Bases Closing in Afghanistan

The number of bases in Afghanistan has dropped dramatically. It is reported that there are less than 30 bases occupied by ISAF as of October 2014. This will drop even further as we get closer to December. Some bases will remain - Mazar-e-Sharif in the north, Herat in the west, Kandahar Air Field in the south, and FOB Gamberi, Jalalabad, and Bagram in the east. Of course, there will be an ISAF presence in Kabul as well. FOBs like FOB Shank (nicknamed "Rocket City" for the incoming rockets that came in almost every day) are a small remnant of their past. Shank at one time had over 3,000 personnel stationed there. Most of these bases, large and small, are being transferred over to the Afghans. However, many of the smaller ones were just leveled with bulldozers and "returned to their natural state". (Photo: A Puma UAV is launched by a 6/8 Cav Soldier at FOB Shank, Logar province, Afghanistan; credit U.S. Army. The UAV helps keep U.S. and Afghan soldiers safe by providing an eye in the sky and finding threats to the Soldiers.)

1742nd Transportation Company Completes Afghan Tour

The 1742nd Transportation Company of the South Dakota Army NG returned home from their long tour in Afghanistan. Their nine-month deployment involved providing transportation and convoy security support, supply and service functions, and assisting with the draw down and retrograde across Afghanistan. The majority of the Soldiers were stationed at Kandahar Air Field (KAF) in southern Afghanistan. Read about the Soldiers accomplishments in "1742nd Soldiers welcomed home from Afghanistan", DVIDS, October 8, 2014.

Report - GAO Equipment Drawdown

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a report entitled Progress Made, but Improved Controls in Decision Making Could Reduce Risk of Unnecessary Expenditures, GAO-14-768, September 30, 2014. The report looks at the retrograde or destruction of equipment and vehicles and provides recommendations on how to save some money. A summary of the report is in quotes below. The report is available here - http://gao.gov/products/GAO-14-768.

"The Department of Defense (DOD) has made some progress in its drawdown of equipment from Afghanistan, but ongoing uncertainties about the future force in Afghanistan could affect progress of the drawdown. Specifically, from October 2012 to October 2013, DOD returned from Afghanistan or destroyed 14,664 vehicles, an average of 1,128 vehicles per month. Future progress toward drawdown goals will depend on equipment turn-in rates, which, in turn, depend on having more information about the post-2014 force level and mission. In addition, over the course of the last 8 months of the above period, the number of vehicles turned in by units for the drawdown averaged 55 percent of what had been forecast. This is because some vehicles that had been forecast for turn-in were instead redistributed to other units in Afghanistan. A senior DOD official stated that units have retained equipment because of uncertainty regarding future operational needs in Afghanistan. Once the post-2014 force level and mission are announced, these vehicle turn-in rates may increase."

Gen. Campbell - Slower Withdrawal Possible

General John Campbell, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force (COMISAF), says that he will reserve the right to recommend a slower withdrawal from Afghanistan if he thinks it is necessary. Current plans have troop levels down to 9,800 U.S. by the end of the year (2014). By the end of 2015 there will be about 5,000 troops left. By the end of 2017 almost all U.S. troops will have left except for a few at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. He says that as time goes on he will make assessments and measure the risk to the force and the risk to the mission. Read more on this topic in "Gen. Campbell Will Recommend a Slower Drawdown in Afghanistan, if needed", Defense One, October 2, 2014.

U.S. Hands over FOB Lightning to Afghans

FOB Lightning in Gardez now belongs to the Afghans. Lightning, located adjacent to the home of the 203rd ANA Corps, is also the home to Train Advise and Assist Command (TAAC) Southeast. Read more in "Americans Hand Over Base Keys to Afghan Military", The Wall Street Journal, October 1, 2014.

Retrograde Opns - 4th Sustainment Bde at Work

Soldiers from the 4th Sustainment Brigade are now working at Bagram Air Field (BAF). They are based at Fort Hood, Texas when not deployed. Their mission is to provide sustainment and retrograde support throughout Afghanistan. A part of their mission is the tearing down of old buildings, B-huts, and tents on BAF. Read more in "Wranglers take the reins in Afghanistan", Fort Hood Herald, October 1, 2014.

Afghanistan: How Soon Should We Leave?

Now that the Bilateral Security Agreement is signed the worry about having to go to the "zero option" goes away - as well as the concerns of how Afghanistan would go it alone without the help of the international community. The next big question is how soon should we leave? Republicans are asking President Obama to reconsider his withdrawal plan. The example of the escalation of violence in Iraq has many pointing out that the same can happen in Afghanistan if we leave too soon. Current plans are to have the troop levels down to 9,800 by the end of 2014. Those troops that remain will conduct the Security Force Assistance mission and counterterrorism operations. Read more on this topic in "Afghan deal rekindles questions on how soon US should exit", Stars and Stripes, October 1, 2014.

Retrograde - Shipping Helicopters Home

Have you ever wondered what the U.S. Army is doing with its fleet of helicopters still in Afghanistan? Well, they are shipping them home. Okay, so how does that happen? Richard Johnson - a correspondent with The Washington Post - explains the process to us (story is posted on Stars and Stripes as well). Learn more about "How to neatly ship a Black Hawk helicopter back to the US", Stars and Stripes, September 27, 2014. He also provides us with lots of sketches from his travels in Afghanistan in an online photo journal depicting the Black Hawks in action over Afghanistan.

Departure from Helmand - Taliban Undefeated?

Map from Wikimedia.org

The U.S. Marines and the UK troops have departed Helmand province. Camp Bastion and Camp Leatherneck have been transferred to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Only a few hundred ISAF troops remain to complete the packing up process. It was a tough fight for the Brits and Marines over the past several years - both contingents losing hundreds of men to the conflict. At one time there were over 40,000 ISAF personnel (Marines, Brits, contractors, etc.) stationed at Camps Bastion and Leatherneck but now it is owned and run by the Afghans. More importantly, the ANA and ANP are now responsible for providing security in that part of Afghanistan and defeating the Taliban. But . . . that is the big question. Can they do that? Read more in "With Marines Gone, Can the Afghan Army Hold Off the Taliban", NPR Parallels, October 27, 2014.

3d Expeditionary Sustainment Command's Retrograde Mission

There are two big simultaneous missions being conducted in Afghanistan at the moment. The first is the Security Force Assistance (SFA) where SFAATs are advising various units of the Afghan National Police (ANP) and Afghan National Army (ANA) - as well as the Ministries of Interior and Defense. The second but equally important mission is the retrograde of men, equipment, vehicles, and airframes from Afghanistan back to the United States. The 3d Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC) is one of the primary units responsible for the retrograde mission. Read more in "Army and Air Force Teamwork and Persistence Critical to Retrograde Mission", DVIDS, September 27, 2014.

MRAPs to Pakistan

Retrograde made easy! Instead of cutting up MRAPs for scrap (hundreds have been) or flying back to the United States (to sit in a scrapyard at some lonely Army post) it appears that some MRAPs (about 160) will find their way to Pakistan. The Foreign Military Sale (FMS) is valued at $198 million including the vehicles, spare parts, repair parts, and training. The specific MRAP model is the MaxxPro (several variants to include Dash, Base, ambulances, and recovery vehicles). The principle contractor will be Navistar Defense Corporation of Madison Heights, Michigan. Although it doesn't say it is assumed these are used vehicles coming from Afghanistan to be delivered to Pakistan. Read more in "Pakistan - Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles", Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), September 19, 2014.

FOB Lightning to Close

A journalist spends time at FOB Lightning (Gardez) in RC East. The FOB, a small U.S. base adjacent to FOB Thunder where the 203rd Corps of the ANA is located, will close at some point at the end of the year. Once the last U.S. troops leave the ANA 203rd Corps will lose the benefit of the train, advise, and assist mission that ISAF will be conducting under Resolute Support in 2015. The journalist (who also sketches) interviews a number of Soldiers about their present job and the challenges ahead of retrograde and shutting down the base. Read "Final days for an Army Base in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, September 12, 2014 at this link.

419th Combat Sustainment Support Bn Deploys to Afghanistan

The 419th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion will be deploying members of its unit to Afghanistan to conduct retrograde operations. Members of the Army Reserve unit hail from California and Arizona. Read more in "The 419th CSSB conducts deployment ceremony in Tustin", DVIDS, February 24, 2014.

Pakistan Road Blockade May End

The road block against one of the land routes through Pakistan may come to an end shortly. Read more in "Pakistan court orders end to blockade on NATO supply route", Los Angeles Times, February 25, 2014.

Obama Orders Pentagon to Prepare for Complete Withdrawal From Afghanistan

President Obama has ordered the Pentagon to start developing plans for the "zero option". Read more in "Obama orders Pentagon to prepare for complete withdrawal from Afghanistan", The Washington Post, February 25, 2014.

Marine Corps Logistics Unit of Year in Afghanistan

For the second year in a row, the Redeployment and Retrograde in Support of Reset and Reconstitution Operations Group (R4OG is easier to say) has been named as the Marine Corps' logistics unit of the year. Read a recent news article on this achievement in Marine Corps Times (February 18, 2014).

101st Sustainment Brigade of 101st Div Returns to Campbell

Soldiers from the 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division returned from a nine-month long deployment to Afghanistan. It was the sixth deployment for the brigade since 2001. While in Afghanistan the brigade ran sustainment and retrograde operations for Regional Command Capital, East and North. Read more in "Lifeliners Return", The Fort Campbell Courier, February 13, 2014.

C-17 Globemasters Working Overtime for Afghan Retrograde

U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircrews are working around the clock to support Operation Enduring Freedom retrograde operations, airlifting equipment out of Afghanistan and fulfilling a vital role at one of U.S. Central Command's regional deployment and distribution operations centers, strategically located air, land and sea logistics hubs. Airmen of the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron fly multiple sorties a day to airlift mine resistant ambush protected vehicles out of Afghanistan. The MRAPs are airlifted out of Afghanistan to one of the transit locations where they are then loaded onto ships and sent on to the United States. Read the rest of the story in "Combat airlift role critical to retrograde operations", DVIDS, February 4, 2014. Photo from DVIDS photo libary.

Troops Using MK Passenger Transit Center in Romania

Troops going to Afghanistan and redeploying as part of the Afghanistan retrograde to the United States are now flying into and out of the MK Passenger Transit Center at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania. The new transit center has been established to replace the Manas Transit Center in Krygyzstan which will close in July. The Krygyzstan government decided not to renew the lease at the Manas Air Base - looking for other financial opportunities for the U.S. built runways. The new transit center in Romania was built in part by the 902nd Engineer Company of the Germany-based 21st Theater Sustainment Command. Read more on the new transit base in "First troops move through new US transit base in Romania", Stars and Stripes, February 5, 2014.

Retrograde: Posts Downsize and Austere Conditions Rise

The U.S. force level in Afghanistan is steadily getting smaller. As the size of the force diminishes the need for the many bases - large and small - across Afghanistan goes away. Camp commanders struggle with what resources and activities remain on a base as it down-sizes and what needs to go. These decisions on the retrograde operations in Afghanistan affect the ability to conduct operations and the standard of living and services of these military and contractor personnel left behind. Flush toilets, hot meals, shower units, and other services are slowly going away to be replaced with port-a-potties, Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), and sponge baths (and lots of deodorant). One place that is seeing the effects of retrograde is Camp Dwyer in the Garmsir district of Helmand province. Read more in "At Marine outpost in Afghanistan, conditions grow more austere by the day", Marine Corps Times, July 14, 2014.