Village Stability Operations (VSO) Program Under Scrutiny

One of the unfortunate (among many) effects of the Panjwai massacre is the high-lighting of the Village Stability Operations or VSO program. The SSG who committed the killings was a conventional Soldier attached to a special operations team conducting VSO at a small compound called Belandai Base (named for a nearby village) in Panjwai district, Kandahar province.  As the correspondents and commentators filter through the news reports they are learning more about the VSO program. Many will make the leap that the VSO program is somehow at fault - which would be a huge mistake. For instance, see "Massacre by U.S. Soldier clouds NATO's Afghan strategy", AlertNet, March 14, 2012. Learn more about the Village Stability Operations program.