Kabul , Afghanistan ( CNN ) -- November 28th last year passed pretty quietly here . But in some ways it was more significant a date than today . That was when , by my calculations , U.S.-led coalition troops had been in Afghanistan longer than the Soviet Union was . Today , they 've been here 10 years . That 's almost impossible to contemplate . The time has drifted by , measured more in sacrifice and expenditure : The numbers of young soldiers who risked a lot to join the military and wo n't be going home . The immeasurable amount of money spent here , on roads that will be hard to maintain once the coalition leaves , on homes in Dubai for Afghan officials who should have known better . Cruder calculations suggest the money spent on war each month here could alternatively be given straight to Afghans -- hundreds of dollars each a month . That would have been something in 2001 , but now the huge inflation of war makes it comparative small change . General Stanley McChrystal , the former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan , said Thursday the coalition is only 50 per cent of the way there . It is likely McChrystal , who lost his job after he and his team were quoted extensively in Rolling Stone magazine , will be remembered as the great truth-teller of the war that ended his military career . For a little while , his bluntly pessimistic assessments felt like there was someone in charge who knew how bad and how complicated it was , and how long the road ahead would be . As one of McChrystal 's top aides , Maj. Gen Bill Mayville , told Rolling Stone in that same article : `` It 's not going to look like a win , smell like a win or taste like a win . '' But after McChrystal 's hasty departure , the war seemed to revert to crisis management again . His replacement as commander of U.S. and ISAF troops in Afghanistan , General David Petraeus had little time in the job before the collapse in domestic support -- dare I even say comprehension -- of the war led Obama to begin thinking about the exit . It has been curious to see Obama , the presidential candidate who seemed to understand the importance of leaving this country in a manageable state , become the drum beater for an exit . The war is not a vote-winner after Bin Laden 's death , and there 's simply no money left in the kitty . Some things are better : there 's money everywhere here ; there 's better healthcare in some places ; there 's technology the Taliban held at bay ; there are hospitals and schools where before there were none . But it 's not a proper democracy ; it 's not safe ; the vast majority of people here are still poor and illiterate ; and it 's still got the Taliban , al Qaeda and a lot of narco-traffickers in play . Now the timetable is set , the battle of perception , as NATO called it , being fought with one unmistakable backdrop : The Americans want out . The NATO message is being persistently and deftly put out there : We are making security good enough for the Afghans to handle . You hear that message , come hell or high water , almost independent of what 's happening on the ground . It 's easy to understand why : It may be there 's not much more America can do here , bar stay another 10 years .
U.S.-led coalition troops have been in Afghanistan longer than the Soviet Union was . The U.S. military has spent more on its wars since 2001 than it did during World War II, according to a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. There 's better healthcare and technology , but still no proper democracy .