Combat Aviation Advisors. The 6th Special Operations Squadron is home to combat aviation advisors of the U.S. Air Force. Its' mission is Foreign Internal Defense (FID) and Combat Foreign Internal Defense (CFID). The combat advisors conduct assessments, provide training and advice and support to foreign aviation combat units across the world. These advisors are familiar with various types of foreign aircraft to include Russian Mi-17s, French A-332 Super Pumas, and others. The 6th SOS stood up in 1994 and is still a very small part of the Air Force despite the overwhelming demand for air advisors in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa and other parts of the world. Read more in "A day in the life of Combat aviation advisors", Special-Ops.org, July 22, 2014.
MD-530 Helicopters. This coming Thursday the MoD will officially enter the new MD-530 helicopters into the Afghan Air Force (AAF). Six armed MD-530s arrived last month from the United States. Read more in a news article in Khaama Press (Apr 4, 2015).
Video - "Afghan Police and Army Spending". The NATO Channel presents a 4 minute long video detailing how the Resolute Support hqs is helping the ANSF and the Afghan Security Institutions (ASIs) with fiscal discipline. This includes advising them on facilities divestiture and fuel auditing.
Factsheet on U.S. Leadership in Landmine Clearance. On April 3, 2015 the U.S. Department of State published a Fact Sheet on "U.S. Global Leadership in Landmine Clearance and Conventional Weapons Destruction".
Motorbike Mine Blast in Kunduz. 10 people (perhaps more) were injured early Saturday in a mine blast in northern Kunduz province. The explosion took place near the police headquarters. (Tolo News, Apr 4, 2015).
Blast in Baghlan Province. According to Pajhwok News five civilians were killed and 7 others wounded in a mine blast in Baghlan province.
Peace Talks - Who are the Players? NBC News provides us with background material for the peace talks that may (or may not) occur between the Afghan government, the Taliban and other parties. Read "Afghan Peace Talks with Taliban: Issues, Players and Challenges", April 4, 2015.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/afghan-peace-talks-n333801
Women in as "Operators" in Special Operations. Surveys conducted by special operations units indicate that there are big concerns about integrating women into some SOF positions. While there are a number of positions currently open to women in SOF units (support and staff) the "operator" positions are the ones that are currently closed. These positions require attendance at grueling and physically demanding qualification courses such as Special Forces training and then assignment to units that sometimes deploy as a small element in geographically remote and austere locations. Read more in "Special ops troops doubt women can do the job", AP Big Story, April 4, 2015.
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