As America's War on Terror Enters a New Phase, Gen. Colin Powell Reflects on America's Military Strategy In Iraq and Afghanistan in New Clip From National Geographic Channel Documentary American War Generals

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the heels of President Obama's announcement that the United States' war on terror is far from over, with new air strikes against ISIS in Iraq, and limited troops being deployed to support the Iraqi and Kurdish forces, the National Geographic Channel today releases a clip from its new documentary, American War Generals, in which retired Gen. Colin Powell reflects on the U.S. military's role in creating a democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan.

LINK TO CLIP: http://files.natgeonetworks.com/_OAOOPnM0TwxPPR

"Once you got rid of Saddam Hussein, 24 million Iraqis were standing around saying, 'Who's in charge?'" says Powell of the Iraq War in the clip. "And my own view of it is that, at that point, if we were serious about the effort, if we'd analyzed it properly, we would have realized that we had to, one, not disband the Iraqi army. And we had to put in more American troops to stabilize and secure the society."

In another part of the released clip, in discussing the Afghanistan War, he describes a key to success in military missions: "I think you have to have a clearer understanding of the environment that you're in. And you have to pick an objective that is achievable. You can say, 'Go take that hill,' or, 'Take out the Taliban,' at the moment, but if your goal is to create a functioning democracy, is that the role that a military operation will achieve?"

Premiering this Sunday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, American War Generals unveils the complex world of conflict strategy and decision making from our most renowned four-star generals. With unique inside access to America's most elite military leadership, viewers will be given a new, intimate perspective on foreign policy and our modern military, revealing many never-before-heard stories and opinions from 11 legendary leaders of the modern U.S. Army in candid original interviews. Their accounts will take us through the big changes that have transformed the U.S. military from the first troops to enter Vietnam to the last combat troops to exit Afghanistan, explaining the critical personal experiences that shaped their lives and the way they approached modern warfare.

National Geographic Channels

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in over 85 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.

SOURCE National Geographic Channel