Showing posts with label force-protection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label force-protection. Show all posts

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Advisors and the Insider Threat in Afghanistan




In late 2012 the Afghan campaign by NATO and the U.S. came to a screeching halt for several weeks. Advisors were told to not meet with their Afghan counterparts; partnered units were instructed to stick to unilateral operations, and combat operations were dramatically down-scaled. The cause of this drastic reduction in operations was the significant increase in 'green-on-blue attacks' - later referred to by ISAF as 'insider attacks'. Afghan policemen and soldiers were killing Coalition Servicemen at an increased rate. The increased rate of attacks, if not stemmed, would have a strategic effect. Defense ministers of European countries were calling General John Allen (ISAF cdr) and threatening the withdrawal of their forces if Afghan security personnel continued to kill their soldiers. Eventually a series of steps - Guardian Angels, vetting of Afghan security personnel, cultural awareness classes, situational awareness instruction, force protection measures, etc. - slowed down the rate of insider attack incidents. These measures, once implemented, allowed the Coalition Forces to resume their partnered and security force assistance missions.

This insider threat continues to exist today. The advisors of the many countries working with their Afghan counterparts continue to keep force protection as an integral part of their operational planning and execution. In the Spring of 2018 the 1st SFAB will deploy 36 advisor teams to Afghanistan to work at the tactical level with the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). Presumably the advisors are well-trained in force protection measures and have an appreciation of the insider threat.

More Info on Insider Threats

Read the account of one insider attack that took place in Helmand province in August 2012 in "Why  Some Marines Fear Afghan Allies More Than the Taliban", by James Laporta and Rory Laverty, The Daily Beast, February 6, 2018.

Description and Info about the Insider Threat from the ANDSF
www.afghanwarnews.info/insiderthreat.htm

News Reports about the Insider Threat from the ANDSF
www.afghanwarnews.info/insiderthreatnews.htm

Afghan War Blog - Posts about Insider Attacks and Threats
www.afghanwarblog.com/search/label/insider-threat

Afghan War Blog - Posts about Green-on-Blue Attacks
www.afghanwarblog.com/search/label/green-on-blue

Statement by General Dunford, ISAF Commander - April 20, 2013 on Insider Threats
www.afghanwarnews.info/insiderthreat/dunfordstatementinsiderthreat.htm

Insider Threat References
www.afghanwarnews.info/insiderthreat/Insider-Threat-References.htm

ISAF Insider Threat Handguide 2.0, June 2014
www.afghanwarnews.info/insiderthreat/Insider-Threat-Handguide.htm


Friday, May 1, 2015

Army Upgrades Body Armor

Rather than scrap hundreds of thousands of first-generation Improved Outer Tactical Vests, a team of Army officials and engineers capitalized on smart decisions and solid testing. They devised a way to use existing equipment to upgrade the vests and extend their life cycle for just half the cost of the replacement, potentially saving millions. The price difference is $791 versus $413. The potential savings could amount to $150 million. There have been several generations of body armor - each successive generation providing better protection and greater comfort. Read more in "Army upgrades body armor, saves money", Army.mil, April 27, 2015.




Force Protection at TB Gamberi

Force Protection remains a top priority at Train, Advise, and Assist Command - East at Tactical Base Gamberi. Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3 BCT conducts a lot of training to ensure their FP skills are current. Although the U.S. mission in Afghanistan is no longer a combat mission the Soldiers must remain ready in an environment where combat still exists. Watch the 5-minute long video posted on the Facebook of B Company. Can't say I like the music but . . .

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Analysis - Kabul Guesthouse Attacks

Edinburgh International (EI), a security firm based in the United Kingdom, has posted an extensive security analysis of the Kabul area for those contractors, ex-patriots, and NGO types that are living in guesthouses or on contractor compounds. There has been a recent uptick in Taliban attacks in Kabul in the fall of 2014 and many of these attacks are against the foreigners working in the Kabul area. The analysis provided by EI reviews the guest house attacks that have taken place for the purpose of developing common insurgent tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and best practice mitigation and control measures. The documents provide key findings, background of insurgent attacks, data on frequency of attacks, locations of attacks, trend analysis, and case studies.

http://insidetrack.edinburghint.com/kabul-security-analysis/

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Audit of Kabul Embassy Security Force

The Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State recently conducted an audit of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security Worldwide Protective Services Contract (Task Order 10) for the Kabul Embassy Security Force (dated October 2014). You can read the report of the audit at the link below:
http://oig.state.gov/system/files/aud-mero-15-03.pdf

Friday, February 21, 2014

DoS Travel Warning for Afghanistan

The U.S. Department of State has issued an updated Travel Warning for Afghanistan dated February 20, 2014. The security threat to all U.S. citizens in Afghanistan remains critical. It states that there is "no province in Afghanistan where one can be considered immune from violence and banditry, and the strong possibility exists throughout the country for hostile acts, either targeted or random, against U.S. and other foreign national at any time". This new Travel Warning supersedes the previous one dated August 23, 2013. You can read the Afghanistan Travel Warning here.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

New Force Protection Measures for U.S. Personnel in Afghanistan to Guard Against "Insider Threat"

General Allen issued a new ISAF directive that provides guidance on measures to take to ensure that ISAF personnel do not fall victim to attacks by personnel of the Afghan security forces. Read more in "New security for US troops in Afghanistan to guard against Afghan insider threats", Fox News.com, March 29, 2012.