Report - "Perspectives on Terrorism"

The Terrorism Research Initiative has released its latest issue of Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol 9, No 2, April 2015. Several articles are included: "NATO's Role in Counter-Terrorism", "Islamic State and al-Qaeda Competing for Hearts and Minds", "Counterterrorism Bookshelf", and more.
www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot

DoDIG Report - Equipping and Training Afghan Security Forces

The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Defense has issued a new report dated April 17, 2015 entitled "Equipping and Training Afghan Security Forces". The report states that challenges exist for asset accountability and maintenance and sustainment of vehicles within the Afghan National Security Forces. The reports objective was to determine whether the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's Ministries of Defense and Interior have controls in place to effectively manage asset accountability for vehicles. This 50-page report, DoDIG-2015-107, presents it findings and offers recommendations. This is probably good background reading for those Resolute Support advisors working in Essential Function 5 - Force Sustainment.

Report is available on the DoDIG website at the link below:
www.dodig.mil//pubs/report_summary.cfm?id=6327

UNAMA - Reforms Needed for Afghan Women

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in conjunction with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) has issued a report saying that reforms are needed to ensure women are protected in Afghanistan. The report says that access to justice for women victims of violence needs to be strengthened. It says that while there is a legal framework in place for such cases, there remain many factors hindering access to justice. The report identifies the factors that enable hindering the legal framework. The report provides several recommendations to improve the justice process for women. In the report historical cases are reviewed for how justice was achieved - in one study it was found that less than 5% of the cases brought before adjudication were resolved with punishment for the perpetrators.

UNAMA Press Release:
Reforms needed to ensure justice for women victims of violence, UNAMA, April 15, 2015.

UNAMA Report:
Justice Through the Eyes of Afghan Women: Cases of Violence against Women Addressed through Mediation and Court Adjudication, UNAMA, April 15,  2015.

Report - "Afghanistan at Transition"

Anthony H. Cordesman of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) has penned a report entitled "Afghanistan at Transition: Lessons of the Longest War", March 2015. This 240 plus page document provides a much needed assessment of what has been accomplished, the cost of those accomplishments, and what remains to be done in Afghanistan. Cordesman is highly critical of the Obama administration and the military propensity for 'spin'. He lays out the facts in a cogent and understandable manner and follows through with very informative recommendations of the steps that should be taken to ensure 'victory'.  He concludes with an examination of US strategy; looking at the case for and against a 'conditions-based involvement' and choosing between the options.

http://csis.org/files/publication/150319_Afghan_Transition.pdf

SIGAR Report on DoD Contracts for Afghanistan

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released a report looking at the Department of Defense's contracts for Afghanistan reconstruction funding. The report notes that DoD contracts for Afghanistan reconstruction comprised $21 billion (out of $66 billion appropriated to DoD) through the award of 18,962 contracts to 2,542 vendors. The Afghan Security Forces Fund (ASFF) accounted for $17.3 billion in contracts. The Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) accounted for $795 million in contracts. The Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities Fund (DoD CN) accounted for $1.8 billion in contracts. The top recipient of DoD CN contracts was Academi Training Center (formerly known as Blackwater). You can read the full report on SIGAR's website at the link below.

Department of Defense Spending on Afghanistan Reconstruction: 2002 - May 2014, SIGAR, March 2015. http://www.sigar.mil/pdf/special%20projects/SIGAR-15-40-SP.pdf

DoDIG Report on "Train, Advise, Assist, and Equip"

The Department of Defense Inspector General (Do DIG) office has issued a report about the Security Force Assistance mission in Afghanistan and Iraq. The reports overall objective was to provide DoD military commanders and other stakeholders responsible for Operation Inherent Resolve a summary of lessons learned gleaned from DoD IG assessment oversight of U.S. and Coalition "Train, Advise, Assist, and Equip" efforts during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. The DoD IG reviewed 30 assessment reports issued by the DoD IG between July 2008 and January 2015. These reports contained 342 observations related to U.S. and Coalition efforts to develop the national security forces of Iraq and Afghanistan. In this summary project the authors sought lessons learned that might apply to future contingency operations as well as to Operation Inherent Resolve. The report identifies five systemic challenge and problem areas, with related lessons learned.

• Training and Equipping of Partner Nation Security Forces and Ministries
• Advisory Assistance in Support of Partner Nation Security Forces and Ministries
• Logistics Development and Sustainment
• Accountability and Control of U.S.-Supplied Equipment
• U.S. Contract Management

Summary of Lessons Learned - DoD IG Assessment Oversight of "Train, Advise, Assist, and Equip" Operations by U.S. and Coalition Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan
Report No. DODIG-2015-093
March 31, 2015

http://www.dodig.mil/pubs/documents/DODIG-2015-093.pdf

AREU - A to Z Guide to Assistance in Afghanistan 2015

The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) has published "The A to Z Guide to Assistance in Afghanistan 2015". This is a unique resource which aims to enhance the understanding of the actors, structures and government processes related to aid and reconstruction efforts in the country. The guide provides an extensive glossary of assistance terms, and overview of Afghanistan's system of government, key primary documents, political overview of all of the 34 provinces, and an extensive contacts directory that includes government agencies, NGOs, and international agencies.

www.areu.org.af/ . . . AtoZGuide2015.pdf

UN Report on Afghanistan

The United Nations has published a report (dated 27 Feb 2015) entitled "The Situation in Afghanistan". This report is published every three months and presented to the UN Security Council and UN General Assembly. The report provides an update on the activities of the United Nations in Afghanistan, including significant humanitarian, development and human rights efforts. It also provides a summary of key political and security developments and regional and international events related to Afghanistan.

www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2015/151

Report - "Losing the Forgotten War?"

Anthony H. Cordesman of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) has wrote a report entitled Transition in Afghanistan: Losing the Forgotten War?, February 6, 2015. In this report he states the need to reshape US Strategy in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia. This detailed report is 242 pages long and can be read online or downloaded (Adobe Acrobat PDF) at the link below.

http://csis.org/files/publication/150206_forgotten_war.pdf

SIGAR Quarterly Report to Congress (Jan 2015)

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has published its quarterly report to Congress. This latest report is dated 30 January 2015. This report covers the activities of the last three months for SIGAR - listing audits, inspections, and other activities. The report has several sections. The report is over 200 pages long and contains some updated information on the ASIs and ANSF.

Section 1 - Coordinating Aid: An Elusive Goal
Section 2 - SIGAR Oversight Activities
Section 3 - Reconstruction Update
Section 4 - Other Agency Oversight

www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2015-01-30qr.pdf

HRW - Report on "Strongmen"

The Human Rights Watch organization has released a report entitled "Today We Shall All Die: Afghanistan's Strongmen and the Legacy of Impunity". The report is 96 pages and

" . . . profiles eight "strongmen" linked to police, intelligence, and militia forces responsible for serious abuses in recent years. The report documents emblematic incidents that reflect longstanding patterns of violence for which victims obtained no official redress. The impunity enjoyed by powerful figures raises serious concerns about Afghan government and international efforts to arm, train, vet, and hold accountable Afghan National Police units, National Directorate of Security officials, and Afghan Local Police forces."

You can read the Human Rights Watch press release here - "Afghanistan: Abusive Strongmen Escape Justice", March 3, 2015. You can read online or download the report here. Read additional news reports about the warlords of Afghanistan.

SIGAR Report - Testimony for Senate

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has provided a 17 page transcript on its testimony before a committee of the U.S. Senate about the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. The testimony was present to the committee for its upcoming deliberations for the Department of State Fiscal Year 2016 budget request for Afghanistan. The statement entitled Improving the Effectiveness of U.S. Reconstruction Efforts in Afghanistan by Enhancing Oversight and Addressing Key Areas of High Risk was published on February 24, 2015 and is available at the link below.

www.sigar.mil/pdf/testimony/SIGAR-15-36-TY.pdf

CSIS Report on Afghan Forces

The Center for Strategic & International Studies has published a report (17 Nov 2014) entitled "Afghan Forces on the Edge of Transition - Volume IV". The study summarizes the key policies and metrics and provides considerable insight into the success of the transition and the capability of the ANSF to defeat the Taliban. The report also examines the ". . . growing emphasis on "spin" and the public relations efforts to sell progress at the expense of realism and objectivity - often by simply ceasing to report metrics that have proved to be embarrassing in the past". (Ouch!). The study, divided into four different parts, focuses on 1) US policy and cuts on US forces and spending; 2) sharply contradictory data on levels of violence, 3) measuring the transition from ISAF to ANSF, and 4) progress in Afghan force development. You can read an abstract of the report and download the report at the link below:

http://csis.org/publication/afghan-forces-edge-transition-iv

SIGAR "High-Risk List" Dec 2014

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has published a new document that highlights areas of concern for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The new publication is called the High-Risk List and the first issue is dated December 2014. SIGAR created the High-Risk List to call attention to program areas and elements of the U.S.-funded reconstruction effort in Afghanistan that are especially vulnerable to significant waste, fraud, and abuse. With the list, SIGAR seeks to identify and address systemic problems facing U.S. funded efforts. The list will highlight program areas on which SIGAR believes the implementing agencies need to focus and will discuss how specific agencies are failing to mitigate risks in areas that involve their operations. Although 48 page report covers a variety of topics it is of value to Security Force Assistance advisors - specifically the sections on "ANSF Sustainability" and "High-Risk Area: ANSF Capacity and Capabilities".  You can read or download the report online at High-Risk List, SIGAR.

DoDIG Assesses Intel Training

The U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoDIG) conducted an assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of the DoD's intelligence training and education programs in relation to the fundamental competencies of the DoD intelligence workforce. The DoDIG found that the DoD Intelligence Enterprise lacks the program standards to address the basic training needs and essential skills required by the DoD intelligence workforce. The DoD does not have the structure, resources, or capability to provide an efficient DoD Joint Intelligence Training (JIT) program to professionalize the DoD intelligence workforce. Read more in Intelligence and Special Program Assessments Report, Office of the Inspector General, 31 October 2014.
www.dodig.mil/pubs/report_summary.cfm?id=6034

Report - Asia Foundation Survey

The Asia Foundation has published (November 18, 2014) its annual Afghan survey report. Afghanistan in 2014: A Survey of the Afghan People is the longest-running public opinion poll in the country. In June and July, following the June presidential run-off election, 9, 271 Afghan citizens from all 34 provinces were interviewed on issues central to the country's development. This year's survey provides longitudinal data over ten years, including new questions on the election, migration, women's rights, access to health services, and disaster response.

Report - US Policy in Afghanistan after 2014

A new report has been published that examines United States policy in Afghanistan after 2014. The report poses (and answers six key questions) and should be helpful to senior civilian and military leaders in the preparation of policy and strategy recommendations. The report covers subjects such as critical national interests in Afghanistan, overall U.S. strategy, the conditions shaping U.S. involvement in Afghanistan now, the new national interests that were not met by our earlier strategies, and the risks and challenges that will exist in the future. The report, U.S. Policy and Strategy Toward Afghanistan after 2014, was authored by Dr. Larry P. Goodson and Professor Thomas H. Johnson, and published by the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) of the U.S. Army War College. It can be downloaded at the link below (62 pages, 1 MB, Adobe Acrobat PDF).

www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=1233

Audit of Counternarcotics Assistance to Afghanistan

The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of State has recently released a report to the public (it was previously marked as FOUO) entitled "Audit of Bureau of Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Counternarcotics Assistance to Afghanistan", AUD-MERO-15-02, November 2014. The report has three findings. 1) INL has not fully developed performance measures to evaluate the effectiveness of its counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan. 2) INL has not developed required sustainment plans for its counternarcotics initiatives. 3)  Required documentation for direct assistance initiatives was missing. The report is available at the link below:

http://oig.state.gov/system/files/aud-mero-15-02.pdf

Report - "Afghanistan in Transition"

The Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States Senate has published a report entitled Afghanistan in Transition: U.S. Civilian Presence and Assistance Post-2014, dated October 27, 2014. The report is 31 pages long and consists of three sections: "Enhanced Accountability for U.S. Assistance", "A Refined U.S. Civilian Assistance Approach", and "Robust U.S. Diplomatic Posture and Civilian Presence". Topics include TMAF as a mechanism for incentivized assistance, improving Afghanistan's capacity to budget and collect revenue, enhancing women's rights, stemming corruption, sustainability of U.S. investments, lessons learned, interagency information sharing, monitoring program implementation, and the New Silk Road Initiative.

The report can be viewed and downloaded at the link below:
www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/89860.pdf

SIGAR Quarterly Report October 2014

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has released its Quarterly Report to Congress dated October 30, 2014. The ". . . report provides a summary of SIGAR's oversight work and an update on developments in the three major sectors of Afghanistan's reconstruction effort from July 1 to September 30, 2014. It also includes a discussion of U.S. counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan. During this reporting period, SIGAR published 31 audits, inspections, alert letters, and other products assessing the U.S. efforts to build the Afghan security forces, improve governance, and facilitate economic and social development." 

www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2014-10-30qr.pdf