U.S. "New Silk Road Strategy" Hits Deadend

In 2011 the United States Department of State (under Secretary of State Clinton) rolled out the "New Silk Road Strategy" or NSRS. The intent was to re-establish Afghanistan as the trade cross-roads for economic activity - tying the products of Central Asia (water, gas, oil, electricity, and consumer goods) to the populations of South Asia (India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan) through Afghanistan. Much talk was made about how this would help the economy of Afghanistan (and eliminate some of the underlying root causes of the insurgency) but little investment was made on the part of the United States. It seems, however, that both Russia and China see the importance of a "New Silk Road"; but not necessarily in the context of benefiting Afghanistan. Read more in "The United States' Silk Road to Nowhere", Foreign Policy, September 29, 2014.

NATO to Continue Support to Afghanistan

NATO leaders at the Wales conference recently held reaffirmed their commitment to Afghanistan. This pledge included the continuation of the Security Force Assistance mission to be provided under the Resolute Support framework and the continuing funding of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to the tune of $5 billion a year. Read more in "NATO commits to fund Afghan forces through 2017 as challenges remain", Stars and Stripes, September 4, 2014.

Temporary Halt in Blogging

I will be taking a temporary break in blogging. Once again I am off to Afghanistan for a short contract (2-4 months). While there I will have a busy schedule and be unable to blog. Upon my return to the states I will resume my research and writing (and blogging). If you are signed up for the Afghan War News Blog Newsletter then you will know when I have resumed blogging (you will get the daily newsletter once I start up again!). The newsletter is sent out every day at 5:00 am EST. If you are not signed up for the daily newsletter you can sign up now - enter your email address in the dialogue box labeled "Follow by Email" to the right of the blog page.

Afghan War Acronyms

Confused about the wide array of acronyms used in the Afghan theater? It isn't hard to get overwhelmed with the military jargon, slang, abbreviations, and phrases. Fortunately there is help out there for you. Visit the Afghan War News acronym listing and glossary. We try to keep the listing updated. If you see an acronym that is missing send us an email at staff@afghanwarnews.info.

China and Afghanistan: Concerns on Xinjiang

Wakhan Corridor Border Area

China is concerned about it's western provinces; especially Xinjiang. China shares a small border area with Afghanistan. The northeastern end of the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan connects the two countries. China is worried that supporters of the dissident and resistance groups in Xinjiang province could receive external support from the remote areas of Afghanistan. The border area is hard to control and it would be easy for supplies and personnel to slip across the border into China. For that reason China is very interested in a stable and secure Afghanistan. Read more on this topic in "China in Afghanistan: All About Xinjiang Now?", The Diplomat, February 26, 2014.

Process Map for ANP Logistics

With the shift in focus from unit-based, combat-advising to functionally-based, multi-echelon advising known as functionally-based Security Force Assistance the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has developed and disseminated "process maps" to help advisors do their mission of advise and assist with their Afghan counterparts. A process map is a graphical depiction of an Afghan process, such as Afghan National Police Class V sustainment or Afghan National Army manning (recruitment and retention). The process maps shows the actions that take place between all the organizations involved in a process at all levels. The process maps are intended to help advisors at all levels to become knowledgeable on how the Afghans perform certain functions. The process maps are available online at the link below. See "Annex B: Process Maps" of the "SFA Guide 2.0".

Corruption in Afghanistan - Sarah Chayes

Sarah Chayes spent years in Afghanistan living among the Afghan population over the past twelve years. She has seen first hand the good and bad that ISAF has accomplished in that country of perpetual conflict. Part of the bad is the support the United States and its allies provide to corrupt Afghan leaders at the local to national level. She has just penned an article about corruption in Afghanistan appearing in the March / April 2014 issue of Politico Magazine entitled "The Money Pit".  Sarah is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and served as a special adviser to two commanders of the the international troops in Afghanistan.

ISAF Embarrassed Over False Statements Made about Afghan Hospital

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has been hammering the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for its inability to oversee the expenditure of funds associated with reconstruction and development projects and the build up of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). SIGAR has released report after report over the past few years documenting oversight failures on the part of ISAF. In one specific report SIGAR recently cited the lack of oversight on the Salang Hospital in eastern Afghanistan built with U.S. money that was sub-standard and did not meet the requirements of the contract - clearly demonstrating a lack of oversight by ISAF. ISAF tried to counter the report with a "feel good story" of its own stating that the hospital was build to standard and everything was "just fine" to include that solar panels had been installed to augment the hospitals generator. Well . . . SIGAR found out in a subsequent investigation (substantiated by an by an NBC News crew) that there was no solar power unit (utilizing the GeoSpatial Agency's satellite coverage - something you would think that ISAF could do). In fact, ISAF has not sent an inspection team to look at the hospital because it is in a 'non-secure' area. Read more in "IG raps military's inspection of Afghan hospital", USA Today, February 26, 2014. It would appear that ISAF is losing the information operations battle with SIGAR.

U.S. Kisses Manas Goodbye

The United States is closing the Manas transit center in Kyrgyzstan. The transit center operated for years and was instrumental in the movement of personnel and equipment in and out of the Afghan theater. Those personnel who passed through Manas on their way to Afghanistan probably arrived on the "rotator" - a civilian contract airliner filled with military personnel (and contractors). You exited the aircraft and were trucked to the Manas compound where you recovered your baggage and then found a cot in one of the huge tents erected for transients. Your next stop was air operations to find a flight to Afghanistan. Sometimes it was a quick 24 hour turn around. For some it could be days (if you didn't have a ULN!). The Krygyzstan has exacted a hefty price for the use of the airbase and their ever increasing monetary demands were finally a bit too much. Romania is where most of the equipment and personnel will pass through on the way to Europe or the states during the retrograde from Afghanistan. It is time to kiss Manas goodbye! (Photo by Senior Airman George Goslin, USAF 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, 30 Dec 13).

Adviser Assists Combat Engineer Kandak (CEK) of 203rd ANA Corps in Paktya Province

Members of the U.S. Army are serving as advisors to the Afghan National Army (ANA). The advisors provide advice and assistance to a variety of ANA units. Every Afghan Corps has a Corps Engineer Kandak (CEK) that provides horizontal and vertical construction capability to the corps. In the photo at left U.S. Army CPT Joshua Synder, an advisor on a Security Force Assistance Advisor Team, observes vehicles of the 203rd Corp CEK during a weekly maintenance inspection at Forward Operating Base Thunder, in Paktya province. (U.S. Army photo by PFC Dixie Rae Liwanag, February 20, 2014).

NATO SOFA Dependent on BSA

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to be signed with the Afghan government is a separate agreement from the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) that has not yet been signed by President Karzai. The BSA is a security agreement between the United States and Afghanistan. However, NATO has stated that NATO will not execute the Resolute Support mission if the BSA is not signed by Afghanistan. The signing of both agreements is a requirement for the stationing of 16,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan to conduct the Security Force Assistance mission. Read more on this topic in "NATO Head: Afghan Security Pact After Elections", Associated Press, February 20, 2014.

Insurgencies Re-Examined

An Op-Ed by a Professor at the United States Army War College has been provided online that re-examines the role of counter-insurgents and the nature of present-day and future insurgencies. Dr. Robert J. Bunker works at the Strategic Studies Institute of the Army War College as a visiting professor. Read his Op-Ed in "Not Your Grandfather's Insurgency - Criminal, Spiritual, and Plutocratic", Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) published on February 20, 2014.

Hagel Comments on BSA

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel commented on the lack of the Bilateral Security Agreement and the danger it poses for the future security and stability of Afghanistan. The United States has basically given up on the corrupt, ineffective, and erratic current president of Afghanistan (Hamid Karzai) - recognizing that the Bilateral Security Agreement will not be signed until Afghanistan elects a new president. There is concern that the Afghan elections scheduled in April 2014 will not produce a clear winner and a run-off election will be scheduled for mid-summer; thus delaying the signing of the BSA.  Read more in "Hagel: Lack of Agreements Narrows Options in Afghanistan", American Forces Press Service, February 26, 2014.

Interpreters Abandoned by U.S. State Dept

The U.S. State Department continues to receive admonishment for its abandonment of the loyal Afghan interpreters who served the U.S. military for many years in war-torn Afghanistan. Despite the State Department's best efforts at minimizing the public's negative perception of the visa backlog for Afghan interpreters the message from all corners is very clear. Members of Congress and the military want the State Department to take action instead of stonewalling the interpreters visa requests. Unfortunately the State Department appears to be abandoning the Afghan interpreters. Read more in "Tongue tied in Afghanistan", PBS Newshour, February 19, 2014.

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.

High Peace Council in Talks with Taliban

The Afghan High Peace Council is in talks with a Taliban faction based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Talks with the Taliban are problematic for many reasons. One is the sincerity of the Taliban - there has never been any demonstrated gains as a result of negotiations with the Taliban. A second factor is that there is always a question of whether the individual or group representing the Taliban . . . are really representing the Taliban. Read more in "Afghan Peace Council Confirms Talks with Taliban Faction", Radio Free Europe, February 22, 2014.

Video - Commandos of the ANA

The Afghan National Army (ANA), like every other army in the world, has some very specialized elite units that conduct special operations. These specialized warriors are found in the Special Operations Kandaks of the ANA. The selection to become a Commando in the ANA is ten days long. If the Soldier is selected he then attends a twelve week long Commando training course. Learn more about ANA Commando training in this short video entitled "The Commandos - Special Forces Unit of the Afghan National Army", NATO TV, February 6, 2014.

Whole of Government Approach in Afghanistan Questioned

A recent article in a Canadian newspaper looks at the 'whole of government' approach used by the Canadians in the Afghan conflict in the Kandahar area. It specifically looks at the activities of the Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Read more in "Whole of government is old wine in a new bottle", Ottawa Citizen, February 20, 2014.

Report - Partner Capacity in COIN Campaigns

RAND Corporation has published a report that provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis on the likelihood of success of small-footprint approaches to counterinsurgency environments. The RAND team did a simple statistical analyses of 72 counterinsurgencies that have terminated since the end of World War II. In addition, it consulted with numerous reports, studies, and experts on counterinsurgency environments. You can read the results in "Partner Capacity in Counterinsurgency Campaigns" published February 2014 available at this link on RANDs website.

Dealing with the Islamic Jihad

Gary Anderson, a retired Marine Corps Colonel and currently an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University, has written an essay on how to deal with al Qaeda. Read "A Strategy for Dealing with the Islamic Jihad" posted on Small Wars Journal on February 26, 2014.

Afghan Warlords and the Election

There are eleven presidential candidates in the Afghan elections for president to be held this April. Among the presidential and their vice-presidential candidates are a number of famous warlords from Afghanistan's past. General Dostum is perhaps the best known among the vice-presidential candidates. Read all about them in "Warlords With Dark Pasts Battle in Afghan Election", The New York Times, February 26, 2014.

NATO Worried About Lack of BSA

At a recent NATO meeting in Brussels leaders reissued warnings about the lack of a Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States and how it would affect the future of Afghanistan. Read more in "Hard Talk Aside, Little Desire by the West to Leave Afghanistan", The New York Times, February 26, 2014.

Afghan National Engineer Brigade Forming

The Afghan National Army (ANA) is closer than ever to fully fielding Afghanistan's first National Engineer Brigade (NEB). Joint Task Force Sapper is working closely with the NEB providing mentorship. Other entities involved in assisting the forming of the NEB include Task Force Coda, Joint Task Force Sapper Headquarters, CSTC-A, and NTM-A. The unit will be based at Camp Ghazi in Central Afghanistan. Like many units the NEB was stood up at the Combined Field Center (CFC). The NEB will have many capabilities to include bridging and well-drilling operations as well as vertical and horizontal engineering. The NEB will complement the capabilities of the Corps Engineer Kandaks or CEKs. Read more in "National Engineer Brigade Continues to Form Under TEB Leadership", DVIDS, February 26, 2014.

A Perspective on Afghanistan's Future

An expat who teaches school in Kabul provides his perspective on the future of Afghanistan. Read "Afghanistan: Reaching In and Reaching Out", National Geographic News Watch, February 21, 2014.

USAID Explains Future Role in Afghanistan

The USAID Assistant Administrator - Larry Sampler - says that USAID will continue to be engaged in Afghanistan. Read more in "USAID in Afghanistan a long way from normal", DEVEX, February 21, 2014.

Companies Make Windfall Profits in Afghanistan

Some companies both foreign and domestic have fared very well over the past 12 years as a result of no-bid contracts provided by the U.S. government. Read more in "Windfalls of War: Companies with spotty records making billions off Afghanistan", Fox News Politics, February 20, 2014.

Afghan War News Email Update Every Day!

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.

Basing U.S. Drones in Central Asia

With the draw down of ISAF forces continuing in Afghanistan and a strong chance of the "zero option" being implemented due to the Bilateral Security Agreement not being signed the U.S. needs to consider where it will base its drones. Certainly without a troop presence at Bagram, Kandahar, or even Jalalabad it would be risky to station drones at those locations. Perhaps the CIA would take more risk than the military but without a minimal troop presence for support and security it is probably not going to happen. That means the U.S. needs to look north for stationing the drones. The drones would be used in the counter terrorist effort to continue to monitor and neutralize the remnants of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are a few Central Asian countries that might be willing to accept the basing and operation of drones (at a price of course). Read more in "Where in Central Asia Would the U.S. Put A Drone Base?", The Bug Pit, February 17, 2014.

Report on Afghanistan - Medecins Sans Frontieres

The humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has published a report on Afghanistan entitled "Between Rhetoric and Reality: The ongoing struggle to access healthcare in Afghanistan" dated February 2014. MSF is a medical humanitarian organization that operates under the principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality. MSF has been working in Afghanistan since the early 1980s. MSF left the country in 2004 and returned in 2009 as humanitarian needs had markedly increased along with the deteriorating security conditions. Some of the topics covered in the report include how increased violence has escalated humanitarian needs, the politics of aid in war, "selective storytelling" about the Afghan health system, barriers to access to healthcare (due to war and insecurity, distance, cost, and gaps). You can access the report here on the MSF website (Adobe Acrobat PDF, 56 pages, and 167 MBs big).

www.msf.org/sites/msf.org/files/msf_afghanistan_report_final.pdf

Corps Level Advisor Platform for Afghanistan

In 2014 the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will implement its shift to "functionally-based Security Force Assistance". With the withdrawal of ISAF troops to minimal levels (possibly 10,000) by the end of the summer there will be less advisors to advise and assist the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). In order to get the most bang for the buck ISAF plans on concentrating on higher level advising schemes - working primarily at the ANA corps and ministry level. The composition of the advisor organization at the corps level is spelled out in something ISAF calls the "Corps Level Advisor Platform". This platform depicts the SFAAT composition of military and civilian advisors and trainers. The SFAAT organization is detailed to include the specific advisor teams and the ranks and military occupational specialties of the advisors on the team. You can view the organization chart of the "Corp Level Advisor Platform" on pages 48-49 of the recently released (January 2014) Security Force Assistance Guide 2.0.

CNA Assessment of ANSF

The Center for Strategic Studies of the Center for Naval Analysis (CNA) was tasked by the United States Congress and directed by the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy) to conduct an independent assessment of the Afghan National Security Forces. This report, dated January 2014, was conducted by a group of CNA analysts who have considerable experience with Afghanistan's security situation.

This comprehensive report provides an executive summary, a summary of assessments, summary of conclusions, threat assessment, ANSF force-sizing framework, assessment of ANSF size, structure, capabilities, posture, and capability gaps. The Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Ministry of Defense (MoD) are assessed for their respective capabilities. There are several appendixes that provide organizational charts, matrix of authorities, model law for Afghan authorities post-2104, acronyms, bibliography, tables, figures, and more.

"The CNA report concludes that the security environment in Afghanistan will be more challenging after the draw-down of international forces in 2014; that the Taliban insurgency will become a greater threat to stability than now; and that a small group of al Qaeda members will remain active in remote valleys of northeastern Afghanistan. We also conclude that the ANSF will require a security force (Afghan National Army and Police) of 373,400 people - smaller than their present size but significantly larger than was envisaged at the 2012 NATO summit in Chicago. A force of lesser size than 373,000 would, in our assessment, increase the risk of instability of Afghanistan and make success less likely for the U.S. policy goal for Afghanistan".

The report, Independent Assessment of the Afghan National Security Forces, is an Adobe Acrobat PDF, 4 MBs big, and 378 pages long. It can be accessed on the CNA website at this link.

Paper - Cultural Intelligence and COIN

A paper has recently been published on Small Wars Journal entitled "Some Recent Approaches to Cultural Intelligence Gathering" dated February 23, 2014. The paper, written by Stephen J. Fallon - a MA Candidate at King's College London, examines the Human Terrain Teams employed by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. You can read the report here at this link.

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.

Profile of Afghan Presidential Candidates

The Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) has published an online guide to the eleven Afghan presidential candidates. You can view the candidate profiles in "Afghan Presidential Candidates 2014", IWPR, February 25, 2014.

OSCE and Afghanistan

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been playing a vital role in Afghanistan's future. The OSCE is providing assistance in the conduct of the Afghan April elections. Read more in "OSCE has important Afghan role to play, U.S. says", UPI, February 25, 2014.

U.S. Continues to Target Haqqani Network

The Haqqani Network, supported by the Pakistan intelligence agency ISI, is receiving increased attention from the United States in the last year of its 'combat deployment' to Afghanistan. Read more in "Eyeing Afghan exit, U.S. intensifies campaign against Haqqani militants", Reuters, February 25, 2014.

Dempsey Says Afghan Forces "Surprisingly Positive"

General Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the past year for the Afghan National Security Forces has been surprisingly positive. He says the Taliban failed to achieve their state objectives of the 2013 fighting season. Read more in "Dempsey: Past Year 'Surprisingly Positive' for Afghan Forces", American Forces Press Service, February 25, 2014.

Interesting Tidbits on Afghan Election

It appears that a free media in Afghanistan is hard at work. The print, radio, TV, and social media are working hard to make some candidates look good and others not so much. Read more in "Afghan notebook: Gold chairs and vodka", BBC News Asia, February 25, 2014.

48th IBCT Georgia Army National Guard

Elements of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Georgian Army National Guard have settled into their roles at Camp Marmal, Regional Command North in Afghanistan. Task Force Norsemen has assumed responsibility for base support at Camp Marmal. Read more in "48th IBCT assumes missions in Afghanistan and Kuwait", DVIDS, February 22, 2014.

Life in Kabul

A short news article provides a glimpse of life in Kabul. Read "From Dawn to Dusk: A day in the life of Kabul", Stars and Stripes, February 19, 2014.

Gallup Poll: More Americans Think Afghan War a Mistake

A recent Gallup poll is reflecting a loss of American support for the Afghan War and more Americans are now believing that the war was a mistake. Americans' perceptions that U.S. involvement in Afghanistan was a mistake grew as the war continued. As of February 2014 49% say the war was a mistake and 48% say it was not. Read the specifics of the Gallup Poll here.

Foreign Detainees at Bagram Pose Vexing Problem

Foreign detainees being held at a Bagram detention facility are posing problems for the United States. The difficulty lies in where to send them as their home countries will either not accept them as prisoners or can't vouch for their future activities. Read more in "US. quietly whittles down foreign detainee population at facility in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, 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).

IDPs in Herat, Afghanistan

Internally Displaced Personnel (IDPs) are presenting short-term and long-term problems to Herat governmental officials and humanitarian agencies. Refugees from some of the central Afghan provinces have left their homes for refugee camps in Herat because of a severe drought. The government has established a program where the IDPs can recover for three months and then return to their homes. However, the IDPs have no plans to leave. And there's the rub. Learn more in "New solutions for Afghanistan's protracted IDPs", IRIN, February 20, 2014.

Keep Up to Date on Afghanistan

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.

Turkmenistan and Post-2014 Afghanistan

While many eyes are on Afghanistan as it approaches the end of 2014 and enters into an era with no (or very few ISAF) troops some observers are looking at the security situation in Central Asia as a whole. There is concern that the Taliban will grow stronger and the Taliban's influence will spill over the border into countries to the north of Afghanistan. Although many of these countries (commonly called the 'stans) are preparing their military and intelligence organizations for an unsecure future one country seems to be adopting a more passive and neutral approach. Turkmenistan may not be adequately preparing for a post-2014 Afghanistan. Read more in "Turkmenistan: the Achilles Heel of Central Asian Security", Radio Free Europe, February 16, 2014.

China Paying More Attention to Afghanistan

China is concerned about the future of Afghanistan and is hoping for a stabilized situation after the international forces depart in December 2014. China is well-positioned to benefit from economic trade and the access to Afghanistan's natural resources. Read more in "China Increases Focus on Afghanistan", Voice of America, February 24, 2014.

Chechen Terrorists in Afghanistan

A recent news report provides information on the secret fight between U.S. special operations forces and Chechen terrorists aligned with al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Read more in "The Secret Battles Between US Forces and Chechen Terrorists", ABC News, February 19, 2014.

Bilateral Security Agreement between Afghanistan and Australia

Australia and Afghanistan are close to finalizing a bilateral security agreement between the two nations that will allow about 400 Australian soldiers to remain in Afghanistan beyond December 2014. The Afghan defense minister - Bismillah Khan Mohammadi - recently visited Australia for talks on this issue. Australia has provided police mentors, special operations troops, and personnel for the Uruzgan province in central Afghanistan in the past. The 400 personnel in post-2014 would primarily be advisors. Read more in "Australian Troops in Afghanistan Could be Granted Immunity", Radio Free Europe, February 19, 2014.