Jason Criss Howk 16 October 2022 “Everyone in this war has blood on their hands” -Sir Graeme Lamb While working to jumpstart the Afghan peace process in 2009, retired LtGen Lamb mentioned the idea above to me as we were traveling together. I have thought about it many times over the last decade plus. It… Read More Afghanistan Realities
Jason Criss Howk 12 October 2022 Coming up 20,000 soldiers short in the recruiting effort this year should be a bigger story than it is. While leaders can shuffle strength numbers and modify the needs, the real story is that our military is not communicating well with this generation. I have been teaching the new… Read More Military Communications: Recruiting and Retention Errors
By Jason Criss Howk As we approach the dark anniversary of the abandonment of Afghans by the NATO coalition I am struck by the absence of most former leaders. I worked beside many of the generals that served in Afghanistan…your troopers have questions, and they need your help. Hundreds of NATO Generals and Admirals (GOFOs)… Read More Afghanistan War Generals are AWOL
By Jason Criss Howk 29 June 2022 Submission to the 2022 Irregular Warfare Essay Competition Near the end of April 2022, the UK’s top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, called-out other nation’s timid responses to Russian atrocities by stating, “this is a time for courage, not caution.” She urged nations to support the Ukrainians with… Read More Building An “Air Force” That Can Fight Anywhere/Anytime
Jason Criss Howk Veterans Day 2021 Authors note: This article is 6 years in the making at this point. In it I highlight my journey from an Infantry paratrooper who had never really known a Muslim before (that I knew of) to an interfaith leader who specializes in helping American non-Muslims to understand Islamic cultures.… Read More Why It Is Hard to Make America More Tolerant of Muslims
Jason Criss Howk 13 September 2021 The US and NATO-plus coalition policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan never matched the outcomes the 50-plus nations assisting Afghans sought. I wondered on September 11th 2021 if there was a moment when a senior leader in Afghanistan, NATO, or CENTCOM should have resigned in protest for this fatal flaw,… Read More Afghanistan: When Was Someone Supposed to Fall on Their Sword?
Guest column by Said Sabir Ibrahimi 8 September 2021 With the Afghan economy is on the verge of collapse, the United Nations has warned that half of the population in Afghanistan needs humanitarian aid. While the U.S. military’s combat operations in Afghanistan have come to an end, Washington haspledged to remain engaged with the country through diplomacy, development, and humanitarian aid. After the sudden collapse of the U.S.-backed government on August 15, 2021, the Taliban swiftly seized 33… Read More The United States Must Airdrop Aid to the Blockaded Regions of Afghanistan
17 August 2021 Transcript from 16 August 2021 interview with CNN 1022hrs EST US Reporters: Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto Guest: Jason Criss Howk, Afghanistan veteran (2002 and later) who was an insider for various US/NATO Afghan policy discussions during the Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. (*note this is not a word-for-word transcript but… Read More CNN Interview Transcript: Afghanistan
Jason,Criss Howk 14 August 2021 Today President Biden secured his place on the list of world leaders that chose to do the immoral thing when so many are telling him to do the right thing. Biden has chosen to go against the military advice, and humanitarian advice of so many experts to abandon a steadfast… Read More Response to Biden Statement: Still Time to Do the Right Thing
8 April 2021 Excited to share this book, that took 3 decades to write. Find it here.
A quick update on the opening of the Dam in Nimroz. Read the story here
Jason Criss Howk #TedLasso made me think about what advice I would give anyone that was getting assigned to work in the UK or work on a majority-British team anywhere in the world. I was assigned as an advisor-assistant to a senior British leader and spent a busy year surrounded by other UK defense, diplomacy,… Read More Working with the Brits
5 March 2021 Our writing team covers a critical topic today. “Women judges and media workers have been killed by gunmen in Afghanistan in alarming attacks over the past two months. Civil society leaders are also being targeted, and some are leaving their jobs or fleeing the country. These devastating attacks send a chilling message… Read More Identifying & Countering Afghan Peace Spoilers
4 March 2021 Jason Criss Howk “I think it’s crucial to discard these simple theories/labels and study the more nuanced approaches to achieving peace. If I had to be categorized, I would fall mostly into the talk AND fight approach to bring about Afghanistan security building. Let’s unpack that view…” To read more go to… Read More The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Should Talk AND Fight
Jason Criss Howk, 22 Feb 2021 The Taliban and Pakistan have shown extreme stubbornness over the years and it has cost the lives of Afghan civilians everyday. The Taliban have missed every chance to miss the chance to find peace. “On November 28, the Taliban reached out to Karzai via Mullah Zaeef the so-called Taliban… Read More What Taliban Stubbornness has Brought
I enjoy starting up new organizations and launching new ideas and policies. I also enjoy music created in the American Deep South. This article looks at how leaders and organizations can improve their creativity by employing the Muscle Shoals method of music making. Unleashing Creativity: The Muscle Shoals Method Versus the Military Decision Making Process… Read More Planning tips from Muscle Shoals
A quick explanation of what this recent department of defense change means and what it doesn’t mean. Read about it here From Counterterrorism to Irregular Warfare: What Does That Mean? #counterterrorism #sof #irregularWarfare #IO #COIN #IW #CT #terrorism #china #iran #russia
Jason Criss Howk 29 January 2021 Most peace talks struggle to find peace on the first attempt. This piece looks at the factor of experience while trying to determine who will have the military edge in the future if talks stall and or stop.
Jason Criss Howk The options are much more narrow than they were in the past but the Biden Administration still has some choices to make about Afghanistan. #clearancejobs Read my latest column about what they can do here
By Jason Criss Howk 13 December 2020 I have been watching my friends in the acting, singing, musician, dancing, and movie theater business struggle this year. It has made me think a lot about where their industry is going. I am a big fan of the arts and humanities, they make our nation wiser and… Read More Off-Broadway to On-Line
Jason Criss Howk 