STUCK BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA

from THE LONG WAR JOURNAL

The US has been quietly trying to secure alternate routes through central Asia, but

• the routes are less dependable and

• increase the amount of time it takes to move the supplies into Afghanistan.

• can be shut down if the US has major disagreements with Russia or China, who control these routes.

"We'd have to depend on Russia or China for our supplies to reach Afghanistan," a senior US military officer told The Long War Journal.

"Over time, this is not sustainable. Take the Georgian crisis," the officer said, noting Russia's invasion of the Republic of Georgia last summer. "If we move our supplies through Russia, and another crisis like this arises,

• say in the Ukraine, our hands will be tied. We will have to choose between supporting a burgeoning democracy and supporting the protracted fight in Afghanistan."

The officer also expressed concerns about the US' ability to deploy more forces into Afghanistan to fight against a resurgent Taliban given the poor security in Pakistan.

• "Adding three more brigades of troops and their accompanying support elements means we need to significantly increase the supplies moving through Pakistan," the officer stated.

• "We are only increasing our logistical problems and betting on Pakistan to keep these routes open is a bad play."