--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The general's staff is a handpicked…" description: "\"The general's staff is a handpicked collection of killers, spies, geniuses, patriots, political operators and outright maniacs. There's a former head o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-hastings-6810_afghan_the-general-s-staff-is-a-handpicked-coll_2621423.png" --- # The general's staff is a handpicked collection of killers… ![“The general's staff is a handpicked collection of killers, spies, geniuses, patriots, political operators and outright maniacs. There's a former head of British Special Forces, two Navy Seals, an Afghan Special Forces commando, a lawyer, two fighter pilots and at least two dozen combat veterans…” quote by Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-hastings-6810_afghan_the-general-s-staff-is-a-handpicked-coll_2621423.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-hastings-6810_afghan_the-general-s-staff-is-a-handpicked-coll_2621423.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/michael-hastings-6810_afghan_the-general-s-staff-is-a-handpicked-coll_2621423.png) > “The general's staff is a handpicked collection of killers, spies, geniuses, patriots, political operators and outright maniacs. There's a former head of British Special Forces, two Navy Seals, an Afghan Special Forces commando, a lawyer, two fighter pilots and at least two dozen combat veterans and counterinsurgency experts. They jokingly refer to themselves as Team America, taking the name from the South Park-esque sendup of military cluelessness, and they pride themselves on their can-do attitude and their disdain for authority.” [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes an elite, diverse, and unconventional team of military and civilian experts assembled for covert operations, highlighting their varied skills and rebellious culture. **In simple terms:** A mixed group of elite specialists with a rebellious attitude. Key Takeaway Embrace diverse expertise and challenge authority. Themes military teamwork rebellion expertise culture Mood tense defiant critical Type analytical observational When to use this quote - special ops planning - policy advising - crisis response - media analysis Key Concepts counterinsurgency leadership psychology risk management Questions to Reflect On - How does diversity affect decision making in high‑risk teams? - When is rebellion counterproductive? A Different Perspective Their unconventional methods can clash with traditional hierarchies and cause coordination issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [Can do attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do-attitude/) [Combat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combat/) [Combat veterans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combat-veterans/) [Commandos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commandos/) [Counterinsurgency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterinsurgency/) [Disdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disdain/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [Fighter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighter/) [Fighter pilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighter-pilot/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Killers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killers/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Navy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/navy/) [Navy seal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/navy-seal/) [Navy Seals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/navy-seals/) [Patriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriot/) [Pilots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilots/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Seals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seals/) [Special forces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special-forces/) [Spy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spy/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Team america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team-america/) [Veteran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veteran/) ## Related quotes > [The ultimate power of a successful general staff lies, not in the brilliance of its individual members, but in the cross-fertilisation of its collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reg-revans/the-ultimate-power-of-a-successful-general-staff-lies-not-in-the/) [Reg Revans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reg-revans/) > [We must be part of the general staff at the inception, rather than the ambulance drivers at the bitter end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lane-kirkland/we-must-be-part-of-the-general-staff-at-the-inception-rather-than-the/) [Lane Kirkland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lane-kirkland/) > [If you feel that the Chief of the General Staff talks only rubbish, my place is not here. Better to give me a command…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgy-zhukov/if-you-feel-that-the-chief-of-the-general-staff-talks-only-rubbish-my/) [Georgy Zhukov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgy-zhukov/) > [“The General Staff of an army in the field is so placed that within wide limits it can control what the public will perceive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-general-staff-of-an-army-in-the-field-is-so-placed-that-within/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [He discusses his service in Iraq, the wounds he suffered there and he says to me in this ad, until you have the guts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/he-discusses-his-service-in-iraq-the-wounds-he-suffered-there-and-he/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Casualties many; Percentage of dead not known; Combat efficiency; we are winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-shoup/casualties-many-percentage-of-dead-not-known-combat-efficiency-we-are/) [David M. Shoup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-shoup/) > [ He \[Osama bin Laden\] is clearly an odd combination of a 12th-century theologian and a 21st-century CEO. He runs an absolutely unique organization in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/he-osama-bin-laden-is-clearly-an-odd-combination-of-a-12th-century/) [Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/) > [He was a combat veteran from Korea, and he was a great father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/he-was-a-combat-veteran-from-korea-and-he-was-a-great-father/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/wars-may-be-fought-with-weapons-but-they-are-won-by-men/) [George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/) > [The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-willingness-with-which-our-young-people-are-likely-to-serve-in/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [ \[My grandfather -a miner\] had black lung, and he didn't talk about it much. It's almost like a combat veteran. But he witnessed some… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-yoakam/my-grandfather-a-miner-had-black-lung-and-he-didn-t-talk-about-it/) [Dwight Yoakam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-yoakam/) > [During their college years the oarsmen put in terrbily long hours, often showing up at the boathouse at 6:00am for preclass practices. Both physically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/during-their-college-years-the-oarsmen-put-in-terrbily-long-hours/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [As a soldier and combat veteran, I believe American military forces should only be used in the defense and furtherance of our nation's vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-ernst/as-a-soldier-and-combat-veteran-i-believe-american-military-forces/) [Joni Ernst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-ernst/) > [A can-do attitude, a positive personality, and a strong work ethic are still the primary ingredients for success at Nordstrom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-spector/a-can-do-attitude-a-positive-personality-and-a-strong-work-ethic-are/) [Robert Spector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-spector/) > [“Self care, self love. Self esteem, self confidence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/self-care-self-love-self-esteem-self-confidence/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Michael Hastings > [I have a deep-seated skepticism about the morality of violence. Violence is almost always morally corrosive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/i-have-a-deep-seated-skepticism-about-the-morality-of-violence/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [The humanitarian argument is so selective I find it difficult to swallow. It's not even so much about the choice as to where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-humanitarian-argument-is-so-selective-i-find-it-difficult-to/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [If Bill O'Reilly is calling you a far-left critic, in my book, no matter what your political persuasion is, that's probably - that probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/if-bill-o-reilly-is-calling-you-a-far-left-critic-in-my-book-no/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [I'm post-cynical on this stuff. I look at the El Salvador model as the glory days: Why don't we just fund the death squads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/i-m-post-cynical-on-this-stuff-i-look-at-the-el-salvador-model-as-the/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Whether or not Afghanistan would be a peaceful nation-state had we not gone into Iraq I doubt. Afghanistan is going to be Afghanistan, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/whether-or-not-afghanistan-would-be-a-peaceful-nation-state-had-we/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [One of their major initiatives was getting all officers on Facebook. So the question is, why are these people who are there to train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/one-of-their-major-initiatives-was-getting-all-officers-on-facebook/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [It was interesting watching the Afghanistan war review deliberations, this three-month process where Barack Obama did the most thorough foreign policy review ever by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/it-was-interesting-watching-the-afghanistan-war-review-deliberations/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Inside the White House there were always extreme amounts of doubt about whether they should be escalating in Afghanistan. In fact, most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/inside-the-white-house-there-were-always-extreme-amounts-of-doubt/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [The State Department is essentially... I was going to use the word useless. But I don't know if that's correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-state-department-is-essentially-i-was-going-to-use-the-word/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [If someone tells you something is off the record, I don't print it. If they don't tell me something is off the record, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/if-someone-tells-you-something-is-off-the-record-i-don-t-print-it-if/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [If you polled the military in Afghanistan as to how many think we should be there or not, the numbers would probably be similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/if-you-polled-the-military-in-afghanistan-as-to-how-many-think-we/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Afghanistan would have been difficult enough without Iraq. Iraq made it impossible. The argument that had we just focused on Afghanistan we'd now be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/afghanistan-would-have-been-difficult-enough-without-iraq-iraq-made/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [“Her name has been released to the press. Her photograph is released, too. I want to talk to the press about it. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/her-name-has-been-released-to-the-press-her-photograph-is-released/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [The frightening aspect is that it's part of a larger effort from the Pentagon to tear down the wall between public affairs and propaganda,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-frightening-aspect-is-that-it-s-part-of-a-larger-effort-from-the/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [An information operations team was sent to Afghanistan to conduct various psychological operations on the Afghans and Taliban. The team was then asked not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/an-information-operations-team-was-sent-to-afghanistan-to-conduct/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) [Explore all 97 Michael Hastings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) ## More Afghan quotes > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [If it is terrorism, if it is war on terror, then the Afghan people will join you on terror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-karzai/if-it-is-terrorism-if-it-is-war-on-terror-then-the-afghan-people-will/) [Hamid Karzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-karzai/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/throughout-the-last-century-there-were-multiple-attempts-at-giving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan to transform her own life and ended up revolutionizing the lives of many of her Afghan sisters. This book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-hamilton/deborah-rodriguez-went-to-afghanistan-to-transform-her-own-life-and/) [Masha Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-hamilton/) > [Mecca and Medinah is a very special place in the hearts of every Muslim but particularly for every Afghan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/mecca-and-medinah-is-a-very-special-place-in-the-hearts-of-every/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [ The president \[Barack Obama\] decided to leave more troops than he had originally planned in Afghanistan. We have a very cooperative government there, with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/the-president-barack-obama-decided-to-leave-more-troops-than-he-had/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Over the past 30 years, hand grenades, tanks, fighter jets, missiles, helicopters and assault rifles have replaced traditional floral patterns in rug making and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/over-the-past-30-years-hand-grenades-tanks-fighter-jets-missiles/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [We've got to see a state where the Afghan government can handle its own day-to-day security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/we-ve-got-to-see-a-state-where-the-afghan-government-can-handle-its/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [It's going to be really interesting to see what the heroin market does in the next two years or so. One thing you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/it-s-going-to-be-really-interesting-to-see-what-the-heroin-market/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [And across Afghanistan, every single day, Afghan soldiers, Afghan police and ISAF troops are serving shoulder-to-shoulder in some very difficult situations. And our engagement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-allen/and-across-afghanistan-every-single-day-afghan-soldiers-afghan-police/) [John R. Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-allen/) > [Well, the movie isn't bad. For a while, I even told myself I liked it, even as it missed one mark after another. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edelstein/well-the-movie-isn-t-bad-for-a-while-i-even-told-myself-i-liked-it/) [David Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edelstein/) > [I mean, honestly, we have to be clear that the life for many Afghan women is not that much different than it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-mean-honestly-we-have-to-be-clear-that-the-life-for-many-afghan/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) Browse all 144 Afghan quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The general's staff is a handpicked collection of killers, spies, geniuses, patriots, political operators and outright maniacs. There's a former head of British Special Forces, two Navy Seals, an Afghan Special Forces commando, a lawyer, two fighter pilots and at least two dozen combat veterans and counterinsurgency experts. 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