Pete's Complicated Legacy: Examining His Stance On The Afghanistan War

Pete Buttigieg, a former US presidential candidate, served in Afghanistan as a Navy intelligence officer in 2014. Buttigieg's military service is a key component of his White House bid, as he is one of three veterans in the Democratic race.

Buttigieg joined the Navy Reserve in 2009 as an intelligence officer through the Reserve's direct commission program. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, where he served with the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell, a multi-agency task force led by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Buttigieg's unit was responsible for uncovering the methods and networks used by insurgents to acquire funding and passing this information to US or Afghan forces to disrupt their operations. He described himself as the unit's Uber, driving senior officers around Kabul and occasionally further afield.

Buttigieg's work in Afghanistan has been the subject of some controversy, with some accusing him of being a CIA asset. While Buttigieg's campaign has denied these allegations, military records indicate that he worked alongside the CIA during his deployment.

Pete Buttigieg's military credentials

Buttigieg joined the Navy Reserve in 2009 as an intelligence officer. He was sworn in as an ensign in September 2009. He joined through the direct-commission officers program, bypassing the more time-consuming training route of other branches. Buttigieg did, however, have to go through basic training. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, serving for six or seven months. He was part of the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell (ATFC), a multi-agency task force led by the Drug Enforcement Administration. He was assigned to identify and disrupt terrorist finance networks. He also worked as an armed driver for his commander on more than 100 trips into Kabul.

Buttigieg has been careful not to call himself a combat veteran. He has said that he never fired his weapon and was never fired upon. However, he has emphasised the danger he faced in Afghanistan, saying that he has "seen worse incoming than a misspelled tweet". He has also said that he does not regret his service, despite the war being unpopular. Buttigieg's military service has helped shape his views for the country.

Buttigieg's work with the CIA

Mayor Pete Buttigieg's work with the CIA has been the subject of much speculation and conspiracy theories, particularly during his presidential campaign. While there is no definitive evidence that Buttigieg was a CIA agent or asset, his work in Afghanistan did bring him into contact with the agency and other intelligence organizations.

Buttigieg's Background

Buttigieg joined the Navy Reserve in 2009 as an intelligence officer through a direct commission program. This program allowed him to become an officer without undergoing the usual officer training. He did, however, have to go through basic training, which he described as a character-building experience.

Buttigieg's military career began with a posting at US European Command, where he worked as an intelligence analyst. He later returned to EUCOM as a team leader, supervising one officer and four intelligence analysts. During his time in the Navy, Buttigieg also worked with the Truman National Security Project, a group of Democrats who supported the use of military power while condemning the policies of the Bush administration.

Afghanistan Deployment

In 2014, Buttigieg was deployed to Afghanistan, where he served with the US Navy. This deployment came two years into his tenure as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Buttigieg had specifically requested to be deployed to Afghanistan, stating that he wanted to be "where the heart of the action was" and in the "area of greatest challenge."

In Afghanistan, Buttigieg was assigned to the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell (ATFC), a multi-agency task force led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with members from various government agencies, including the CIA. The primary mission of the ATFC was to disrupt the financial networks of insurgent groups such as the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and the Haqqani network.

Buttigieg served as an Officer in Charge and Liaison Officer for the ATFC, overseeing analysis and operations and coordinating intelligence sharing with other organizations. He worked out of a makeshift office in a shipping container, which he often shared with one or two other officers.

Buttigieg's deployment lasted six months, and he described his experience as more mundane and focused on intelligence work rather than battlefield heroics. He also served as a driver for senior officers, shuttling them around Kabul and occasionally to other locations. Buttigieg downplayed the danger of his duties, but his unit was frequently subjected to rocket attacks and roadside bombs.

Connections to the CIA

While Buttigieg himself denied being a CIA agent or asset, his work in Afghanistan did bring him into contact with the agency. The ATFC, the unit he was assigned to, included members from the CIA, and they collaborated on intelligence sharing and targeting operations.

In addition, Buttigieg's roster of endorsements included a significant number of CIA veterans and individuals with experience in regime change operations. Furthermore, his trip to Somaliland with a college friend, who later worked for a US government regime-change agency, raised suspicions about potential CIA connections.

While there is no concrete evidence that Pete Buttigieg was a CIA agent or asset, his work in Afghanistan, particularly with the ATFC, did involve collaboration with the agency. His intelligence background, high-profile endorsements, and mysterious trip to Somaliland fueled conspiracy theories and speculation about potential CIA connections.

Buttigieg's work with the DEA

During his time in Afghanistan, Pete Buttigieg worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as part of the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell (ATFC)multi-agency task force that also included representatives from the FBI, CIA, and the Departments of Defense, Justice, and the Treasury.

The ATFC's primary task was to disrupt the Taliban's drug trade and uncover the methods and networks used by insurgents to acquire funding. This involved producing intelligence reports and sharing information with other agencies.

Buttigieg, as an intelligence officer, was in charge of overseeing the analysis and operations conducted from the ATFC Kabul headquarters. He also coordinated intelligence sharing and represented the ATFC at high-level briefings.

During his deployment, Buttigieg also served as a chauffeur to his superiors, driving them to meetings in and occasionally outside of Kabul. These trips outside the heavily guarded headquarters compound were dangerous, with the constant threat of rocket attacks and roadside bombs.

Buttigieg's deployment to Afghanistan

Pete Buttigieg, former US presidential candidate, South Bend mayor, and Navy Reserve officer, deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. In this deployment, he served as an intelligence officer in the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell (ATFC), a multi-agency task force led by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The unit's goal was to uncover the methods and networks by which the insurgency was acquiring funding and to pass this information to US or Afghan forces to disrupt it.

Buttigieg's work involved drafting intelligence reports from inside a shipping container in a secured intelligence office, as well as driving officials around Kabul in an armoured SUV. He also served as a liaison and conduit of information to and from the task force to various subcommands in Kabul.

Buttigieg's deployment lasted around six or seven months, during which he experienced rocket attacks and roadside bombs, though he never fired his weapon or was fired upon. He described his experience as more mundane work and simmering danger than battlefield heroics.

Joining the Navy Reserve

Buttigieg joined the Navy Reserve in 2009, becoming an intelligence officer through the Reserve's direct commission program for applicants with academic degrees. He underwent basic training and studied to become an intelligence officer at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago.

A Family Tradition

Buttigieg has described his decision to join the military as a continuation of his family's tradition of military service. His grandfather was a career military physician, and his great uncle was an Army Air Corps captain who died in a plane crash during World War II. Buttigieg had long considered military service and was inspired to sign up while volunteering for Barack Obama's 2008 campaign in Iowa.

Deployment to Afghanistan

In 2014, Buttigieg received orders to deploy to Afghanistan. He sought out this deployment to be "where the heart of the action was" and because he had previously visited the country while working for McKinsey and found it "troubled but hauntingly beautiful".

Life in Afghanistan

Buttigieg's deployment involved drafting intelligence reports, driving officials around Kabul, and liaising with various subcommands. He worked out of a makeshift office in a shipping container, which he shared with one or two other officers. He experienced rocket attacks and roadside bombs, though he never fired his weapon or was fired upon.

Buttigieg described his experience as more mundane work and simmering danger than battlefield heroics. He recalled how he and his colleagues would eat midnight rations of breakfast for dinner and watch pirated TV shows before bed. He also stayed connected with his staff back in South Bend, joining weekly staff meetings via Skype.

Reflections on the War

Buttigieg believed that the war in Afghanistan was a necessary response to the 9/11 attacks but that it had gone on too long. He questioned the mission's convoluted military "lines of effort" and how it would end. He also reflected on the dangers of the war zone, noting that he had seen worse incoming than a misspelled tweet.

Returning Home

Buttigieg's deployment ended in September 2014, and he returned to his job as mayor of South Bend. He came out as gay in 2015 and was re-elected with over 80% of the vote. He credits his military service with helping him to embrace his identity and shape his views on national service.

Buttigieg's views on the war in Afghanistan

Buttigieg's personal connection to the war began with his family's military history. His great uncle was an Army Air Corps captain who died in a plane crash during World War II, and his grandfather was a career military physician. Buttigieg himself joined the Navy Reserve in 2009 as an intelligence officer and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. During his deployment, he worked with the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell (ATFC), a multi-agency task force led by the Drug Enforcement Administration that aimed to disrupt the Taliban's financial networks.

Buttigieg's experience in Afghanistan was not one of heroic battlefield stories, but rather a more mundane and dangerous reality. He described himself as the unit's "Uber", driving senior officers around Kabul and occasionally further afield. He also faced rocket attacks and roadside bombs, which constantly reminded him of the dangers present.

Buttigieg's views on the war were shaped by his time in Afghanistan. He recognised the importance of military service and believed it contributed to his political profile. However, he also understood the toll that war takes on individuals and families, and emphasised the need to support veterans.

In conclusion, Buttigieg's views on the war in Afghanistan are nuanced. While he acknowledged the necessity of the war following the 9/11 attacks, he also believed it had gone on for too long. His personal experiences in the country and his family's military history influenced his perspective. He valued his time in the military and believed it contributed to his political career, but he also recognised the sacrifices made by those who served.

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