However, in the course of my five months of service in Afghanistan, in both Regional Commands East and South, I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States’ presence in Afghanistan. Next fall, the United States’ occupation will equal in length the Soviet Union’s own physical involvement in Afghanistan. It is this latter group that composes and supports the Pashtun insurgency. The United States military presence in Afghanistan greatly contributes to the legitimacy and strategic message of the Pashtun insurgency. The United States does not enjoy a national treasury for such success and victory.