U.S. Intelligence Officials Not so Optimistic on Afghanistan

A recent news article indicates that U.S. intelligence officials are less optimistic than operational commanders about the how the war is going in Afghanistan.  Read "U.S. intelligence officials offer grim words on Afghanistan", Los Angeles Times, February 16, 2012.

Training for Security Force Assistance Teams for Afghanistan

The U.S. military will soon deploy to Afghanistan over 1,400 Soldiers who will be split into 18-person training teams.  These training teams will be much like the MiTT or training teams deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Their mission falls into the "advise and assist" world - attached to Afghan security forces to provide advise, access to enablers (air support, medevac), and provide battlefield situational awareness for ISAF. To prepare for the mission the Soldiers will complete a three-week training course at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.  Hmmmmmm.  Is three weeks enough?  Read more in "Army Details Afghan Transition Deployment Plans", Military.com, February 17, 2012.

I wonder what the process is for selecting, training and organizing the advisors who will have an extremely important role in this advisory effort. The early Military Transition Teams (MiTTs) in Iraq and Embedded Transition Teams (ETTs) in Afghanistan were less than optimum as a result of poor selection and training of the advisors. Learn more about these advisory teams during the early years of the Iraq and Afghanistan War.

The U.S. military has a history of not selecting and training military advisors properly (outside of the Special Forces ranks).  This happened during the Vietnam War (although reportedly the Marines did better than the Army).  Many times advisors were assigned with little cultural training, very basic language skills (3 weeks language training), and with no regard to military occupational specialty.  Initially the language training for an advisor heading to Vietnam was three or four weeks of French, not Vietnamese.

During the Vietnam War some U.S. military advisors were sent to a training school at the U.S. Army Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, NC where they learned culture, language, how to call for artillery, air support, and medevac, and about the responsibilities, roles and duties of an advisor.  They would then be assigned to South Vietnamese Army units to aid in the counterinsurgency fight.  The Military Assistance Training Advisor course (MATA) course was established in 1962 and taught by Special Forces officers and NCOs. It was initially 4-weeks long and later increased to a longer course. In 1970 the Marines established a three-month long advisor course.

Some handbooks were published to assist the advisors to South Vietnam units. One was entitled the MATA Handbook or FM 3-73 - also called the Advisors Handbook for Stability Operations.  There was also a MATA Handbook for Vietnam, ST 31-179, January 1966.  (Found here on Small Wars Journal). The Army also published FM 31-73, Advisor Handbook for Stability Operations. The current handbook for advisors is entitled TC 31-73, Special Forces Advisor Guide, 2008.

There were some lessons learned about the Vietnam War advisory effort. These are captured in a paper entitled "Lessons Learned from Advising and Training the Republic of South Vietnam's Armed Forces", by MAJ Thomas Clinton, USMC, 2007. Accessed here on DTIC.mil.

Those lessons learned from the Vietnam War advisory effort are briefly related here.  The careful selection of individuals to be advisors is extremely important. Some officers and NCOs are just not cut out for the job.  In addition, the training of the advisors is critical and should include:

Intensive language and cultural training
Training and certification in tactical communications equipment
Training and certification in controlling close air support
Training and certification in indirect fire support
Training in coordinating medical evacuation support
Training in how to be an effective liaison officer

Talking with the Taliban - Tips on Negotiations

Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA, has wrote a piece for CNN about negotiating with the Taliban. Some of his suggestions are to not dehumanize the Taliban, recognize that the Taliban have legitimate political interests, and realize that as we withdraw from Afghanistan our pressure to bear on negotiations diminishes.  Read his article in "Talking with the Taliban, making peace with the guilty", CNN Opinion, February 16, 2012.  Read more news articles about negotiations with the Taliban.

A Strategy for Defeat in Afghanistan

Many Afghan war critics are looking at how the next few years will unfold.  One of them believes that " . . . amid fiscal belt tightening, growing war-weariness and election-year politics, the international community is pursuing the exact policy it should not".  Read more in "How best to ensure defeat in Afghanistan", Afghanistan Analysis, February 4, 2012.

Baad or Baadi in Afghanistan - A Young Girl's Plight

File this story under "life is harsh if you are a woman in Afghanistan".  In the rural Pashtun areas of Afghanistan - mostly the south and east - the practice of baad or baadi is still occurring.  Baad is a traditional Afghan form of justice.  Young girls are taken as a form of payment for misdeeds committed or debt owed by a family.  The girls are entered into a force marriage or slavery.  Read more in "For Punishment of Elder's Misdeeds, Afghan Girl Pays the Price", The New York Times, February 16, 2012.

Reintegration of Taliban Fighters in Paktika Province Not Working

Reintegration is an attempt by the Afghan government to reach out to low- and mid-level Taliban fighters to get them to stop fighting and become part of Afghan society once again.  There have been various iterations of reintegration programs - none of them very successful.  Paktika Province is one of those areas where reintegration is not going well.  Read "Afghan Reintegration Drama", The Diplomat, February 7, 2012.  Learn more about reintegration in Afghanistan and read the latest Afghan reintegration news.

Financing Afghan Security Forces After 2014

Defense ministers of the NATO alliance met recently (February 2012) to discuss funding of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) beyond 2014.  There are plans to establish a multibillion dollar fund to help pay for the $6 billion annual Afghan defense bill - with the realization that donor nations will provide the bulk of the money.  In May 2012, the alliance will meet again to decide what a sustainable force size should be for the ANSF.  Although the ANSF will number more than 350,000 by 2014 it is doubtful that a force of that size will be funded by the international community.  The French Defense Minister, Gerard Longuet, has been quoted saying "A reasonable number would be 230,000".  This 230,000 personnel level of the ANSF would be charged with containing (if not defeating) an insurgency of 20,000 fighters.  Read more in "NATO ministers mull financing for Afghan security forces post-2014", The Washington Post, February 3, 2012.

Indiana Army National Guard Learns Blacksmithing for Deployment to Afghanistan

A group of Soldiers from the Indiana Army National Guard are attending a one-week long course for blacksmiths. The intent is to teach them skills that were used over a century ago by farmers to make agricultural tools. Once in Afghanistan they can help Afghan farmers set up village blacksmith shops that can make agricultural tools.  There is lots of scrap metal in Afghanistan as a result of thirty years of war.  Some of this scrap metal can be turned into tools that are useful for agriculture such as hammers, shovels, picks, chains, prongs, and plows.  The one-week long blacksmith course is being taught at the Conner Prairie Interactive History Park in Indiana. The park is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute.  See www.connerprairie.org.  See the news article at "Soldiers Study at Conner Prairie For Afghanistan Assignment", Indiana News TV6 ABC, February 15, 2012.

Solar Energy Needs in Afghanistan - Heavy Demand by Military

With modern technology comes better equipment for Soldiers in the field. Unfortunately, all this new, modern equipment requires power. For a field Soldier that usually means a battery or generator. A battery is heavy to carry and doesn't last long, the generator isn't field transportable and needs fuel.  The military has been pushing solar energy initiatives for the last several years.  Read more in "Soldier Energy Needs Outpacing Technology, Policy", National Defense Magazine, March 2012.

Night Raids - Are the Afghans Ready to Take Over?

A constant source of friction between President Karzai and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are the frequent night raids that ISAF conducts.  Karzai continues to assert that the night raids are causing a drop of support for the central government and the coalition troops.  ISAF maintains that the night raids are necessary for the successful conduct of the operations and safety of the populace.  The vast majority of the night raids have been joint operations for some time.  One of the primary reasons for the joint operations is to train up the Afghan counterparts. Based on some accounts this training appears to be on track.  See "Afghan army's night raiders ready to take control", Reuters, January 25, 2012.

Village Shura in Afghanistan

Villagers and representatives from the Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army Commandos, and the Afghan Local Police conduct a shura in Pul-e Khumri district, Baghlan province, Afghanistan in February 2012.  (Photo credit CJSOTF-A Media Operations Center - Spc. Robin Davis).

Telemark Bataljonen - Norway Battalion Deployed to Afghanistan

There are over 42 nations with troops deployed to Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).  One of the most dependable partners is Norway.  A recent blog post tells a little about Norway's Telemark Battalion now deployed in Afghanistan.  See "Telemark Bataljonen Til Valhall", SOFREP, February 14, 2012.

The Telemark Battalion is a mechanized infantry battalion with a history of many deployments to include Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan.

More info on the Norway Telemark Battalion can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemark_Battalion

http://www.tmbn-veteran.no/

Billions Cut from ANSF Budget - Afghanistan Takes a Money Hit with Defense Budget

The proposed defense budget will drastically reduce the amount of money spent on training and equipping the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) over the next few years.  Read more in "Scaling back on wars, spending elsewhere", Security Clearance Blog - CNN, February 13, 2012.

Publications about Governance in Afghanistan

The link below will take you to a website with publications about governance in Afghanistan.

http://www.afghanwarnews.info/governancepubs.htm

An Assessment of the Afghan Military

Strategy Page offers a "good news, bad news" assessment of the Afghan Army.  Read "Why Afghan Officers Prefer Heroin" published February 14, 2012.

Agribusiness Development Team Coordinates with MAIL to distribute Fruit Trees in Laghman Province

An Agribusiness Development Team works with MAIL
to distribute fruit tree samplings to Afghan villagers.
(NGB photo by SPC Leslie Goble)

The Kansas National Guard Agribusiness Development Team (ADT) that operates in Laghman Province, Afghanistan recently assisted the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) in the purchase and distribution of 2,400 fruit tree saplings for Alingar District.  The trees, after some years to grow and mature, will yield pomegranate, almond, and persimmon. The NG ADTs are in Afghanistan to assist the agriculture sector of the economy to rebuild itself after 30 years of war and conflict.  Read more in "Afghanistan: Kansas National Guard ADT gives Arbor Day gifts to locals", National Guard News, February 8, 2012.

Assessment of the Future of Afghan War After U.S. Departs Afghanistan

Two military officers with recent experience in Afghanistan wrote an article about a visit to Zabul Province where they spent some time with an Afghan infantry battalion operating "independently".  They detail the struggle that the Afghan battalion faces as it confronts both the enemy and an ineffective Afghan logistics and supply system.  While the battalion does not measure up to a U.S. infantry battalion in firepower, training, experience, and planning ability; it is getting the job done.

The two officers recognize that the upcoming departure of the coalition forces and the shift to an advisory role for those coalition troops that stay after 2014 will put the Afghan Army in the forefront of the battle against the insurgents. Their article provides some insight on how Afghan battalions will fare when left on their own.  In addition, they discuss what type of individual is best suited for "advisory work" in Afghanistan after 2014.

Some info on the two writers; one officer is American and the other Afghan. The U.S. officer is a Special Forces Soldier who is in the AfPak Hands program and was working for the Counterinsurgency Advisory and Assistance Team (CAAT) in Afghanistan. The Afghan officer, a major in the Afghan Special Forces, is now attending U.S. military schools in the United States.

You can read their article here - "Two Officers Counter Bleak Assessment of Afghan War", by Fernando M. Lujan and Khosal Sadat, At War Blog, The New York Times, February 13, 2012.

A Critique of the National Solidarity Program (NSP) of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD)

The president of the Afghan Youth Initiative, Inc., Matiullah Amin, has wrote a critical piece about the National Solidarity Program (NSP) of the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Rural Development (MRRD).  The NSP has set up over 28,000 Community Development Councils (CDCs) that help establish a list of development priorities at the local level.

He states that program lacks focus on long-term development and relies on rural citizens lacking skills to carry out development projects - causing inefficiency in the program. Amin is also concerned about the vulnerability of these locally-run programs to embezzlement by program officials.  Amin says that time has come to overhaul NSP and he offers some specific recommendations in his article.

See "Leaving Afghan Development in the Wrong Hands", Foreign Affairs, February 13, 2012.

Read more news about development in Afghanistan.

Local Micro Enterprise Solutions for Afghan Women

Western humanitarian organizations (NGOs and governmental) have a difficult time getting the Afghan government to come around and support programs that provide aid to the women of Afghanistan.  One humanitarian worker - Lael Mohib - suggests a bottom-up, locally-focused approach to improving the lot of women in Afghanistan. She believes that home-based enterprises that are started with micro-finance grants is a more viable approach - from a practical and cultural standpoint. Read more in "Afghan solutions for Afghan women", The AFPAK Channel, Foreign Policy, Friday 13, 2012.  Learn more about women in Afghanistan.

Coalition Troops Prepare for 2014 Departure - As do the Rich Afghans

The U.S. will withdraw thousands of its troops during 2012 in preparation for the final withdrawal of combat troops in mid-2013. The other coalition countries are doing the same - developing plans for their disengagement as well.  With the withdrawal of foreign troops comes the end of the money supply from donor nations - or at least a significant drop in money going into Afghanistan.  The rich Afghans are also planning their withdrawal - of their money, much of it acquired from corruption, from Afghanistan to their foreign nation of choice, the United Arab Emirates.  In the UAE they can enjoy a lavish life style and sink their money into property investments. Read two news articles on the topic:

"Afghanistan's rich and their cash prepare for exodus", The National, February 12, 2012.

"Afghan cash buyers target Palm Jumeirah", Arabian Business.com, February 14, 2012.