p.64 The true measure of success in Afghanistan,
and one that is not uniformly evaluated, is the amount of “influence” that the government holds over the
population.
My definition of influence
in Afghanistan is the capacity or power of persons or entities to be a compelling force
on the actions, behavior, beliefs, and opinions of the population.
p.65 Lack of an objective
influence-measurement tool hampers our ability to recognize whether our actions and the actions of
the Afghan government are having a positive or negative effect. If we are going to be successful in Afghanistan,
we must be able to quickly and accurately determine where and when we need to reinforce success or revamp our strategy. Therefore, we need an objective method to identify influence
over the population, measure it, and recognize methods for increasing influence
p.67 The Tactical Conflict Assessment and
Planning Framework is supposed to create data that immediately focuses efforts toward developing effective programs
to create stability.
p.67 A system for measuring influence derived
from data collected by patrols and population surveys would provide the ability to evaluate influence throughout
the entire country.
p.71 To make an influence analysis
system that produces accurate information, one must use a basic approach that does not overburden the data collectors.
p.72 influence must be uniformly measured
to depict progress.
p.72 The proper metric for understanding success at the tactical
level is the influence that the GIRoA [Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan] and ISAF [International Security
Assistance Force] have over the population.
p.72 Greater control... would benefit the counterinsurgency... holding influence over the informal power
structure can achieve the same effect.
p.72 Objectively measuring influence to depict progress accurately is vital
p.72 The proposed metrics for friendly and enemy influence above may not be the best, but that does not decrease the importance of establishing influence
p.72 Increasing friendly influence while
reducing [opponent] influence is progress toward improving stability... an unavoidable requirement
for successful accomplishment of the... mission [JLJ - or perhaps winning a board game]
