Press
Showing 1-20 of 24 Items
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In The News
National Security Human Capital Program
Veteran Cyclist Rides 1,689 Miles to Honor Fallen Soldiers"Like most of us who have served in the military, I have memories that are never far away. In 2007, I led a group of 800 paratroopers on a perilous tour in Afghanistan. They m...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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An Honor Ride
Former Metro Detroiter takes part in 1,700-mile ride to honor fallen soldiers and raise awareness about PTSD and addiction. “Powerful. A great lesson in leadership.” That’s h...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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In Afghanistan, Was a Loss Better than Peace?
In The News
U.S. government perceptions of the battlefield also continued to shape thinking about negotiating with the Taliban, even when those perceptions were flawed. Chris Kolenda, a r...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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Retired Army Colonel from Omaha Embarks on Cross-Country Bike Ride to Honor Fallen Soldiers
In The News
The retired Army colonel is with his guys: the six paratroopers who gave their lives in Afghanistan in 2007 while serving under his command. Pfc. Chris Pfeifer. Sgt. Adrian Hi...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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In The News
National Security Human Capital Program
Nebraska veterans, Gold Star families grapple with how Afghanistan War is endingBarb Yllescas-Vorthmann cried tears of grief a dozen years ago when a bomb on a bridge in a remote corner of Afghanistan fatally wounded her son, Capt. Rob Yllescas. He left b...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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Afghanistan's fall renews terrorism fears for US
In The News
The fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban has raised fears that terrorist groups capable of threatening the U.S. homeland will thrive anew amid the chaos. U.S. military officials...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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In The News
Indo-Pacific Security / National Security Human Capital Program
Afghanistan collapse into Taliban rule devastates Wisconsin veterans, human rights advocatesMore than 2,300 Americans lost their lives and another 20,000 were wounded in the 20-year, $2 trillion war in Afghanistan. And in just days, the country was taken over by the ...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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In The News
Indo-Pacific Security / National Security Human Capital Program
He spent his adult life helping U.S. soldiers. Now, he’s desperately fleeing Afghanistan.The voice on the phone from Kandahar Airfield sounded exhausted and resigned, as if not much hope was left. Lt. Col. Mohammad Iqbal Nuristani had managed to get the bulk of hi...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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In The News
Indo-Pacific Security / National Security Human Capital Program
This Memorial Day, remember those who died in Afghanistan, and the loved ones they left behindIt was a graduation gift from his mother, a chance to skydive.Quinn Johnson-Harris of Milwaukee made that first jump and declared: "I'm going to live in the sky."And he did, j...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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In The News
Indo-Pacific Security / National Security Human Capital Program
Many served, some died: Nebraskans look back on the Afghanistan WarThe long-awaited, long-delayed final pullout of U.S. and NATO forces after 20 years of war in Afghanistan has finally begun. President Joe Biden set a deadline of Sept. 11 for...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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Taliban Boycotts Key Peace Talks After U.S. Pull-Out Delay
In The News
Hours after the Biden administration announced that the remaining 3,500 American troops will return from Afghanistan by the twentieth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, a Ta...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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Biden About to Make Huge, Last-Second Gamble on Afghanistan
In The News
With less than a month to go before a diplomatic accord with the Taliban requires U.S. forces to withdraw from their longest-ever overseas war, the Biden administration is now...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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The best case for withdrawing all US troops from Afghanistan
In The News
In 2018, Kolenda and US diplomat Robin Raphel also privately engaged in secret talks with the Taliban aimed at bringing the war to an end. Those talks helped pave the way for ...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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Team Biden About to Start Its First Talks With the Taliban
In The News
President Biden’s Afghanistan negotiator has begun a diplomatic trip that will include the first meeting of the new administration with the Taliban, sources familiar confirmed...
By Lisa Curtis & Christopher D. Kolenda
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The stage is set for Afghan government-Taliban peace talks
In The News
Last week the Afghan government approved the release of 400 Taliban fighters, setting the stage for negotiations with the terrorist group which are due to begin imminently. Wi...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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Nebraskans toiled at 'The Outpost' before horrifying attack portrayed in new war film
In The News
In the Hollywood version of Rob Yllescas’ life, the Army captain from Osceola, Nebraska, is talking Husker football in his last moments on Earth. “I do like football. Nebrask...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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The Taliban Peace Deal Might Have Been Had Many Years and Thousands of Lives Ago
In The News
The end was closing in on them. Not two months after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001, the Taliban’s Kandahar stronghold was about to fall to its Northern Alliance antagon...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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The war in Afghanistan started 18 years ago to fight terrorism after 9/11. Is the US safer?
In The News
The world was dramatically different 18 years ago when the war in Afghanistan started. Thousands of families were grappling with the deaths of their loved ones in the World Tr...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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Chris Kolenda On The Possibility Of Peace In Afghanistan
Chris Kolenda, founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, talks about the possibility of a peace deal in Afghanistan. Listen to the full conversation on Sirius XM:...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
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U.S. Looks For Way Out Of Afghanistan During Talks With Taliban And Afghan Government
In The News
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Chris Kolenda about possible roadblocks as the U.S., the Taliban, and the Afghan government work toward reaching an agreement on a U.S. exit stra...
By Christopher D. Kolenda
