Enduring Voices: Oral Histories of the U.S. Army Experience in Afghanistan, 2003-2005

Enduring Voices: Oral Histories of the U.S. Army Experience in Afghanistan, 2003-2005, edited by Christopher N. Koontz, is an anthology of sixteen oral histories that chronicle the establishment of Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan. It includes a lengthy interview with Lt. Gen. David W. Barno, the first commander of the new headquarters, in which he discusses the strategic challenges of Afghanistan, the coordination of political and military efforts by his command, and the development and implementation of a counterinsurgency strategy that considered the complexity of the Afghan insurgency. Other interviews record how General Barno's international staff built and ran the command, how subordinate field commanders conducted counterinsurgency operations, and how members of provincial reconstruction teams tackled the arduous work of developing a nation shattered by almost three decades of conflict. Koontz is a historian in the Center's Histories Division.