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.

Bulgarians Celebrate Independence Day in Afghanistan

The Bulgarian contingent working at Kandahar Air Field (KAF) in Afghanistan celebrated the 106th anniversary of Bulgarian Independence Day on September 22, 2014. The day celebrates the independence of Bulgaria as it moved from being a vassal of the Ottoman Empire to self-rule. The Bulgarians will continue to serve in Afghanistan as part of the new Resolute Support mission. Read the entire story in "KAF celebrates Bulgarian Independence Day with ceremony", DVIDS, September 23, 2014. (Photo at left by SSG John Etheridge, Regional Command South shows Col. Nikola Mitev of the 27th Bulgarian Contingent making comments at the ceremony).

Afghanistan to Sign BSA on Tuesday (Sep 30)

Reports in the media state that the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) will be signed on Tuesday, September 30, 2014. This is good news for Afghanistan. It is also a relief for the international community which has expended billions of dollars and countless lives to bring Afghanistan out of the 14th century and into . . . . a modern era (hard to pick which century) with cell phones and automatic weapons. Read more in "Afghanistan's new government set to sign BSA on Tuesday", Stars and Stripes,  September 29, 2014.

Taliban Behead 12 in Ghazni Province

The Taliban have been busy in Ghazni province - reportedly overrunning one of the districts in the western area of the province. In addition, the Taliban beheaded at least twelve family members of Afghan police. See "Taliban beheads 12 in Afghan clash", Los Angeles Times, September 26, 2014.

Ghani - An Intellectual President

Ashraf Ghani is looked upon by the western world as someone who can turn Afghanistan around. Just as the United States, Europeans, and others fell in love with Karzai in the early 2000s - we seemed to have also lost our heart to Ghani. Hopefully this admiration for the "technocrat" is well-placed. Thus far many of the Afghan leaders have been a profound disappointment - none greater than Karzai. However, despite the high hopes of the western world, Ghani has his work cut out for him. One of the admirable attributes of Karzai (I hate putting "admirable" in the same sentence as "Karzai") was his ability to hold together an ethnically diverse population (Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, etc.), keep the loyalty of warlords and power brokers who many times hated each other (Dostum and ATTA come to mind), and maintain the allegiance of the military (there were no military coups against him . . . unfortunately). So Ghani will have to weld his "intellectual world" with the "Afghan reality". It will be interesting to see how well he does that. Read a newspaper article that looks at how this "academic" will overcome the Taliban, the crooks, the warlords, a poor economy, the drug trade, and the power brokers -"Ashraf Ghani: the intellectual president who can now put theory into practice", The Guardian, September 26, 2014.

AQSL in AfPak a "Dormant" CT Fight

One of the objectives of the invasion of Afghanistan, toppling of the Taliban regime, and occupation of Afghanistan for over a decade was the elimination of a terrorist threat from Afghanistan. It isn't clear that objective has been achieved despite thousands of lost lives, more thousands of wounded and injured personnel and billions of dollars spent. Certainly al-Qaeda has been degraded. Over the past several years we continually "decapitated" the senior leadership and thinned out the"middle management". However, truth be told  al-Qaeda still exists in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. A senior Obama administration official recently said that the war in Afghanistan is now a " . . . dormant counterterrorism fight . . .". However, the U.S. ability to continue that counterterrorism fight will also be degraded. The CIA has closed all but two of eight forward operating based that were located along the Pakistan border. This affects the ability of CIA case officers to manage their spy network extending into Pakistan, to command and control their paramilitary formations (many of the very experienced Afghan fighters are now unemployed or doing other work), gather intelligence with drones (armed and unarmed), and to gather signal intelligence (SIGINT). This closure of CIA bases can be tied to the closure of U.S. Army FOBs throughout the region.  Two questions remain - 1) Does the remaining core al-Qaeda presence pose a significant threat to the United States, and 2) Can al-Qaeda rebound to its former self? Greg Miller and Kevin Sieff have wrote a comprehensive news article on this topic in "Qaeda remains degraded but not defeated", The Washington Post, September 26, 2014.

Biscuit Factory-in-a-Box for Humanitarians

The United Nations World Food Program has introduced a unique method of helping Afghans provide food for humanitarian disasters. A biscuit factory from Italy was shipped to Jalalalbad, Nangarhar province. The self-contained "factory" employs about 25 people and produces nutrient-rich cookies. The biscuit factory is also having a positive effect on the local business. Read more in "Biscuit Factory-in-a-Box Shows its Value in Afghanistan", World Food Programme, September 15, 2014.

United Nations Appoints New Head of UNAMA

The United Nations has appointed Nicholas Haysom as the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Haysom is a South African national and has spent considerable time in Afghanistan. According to a UN press release "He is a lawyer with a long international career focused on democratic governance, constitutional and electoral reforms, and reconciliation and peace processes". Read more in a UNAMA press release dated September 26, 2014.

Anthrax Reported in Badakhshan

Reports of over 40 cases of Anthrax have surfaced in Badakhshan province. Anthrax is a disease affecting both humans and animals. Read more in "Anthrax hits dozens of Badakhshan residents", Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies (CAPS), September 24, 2014.

Constitutional Issues of a Unity Government

Everyone is breathing a sigh of relief now that the election results have been released (well, sort of released) and a "national unity government" headed by Ghani (and Abdullah) has been established. But one has to wonder about the future of Afghan elections; and there is a lot of speculation as to the legitimacy of the Afghan government. A lot of work has to be done in the future to ensure that future elections are not marred by fraud (Karzai is gone so that should help) and that the legitimacy of the Afghan government is established. Read more in "Constitutional Implications of a National Unity Government", Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), September 2014.

Ashraf Ghani Sworn in as President

Ashraf Ghani has been sworn in as the new president of Afghanistan. At his inauguration Ghani said he would eliminate corruption, work for long-term peace, encourage development and reform, end poverty, and clean up the judiciary. He acknowledges that establishing security is key to accomplishing his other objectives. Read more in "Ashraf Ghani sworn in as new Afghan president", BBC News Asia, September 29, 2014.

Receive Updates on Afghanistan Daily

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.

Slovak Land Force Ends Mission in Kandahar

The Slovak contingent operating in Kandahar has ended its mission in September, 2014. The Slovak element had a two-fold mission: base defense and advising an Afghan army kandak. The base defense mission involved the guarding of entry control points where vehicles and visitors were searched as they entered and left Kandahar Air Field (KAF). In addition, the Slovak unit fielded the Security Force Assistance Advisory Team (SFAAT) that trained, advised, and assisted the 4th Kandak, 2nd Mobile Strike Force of the Afghan National Army (ANA). The Mobile Strike Force or MSF had a unique mission and was designed to rapidly deploy wherever needed. Read the entire story in "Slovak Land Force ends mission in Kandahar", DVIDS, September 24, 2014.

Report - Social Outreach Program, USAID and SIGAR

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has provided a report entitled USAID's Afghanistan Social Outreach Program: Audit of Costs Incurred by AECOM International Development, Inc. The report, SIGAR 14-94 Financial Audit, was published in September 2014.

"USAID signed a contract with AECOM International Development to establish community councils (shuras) at the district level and promote communication and collaboration between the Afghan government and communities. This support to the Afghanistan Social Outreach Program (ASOP) was intended to expand the role of the traditional shuras, overcome corruption, and increase participation in the political process by woman, youth, and other marginalized groups". 

Railroads - Promise of the Future

The country of Afghanistan is completely dependent upon funding from the international community to pay for its security forces and to run its government. Afghanistan's rich mineral resources will take years to develop into a revenue-producing enterprise. In addition, without railroads it will be difficult to market and export these valuable minerals. Fortunately, neighboring countries are working on improving their rail systems and this could have an impact on the railroad development program for Afghanistan. Turkmenistan is one of those neighboring countries. Read more in "Turkmenistan Becoming Regional Railway Hub", The Jamestown Foundation, September 22, 2014.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan at Low Point

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have reached a low point. The Pakistan intelligence service support (money, training, sanctuary, etc.) of the Taliban has continued through the years and the Afghans are not shy about voicing their dismay. The Pakistanis deny the charge but the evidence is clear. As NATO and the U.S. continue their withdrawal there are fears that the animosity between the two countries will escalate. According to Afghanistan - Pakistan is interested in maintaining an unstable Afghan government. Supposedly this is in the interests of keeping an India-Afghanistan alliance from maturing and to ensure that a "second front" does not open up in Pakistan's rear areas as it defends itself against possible future attacks from India. One of President Karzai's constant complaints about the United States was the unwillingness to confront Pakistan on Taliban support and the Taliban sanctuaries. Read more in "Mistrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan soars as U.S. forces depart", The Washington Post, September 25, 2014.

Night Eagle System Services Extended for Afghanistan

The Department of Defense is extending the use of the Night Eagle system in Afghanistan for an additional year (ending December 25, 2015). A contract modification was awarded to Leidos, Inc. to the tune of almost $14 million for the Night Eagle counter-improvised explosive device detection system. Read more below.

"Leidos, Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $13,848,212 modification (P00015) to cost-plus-fixed-fee contract W909MY-12-C-0046 to extend services for the Night Eagle counter-improvised explosive device detection system operating in Afghanistan. Services include logistics, hardware/software maintenance, flight operations, and the associated facility and system support. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $13,848,212 were obligated at the time of the award. Work will be performed in Afghanistan; United Arab Emirates; Germany; Reston, Virginia; Las Vegas, Nevada; San Diego, California; Santa Rosa, California; Silver Springs, Maryland; Princeton, New Jersey; and Bridgewater, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 25, 2015. Army Contracting Command, Fort Belvoir Division, Alexandria, Virginia, is the contracting activity."

Information from U.S. Department of Defense Press Operations, No. CR-185-14, September 25, 2014
www.defense.gov/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=5384

Information on Night Eagle can be found on the Global Security website
www.globalsecurity.org/intell/systems/night-eagle.htm

Elections - Will it Solve Afghanistan's Problems?

The recent election in Afghanistan (well, . . . not so recent) has many observers commenting on the future prospects of Afghanistan. Some people think the entire process was flawed and puts the future of Afghanistan in jeopardy; while others are more optimistic. Read the thoughts of someone who sees the glass half-full in "Afghanistan's Best Bet", Foreign Affairs, September 25, 2014.

Osama bin Laden's Son-in-Law - Life Sentence

The son-in-law of Osama bin Laden has been sentenced to life in prison as a result of his involvement with the terror plots against the United States. A New York court has convicted him of three counts of conspiring to kill Americans and providing support to terrorists. Read an online news account of the trial here from The Telegraph (September 2, 2014).

The Cost of the Election in Afghanistan

The international community forked over millions of dollars to enable the election to take place.There was more than a financial cost to the Afghan election.  The resulting dispute between the two leading presidential candidates (lasting three months) hurt the Afghan economy. And . . . there is a cost to the democratic process. While the power-sharing deal between Ghani and Abdullah to establish a unit government is hailed as a breakthrough many observers are wondering what happened to the free, fair, open, and transparent elections. Read more in "This new era for Afghanistan has come at a cost", The Guardian, September 25, 2014.

Possible Linkage b/t Taliban and Islamic State

There are some reports of a possible linkage between the Islamic State (Syria and Iraq) and insurgent groups in Afghanistan. Local Afghan officials in southeastern Ghazni province have concerns based recent proclamations of Taliban militants. An Afghan news media outlet provides more info; read more in "Islamic State expanding activities in Ghazni province", Khaama.com, September 26, 2014.

Abdullah Confirms He Will Join Government

The international community (as well as all of Afghanistan) is carefully watching the actions and listening to the words of Abdullah Abdullah to see how he will approach his role in the new "unity government". He has the power to ensure that a cooperative working relationship exists between President Ghani and he but also to cause the government to slip into a quagmire. Read more in "Afghan Runner-Up, in Tone of Compromise, Confirms He Will Join Government", The New york Times, September 25, 2014.

Sign Up for Daily 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.

Last AWACS E-3A Departs Mazar-e-Sharif

The last AWACS E-3A stationed at Mazar-e-Sharif departed on September 23, 2014 for its home station. NATO has stationed E-3As in northern Afghanistan (at Camp Marmal) for the past several years. The air field at MeS does not have the high-end radar systems to monitor and control multiple aircraft (helicopters, fighters, transports, contract aircraft, civilian aircraft, etc.) so the AWACS provided that ability. Now that ISAF is withdrawing and there are only a few NATO aircraft left in the north the E-3A is no longer needed. The E-3As were flown and staffed by NATO aircrews from across Europe. The primary function of the E-3A is airborne surveillance, command, control, and communications. The aircraft has an endurance of more than 8 hours and can be refueled in the air.

The following links provide information on the AWACS. You can visit the NATO AWAC E-3A Component website, get a virtual (online tour) about the E-3A here, see the NATO E-3A Component Facebook, view a video clip about the features of the plane, and view a video of an USAF E-3 Sentry mission over Afghanistan. (Photo by Wiel Borghans shows the last E-3A departing Mazar-e-Sharif airfield).

Demise of COIN?

One of the frequent conversations among members of the military (and observers of the military and conflict in general) is the future of counterinsurgency within the armed forces. Another observer has weighed in on the conversation. The writer wonders, with the closing of the Army Irregular Warfare Center (AIWC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, who will pick up the functions of educating the force on COIN doctrine. While the draw down of forces capable of conducting COIN are probably necessary; there still needs to be an organization that picks up the responsibilities previously done by AIWC. This is especially true given that the U.S. military is more likely to engage in counterinsurgency type operations rather than general war in the near future. Read "Is COIN No Longer Relevant?", by Whitney Kassel in Cicero Magazine, September 22, 2014.

SIGAR Report - DoS Demining Activities in Afghanistan

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has published a report - Department of State's Demining Activities in Afghanistan: Audit of Incurred Costs by Mine Clearance Planning Agency - (SIGAR Report 14-95 Financial Audit) published in September 2014. There were four internal control deficiencies and one instance of noncompliance in the audit of costs incurred by the Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA). The MCPA is an Afghanistan-based international humanitarian demining organization. The MCP received over $13 million in grands to provide support for the removal of land mines and unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan. The report finds that there was $688,206 in unsupported costs that should be scrutinized and possibly recovered.

Drugs in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan

The country of Afghanistan is known for its export of narcotics but what is less well-known is the staggering number of drug-addicted person within the country. The easy accessibility of drugs and corrupt judiciary and police sectors contribute to the drug addition problem. Read about the drug problem in Nangarhar province (border Pakistan in the east) in Drug Use Rampant in East Afghan Province, Institute for War & Peace Reporting, September 25, 2014.

EC-130H Compass Call in Afghanistan

Photo by SSG Evelyn Chavez 455th Expeditionary Wing

There are all sorts of aircraft flying overhead in Afghanistan. Some are small and some very large and they all have specific missions. What those missions are is sometimes a mystery. Most everyone knows that an A-10 provides Close Air Support, a C-17 will be your ticket home, a Black Hawk will get you to that remote FOB (well, it used to - the small FOBs have or will be going away). But what does a EC-130H Compass Call plane do? Fortunately the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing located on Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan provides us with a little information on the EC-130H and the 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron. The EC-130H Compass Call aircraft " . . . conducts electronic attack operations in order to deny, degrade or disrupt enemy communications". The aircraft can provide " . . . the ability to engage and receive real time target sets . . . " and helps to create a safe mission environment for the troops on the ground. Read the entire article in "41 EECS Scorpions execute theater electronic warfare", DVIDS, September 22, 2014.

Karzai's Parting Shot

"We don't have peace because the Americans didn't want peace".

"To the U.S. government, give them my anger, my extreme anger".

These quotes are just a few that Karzai has delivered to a nation that lost thousands of its young men and billions of dollars (much of that money now in Karzai's Dubai bank accounts). However, Karzai is not the first ungrateful foreign leader to take the money and run. Read "Karzai joins a long list of leaders ungrateful for U.S. support", The Washington Post, September 25, 2014.

Ralph Nader Likes Ashraf Ghani

Ralph Nader, a consumer advocate, lawyer, author, extreme liberal, (former presidential candidate?), and now, it seems, observer of international conflicts - has come out with a glowing description of the president-elect of Afghanistan - Ashraf Ghani. Well, if Nader likes Ghani then why shouldn't the rest of us? Read Nader's worship of Ghani in "Afghan Voters Choose a Better Future", The Huffington Post, September 24, 2014.

Afghan Security Deal to be Signed Soon

Now that the crook Karzai is on the way out (so long!) there seems to be great optimism that the newly-elected (sort of) President Ghani will sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (or BSA for short). Karzai refused to sign it even though an Afghan loya jirga endorsed the agreement last fall. The BSA will allow U.S. troops to remain in Afghanistan next year (2015). The signing of the BSA will also allow the signing of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) as well. Read more in "US: Afghan Security Deal May Be Signed Next Week", AP, September 24, 2014.

Daily News 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.

MRAPs to Pakistan

Retrograde made easy! Instead of cutting up MRAPs for scrap (hundreds have been) or flying back to the United States (to sit in a scrapyard at some lonely Army post) it appears that some MRAPs (about 160) will find their way to Pakistan. The Foreign Military Sale (FMS) is valued at $198 million including the vehicles, spare parts, repair parts, and training. The specific MRAP model is the MaxxPro (several variants to include Dash, Base, ambulances, and recovery vehicles). The principle contractor will be Navistar Defense Corporation of Madison Heights, Michigan. Although it doesn't say it is assumed these are used vehicles coming from Afghanistan to be delivered to Pakistan. Read more in "Pakistan - Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles", Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), September 19, 2014.

Report - Labor Market Afghanistan (AREU Sep 14)

Two writers have published a report entitled "Gender, youth, and urban labour market participation: evidence from the tailoring sector in Kabul, Afghanistan", posted on the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), dated September 2014. This study is about understanding how labour markets actually work in insecure and dynamic contexts. In the research the study examines the Kabul tailoring labour market and sets out to help us understand what a 'good jobs agenda' might actually look like.

The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) is an independent research organization based in Kabul. AREU's mission is to inform and influence policy and practice by conducting high-quality, policy-relevant research and actively disseminating the results, and to promote a culture of research and learning. AREU engages policymakers, civil society, researchers and students to promote the use of AREU's research and its library. An abstract of the report is below:

"The creation of good jobs and decent work in conflict-affected places is widely seen to generate not just better-off households, but also safer societies and more legitimate states. However, so much of the good jobs agenda is dominated by technical approaches more concerned with balancing out supply and demand than with serious analysis of the role of institutions, identity and power in mediating access to opportunities".

Failure in Afghanistan - Ahmed Rashid

A noted author and correspondent with a great deal of expertise in Afghanistan has commented on the current situation in Afghanistan. The author, Ahmed Rashid, is not holding back, citing Afghanistan as having experienced a failed transformation over the past decade. He states that the "unity government" has no basis in Afghanistan's election law, is a make-shift compromise, and a defeat for the establishment of democracy in Afghanistan. The current planned withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops is a bad plan and premature. He recognizes the efforts of John Sopko (the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction - see www.sigar.mil) as one of the few U.S. government officials who will speak the truth. Rashid frets about the relapse of Afghanistan into civil war and the emergence of groups more extreme than the Taliban. In four important areas of transition: political, military, economic, and regional diplomacy - he sees failure. You can read his full article in "Afghanistan's Failed Transformation", The New York Times, September 25, 2014.

Army Awards Contract for Culvert Defense (IEDs)

One of the more successful tactics of the Taliban in Afghanistan is the emplacing of IEDs in culverts along the roads that ISAF and ANSF forces travel. For the ANSF IEDs comprised about 50% of the casualties in the counterinsurgency campaign. The U.S. Army is continuing its research into counter IED (C-IED) tactics and techniques. It recently picked several firms to compete in contracts to develop methods of defeating IED emplacement in culverts. The Army awarded the contracts on behalf of the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) of the Pentagon. The project is known as the Culvert Denial Challenge program. Read more in "Army chooses 20 companies to develop explosives-detection for IEDs hidden in culverts", Military & Aerospace Electronics, September 17, 2014.

Ten Priorities for Ghani

Tamim Asey, writing for The Diplomat, has provided ten recommended priorities for Afghanistan's new president (and his new Chief Executive Officer).

1. Sign the BSA and NATO SOFA.
2. Fix the security situation and narcotics trade problem.
3. Fix the economy, fight corruption, and get more foreign aid.
4. Unite a divided population (Pashtuns, Tajiks, Harazar, Uzbecks, etc.).
5. Review regional and global diplomacy.
6. Reform the judiciary and rule of law.
7. Call for a loya jirga to amend the constitution.
8. Reform the banking and financial sectors.
9. Comprehensively reform the civil service.
10. Write a new chapter with the Islamic and Arab worlds.

You can read the entire article "10 Priorities for Afghanistan's New President", The Diplomat, September 24, 2014.

State Issues Background Brief on Afghan Elections

The U.S. Department of State has published online a "Background Briefing on Afghanistan" dated September 24, 2014. The briefing (because it is "background") is attributable to a "Senior State Department Official". The briefing was presented to provide an update on what is going on in Afghanistan in regards to the election results and 'unity government agreement" and then it was opened to questions.

In the brief the State participants outlined the role that State played in the resolution of the Afghan election mess, highlights the challenges ahead (security, political, and economic transitions), emphasized that the two presidential candidates will work well together, the current Afghan fiscal crisis, the inauguration date is set, prospects of peace talks with the Taliban, and state that the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement and NATO SOFA is not far away.

Of course, the more interesting aspects of these "off the record" State Department briefings the correspondents ask. Such as "Why were the results of the vote not released?" and does the State Department think these elections " . . .were free and fair and transparent and open . . . ". The pros are good at skirting the truth. You can view the background briefing online here at the State Dept portal:
www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/09/232078.htm

Australia will Commit 600 Troops to RSM

It appears that a long-time ally of the United States in Afghanistan is willing to commit troops for an additional two years. Current plans include the stationing of about 600 Australian military members in Afghanistan for a two-year period during the Resolute Support Mission (RSM). The troops will remain in non-combat advisory roles. Read more in "Residual force for Afghanistan", The Australian, September 24, 2014.

Drone Attacks Continue

Despite the draw down of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan there is still some kinetic activity going on. "A suspected U.S. drone fired four missiles at a vehicle carrying Uzbek and local militants in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border on Wednesday, killing 10 of them, two Pakistani intelligence officials said". Read the rest of the story - "Officials: US Drone Kills 10 in Northwest Pakistan", AP Big Story, September 24, 2014.

Who is Ashraf Ghani?

Now that Ashraf Ghani has been announced as the victor in the June 14th (2014) run off election many are digging deeper into his background to determine who he really is and what his leadership style will be once he takes the presidency. Read about his background in "Profile: Ashraf Ghani", BBC News Asia, September 21, 2014.

SFAAT Teaches OCC-R How to Use COP

While the nation and world is focused on events in the Ukraine, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere; in the country of Afghanistan members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are still at work. Their principal mission in 2014 is Security Force Assistance or training, advising, and assisting the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to become more proficient and able as the ISAF mission goes away at the end of 2014. Part of this mission is to ensure that the Operational Coordination Centers located at the regional level (usually co-located with the ANA Corps) are able to function on their own. This includes being able to track events on the battlefield. SFAAT 3 is currently advising the OCC-R South in Kandahar to plot significant acts that occur in their battlespace. While NATO and the U.S. military have sophisticated software applications that do this (C2PC, ADOCS, CPOF, etc.) the Afghans are many years behind. SFAAT 3 has put together a series of programs for the ANSF (similar to Google Maps) that has the ability to track all types of significant acts. Read more in "SFAAT 3 encourages teamwork by improving the ANSF common operating picture", DVIDS, September 19, 2014. (Photo by SSG Whitney Houston, RC South).

Afghan War Lessons Learned and How to Fight ISIS

The news programs, print media and Internet is just bursting with analysis and recommendations about how to "degrade, defeat, and destroy" the Islamic State (or ISIS, or ISIL, etc.). While many of these reports, tracts and observations are presented by well-meaning academics, scholars and members of 'think tanks" - very few have an experience mix of the big picture and 'boots on the ground". One observer that does is Michael G. Waltz. With his experience as a Special Forces officer with two tours in Afghanistan and as an advisor to VP Cheney on South Asia and Counterterrorism, Waltz has first-hand experience at the ground and policy level. He is the author of a forthcoming book entitled Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret's Battles from Washington to Afghanistan available on Amazon.com. Together with Alyssa Kelly, a national security analyst at Askari Associates, Waltz provides some lessons learned from Afghanistan and hopes that the current administration and his national security advisors (as well as senior military commanders) remember 10 impediments to success when dealing with ISIS (and with our allies).

1. National Caveats
2. Interagency Coordination
3. Lesser Capability
4. Different Doctrinal Approaches
5. Incompatibility
6. Intelligence Sharing
7. The "Maintaining the Coalition" Mentality
8. Command and Control
9. Unmet Expectations
10. The D-word: Detainees

The full article with an explanation of the ten impediments can be read in "Ten Lessons From the Afghan War About How to fight ISIS", The South Asia Channel, Foreign Policy, September 23, 2014.

Afghan Election Flaws Need to be Fixed

The Afghan presidential elections were certainly filled with cases of massive fraud. A former Afghan ambassador to France and Canada has weighed in on the problem. See "Former Afghan Ambassador says election flaws must be fixed", Voice of America, September 22, 2014.

Three Afghan Soldiers Experience Culture of Cape Cod

The three Afghan Soldiers participating in a training exercise on Camp Edwards, Cape Cod, Massachusetts who had some navigational problems and ended up on the Canadian border have been busy soaking up the culture of the United States. Although they will certainly require remedial training in land nav and map reading they are making up for it in their cultural experiences. The Afghans were visiting the Cape Cod Mall as part of a program to experience American culture. During their visit they went missing. Reportedly the three ANA Soldiers stopped for lunch and entertainment at a Cape Cod "gentlemen's club" called Zachary's Pub prior to heading to the Canadian border. Just speculation, but perhaps they had heard about Saint Catherine's Street in Montreal? Read more on this story in "Afghan soldiers who went missing in U.S. stopped at . . . ", New York Daily News, September 23, 2014.

Karzai Warns about U.S. Intentions

In a recent speech the President of Afghanistan (outgoing thank goodness) Karzai warned the incoming Afghan government leaders to beware of the United States. Karzai stated that the Afghan peace process failed because America did not want peace. Read more in "Afghan President Karzai warns successors to beware of US", BBC News Asia, September 23, 2014. See also "Afghan President Hamid Karzai slams U.S. government policy in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, September 23, 2014.

Amb Crocker Responds to Karzai Statements

Former Ambassador Crocker (to Afghanistan) reacted to President Karzai's outlandish statements about why the United States invaded Afghanistan. Crocker says that Karzai knows the invasion was in the best interests of Afghanistan. Read more in "Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Reacts to Karzai's Criticisms", Voice of America, September 23, 2014.

Ghani Says He Won't Tolerate Corruption

The president-elect of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, has said he will not tolerate corruption. During an interview with the BBC Mr. Ghani set out his vision for Afghanistan and stated that he was not corrupt. The video is about 8 minutes long. Ghani, a very good English speaker, says Afghanistan has great opportunities ahead. He mentions Afghanistan's supply of water, minerals, and business acumen. He acknowledges the immense corruption in the Afghan government. Watch the video at the following link - www.bbc.com/news/world-29312884.

Gender Integration into ANSF

One of the areas where ISAF has been working with the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) is in gender integration - growing the number of women working with in the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, military formations and police forces. A recent news release from ISAF explains some of the advances that have been made and the work that lies ahead. See "Afghan, ISAF leaders discuss gender integration into ANSF", ISAF News, September 21, 2014.

Paper - Are Contractors a Threat to the Military?

A recent paper published in Parameters contemplates the role of contractors in a war zone and the adverse effects the use of contractors has on the military. In what seems to be a paper aimed at discrediting the role of contractors (security and otherwise) the author advances the argument that the military can do the job just as well as contractors and at no greater cost if properly resourced (don't draw down the force too much). In addition he questions the legality of the use of contractors by pointing to isolated events like Nisoor Square (Iraq) - (there is no mention of the massacre in Panjwai district, Afghanistan by a U.S. Soldier). He also states that the professionalism of the military is at stake (at least I think that is what he is getting at) because the contractors are competing with the military. Hmmmm. You can read his paper "Military Professionalism & Private Military Contractors", Parameters, 44 (2) Summer 2014, by Scott L. Efflandt, pages 49-60.