perilous area surrounded by insurgents.
As in several other recent books -- for example, last year's "Lions of Kandahar" -- "The Outpost" is filled with stories of brave, dedicated, intelligent young Americans put in untenable positions by leaders who at best seem stupid and at worst uncaring.
That is not to say that this is an unimportant book; on the contrary, it may prove one of the most important of the year. Jake Tapper's book is meticulously researched, excellently written and a must-read for everyone who does more than just mouth the phrase, "I support the troops."
In the summer of 2006, in Nuristan Province, hard by the Pakistan border, the army set up what came to be called (after an officer who died there) Combat Outpost Keating. It was in a deep valley, surrounded on three sides by steep mountains. It was essentially indefensible.
The logic for putting U.S. soldiers at risk there was flawed. Supposedly, it was to seal that portion of the border, but as often as not, the mujahideen simply avoided American troops.
Another rationale for the outpost's placement was that Keating was near a road. The road, however, was impassible for all but the smallest vehicles and was, in fact, where Lt. Keating died while trying to get a larger truck through.
The outpost was so isolated it was difficult to get reinforcements or support there. With the politicians concentrating on Iraq, there weren't enough helicopters, planes or other resources to provide proper support.
The mission to build bridges (literally and figuratively) with and for the locals was a sham. The largely primitive locals didn't want them, because bridges and roads brought the tax man and "modernizers from Kabul to instruct them on how to treat their women."
