Showing posts with label IJC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IJC. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Honesty from Departing IJC Cdr?

LTG Joe Anderson, the commander of the ISAF Joint Command (IJC) - now shut down, provides a last minute informal assessment of the Afghan National Security Forces - and Azam Ahmed gives us the details. See "Misgivings by U.S. General as Afghan Mission Ends"The New York Times, December 8, 2014. The surprise contained within this news report is the honesty the general seems to provide us. He points out many of the persistent problems that afflict the ANSF and doesn't sugar coat it. If only more of our generals could be this honest with us!

IJC Shuts its Doors

ISAF Joint Command (IJC) has shut down. Most of its personnel have returned to the states or will return shortly. Those that stay on will be absorbed into the ISAF structure which will soon be the command structure for the Resolute Support mission. Read more in "U.S. and NATO Ceremonially End Afghan Combat Mission", The New York Times, December 8, 2014. See also an ISAF news release - "ISAF Joint Command formally ceases operations", ISAF News, December 8, 2014. And just a little bit more in "With the troops: Bittersweet farewell for 18th Airborne Corps", Fayetteville Observer, December 8, 2014.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

IJC Says ANA Getting Better

The commander of the ISAF Joint Command (IJC), LTG Joseph Anderson, says that he is confident in the Afghan National Security Forces' tactical capabilities. He says they are "a very good fighting force". He does say that the Afghans need to focus on logistics, intelligence, aviation and special operations integration. IJC is days away from shutting down and LTG Anderson provides some comments over the past several months that he has commanded IJC. Read more in "Three-star: Afghan army getting better, needs to 'keep upping the game'", Military Times, December 5, 2014.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Paper - "ISAF IJC 2014: The Year of Change"

Anderson, LTG Joseph and MAJ Matthew McCreary. “International Security Assistance Force Joint Command 2014: The Year of Change”, Military Review, January-February 2015, pages 16-25. This paper describes the transition from SFA to FbSFA and the ‘thinning up’ of the advisory effort with the ANSF taking place at the same time that a significant retrograde of personnel, equipment and closing of bases was happening. The article is essentially correct but takes too much credit for transition that had already transpired in 2013 – such as thinning up, move to Functionally-based Security Force Assistance, and advising at the higher echelons vice district center and kandak level. This editors’ opinion is that 50% of the credit taken in the paper was for work already completed in 2013. But . . .  the paper by the commander of IJC is a good historical document for those who want background info or who are writing academic papers or books on the advisory effort in the Afghan conflict.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Afghan Forces Winning Says IJC Cdr

The commander of the ISAF Joint Command, sometimes called IJC for short, provided an update on the Afghan War in a teleconference with Pentagon reporters. Army LTG Joseph Anderson said that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are winning. He stated that the ANSF is ". . . the most trusted government organization in Afghanistan" and that it is ". . . a hugely capable fighting force that has been holding its ground against the enemy". The Afghan forces number about 352,000 - 156,000 in the army and 155,000 in the police.

In the transition from the ISAF mission to the Resolute Support mission there has been a steady decline in the number of Coalition forces in Afghanistan. Currently (early November 2014) there are 38,000 soldiers from 44 nations; with a planned strength of 12,500 Coalition members by the end of December 2014. The number of Coalition bases has decreased from 86 bases in January 2014 to a current number of 26 (as of early November 2014). There are no more Regional Commands. All of the RCs have transitioned to "Train Advise and Assist Commands" or TAACs. The last RC to transition was RC East (to TAAC East). The new mission, Resolute Support, is all about advising and assisting the Afghans at the corps, institutional, and ministerial levels to work systems and processes. The advisory effort is focused along Eight Essential Functions (the "8 EF's are the follow-on to the "Five Functional Pillars") which encompasses everything from planning, programming, budgeting and execution to sustainment and planning. Some of the capability gaps of the ANSF include aviation, intelligence, logistics, and medical.

Read more in "Afghan Forces Winning, ISAF Joint Command Chief Says", DoD News, November 5, 2014.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

ANSF is Winning

The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) is winning. So says LTG Anderson, ISAF Joint Command leader. Ummm, okay. Read about LTG Joe Andersons's thoughts on how the war is going in "Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson gives update on Afghanistan mission", Fayetteville Observer, October 31, 2014.

Friday, February 21, 2014

LTG Anderson (IJC Cdr) and His Good Buddy Abdul Raziq

The newly arrived ISAF Joint Command (IJC) commander LTG Joseph Anderson was recently photographed with a 'colorful' personality in Kandahar province  - Abdul Raziq. Raziq is the Provincial Chief of Police (PCoP) for Kandahar - and is also suspected by many to be a warlord with strong ties to drug smuggling, corruption, and other illicit activities. Major General Raziq started out as a militia leader in Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar along the Pakistan border. Read more in "US general criticised over photo-op with Afghan cop accused of human rights abuses", The Telegraph, February 20, 2014. (U.S. Army photo by SGT Antony S. Lee, ISAF RC South, Feb 11, 2014).

Monday, February 10, 2014

III Corps Departs Afghanistan

III Corps has been the nucleus of the ISAF Joint Command (IJC) for the past year. It is now departing for its home base of Fort Hood, Texas. III Corps will be replaced by 18th Airborne Corps from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The outgoing commander, LTG Mark Milley, provided some comments during his change of command about the situation in Afghanistan. He said that a lot of progress has been made but there certainly is more work left to do to include providing assistance to the Afghan National Security Force as they get ready for the presidential elections in April. Read more in "III Corps leaves Afghanistan", Killeen Daily Herald, February 9, 2014.

New Commander for ISAF Joint Command (IJC)

The commander of the 18th Airborne Corps from Fort Bragg, North Carolina has assumed command of ISAF Joint Command (IJC) from LTG Mark Milley of III Corps. Lieutenant General Joseph Anderson is a West Point graduate who has completed a number of military schools and training courses (Airborne, Ranger, Infantry, staff college, etc.). He has served in many demanding assignments throughout his army career and in quite a few of the Army's infantry units to include 4th Infantry, 5th Infantry (Mech), 75th Ranger Regiment, 187th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne, 25th Infantry, and 101st Air Assault Division. In reviewing his bio posted on the Fort Bragg website one can see that  LTG Anderson has commanded and worked at all levels of the Army and has completed a some advanced degrees as well. He has had multiple deployments around the world to include the Balkans, Panama, and three tours in Iraq. Of note is the absence of any deployment time in Afghanistan. "Hmmmm". . . . . I am sure he is a quick learner.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

New Commander for ISAF Joint Command (IJC)

ISAF Joint Command (IJC) has a new commander - LTG Joseph Anderson. In a ceremony in Kabul, LTG Mark Milley handed over command of IJC to LTG Anderson. Read more in "New No. 2 US commander takes reins in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, February 8, 2014.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

"A Closer Look: The Turning Point"

LTG Mark Milley, command of the ISAF Joint Command (IJC), is interviewed by Gail McCabe about Afghanistan. In this 16 minute-long video posted on YouTube on January 23, 2014 the general talks about a wide spectrum of topics about the Afghan War. Milley says that the ANSF achieved tactical overwatch against the Taliban this past (2013) fighting season but have much work to do at the ministry level in C2, training, combined arms integration, and logistics. He compares 2002 Afghanistan with 2014 Afghanistan and says there has been vast improvement in government institutions, medicine, education, and women's rights. He sees the greatest threats to Afghanistan in two forms. The first is the psychological uncertainly (in the absence of a Bilateral Security Agreement, NATO SOFA, and the Afghan elections) and the armed threat by the Enemies of Afghanistan (I guess we don't call them insurgents anymore!). He states that the ISAF mission has transitioned from combat operations to the use of advisors in Security Force Assistance or SFA. The interview is a a good overall picture of the current situation (with a tinge of optimism).
To view "A Closer Look: The Turning Point" click on the link below:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_cUSG4aFX8