Afghan War Blog

Friday, September 26, 2014

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Thursday, September 25, 2014

Book - COIN in Eastern Afghanistan (2004-2008)

A new book is out on counterinsurgency in Afghanistan. It covers the period of 2004-2008 in eastern Afghanistan. "The book looks at how, working with their Afghan counterparts, they engaged in a complex effort to rebuild security, development, and governance, all while fighting a low-intensity war." The book recounts the efforts of American military officers and civilians to help the local government officials and citizens. Robert Kemp was a U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer who served in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2005 and from 2007 to 2008. He was the Deputy Director of the Pakistan Desk in Washington and also completed several short-term assignments in Pakistan. You can purchase the book on Amazon.com here:

Counterinsurgency in Eastern Afghanistan 2004-2008: A Civilian Perspective

Turkmenistan and Border Incursions

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) presence in northern Afghanistan is extremely limited. The current force array consists of less than 4,000 personnel (mostly from European nations) posted at Camp Marmal (near Mazar-e-Sharif). There is only one small contingent of troops posted at an international border crossing; otherwise the U.S. and ISAF must rely on reports from the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and principally from the Afghan Border Police (ABP) on what is happening along the border. The ABP is less than competent and extremely corrupt; so any news coming from that organization is questionable. Reports are surfacing about border incursions by Turkmenistan armed forces but they are not coming from the Afghan government or ISAF. Read more in "Turkmenistan Armed Forces Reportedly Cross Afghanistan Border", EurAsia Net, September 18, 2014.

Peace Day Celebrated in Afghanistan

"Peace Day" was celebrated on September 21st around the world. Afghanistan, not be be the exception, also held events across the country to celebrate peace. Read more in "Peace Day celebrated in events across Afghanistan", United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), September 22, 2014.

Pakistani Prisoners Freed From U.S. Custody

Fourteen Pakistani prisoners were released from the Bagram Prison in Afghanistan. They were under U.S. custody and were repatriated to Pakistan. Reportedly they are under the control of Pakistan authorities. Read more in "14 Pakistanis freed from U.S. custody in Afghanistan's Bagram prison", Reuters, September 20, 2014.

Ghani, Abdullah, and DC Lobbyists

An interesting article on the lobbying efforts of Ghani (the new PoA) and Abdullah (new 'CEO') to work the PR machine in DC. Both candidates have been spending thousands of dollars per month to curry the favor of influence makers among Congress, the media, and think-tanks. Read more in "Afghan president-elect seeks favor in Washington", Kansas City Star, September 23, 2014.

Sarah Chayes Comments on Election Results

Sarah Chayes, a long-term observer (and resident) of Afghanistan, has posted her opinion on the results of the Afghan election at the LA Times. She believes that despite the huge turnout for the April 5th and June 14th elections the Afghan people were short-changed by Karzai's corrupt election mechanisms and the bargaining for the sharing of power between Ghani and Abdullah. Her opinion is that Afghanistan will not see a significant increase in good governance but just more corrupt officials taking their turn at the spoils. Read her Op-Ed in "New Afghan government; same old problems", Los Angeles Times, September 22, 2014. Chayes is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment and a contributing writer. She reported from and later lived in Afghanistan for most of the past decade and also served as special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Photo by U.S. Navy Captain Debbie Trader-Miller, 2007).

Arm-Twisting Yields "Unity Government"

There were a lot of behind the scenes conversations between the United States (Kerry and Obama) and the two Afghan presidential candidates to come to an agreement over the election results. These conversations are described in greater detail in "Finessing a power-sharing agreement in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, September 22, 2014.

SAGE - A New Terrain Awareness Tool

The Army is now using a new terrain awareness tool in conjunction with the Distributed Common Ground System - Army (DCGS-A). The Situational Awareness Geospatially Enabled (SAGE) tool is designed to increase the understanding of weather and terrain. Learn more in "US Army boots terrain awareness with new geospatial analysis tool", Army-Technology.com, September 19, 2014.

Pub - DoDD 2000.07, Irregular Warfare (IW)

The Defense Department has released a new publication that deals with irregular warfare. The pub is entitled "Department of Defense Directive Number 3000.07, Irregular Warfare, August 28, 2014. The directive establishes " . . . policy and assigns responsibility for DoD conduct of IW and development of capabilities to address irregular challenges or threats to national security . . . ". You can read online or download at the link below.
www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/300007p.pdf

Human Cost Afghan War for UK

The United Kingdom has lost 453 military members in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are many more who have been wounded and are still recovering from severe physical injuries. And, of course, there are those with the burden of mental scars not readily observed or recognized. Between 2001 and 2014 over 220,000 individuals deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan; some with multiple tours. Read more in "Iraq and Afghanistan: Human cost of war for British servicemen and women", BBC News UK, September 21, 2014.

Book Review -"Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution"

Richard Whittle, a fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., has recently published a book - "Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution". The history of the drones is examined as well as the current use of armed drones in the war against terror. Read a book review in "New Book Details History of Predator Drone", Defense Tech, September 19, 2014.

Daily Update on Afghan War

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the TTP

We all know that the Pakistan intelligence agency (Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI) supports the Haqqani Network as well as other insurgent groups that have sanctuary in Pakistan but operate in Afghanistan. What is not so well known is that there are insurgent groups that have sanctuary in Afghanistan's remote and unsecured regions (Nuristan, Kunar, etc.) and that operate against the Pakistan government. Read an informative article about the Pakistan military's fight against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in "The Afghan Roots of Pakistan's Zarb-e-Azb Operation" by Umar Farooq, posted on The South Asian Channel (Foreign Policy), September 18, 2014. Additional sources of info on the TTP include info provided by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and info by WikipediA.

DoD Press Releases - No Afghan News

The Department of Defense press machine has virtually ignored Afghanistan but is providing a mountain of information about Iraq (and Syria). Although there are still over 20,000 (?) U.S. troops still in Afghanistan and only 1,600 (?) in Iraq. This, of course, is intentional. The military and the administration want the public's focus to be on building support for intervention in Iraq (and Syria) and want to push Afghanistan into the background. Read more in "DOD highlights information from Iraq as emphasis shifts away from Afghanistan", Stars and Stripes, September 21, 2014.

How UK Deploys Reapers to Afghanistan

This news article provides a series of photos that show how the United Kingdom deploys its Reapers (drones) to Afghanistan. Call it "drone in a box". Read the news story here in The Aviationist (Sep 19, 2014).

Book Review - "One Million Steps"

Big West has a new book out entitled "One Million Steps". Bing West, a Vietnam veteran, writes about the Marine's fight in Helmand province. The author tracks the fighting of the 3/5 Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment as it secures Sangin district. West is complimentary of the Marine effort in Helmand province but critical of senior military leadership in their implementation of "population centric COIN" country-wide. Read "Book Review: 'One Million Steps' by Bing West", The Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2014.

Australia Takes Stock of Afghanistan and Wonders about Iraq

Australia's objectives in Afghanistan were broad and deep but as time went on the expectations of establishing a modern democracy diminished. Now as it looks to become engaged in Iraq it wonders what lies down the road. The author of this news article compares Australia's involvement in Afghanistan and how hopes and dreams were dashed to the Australia's future involvement in Iraq. Read "Get ready to be mugged by complexity", The Age, September 19, 2014.

Germany's View of the Future of Afghanistan

Germany has held a leading role in Afghanistan from the early days of the conflict. Besides placing a number of personnel to serve on the ISAF and IJC staff they have deployed a significant number of troops to Regional Command North (now called TAAC North). MG Dieter Ernst Warnecke was the deputy commander of the ISAF Joint Command (IJC) in Afghanistan in 2013 and a former commander of Regional Command North in Mazar-i-Shariff. He provides his perspective on the future of Afghanistan in "Afghan combat mission definitely over", Deite Welde (DW), September 21, 2014.

Book Review - "Drone Warfare"

John Kaag and Sarah Kreps have wrote a book entitled Drone Warfare. The book was reviewed by Olivia Mena - a PhD candidate in the Sociology Department at the London School of Economics. She says the book " . . . is an interdisciplinary intervention jointly authored by a political scientist and a philosopher who grapple with how the use of armed drones not only changes the way we wage wars, but also, perhaps our very definitions of war and peace". The book is divided into three sections - the politics of drones, legality of drones, and the morality drones. Read the book review here on the website of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Transition Timeline

Transition, when referring to Afghanistan, is used to describe " . . . the process by which the lead responsibility for security in Afghanistan is gradually being transitioned from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to the Afghan National Security Forces". Transition is said to have been fully achieved by mid-summer 2013. ISAF has published an interactive timeline to explain transition - an informative tool to learn more about transition. You can also learn more about transition in Afghanistan here.

More Pink Slips for Afghan Troops

According to Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno more members of the U.S. Army currently deployed to Afghanistan could find out they have lost their job upon their return to the United States. The notifications are part of the force reduction process as a result of the defense budget cuts. Active duty Army end strength will drop from 510,000 to 490,000 in 2015; a reduction of 30,000. Service members usually get 9 months to transition from military duty. Read more in "Odierno: More troops in Afghanistan may get pink slips", Stars and Stripes, September 20, 2014.

Ghani to Name Woman to Supreme Court

The Associated Report says that the new president of Afghanistan Ghani will appoint a woman to the Afghan supreme court. This will cause dismay among conservative Islamic leaders in Afghanistan and win applause from women's rights organizations. Read more in "New Afghan Leader to Name Woman to Supreme Court", AP, September 22, 2014.

Afghan News - Daily Report

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Ghani Declared Winner of Presidential Election

It finally happened. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) declared Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as the new President of Afghanistan (referred to as PoA in the U.S. military). The actual numbers from the elections were not released and it is unknown if they ever will be released. While this might have been a factor in the agreement between the two candidates to move on it does not bode well for the democratic process and transparency of the Afghan election. Under the agreement Ghani will create by presidential decree the position of chief executive for Abdullah - with the intent that the constitution will be amended to create the position of Prime Minister. Read more in "Ghani is new president of Afghanistan, official says", CNN World News, September 22, 2014.

Kunduz province at Risk

In the north of Afghanistan, long considered to be the most non-violent and secure region, there is trouble brewing. The past few years has seen the emergence of insurgent groups that have the capability to overrun district centers and hold them for long periods of time. Kunduz is a particularly troublesome spot with insurgents gaining territory and winning local support among the population. As the European ISAF troops (led by the Germans) collapsed from the east and west of Regional Command North into the center at Camp Marmal (Mazar-e-Sharif) the operational reach of ISAF diminished significantly. Two districts in Kunduz province fell to the Taliban in mid-summer and they were only recently taken back by Afghan security forces. Read a comprehensive review of the situation in Kunduz province in"Taleban Closing in on the City: the next round of the tug-of-war over Kunduz", Afghanistan Analysts Network, September 2, 2014.

Afghan Power-Sharing Agreement Signed

The two presidential candidates (Afghanistan) signed a power-sharing agreement for a 'unity government' that resolves the election crisis. Now the Afghan government can get down to work, the Afghan economy can settle down, and the military and police can resume their counterinsurgency fight against the Taliban. The good news is that Karzai is finally exiting stage left. Read more in "Afghan presidential rivals sign power-sharing agreement", USA Today, September 21, 2014.

White House Happy with Ghani-Abdullah Accord

The White House is "happy" with the final resolution of the Afghan election. It "applauds" the presidential candidates for signing an agreement on the formation of a government of national unity. Read the press release by the White House (September 21, 2014).

U.S. State Department Happy on Ghani-Abdullah Agreement

The United States State Department is quite happy with the two Afghan leaders finally reaching an accommodation on the release of the elections results (did the vote tallies actually get released?) and the ability of the new Afghan government to be formed. Read a State Department press statement by John Kerry (September 21, 2014).

BSA to be Signed Soon

Now that the drama of the Afghan elections is concluded the next big step (from a U.S. perspective) will be to see the quick signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement or BSA. Learn more here in "Ending Afghan Poll Fight Opens Door to Security Pact", The Wall Street Journal, Septmber 21, 2014.

Afghan Soldiers Go AWOL in Cape Cod

Three officers (one major and two captains) from the Afghan National Army who were attending a training exercise at Joint Base Cape Cod have gone missing. Police and military authorities are currently searching for them. They arrived at Camp Edwards (Cape Cod, Massachusetts) on September 11th and disappeared while visiting the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis, Massachusetts. This is quite normal. The U.S. and other ISAF nations provide opportunities for Afghan police and army personnel to attend training events and courses. Usually the attendees are chosen by higher ranking officials based on political, family, or patronage ties. The "disappearance rate" is fairly predictable - usually two to three personnel from a group of ten or twenty Afghan visitors. The Afghan "disappeared" will make prior arrangements with friends or family who are already located in the United States (or Europe) for pickup once they slip away from their "watchers". Read more on the "Cape Cod Three" in "3 Afghan soldiers missing from Cape Cod base", AOL News, September 22, 2014. UPDATE: The three missing Afghans have been found; they will receive remedial map reading training soon!

Aid Worker Recounts His Afghan Near Escape

An aid worker, Dominic Nutt, provides us with his story of near death in Afghanistan. He discusses the peril of aid work in Afghanistan and other parts of the world. In addition, despite the risks, he tells us why aid workers continue their work when their lives are in danger. Read "Aid workers are there to help - even if some die trying", The Telegraph, September 16, 2014.

Study - Some Wounded Could Have Survived Afghanistan

A team of medical professionals in Washington spent six months reviewing the autopsies of thousands of casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan and determined that some died from survivable wounds. Read more in "Are U.S. Soldiers Dying from Survivable Wounds?", The Wall Street Journal, September 19, 2104.

Afghan War News Daily Report

Monday, September 22, 2014

Logar Province in Transition

The United States and Coalition partners are quickly reducing their footprint. In most all provinces there is no Coalition presence. In a few provinces we now have only a few scattered SFAATs, SOF teams, and some support troops. One of these provinces is Logar. FOB Shank (Logar province) used to have more than 4,000 Coalition troops and now it is greatly reduced in size, scope and mission. The ability to provide enablers to the ANSF is vastly reduced. At one time ISAF could provide QRF, MEDEVACs, fires, aerial ISR, intelligence, DOMEX, logistical support, and close air support. Now it provides very little.

A WaPo correspondent is currently making his way through the Regional Command East (RC East) area and one of his stops included Logar province. In a recent article he provides us some atmospherics. See "In Afghanistan's Logar province, a plea for air support", The Washington Post, September 19, 2014. Two topics stand out for me in this article - generators and air support.

Generator at OCC-P Pul-e-Alam

Some things never seem to change - as in the request for generator maintenance support and training mentioned in the news article. For years the Coalition has provided the ANSF with generators to run their bases, district centers, and provincial offices. Although a noble cause (providing generators) it also produced a number of problems. There was no fuel allocated to run the generators - when fuel was allocated it was stolen prior to arriving at the generator location or shortly after arrival (see SIGAR Audit 1-4). Generators would often break down because the Afghans did not conduct daily and weekly maintenance - even after receiving maintenance training (although many did not get the training). Most of the generators were too big for the sites - a large generator consumed too much fuel and often suffered breakdowns due to insufficient loads. Many generators were simply stolen. Some generators were installed but never run because of lack of fuel. The presence of generators prompted requests for air conditioners, computers, and other electrical appliances. For me, whenever I see a generator I will think of Afghanistan as "The Graveyard of Generators".

The use of close air support was key to the success and survival of American troops in Afghanistan. Air support could mean the difference between winning an engagement against the Taliban or suffering casualties. The Afghans began to rely on U.S. air support as well. When we started holding back enablers in 2013 (to include close air support) there was wide-spread dissatisfaction among the ANSF. Many advisors reported that ANA operations would come to a screeching halt when they found they could not get air support from the United States. So when the writer mentions the request of air support; that too, tells me not much has changed. Of course, the Afghan making the request has a valid point. He knows the U.S. is leaving but would prefer the air support continue for at least another month - which would coincide with the end of the traditional fighting season. Surely this is a reasonable request.

So . . . things are changing - ISAF is withdrawing; but . . . some things never change.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Afghan Election Results to be Announced Sunday

The final results of the Afghan presidential election will be announced on Sunday, September 21, 2014. The contest between Ghani and Abdullah has been lengthy and bitter. Supports of Abdullah have staged numerous protests in Kabul and in northern Afghanistan protesting the massive fraud that took place during the runoff election in June 2014. The inauguration of the new president has been delayed at least twice. The support of the international community is at stake - and will likely diminish significantly if the Bilateral Security Agreement is not signed. The proposed follow-on mission to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is called Resolute Support; but that may not even happen if the Afghans can't get their act back on track. The winner of the election will likely be Ghani; although at this point it is hard to really determine who is the true winner. Most observers say that if you throw out the substantial number of fraudulent votes Ghani still comes out ahead based on the voting that occurred along ethnic lines. Ghani (a Pashtun) received most of the Pashtun and Uzbek votes. One of his two running mates (vice-presidents) was Dostum - an Uzbek. Abdullah garnered the Tajik and Harzara vote. Abdullah is mixed Tajik and Pashtun although he comes from the Northern Alliance political world. One of his running mates is Hazara.

The big question is: did Abdullah receive enough concessions for power-sharing in the "unity government" to be satisfied with the outcome? If so, he will make it known to his supporters that the "struggle" is over and to support the power-sharing arrangements with the Ghani administration. Hopefully all will go smoothly, the inauguration will take place within days, the biggest Afghan crook in history (Karzai) will fade off to Dubai where he banked his millions of dollars, the Bilateral Security Agreement will be signed, the international community will continue to pump billions of dollars into the Afghan government coffers (and some of it will actually be used for running the government), and the U.S., NATO and other countries will provide the 14,000 plus troops to continue the Security Force Assistance mission - to be called Resolute Support after December 31, 2014.

We shall see . . .

Who Is The New COMISAF?

Most people who follow the conflict in Afghanistan know that General Joe Dunford passed the duties and responsibilities of COMISAF to General John Campbell on August 26, 2014. However, many people really don't know who General Campbell is. He doesn't have the name recognition that a General McCrystal or Petraeus had. General Campbell started with military; as the son of an Air Force Senior NCO he got to travel and live around the world in his youth. He attended college at West Point graduating in 1979. He started off as an infantry officer and went through the ranks from platoon to division. In his early days he attended Special Forces training and commanded a 12-man ODA in the 5th Special Forces Group. His previous deployments include Haiti and Iraq as well as time in Afghanistan as the commander of Regional Command East (RC East). You can read his official ISAF biography here. It is refreshing that our senior leadership are picking commanders with previous experience in Afghanistan; sometimes they miss the boat on that very important criteria.

Video "The Future of Afghanistan" (Sopko)

"The Future of Afghanistan" is presented by Georgetown University Center for Security Studies. This video, published on September 17, 2014 features Special Inspector General for Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko speaking about the future of Afghanistan. (video on YouTube, 77 minutes).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=32y-tfIaFYY

SIGAR Says Afghanistan's Future is Bleak

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John Sopko, provided his thoughts on the future of Afghanistan to an audience at Georgetown University on Friday, September 12, 2014. He says that the United States has $16 billion in the pipeline for Afghan reconstruction and aid but that there is inadequate monitoring and oversight mechanisms in place to ensure that it will be spent properly. Sopko states that the United States has to get a handle on sustainability, corruption and narcotics trafficking if it is going to be successful in future efforts to rebuild Afghanistan. Read more about Sopko's presentation at "Afghanistan's Reconstruction Future Looks Very Bleak, IG Warns", Defense One, September 16, 2014.

Return to Hope: Afghanistan's Timeline

NATO has published a series of informative and interactive webpages called "Return to Hope". One informative part of this series is entitled Afghanistan's Timeline. While many know what ISAF is now and what it does; what is less known is the historical path taken to establish ISAF over ten years ago. Learn a little about Afghan history and ISAF history at Afghanistan's Timeline.

The Study of Afghan Ethnic Groups

There are a lot of studies and writings about the ethnic groups of Afghanistan and how these groups relate to the politics, insurgency, social structure and culture of Afghanistan. Christian Bleuer has provided us with information on this topic in "The Study and Understudy of Afghanistan's Ethnic Groups: What we know - and don't know", Afghanistan Analysts Network, September 10, 2014.
www.afghanistan-analysts.org/the-study-and-understudy-of-afghanistans-ethnic-groups/

NATO - Wales Summit Declaration on Afghanistan

During its early September 2014 NATO summit in Wales the allies issued the "Wales Summit Declaration on Afghanistan" (see NATO press release 2014 - 121, September 4, 2014). There were nine paragraphs to the declaration. Topics included (1) honoring members of ISAF and ANSF who have served, (2) the fact that ISAF has assisted the Afghans over the past decade, (3) ISAF will end their mission in December 2014, (4) prospects for continued support to Afghanistan through Resolute Support, financial sustainment, and an enduring NATO-Afghanistan partnership, (5) NATO will continue to support the Afghan-owned peace process, (6) good neighbourly relations are essential (does this mean Pakistan as well?), (7) a stable Afghanistan is good for the wider region, (8) NATO is resolved to make Afghanistan " . . . a stable, sovereign, democratic and united country, . . .", and (9) NATO is " . . . steadfast and resolute in our comittment to the Afghan people".

IC is Discounting Nonviolence in Afghan Election

The website E-International Relations has published a lengthy and informative piece about the nonviolent protests taking place in Afghanistan as a result of the wide-spread electoral fraud. The article by Marie S. Huber (September 13, 2014) explains in detail the nature of the protests and questions the international communities' (U.N., NATO, U.S. State Department, international media, etc.) inadequate and incorrect characterization of the protests. Huber states that the protests are nonviolent and a good indicator that democracy is taking hold vice the international view that the protests are indicative of a move to violence and a disruption of the electoral process and peaceful transfer of power from one president to another. Marie Huber has been living and working in Afghanistan for two years as a researcher with both national and international organizations. She holds a Masters of Philosophy in International Peace Studies and conducts research on aid sustainability, gender, women's issues, and peace and reconciliation. You can read the article in full here.

RoL Training for Afghan Women

The International Security Assistance Command (ISAF) recently conducted Rule of Law (RoL) training for Afghan women working as prosecutors, intelligence analysts, and interrogators. The one-day training event was held in September 16th, 2014. The training consisted of evidence collection, intelligence gathering, crime scene collection, preservation and recovery of evidence, as well as police and prosecution cooperation. The training event is an attempt to increase the networking opportunities with like-minded professionals to improve crime scene investigation techniques that will lead to eventual prosecution of criminals and their networks. The move to warrant-based targeting and prosecution supports the establishment of Rule of Law in a counterinsurgency environment. Read more on this training event in "Afghan women attend first Rule of Law training", ISAF News, September 17, 2014.

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Saturday, September 20, 2014

Cell Towers Built But Not Used in Afghanistan

The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has reported on a $6.5M project that provided no benefit (unless you count the contractor that provided the service). The State Department contracted for six cell phone towers to be built in southern Afghanistan. There were some systematic problems with the design to include the cost of running by generator (fuel) and the fact that they were not initially designed to hook into the existing telecom network in Afghanistan. The purpose of the cell phone towers was to expand and enhance telecommunication services to the civilian Afghan population in underserved but strategic areas. Another cell tower project - Expeditionary Cellular Communications System (ECCS) - was done under "Operation Palisades" by the Department of Defense; it was a $68M project awarded to ManTech. Reportedly the cell towers built for the State Department are to be auctioned off to the Afghan telecom community (it is unknown what happened to the ECCS towers). SIGAR has requested additional information from the State Department in a September 9, 2014 letter. Read more in "$6.5M telecom towers unused in Afghanistan; watchdog wants answers", The Washington Times, September 17, 2014. See also a news article on this topic in Stars and Stripes.

Video - "Do Drones Work?"

Georgetown University Security Studies Program Professors Daniel Byman, Christin Fair, and Christoper Swift discuss the United States' use of drones in prosecuting the war on terrorism. The panelists discuss issues surrounding the drone program, including its efficacy, legality, and future use. (YouTube, 80 minutes).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDRRr-_Qq7A

Book Review - "Soldier Girls"

A new book is coming out by Helen Thorpe entitled Soldier Girls. The book takes a close look at the experiences of three women who deployed to a war zone, the cost to the children left behind, and the long-term effects on the women's lives. You can read a book review at "Women's war stories: Sex, stress-relief and mothering from afar", The Washington Post, September 17, 2014.

BG Vollmecke to be DCG CSTC-A

Brig. General Kirk F. Vollmecke will be assigned to be the Deputy Commanding General (DCG) of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A). Read the DoD news release making the announcement.
www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=16942

Paper - Rule of Law in Military Operations

Thomas L. English, a retired Army officer, has wrote a paper posted on Small Wars Journal entitled "The Rule of Law in the Context of US Military Operations" (published September 16, 2014). The paper is based on " . . . personal observations and perceptions from participation in the leadership of the Legal Operations Directorate for CJIATF (Combined Joint Interagency Task Force) 435 from September 2010 to May 2011". CJIATF 435 used the combination of the military organizations with civilian agencies such as the Departments of State, Justice, Agriculture and others. The paper addresses a number of topics to include "Internal ROL within Military Organizations", "External ROL in Military Operations", "CJIATF 435: External ROL in Afghanistan", CJIATF-435's "Legal Operations Directorate", "Detainee Review Boards", and "Afghan Prosecutions". Learn more about Rule of Law.