Gen Allen Testimony Before Congress

General Allen testified before Congress on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 (the first of three days of testimony). The top allied commander in Afghanistan covered a range of topics to include the time-table for departure, shifting focus from southern Afghanistan to eastern Afghanistan, Afghan sensitivities in regards to administration of prisons, night raids by ISAF special forces, and transition of security responsibilities from ISAF to Afghan security forces. In addition, he addressed the recent problems associated with the Koran burnings and the Panjwai killings. He acknowledged that insurgencies have seldom been defeated by foreign forces - that history shows indigenous forces accomplish this counterinsurgency task best. Thus he states that transition to the Afghans doing the fighting is both the exit means and the strategy for success after our departure. Read a news article about his testimony in "U.S. General Sees No Sudden Afghan Drawdown", The New York Times, March 20, 2012.

Is the Afghan Army Ready?

Many observers are wondering if the Afghan Army is ready to assume full responsibility for security in Afghanistan as the coalition troops reduce their numbers and transition from combat operations to an "advise and assist" role. The Afghan National Army (ANA) should have an end-strength of almost 200,000 personnel by the end of 2013. However, there are many questions to include will they show up for work, is their training good enough, how effective will they be, and will they fight? Read more in "How Ready Is The Afghan Army?", Voice of America, March 20, 2012.

Special Forces Task Force 10 in Afghanistan - ATVs, Beards, Secret Bases, and More

A correspondent recently had the opportunity to spend a week with a Special Forces element working for Task Force 10 in Afghanistan. Read his article entitled "Secret Bases, ATVs, Awesome Beards: Inside a Special Forces Team in Afghanistan", Wired.com Danger Room, March 20, 2012.

US Plan for Withdrawal from Afghanistan (2012-2014)

The plan for the US withdrawal is slowly taking shape. The goal is for the US and NATO to turn over all security responsilities to the Afghans by the end of 2014 if not sooner. The drawdown will start this spring. By fall of 2012 we should be down to 68,000 troops in Afghanistan. By late 2013 ISAF will stop conducting combat operations. Details of the withdrawal are available on the Long War Journal website. See "US withdrawal from Afghanistan: the plan for 212, 2013, and 2014", by CJ Radin, March 18, 2012.

Publication - "The Haqqani Network" by Jeffrey Dressler (March 2012)

Jeffry Dressler, of The Institute for the Study of War, has wrote a new publication entitled "The Haqqani Network: A Strategic Threat" dated March 2012. It is in PDF format and can be accessed here. Jeffrey Dressler is a Senior Research Analyst at the Institute for the Study of War and has conducted extensive research on the Afghan War.

The Haqqani Network operates in southeastern Afghanistan. Over the past several years the Haqqani Network has increased its operational capability. It enjoys sanctuary across the border in Pakistan. It also benefits from significant support from the Pakistan military and intelligence organizations.

1st Infantry Division to Command Regional Command East in Afghanistan

The 1st Infantry Division will take over command of Regional Command East in Afghanistan from the 1st Cavalry Division. The switch takes place in April 2012. RC East includes 14 provinces and a 450 mile border region with Pakistan. Even though ISAF is starting to withdraw forces the emphasis on the fighting is supposed to switch from RC South to RC East this fighting season. The commander of the 1st Infantry Division, MG William Mayville, is a very experienced Afghan hand - with three previous Afghan tours. His most recent tour was in 2009-2012 as the operations chief for Gen. Stanley McChrystal. RC East consists of five U.S. combat brigades and two ISAF brigades (one Polish and one French). Read more in "Storied Army unit moving into Afghanistan's east", Fox News, March 20, 2012.

General Allen to Brief Congress on Afghan War this Week

General John Allen and Defense Department Policy Undersecretary James Allen will brief both houses of Congress this week on the Afghan War. Read more in "The week ahead: Top commander to brief Congress on Afghanistan", The Hill Blog, March 19, 2012.

Task Force ODIN Afghanistan an ISR Asset

(Photo by SSG Jack Carlson DVIDS)

Task Force ODIN Afghanistan will be busy even though most of the U.S. military is departing Afghanistan over the next two years. ODIN stands for Observe, Detect, Identify, and Neutralize. The unit was first established in Iraq. Task Force ODIN is an Intelligence and Security Command forward-deployed unit. TF ODIN consists of four aviation and intelligence companies and several detachments. TF ODIN operates a variety of fixed-wing airplanes and UAS vehicles. Read more about TF ODIN in "Task Force ODIN contributes to future Army aviation operations", DVIDS, March 17, 2012.

President Obama Leading the Afghan War Effort

One observer of the Afghan War says that despite recent PR setbacks (Koran burning, Panjwai killings, and more) that President Obama is doing the right thing in Afghanistan. He states that by holding firm in the face of calls for a quick departure in Afghanistan that Obama is showing the leadership needed for the Afghan solution. Read more in "The President finally leads the war effort", Foreign Policy, March 16, 2012.

Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) Revises Implementation Schedule; Extension Approved

The implementation of the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) is being slowed down once again. The negotiations are taking more time than expected and the transition is not going as quickly as the Afghan government wants. Some sources have said the process is "chaotic". The entire transition to APPF for security was supposed to have been completed by March 21, 2012. However, the Afghan government just provided an extension of 30 to 90 days depending on the company, organization, or activity.

Thus far (as of March 18, 2012) the APPF has signed 16 contracts with companies for security services and has licensed 14 Risk Management Companies or RMCs. It has been reported that there are a total of 75 companies that need to sign contracts for a larger number of development projects. Corruption is playing its usual part in the contract signing and licensing procedures.

Many private development companies said the transition to the APPF is putting the projects and the employees at risk. They say that the APPF will not be able to provide an adequate level of security and they worry that they have little control over the training and the procedures.

Read more in "Afghan government gives private security firms more time before ban", The Washington Times, March 18, 2012. For more on the poor implementation of the APPF see "Afghan private security handover looking messy", The Washington Times, February 12, 2012.

DoD Confirms Identity of Afghan Shooter - SSG Robert Bales

The Army has confirmed the identity of the Panjwai massacre shooter as SSG Robert Bales.  See the news release below:

Army Identifies Afghanistan Shooting Suspect

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service 

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2012 – The Army has identified the U.S. soldier accused of killing Afghan civilians in a March 11 rampage as Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, according to a statement released here last night.

Bales, from Fort Jensen Beach, Fla., is accused of leaving his base in Kandahar province in the middle of the night and shooting Afghans in their homes nearby. Afghan officials say 17 were killed.

The infantryman, who Army officials say completed sniper training and held three good conduct medals, was flown from Afghanistan March 14 to a military detention facility in Kuwait, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed during an interview last night during an interview with Charlie Rose in New York.

From Kuwait, Bales was transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and is being held in pre-trial confinement there at the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility, a state-of-the-art, medium/minimum custody facility, Army officials said.

That facility provides pre- and post-trial confinement for U.S. military inmates sentenced to up to five years of confinement. It has 464 beds but the number of inmates in pre-trial confinement at any given time typically is around 12, Army Col. James Hutton, chief of media relations, said.

Also at Fort Leavenworth is the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, which houses military inmates sentenced to more than five years of confinement. Bales is being held in special housing in his own cell. He will be able to go outside the cell “for hygiene and recreational purposes,” Hutton said, and will be allowed religious support if he asks for it.

According to the Army release, Bales enlisted two months after 9/11 on Nov. 8, 2001, and was with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

According to Bales’ service record, he had an associate’s degree from a 2-year college and his military training included warrior and advanced leaders courses, sniper training and combatives levels 1 and 2.

He was deployed three times to Iraq -- in 2003 for 12 months, in 2006 for 15 months and in 2009 for 10 months. He was deployed to Afghanistan on Dec. 1.

Besides three good conduct medals, Bales’ awards and decorations include two Iraq Campaign Medal Campaign Stars, the National Defense Service Medal, combat and expert Infantry Badges, six Army Commendation Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, two Meritorious Unit Commendations and an Army Superior Unit Award.

Learn more about the Panjai shootings here.

APPF is Expanding its Role in Taking over Private Security Company Functions and Responsibilities

Photo by USAF SSgt Terri Barriere

Afghanistan is steadily progressing in the transition from private security firms to the Afghan Public Protection Force or APPF for the security of development projects. This is in accordance with Karzai's presidential decree number 62. See a related story - "APPF assumes security responsibility for Tarakhil Power Plant", ISAF News Release, March 15, 2012.

Karzai's View of the United State's Approach to the War in Afghanistan

Karzai has recently demanded that NATO troops pull out of Afghan villages, stay on large bases, and hand over control of Afghan security in 2013 rather than 2014. In addition, he has been very vocal on ISAF discontinuing night raids, handing over control of the prisons and detention facilities, and closing down private security firms in favor of the Afghan Public Protection Program. Many observers feel that Karzai is out to lunch, crazy, and biting the hand that feeds him. Others would call him corrupt, ineffective, and erratic. One columnist attempts to explain Karzai's behavior. See "Why Karzai is fed up with the U.S. mission in Afghanistan", by Joshua Partlow in The Washington Post, March 16, 2012.

Negotiations: The Only War To End the Afghan War?

One noted observer of the Afghan War, Stephen Biddle - a Senior Fellow for Defense Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, believes that negotiations with the Taliban may be the best option to disengage from the conflict in Afghanistan. See "Ending the Afghan War", Council on Foreign Relations, March 16, 2012.

Afghanistan: Descent Into Chaos

Read an online posting by Jeff Smith on the failure in Afghanistan. Smith is the Director of the South Asia Program at the American Foreign Policy Council and author of numerous articles on Asian security affairs.

Smith believes that Afghanistan is intent to return to a state of chaos and ethnic conflict. He puts much of the blame on Pakistan for allowing the Taliban sanctuaries and providing aid and assistance to the Taliban. He then says the U.S. leadership should have recognized that the war could not be properly prosecuted unless Pakistan cooperated; and without that cooperation we should have withdrawn our troops from Afghanistan.

Read the post in "Afghanistan Seems Fixed on a Return to Chaos", U.S. News and World Report, March 16, 2012.

US Army Smartbook on Afghanistan Available for Download as Smartphone Application

The US Army now has a Smartbook that is available as a smartphone download on Afghanistan. Topics include history, political, relevant country data, military operational environment, religion and culture, ethnic groups, and more. It is written by the Army's TRADOC Culture Center and is entitled Afghanistan Smart Book. Learn more about the US Army smartbook as an app here "US Army smartbook now a smart app", Circling the Lion's Den, March 15, 2012. The Afghanistan Smart Book by the TRADOC Culture Center, 3rd Edition Jan 11 is available in PDF format for download at the following link: http://info.publicintelligence.net/AfghanSmartBook.pdf.

Should the U.S. Speed Up Its Withdrawal from Afghanistan?

Over the past month - since the Koran burnings, shootings of NATO troops by Afghan security personnel, and the Panjwai massacre - there have been calls for an accelerated withdrawal from Afghanistan from across the political spectrum. This topic is explored in a recent National Public Radio (NPR) broadcast with two opposing views. One view held by Jon Soltz -is the current counterinsurgency is not working. Another view, by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, is that if the U.S. pulls out now the Afghan civil society will suffer grave consequences. Read the transcript here in "Should the U.S. Speed Up Afghanistan Withdrawal?", NPR, March 16, 2012.

Worries on Transfer of Parwan Detention Facility to Afghan Control

President Karzai has made the transfer of the Parwan detention facility located at Bagram Air Field (just north of Kabul) one of his central themes during the talks on the strategic agreement with the U.S. to be signed soon. The U.S. caved on this issue agreeing to transfer the facility to Afghan control within six months. Many observers have grave concerns about the ability of the Afghans to run a prison effectively, and to ensure the detainees actually stay detained. In 2011 over 500 Taliban detainees escaped from a prison in Kandahar. In the past the Ministry of Justice ran the prison system in Afghanistan; however the prisons now come under the control of the Ministry of Interior. Unfortunately the Ministry of Interior does not seem to be doing a better job. The Afghans run the Pol-i-Charki prison with money, equipment, and mentorship from the U.S. - but they are often accused of human rights abuses and misconduct. Numerous abuses occur especially with the illegal body cavity searches of women visitors.

Read more in "US aid cutoff fails to end Afghan prison searches", Boston Globe, March 17, 2012 and "Afghan Prison's Invasive Searches of Female Vistors Stir Fear of Slipping Rights", The New York Times, March 16, 2012.

Counterterrorism vs. Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan

There are lots of folks out there who think we should be using a counterterrorism vice counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan. Add the columnist Fareed Zakaria to those folks. Read "Afghan counterterrorism strategy needed", CNN World, March 16, 2012.

Mining Marble in Herat, Afghanistan (USAID)

"Home to an estimated 400,000 people, the city of Herat lies on the ancient trade routes of the Middle East and Central and South Asia—just 50 miles from the Iranian border. The province bearing the same name is the largest and most significant urban area in western Afghanistan. Mining has occurred throughout Afghanistan for thousands of years. More than 60 known deposits of valuable stone are found nationwide, representing 35 varieties in more than 40 colors, including fine-grained white marbles.

The Herat region boasts many of the country’s largest and best-quality marble quarries. In a country struggling with widespread unemployment and poverty, the marble sector has the potential to generate thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of revenue for the region.Yet, despite these significant mineral deposits, the mining sector has been unable to meet even domestic demand, let alone the significantly larger demand from international markets."

Read the rest of the story here in "Hard Rock in Afghanistan", USAID Frontlines, March/April 2012.