I was never actually in the "armed" forces, but I did serve in the military, and I don't think the issue was lack of military force in Afghanistan. The problem

I was never actually in the "armed" forces, but I did serve in the military, and I don't think the issue was lack of military force in Afghanistan. The problem was that we started off with overwhelming force, destroying civilian lives, and giving every opportunity for the taliban to generate anti-american sentiment in the process. It required a nuanced approach from day 1 and we didn't start that approach until day 300 (philosophically speaking). We needed to win the trust of the civilian population and we did nothing to secure that trust.