Some comments by a U.S.State Department Official on Charles Bennett’s work in Helmand 2006-2007:
A former British officer, of a surprisingly intellectual bent, Bennett has copious experience in Africa and Afghanistan; I came to admire and applaud his work while I managed INL's Poppy Elimination Program (PEP) in Afghanistan from INL/Washington.
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Charles served as the first "international advisor" to PEP in Helmand Province. During his time in Helmand, the heart of the narco-insurgency in Afghanistan, Charles proved himself to be hands-down the best field reporting officer and local political analyst employed anywhere in the US mission in Afghanistan. We were all dismayed when Bennett decided not to renew his contract in Helmand -- where his departure shut down tremendous insight into the local dynamics of what was really happening in that cockpit of conflict and why.
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……Fascinating stuff you sent. Would you mind if I discreetly shared it with a few selected people back here? People who think deeply about this stuff and can be trusted to use your insights to tweak what we’re doing a bit. ………You have earned a number of admirers back here; and I’ll dare say that Charles Bennett is the only IA (or PRT reporting officer for that matter) who is recognized by name among the Afghan crowd back in Washington. That says something…
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The single best candidate I know, Charles Bennett already served as INL's man on the spot in HELMAND in 2005/6 via a contract that INL had with DynCorp at that time -- but he reported directly and exclusively to the Embassy and INL/DC. He was hands down the best political reporting and analysis officer I have ever seen in Afghanistan -- and I was one myself out Kandahar.......................It would be great if we could identify which jobs Bennett could apply for as he is a major "force multiplier" all in himself.
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....Charles Bennett is a former Queen's serving officer from the British Army, with tons of counterinsurgency and police experience from prior service...... He is the most knowledgeable person anywhere on the internal politics of Helmand -- which is a total rats’ nest. Several people in INL have long enough memories to vouch for his insight and analysis, too. But, he's a Brit. ................I was/am hoping that there is some way we might be able to capture Bennett's services despite this impediment -- just as David Kilcullen, a former AUSTRALIAN army officer was hired through S/CT and later General Petraeus's staff to be the State Department's prime counter-insurgency expert.