Tajikistan Worried about its Afghan Border

Tajikistan's armed forces are setting up a new base very close to the Afghan border. The country has some concerns about armed groups operating just south of its border that are not under the control of the Kabul government. Armed groups could be the Taliban, warlord groups, or local militias. Or . . . it could be a catch all phrase for any or all terrorist or insurgent groups (like ISIS or the IMU) that may be operating in the area. With the departure of the Coalition forces from Afghanistan there is little punch remaining in the international forces to conduct combat operations. There still remains a small counter-terrorism capability within the current U.S. force structure in Afghanistan but this is likely reserved for high-value al-Qaeda and Taliban targets. Some U.S. and international SOF forces are continuing to work with the ANA Special Operations Forces and the MoI Special Police Units but their presence in the north of Afghanistan has diminished significantly. Read more in "Eyeing Taliban, Tajikistan Sets Up New Military Base on Afghan Border", Bug Pit Eurasia Net, January 8, 2015.

MoI 96.5 FM Radio

It appears that Afghanistan will have a new radio station. According to Twitter tweets by the MoI spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi @moispokesman, the radio station will be run by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and used to engage and inform the Afghan public in anti-terrorism and anti-crime efforts.
www.afghanwarnews.info/police/FM-96-5-MoI-radio.htm

Ambassador P. Michael McKinley

Ambassador P. Michael McKinley recently presented his diplomatic credentials to President Ghani in early January 2015. McKinley is no stranger to Afghanistan. His biography is posted on the website of the U.S. Embassy of Afghanistan at the link below.

http://kabul.usembassy.gov/ambassador4.html

Video - "Afghan Faces: The Engineer"

NATO Channel has posted (Jan 3, 2015) a video on YouTube profiling the work and life of a young Afghan engineer who is working for the Afghan government. The video, 2 minutes long, is available for viewing at the link below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN41FC8PQok

Still No Afghan Cabinet

The National Unity Government (NUG) of President Ghani and CEO Abdullah has still not appointed a cabinet. Several ministries remain vacant at the top position. The Afghan public and international community is getting impatient. Read more in "104 Days Without a Government and Counting: The national mood sours", Afghanistan Analysts Network, January 9, 2015.

Daily News Snippets (Jan 11, 2015)

Tolo News reports that the Sangcharak district police chief was killed in a Taliban ambush in northern Sar-e-Pol province on Saturday, January 10, 2015.

Six3 Intelligence Solutions, Inc. of McLean, Virginia was awarded a $12 million multi-year contract for intelligence support services in Afghanistan with an estimated completion date of July 9, 2016. Six3 Sytems is now a part of CACI.

The rebuilding of the Bamiyan Buddhas is not happening anytime soon. In 2001 the Taliban destroyed these centuries old statues. There are plans afoot to restore the giant Buddhist symbols but experts are having difficulty moving the project forward. Read more in "Disputes damage hopes of rebuilding Afghanistan's Bamiyan Buddhas", The Guardian, January 10, 2015.

The White House has canceled the next pay review by the Pentagon. DoD does a review of the military compensation system every four years. The high-level review of military compensation is called the Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation or QRMC. Obama has decided that it is not needed as Congress is just now completing its Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission (MCRMC) study - a report which is due in the next few weeks. Read more in "White House cancels next pay review", Army Times, January 9, 2015.

President Ghani is rumored to be ready to sign a security agreement with Iran soon. He is scheduled for a visit to Iran with the intent to conclude a bilateral security agreement between Kabul and Tehran. The agreement will center on mutual cooperation to reduce terrorism and drug trafficking. Lots of work to be done there! Read more in a news report by Khaama Press, January 10, 2015.

The demining workers who were kidnapped earlier this week in Logar province have been released. The workers were part of the HALO demining operation.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) of the 3rd Infantry Division located at Fort Stewart, Georgian will be deactivated. It is part of a U.S. Army cut of 11 BCTs as it works to an end-strength of 490,000 Soldiers by the end of 2015. Read more in "BCT deactivates as Army draws down", Army Times, January 9, 2015.

Hundreds of Afghan protesters in Chora district staged a rally to hail the two attackers of a French newspaper office as "heroes". The rally took place just after worshipers left Friday prayers. Read more in a news report by Reuters, January 10, 2015.

The Army has released new assignments for some of its one- and two-star general officers. Those receiving new assignments include MG Heidi Brown, MG Clarence Chinn, MG Theodore Martin, MG Walter Piatt, BG William Gaylor, BG James Iacocca, BG Donald Jackson, BG Michael Kurilla, BG Joseph Martin, BG Timothy McGuire, BG Mark O'Neill, and BG Mark Stammer. Read a news release by Army Times,  January 9, 2015.

MG Chinn, is the former commander of JRTC where the Security Force Assistance Advisor's course was taught for several years. He then went on to Afghanistan where he served as a Deputy Commander for Regional Command East (RC East) - double-hatted as the commander of TAC 2 at FOB Lightning and senior advisor to the 203rd Corps. His next assignment will be Commanding General of U.S. Army South at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

The U.S. Army has ordered additional AN/TSQ-135 Mobile Tower Systems (MOTS) from Sierra Nevada Corporation. The tower provides air traffic services during the initial phases of a deployment. The AN/TSQ-135 was first used by the 3rd Infantry Division in Afghanistan. Read more in a UPI news report dated January 8, 2015.

News Articles Welcomed

The Afghan War News Blog and the Afghan War News website are constantly striving to keep its blog, daily newsletter, and website factual, current, and relevant. If you have a link to a website or document you feel should be shared with the greater community then please send it to us. In addition, we are looking for individuals with some knowledge, experience, and expertise in Afghanistan on a wide range of topics to contribute blog posts and articles to our blog and add content to our website. And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links please let us know.

staff@afghanwarnews.info

Afghan News in Your Inbox

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. Go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Conference - Future of USG Advising Missions

Conference - "The Future of USG Advising Missions"

by United States Institute of Peace

Washington, D.C. January 15, 2015

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) will host a conference on the future of U.S. government advising missions. This is a policy-level discussion about mission mandates for long-term, locally-owned solutions on advising. Learn more about this conference at the link below:

www.usip.org/events/the-future-of-usg-advising-missions

Paper - The Future of the Afghan Security Forces

The Center for a New American Security, an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, has released a recently published (January 8, 2015) paper entitled Defend, Defect, or Desert?: The Future of the Afghan Security Forces. The author, Mr. Tyler Jost, is a former U.S. Army Company Commander who served two tours in Afghanistan and is currently a PhD Candidate in International Relations at Harvard University. Jost lays out how the United States can most effectively support the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). He argues that in the coming months, Afghanistan will depend on increasingly independent Afghan security forces to fight a tough insurgency; an insurgency that is as strong today as it was four years ago during the height of the Coalition surge in Afghanistan. The paper starts off with a good historical review of the previous Afghan military organizations and then proceeds to examine the current state of the ANSF and what needs to be done for the future in order to sustain the ANSF. At the end of the paper Jost provides a conclusion and some recommendations.

www.cnas.org/future-of-aghan-security-forces

History of AFSOC in Afghanistan

There is not a lot of information about the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) role in Afghanistan in the open source world. A recent news article provides some interesting information on the role that AFSOC played in Afghanistan and specifically how far the personnel and airframes were taxed over the last four years. Read "In 2010, America's Commandos Unleashed Aerial Hell on the Taliban", War is Boring,  January 8, 2015.

Book - "The Valley"

A new book is coming out about Afghanistan. It is a work of fiction that takes place on a small outpost in the Korengal Valley in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan. The book, by John Renehan, is named "The Valley" and will be published in March 2015. The book's story is told through a Lieutenant Black -  a staff officer visiting the small outpost conducting an after-action report. Read a book review entitled "Renehan's 'The Valley': A fine new novel about one outpost in the Afghanistan War", posted on The Best Defense Blog - Foreign Policy, January 8, 2015.

Deal with Taliban?

BBC news is reporting that a possible peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban was in the works but fell through. According to the BBC news report the Taliban were offered posts in the new Afghan government. There were hopes to bring in three former high-ranking members of the Taliban into the government. Three ministries were offered as well as the governor posts for three provincial provinces. Read more in "Taliban 'reject offer of Afghan government posts'", BBC News Asia, January 9, 2015.

Fighting Extremism Through Education

Sharif Fayez, an Afghan scholar, is the founder of the American University of Afghanistan and a former higher education minister. In a recently published article he states that ". . . Kabul needs to reform the education sector so it can meet contemporary challenges and help prevent violence and instability fomented by extremist ideologies". He reviews the role of education in Afghanistan and the influence of ideology and religion under the Communist regime, the Taliban, and the current political structure. He believes that public education has been used in the past as a political tool. He has some worries about the madrasah system which works as a socialization mechanism for religious groups and a recruiting ground for the Taliban. Of great concern are the unregistered and unmonitored madrasahs located in Afghanistan. Read his article in "Fighting Extremism Through Education in Afghanistan", Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, January 9, 2015.

DynCorp Gets Afghan Training Support Contract

DynCorp International has been contracted by the U.S. Army to provide advisory and other support services to Afghanistan in the training of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. There are two separate contracts - one for the police and one for the army. The contracts are for a nine-month base period of performance with two three-month options. The two contracts have a total value in excess of $100 million. Read more in "DynCorp International selected for training support in Afghanistan", UPI, January 9, 2015.

News - The War Isn't Really Over

Every military man's favorite news media outlet - Rolling Stone - provides us with an article discussing the use of drones and informs us that, despite White House pronouncements - the war in Afghanistan is not over. Read "Drone Rules in Afghanistan Go Unchanged, And Other Reasons the War Isn't Really Over", Rolling Stone, January 7, 2015 by John Knefel.

Afghan Daily News Snippets (Jan 10, 2015)

PTSD. The Veterans Alliance has published an infographic about PTSD among veterans. Some of the bits of info provided: 22 U.S. veterans kill themselves every day, the VA has some shortcomings in providing assistance for veterans suffering from PTSD, and 25% of 9/11 veterans are diagnosed with PTSD. U.S. veterans are at risk from PTSD because of war/combat exposure, multiple deployments, and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). 

http://veteransalliance.com/infographic-america-letting-ptsd-kill-troops/

The new Kabul Chief of Police, LTG Rehemi, visited COMISAF on January 8, 2015 for an office call. Rehemi was the PCoP for Balhk province prior to his current position.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced some major changes in the European infrastructure. There will be a closing of a lot of bases throughout Europe with lots of consolidation going on. The closures will save over $500 million annually. Over 15 sites will be returned to their host nations. Of course, this drastic reduction will not affect our capability (of course DoD would say that). DoD says that the savings will allow for the basing of the F-35 Lighting II joint strike fighter at RAF Lakenheath starting in 2020. From the novice observer looking in it appears we are cutting a lot of programs and infrastructure so we can fund the Air Force's F-35 program. Just saying. Read "DoD Officials Announce European Infrastructure Consolidation", January 8, 2015.

www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123929 

The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law has an ongoing program that examines the U.S. intelligence community. The center believes that the U.S. Intel community is too large, very fractured, and needs better oversight. Read more in "Secretive Private Intelligence Contractors Need Better Oversight", Defense One, January 8, 2015.

The Pentagon is seeking a 20% cut in U.S. war funding - bringing the request down to $51 billion. This is in addition to the $534 billion in the basic defense spend plan. The $51 billion is for the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund. The OCO used to be called the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) fund until President Obama took office and decided we won the war on terrorism and changed GWOT to OCO. Read more in a news report by Bloomberg News published January 8, 2015.

Clive Williams, an adjunct professor at Macquarie University's Centre for Policing, Intelligence, and Counter Terrorism (Australia) provides his thoughts on the future of Afghanistan. Williams spent a few years in Afghanistan working for ISAF. Read "The great game of Afghanistan", Brisbane Times, January 9, 2015.

Reports by the Pajhwok news media indicate that Taliban gunmen kidnapped eight deminers on Friday from an NGO mine clearing operation in Logar province.

Guest Bloggers Welcome

The Afghan War News Blog and the Afghan War News website are constantly striving to keep its blog, daily newsletter, and website factual, current, and relevant. If you have a link to a website or document you feel should be shared with the greater community then please send it to us. In addition, we are looking for individuals with some knowledge, experience, and expertise in Afghanistan on a wide range of topics to contribute blog posts and articles to our blog and add content to our website. And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links please let us know.

staff@afghanwarnews.info

Afghan News and Coffee at 5 AM

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. Go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and submit your subscription request in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

LTG Mulholland to CIA

Lieutenant General John F. Mulholland Jr. has been selected to be the new Associate Director for Military Affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). LTG Mulholland has had a distinguished career in Special Forces. His unit, the 5th Special Forces Group, spear-headed the initial invasion of Afghanistan in the fall of 2001 weeks after the terrorist attack on 9/11. Over 300 of his SF operators along with 100 CIA operators linked up with the Northern Alliance and toppled the Taliban regime. Read more about his new job in a press release by the CIA dated January 7, 2015.