Afghan Hands Program - Doing Something Right, Although Way too Late!

One of the programs the Department of Defense has started is called the Afghan Hands Program.  This is an attempt to identify, train, and deploy a select group of officers and NCOs to Afghanistan on a recurring basis.  The Soldiers commit to a five-year program and become Afghan subject matter experts (SMEs).  The individuals in the program study culture, language, and counterinsurgency in D.C before their deployment.  Upon the completion of their deployment they return to D.C to continue their studies and work with a focus on Afghanistan.  Unfortunately, the program was started about eight years too late.  Read a couple of articles that explain a little bit about this program at the links below:

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=61087

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125479517717366539.html