C-5M Super Galaxies Assist in Retrograde

The 18th Air Force has begun using C-5M Super Galaxies to move equipment out of Afghanistan. Most of the retrograde has been completed using C-17s; however the Operation Inherent Resolve (Iraq War) mission has cut into the availability of the C-17s for Afghanistan. The C-M5 is usually used in a strategic role (transatlantic flights) not in a tactical role (shorter flights into and out of war zones). Read more in "18th AF goes big on retrograde operations", Air Mobility Command, October 24, 2014.

Interpreter Describes Ordeal of U.S. Visa

A former Afghan interpreter who lived and worked with the U.S. military in Afghanistan for years describes the terror he endured while waiting for a U.S. visa. It took him 3 1/2 years to get a visa to come to the United States. During that time, because he assisted the U.S. military, the Taliban kidnapped his father and killed him. They later kidnapped his little brother and held him for ransom; he was released when the interpreter paid a $35,000 ransom (a lot of money for an Afghan). The U.S. State Department has been extremely negligent in the processing of visas for interpreters. It is estimated that up to 80% of Afghan interpreters have been unable to acquire visas. One of the State Department's lame excuses is that that Afghan's are a security risk and that detailed background checks are required. This is questionable - for instance, when this specific interpreter finally received his visa his legal name on the visa was "FNU Mohammad". FNU stood for First Name Unknown. How thorough of a security investigation was conducted if the visa doesn't have the first name right? Read more in "Afghan Who Helped US Describes Sheer Terror of Being a Taliban Target", Business Insider, October 23, 2014.

Afghan Women Football

Afghan women have their own football league (it looks sorta like soccer to me). The women's league, called the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF), recently held a tournament in Kabul. The four-team league is just starting out but holds some promise to grow in the future.The women wore black head-scarves and full leggings as part of their uniform. Read more in "Afghan women have a football league of their own", The Star, October 24, 2014.

Morning Coffee and the Morning News

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 am Eastern Standard Time. It is easy to subscribe. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

New Danish Strategy for Afghanistan

The Danish Government has published a new strategy for the combined Danish efforts in Afghanistan for the years 2015-2017. The strategy includes the integrated Danish political, military and civilian efforts in the country. Denmark recognizes that Afghanistan now has full responsibility for security and social development; but that Afghanistan also needs support in the coming years. To that end Denmark will continue with its military contribution - beginning in 2015 its military contingent will number 160 personnel. Some will work in Kabul while a transport helicopter will be stationed in Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. Read more in a post entitled New Afghanistan Strategy 2015-17 focuses on development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, October 23, 2014 and in "New Strategy for Afghanistan", The Copenhagen Post, October 24, 2014,

Movie - "The Beast"

I recently read a Tom Ricks review of the movie Fury starring Brad Pitt. Fury  is set in World War II and centers on a Sherman tank crew. Ricks says the movie Furey is fine and worth seeing . . . but keep your expectations in check. However, he does recommend viewing a film entitled The Beast  - a story about a Soviet T-62 tank crew that gets lost during an operation in Helmand province. The film was produced in 1988 just one year prior to the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and thirteen years before 9/11 and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. The Beast is available at Amazon.com. Wikipedia has a write up about The Beast. (SPOILER ALERT: The plot and outcome of the movie is revealed in the Wikipedia writeup!).

Paper - "Counter-Unconventional Warfare"

Captain Robert Newson, a U.S. Navy SEAL, provides us some commentary on a "counter-unconventional warfare strategy" that could be a way of to counter the emerging threat of hybrid warfare (as in the Ukraine conflict). He makes reference to a recent white paper by U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) entitled "Counter-Unconventional Warfare" dated September 26, 2014. The paper puts forward the argument that the United States requires ". . . but does not have a credible strategic-level ability to interdict and roll back external sponsorships of insurgent and separatist movements". The U.S. Army has the led for unconventional warfare - by virtue of this UW mission and the Special Forces training that they receive SF in particular and SOF units in general should have the lead for a counter-UW mission. Read more in "Counter-Unconventional Warfare Is the Way of the Future. How Can We Get There?", Council on Foreign Relations, October 23, 2014.

Interview / Book: John Nagl and "Knife Fights"

Once again, by way of Octavian Manea (the interviewer) Small Wars Journal brings us a great interview - this time of John Nagl, a retired Army officer, proponent of counterinsurgency, and author of several books. Nagl's newest book is Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern war in Theory and Practice, The Penguin Press, New York 2014. Nagl rose to prominence with his book "How to Eat Soup With a Knife". He also was one of the principle writers for the December 2006 issue of FM 3-24, Counterinsurgency. In the interview, Octavian Manea, asks Nagl several questions; some that reflect upon the war in Afghanistan:



1. What are the lessons to remember from the post 9/11 campaigns?
2. Why the title "Knife Fights"?
3. What is / was the center of gravity in Washington?
4. Tell us about Don Rumsfeld.
5. Who are the core formative thinkers and what are the takeaways that shaped your COIN worldview?
6. How do insurgencies end?
7. What about leveraging host nation governments?
8. What happened after the Iraq surge?
9. How do we build a better peace?
10. Is there a need in the future for a "small wars capability"?
11. What should NATO do about hybrid warfare in Europe?
12. What about the Arab spring?
13. What about Vietnam and what should be the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan?
14. Comments on 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance.

Nagl provides us with some very good answers. View the interview at the link below:
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/knife-fights-john-nagl%E2%80%99s-reflections-on-the-practice-of-modern-war

Experts Skeptical of New Silk Road

The United States rolled out the New Silk Road Strategy (NSRS) a few years back as one of the ways of filling the void of a diminished United States military presence in Afghanistan. The intent was to link the Central Asian states together (along with Afghanistan) in trade in an effort to increase economic activity and strengthen economies. The outcome would provide a stronger economy for Afghanistan which would cut into the support insurgents would enjoy from the population. However there are doubts that the NSRS will work. Read more in "Following the New Silk Road", The Diplomat, October 22, 2014.

Lack of Census Hinders Afghanistan

Afghanistan has not had a real census of its population for quite a long time. This hinders the proper administration of many government programs and also casts the results of the country's elections in doubt. It is difficult to effectively plan long-term development projects. In addition, lack of demographic knowledge aids corruption during elections and the favoring of regional allies. Read more in "Afghanistan's Demographic Drought", The South Asia Channel of Foreign Policy, October 22, 2014.

Book - Interview with Author

The Swedish journalist Jenny Nordberg is interviewed about her book entitled The Underground Girls of Kabul. The book is the result of several years of investigation into the cultural practice (hidden from westerners) of having a girl pose as a boy until puberty. Read more in "Book Talk: Women in Afghanistan, through a looking glass", Reuters.com, October 23, 2014.

Constitutional Issues with NUG

Everyone is breathing a sigh of relief now that the election dispute between Ghani and Abdullah is settled. The question is how long will the honeymoon last. The National Unity Agreement or NUG provides for a power-sharing agreement between the two candidates but once they start opposing each other on issues the resolution process may be in question. Many observers are now looking into the possibility that the NUG could present unintended consequences - especially in regards to the Afghan constitution. Ghizaal Haress is an Assistant Professor at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) where she teaches Constitutional Law. She has posted an article entitled "Did Politics Compromise Afghanistan's Constitution?", South Asia Channel of Foreign Policy Magazine, October 23, 2014.

Map of 2014 Large Taliban Offensives by District

The Taliban conducted a very intensive 2014 fighting season in Afghanistan. The fighting season typically runs from April to October. The 2014 fighting season saw the Taliban massing forces in larger numbers and taking over several district centers for as long as a month before the ANSF could dislodge them. Many times the Taliban operated in groups as large as 100 members. This is something that would not be done in the past due to ISAF air power. However, ISAF air power was withheld from the ANSF during much of the 2014 fighting season; and only used in greater numbers in August and September when it became apparent the ANSF desperately needed some assistance. You can view a map (produced by Jason Lyall of Yale University) of where the Taliban operated in large formations by district at "Taliban Offensives (April-October 2014)", CARTODB, October 2014.

Start Off Your Day With Afghan War News

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 am Eastern Standard Time. It is easy to subscribe. Send an e-mail to staff@afghanwarnews.info or go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box in the top of the right hand column. It is easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Article - Promise and Pitfalls of Partners

A recent paper provides us with an optimistic (yet realistic) look at the use of partners in our goal of deterring adversaries and maintaining stability. He references the recently distributed Army Operating Concept provided by the Army Capabilities Integration Center (ACIC). The AOC lists security cooperation as one of the eleven key missions for the U.S. Army. The author praises the AOC's "measured approach towards security assistance". Three reasons are provided for "partnering" 1) US troops in harm's way is fraught with political difficulties, 2) decision-makers are seduced by low cost and risk, and 3) for every security assistance failure there is a quiet success. Read more in "Army #Operating Concept: The Promise and Pitfalls of Partners", by Crispin J. Burke, on The Bridge, published October 22, 2014.

New Afghan President's Style

A New York Times correspondent in Kabul, Azam Ahmed, provides us with a behind the scenes look of President Ghani. The newly elected president has been developing some momentum in his administration. He immediately signed the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). He very quickly re-opened the Kabul Bank fraud investigation; putting the corrupt Karzai clan into the HP mode. To the consternation of conservative religious leaders his wife is publicly on display. Sometimes though, it is the little things that matter; and Ghani has shown that all aspects of governance are important to him at every level. He seems to prefer institutions over politics. While he may not be successful, it certainly is a refreshing change over the crook Afghanistan had for a president previously. Read more in "Learning a New Afghan President's Style", The New York Times, October 23, 2014.

Book - "Future of Blackwater and Guns for Hire"

Linda Robinson reviews a book entitled The Future of Blackwater and Other Guns for Hire by Anne Hagedorn. The book is in two parts. The first provides background information on the rise of the private security firms on the battlefield (spending a little too much time on the few instances of wayward behavior). The second part of the book delves into the operational need and financial benefits of using contractors. Read the book review here.

Paper - Airpower and COIN in Afghanistan

Jason Lyall of Yale University has wrote a paper entitled Bombing to Lose? Airpower and the Dynamics of Violence in Counterinsurgency Wars (August 9, 2014). The use of close air support during an insurgency is vital if used properly. Lyall's paper is posted on the Social Science Research Network at the link below. An abstract of his paper follows:

"Are airstrikes an effective tool against insurgent organizations? Despite the question's historical and contemporary relevance, we have few dedicated studies, and even less consensus, about airpower's effectiveness in counterinsurgency wars. To answer this question, I draw on declassified United States Air Force records of nearly 23,000 airstrikes and non-lethal shows of force in Afghanistan (2006-11), satellite imagery, and a new SQL-enabled form of dynamic matching to estimate the causal effects of airstrikes on insurgent attacks over variable temporal and spatial windows. Evidence consistently indicates that airstrikes markedly increase insurgent attacks relative to non-bombed locations for at least 90 days after a strike. Civilian casualties play little role in explaining post-strike insurgent responses, however. Instead, these attacks appear driven by reputational concerns, as insurgent organizations step up their violence after air operations to maintain their reputations for resolve in the eyes of local populations."

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2422170

U.S. Army Chief of Engineers Tours Afghanistan

The U.S. Army Chief of Engineers recently visited Afghanistan touring several bases. He received mission update briefings, met with U.S. and Afghan engineers, and learned about efforts of building partner capacity, supporting base master planning, force protection, and Afghan engineer development. On a visit to Camp Ghazi he visited the Afghan National Engineer Brigade. Read more in "Chief of engineers visits Afghanistan", DVIDS, October 22, 2014.

Interview - Former Foreign Minister Lafraie

The former Foreign Minister of Afghanistan between 1992 and 1996, Professor Najibullah Lafraie, was interviewed recently and provided his assessment of the political and security situation of Afghanistan. An interesting look from an Afghan statesman's perspective. Read "US Troops Surge in Afghanistan, Repetition of  Mistake Committed in Iraq", Eurasia Review, October 19, 2014.