A-10 Thunderbolt Provides CAS for Troops Below

The A-10 Thunderbolts, a 43 thousand pound machine, operate out of Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. The jets provide close air support and overwatch for ground forces operating below. In the hyperlink article an A-10 pilot, Maj Vincent Sherer, describes mission preparation and the daily life he experiences in Afghanistan flying his aircraft. See "Safeguarding ground troops from above", DVIDS, October 6, 2014. (photo by Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez).

Kabul Bank Scandal Revisited

The brother of former President Karzai still owes millions of dollars to the Kabul Bank. Mahmud Karzai was listed as owing $22 million on loans from the Kabul Bank and has only paid back $13 million. As part of his immunity from prosecution he was supposed to pay back the entire loan to avoid prison time. He was spared prosecution under a decree by former President Karzai (his brother) as long as he returned the funds. So . . . does he cough up the other $10 million or does he go to jail? The new president (Ghani) has re-opened up the Kabul Bank investigation. Read more on this topic in "Afghan Watchdog Says Ex-Leaders' Brothers Owe in Bank Scandal", Radio Free Europe, October 7, 2014. 

Millions $ Missing from Afghan Police Trust Fund

Millions of dollars are missing from an Afghan police trust fund that is used to pay Afghanistan's police force. The United Nations agency in charge of the funds seems to be unclear as to where the money went. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has conducted an investigation and has some pointed questions about "irregularities" - and possible mismanagement and corruption. (Corruption in Afghanistan? A shocker!). There is some concern that some of the money is being used to pay 'ghost employees'. Read a news story for more info on this topic - "Millions of dollars go missing from Afghan police trust fund", MSNBC, October 6, 2014. Read a letter sent by SIGAR on September 17, 2014 to the head of the Combined Security Transition command - Afghanistan Ministerial Advisory Groups concerning this matter. It is not a pretty picture. The Afghan's are taking us for a ride!

Three Challenges Facing Afghan Government

There are three challenges facing the newly formed Afghan government (according to one observer). The first challenge is the question of legitimacy of the new government. The disappointing results of the presidential election (not in numbers of voters but in how the votes were tallied and the fraud committed) puts the validity of the government at stake. A second challenge is the relationship between the President and his appointed "Prime Minister". The PM job is not authorized under the constitution and it will be a few years before any amendments to the constitution are approved by a Loya Jirga. The third challenge is the redefinition of Afghanistan's foreign policy. It is dependent upon foreign aid and needs to keep the international community engaged in Afghanistan's future. Read more in "The Afghan Unity Government's Three Perils", The Diplomat, October 6, 2014.
http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/the-afghan-unity-governments-three-perils/

CJIATF 435 Shuts Down

Combined Joint Interagency Task Force (CJIATF) 435 has deactivated. The deactivation ceremony was held on September 29,2014 at Bagram Air Field (BAF). Its four-year mission training, advising, and assisting the Afghans in development of rule of law functions is over. It was also assisting the Afghan National Army in maintaining secure custody and humane treatment of detainees and U.S. Law of Armed Conflict detention operations during its five-year mission. Rule of Law (RoL) operations is not in the forefront of combat operations but is essential to create a stable Afghanistan. CJIATF 435 played a role in the establishment of the Afghan National Security Justice Center (NSJC) in Parwarn - a centralized location for pre-trial confinement, investigation, prosecution, and post-trial incarceration of insurgents threatening Afghanistan's national security. A Rule of Law Development Team (RoLDT) will assume many of the functions of CJIATF 435 - but on a smaller scale. The RoLDT will continue to mentor Afghan investigators, prosecutors, judges, and military police at the NSJC through 2016. (Source "CJIATF 435 holds inactivation ceremony", ISAF News, September 29, 2014).

PTSD in Australian Military

A recent news article states that Australian veterans of the Afghan conflict have yet to show the effects of PTSD and that the " . . . true impression of the psychological impact was yet to be revealed".  Sometimes PTSD takes over 10 years to reveal itself as a problem that veterans will cope with. Read more in a news article by the Herald Sun.

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New NATO Secretary General

Mr. Jens Stoltenberg took up his post as NATO Secretary General on Wednesday, October 1, 2014. The former Norwegian Prime Minister was appointed by the 28 Allies in March 2104. Mr. Stoltenberg was previously Prime Minister of Norway from 2000-2001 and from 2005-2013. He is 55 years old, holds a postgraduate degree in Economics, was a member of Parliament, Minister (Finance and also Industry and Energy), and has worked for the United Nations. Read a NATO announcement here and his biography.

CSTC-A Has New Commander

The Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) conducted a change of command ceremony on October 4, 2014. The outgoing commander, MG Kevin Wendel, passed the baton to the incoming commander, MG Todd Semonite. CSTC-A is responsible for training, advising, and assisting (SFA) the Afghan national security organizations as part of the current ISAF mission and upcoming Resolute Support mission. (Source "CSTC-A welcomes new commander", ISAF NewsI, October 4, 2014.) Read more about Major General Todd T. Semonite in this biography posted on the website of the US Army Corps of Engineers. In looking at his biography it doesn't appear he has a previous tour in Afghanistan. Hmmmm . . . I wonder if that makes a difference? If he hasn't been to the wonderful country of sand and corruption then his staff will have to school him up on some basic stuff - like what the difference is between and "Afghan" and "Afghani".

Report - GAO Equipment Drawdown

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a report entitled Progress Made, but Improved Controls in Decision Making Could Reduce Risk of Unnecessary Expenditures, GAO-14-768, September 30, 2014. The report looks at the retrograde or destruction of equipment and vehicles and provides recommendations on how to save some money. A summary of the report is in quotes below. The report is available here - http://gao.gov/products/GAO-14-768.

"The Department of Defense (DOD) has made some progress in its drawdown of equipment from Afghanistan, but ongoing uncertainties about the future force in Afghanistan could affect progress of the drawdown. Specifically, from October 2012 to October 2013, DOD returned from Afghanistan or destroyed 14,664 vehicles, an average of 1,128 vehicles per month. Future progress toward drawdown goals will depend on equipment turn-in rates, which, in turn, depend on having more information about the post-2014 force level and mission. In addition, over the course of the last 8 months of the above period, the number of vehicles turned in by units for the drawdown averaged 55 percent of what had been forecast. This is because some vehicles that had been forecast for turn-in were instead redistributed to other units in Afghanistan. A senior DOD official stated that units have retained equipment because of uncertainty regarding future operational needs in Afghanistan. Once the post-2014 force level and mission are announced, these vehicle turn-in rates may increase."

COMISAF Meets with Ghani

(Photo by SSG Richard Sherba)

Army General John Campbell, the commander of ISAF, met with the new President of Afghanistan (PoA) on October 3, 2014. Ghani and Campbell got together and discussed improving security in Afghanistan and throughout the entire South Asia region. Let's hope that the relationship between Campbell and Ghani will be better than that between previous COMISAFs and Karzai. (Of course it will be! Karzai was extremely difficult to work with). Now if we can get through the next 100 days without a CIVCAS, "blue on civilian", or Koran burning incident the new COMISAF won't have to start off his relationship with the new PoA with rendering apologies. Following the example of General Joe Dunford, Campbell decided to wear his dress uniform (something that previous COMISAFs didn't do). Unfortunately the Marine Corps dress uniform looks a whole lot better than the Army dress uniform. Campbell should go back to multicams and just make an excuse up for his attire at his next PoA meeting ("Sorry, just got off the chopper on a BFC to 'insert location here' five minutes ago.").

A-10s Returning to Afghanistan

More A-10 Warthogs are being deployed to Bagram Air Field (BAF) located just north of Kabul, Afghanistan.This is part of a six-month deployment of the 122nd Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard. The A-10 is revered by ground troops because of its ability to withstand ground fire (it has titanium armor), fly low (enabling it to identity ground targets), loiter in an area for longer periods of time, and carry a heavier bomb load. There are 283 A-10s in the Air Force and the fighter jocks are trying their best to retire the extremely effective aircraft because . . . well, because it is not sexy and does close air support. Instead, the Air Force wants to field the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to do what the A-10 does very well. Read more in "U.S. Sending A-10 Plane to Combat While Trying to Kill It", Bloomberg News, October 2, 2014.

ANA Death Rate 30 % Higher

The Afghan army death rate rose 30 percent over the 2013 death rate. This is a result of several factors. First is that the Taliban have not been defeated and are just as strong as they ever have been. Second is that the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has reduced its combat power on the ground to the extent that almost all of the fighting is being done by the Afghan National Army (ANA) and some special units of the Afghan National Police (ANP). The biggest exception are the NSOCC-A units that operate alongside the Afghan special forces and special police units. In addition, the U.S. (and other NATO countries) provide close air support and medical evacuation on a very limited basis. Read more in "Afghan army death rate spikes 30 percent", Air Force Times, October 3, 2014.

Mi-17 Most Successful Helicopter?

A recent news blurb says that the Mi-17 may be the most successful helicopter of all time. The Russians have exported 3,500 of the export version of the Mi-17 helicopter to over 65 different countries. The Afghan Air Force will soon have 87 of the Mi-17s which conduct resupply, VIP transport, MEDEVACs, and personnel movements. Looks like the U.S. did something right in picking the Mi-17 for the Afghan Air Force! Read more in "Is The Mi-17 the Most Successful Helicopter of all Time?", DefenseWorld.net, October 3, 2014.

Political Meddling with Afghan Military May End

With the arrival of the Ghani administration in the Afghan government there is hope that the political meddling on the part of the President's office (that would be the former president Karzai) and his appointees will end. This diminished political meddling will increase the country's ability to conduct an effective counterinsurgency campaign against the Taliban. General John Campbell, the commander of the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan stated that "The last couple years, there's been some impediments to . . . " the leadership of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Comments made by other observers such as Marc Chretien, a former top political advisor in Afghanistan, reinforced the belief that there will be less political meddling in the affairs of the Afghan military. Read the entire story at "Afghan political meddling in military likely to end", USA Today, October 3, 2014.

Gen. Campbell - Slower Withdrawal Possible

General John Campbell, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force (COMISAF), says that he will reserve the right to recommend a slower withdrawal from Afghanistan if he thinks it is necessary. Current plans have troop levels down to 9,800 U.S. by the end of the year (2014). By the end of 2015 there will be about 5,000 troops left. By the end of 2017 almost all U.S. troops will have left except for a few at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. He says that as time goes on he will make assessments and measure the risk to the force and the risk to the mission. Read more on this topic in "Gen. Campbell Will Recommend a Slower Drawdown in Afghanistan, if needed", Defense One, October 2, 2014.

Afghan Daily News at 5:00 am

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 am Eastern Standard Time. It is easy to subscribe. 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.

COMISAF Briefing to DoD Press (2 Oct 14)

ISAF News has posted the transcript of General John Campbell's (COMISAF) press briefing to the DoD press corps on October 2, 2014. Some of his main points in his address covered the transition from the ISAF mission to Resolute Support, the political transition to the new president, and the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) and the NATO SOFA. He made his opening comments and then answered questions from the press. Snippets of the press conference are provided below.

He stated that there are currently a total of 40,000 troops on the ground (U.S. and other troop contributing nations) with aim of being down to 12,500 at the end of 2014. He sees 2015 as a train, advise and assist mission against four of the six ANA corps and at the ministerial level. The advising effort is no longer at the brigade or kandak level; but at the corps level and above. The remaining bases after 2014 will be in Jalalabad, Gamberi, Bagram, Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, Kandahar, and Kabul. As COMISAF he has been focusing on " . . . the security institutions, the ministry of interior, the ministry of defense, the national security adviser, NDS, and then working with both President Ghani and Mr. Abdullah . . ."

He says that despite the late signing of the BSA - ISAF is still on a good glide path to get to the Resolute Support mission set. There are less than 30 bases left and many of those will close before the end of the year. He identified some shortfalls of the ANSF that need improvement - to include aviation, close air support, intelligence, logistics, and sustainment.

Campbell was asked if the U.S. will " . . . be in a position to provide air support to the ANSF after this year? And would that include both close-air support and medevac missions . . ." He pretty much dodged that question; although he indicated that there is diminished air support capability under Resolute Support.

He was asked about SIGARs reports on how US money is being spent and the lack of oversight; his response is they are working closely with SIGAR, the MoD, and MoI and have tightened up some of the oversight procedures to get more transparency.

The subject of Mi-17s for the Afghan Air Force was brought up by a reporter. Currently there are 84 Mi-17s in Afghanistan with a target of 87 (3 more to go). He calls the Mi-17s a "game changer".

You can read the transcript in full at the link below:
www.isaf.nato.int/article/isaf-news/dept.-of-defense-press-briefing-by-gen.-campbell-oct.-2-2014.html

Report - Losing the "Forgotten War"

Anthony H. Cordesman has penned a report entitled Losing the "Forgotten War": The Need to Reshape US Strategy in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia.  The report, published on October 1, 2014, is available here on the website of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). (It  is an Adobe Acrobat PDF, 76 pages long, and 3 MBs big). The report says that " . . . Afghanistan is still the forgotten war at a time when the Taliban is making steady gains, civilian casualties are rising, the Afghan economy is in crisis, and there still are no clear plans for any post-2014 aspect of transition". Aspects of the report include the developing strategic vacuum in Afghanistan and Central and South Asia; uncertainty of Afghan leadership, military failure in Afghanistan, rising tide of internal violence, real US strategic interests, and relationships with Pakistan, India, Iran, and China.

Text of BSA

The Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) was signed the day after President Ghani was inaugurated. You can read the text at the link below that will bring you to the Just Security website.

http://justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/BSA-ENGLISH-AFG.pdf

China and India: Cooperation on Afghanistan?

With NATO and the United States downsizing to less than 15,000 troops in 2014 and then even fewer still in 2015 the influence of the Western international community in Afghanistan and Central Asia is diminishing. Regional players will be taking a larger part in the diplomatic, economic, and security aspects of Afghanistan. Two of these two countries that may have a positive effect on Afghanistan are China and India. Both are assisting in the development of  raw resources of Afghanistan (China with copper and India with iron ore). In addition, both countries are providing funding and assistance in a number of other broad economic areas. Read more in "Can China and India Cooperate in Afghanistan?", The Diplomat, October 1, 2014.

More than 10K Troops Needed for Afghanistan

Now that the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) is signed between Afghanistan and the United States (as well as the NATO Status of Forces Agreement or SOFA) observers are assessing the current security situation. The conclusion that some draw is that 9,800 U.S. troops is not enough to conduct the "train, advise, and assist" or SFA mission. While ISAF thinks it can cover down on 4 of the 6 ANA corps and the security ministries and agencies (MoD, MoI, and NDS) it is not really going to be able to conduct the "assist" part of the mission very well. A good chunk of the "assist" mission should be to provide air support in the form of close air support, aerial surveillance, air transport, and medical evacuation - something the Afghan Air Force (AAF) is just not ready to do on a big enough scale. But ISAF would need about 5,000 more troops to be able to do that. Read more in "Don't let history repeat itself", The Economist, October 4, 2014.

National Unity Government - A Band-aid

According to one recent post online the National Unity Government (NUG) is ". . . a band-aid solution to deeper corruption and ethnic tensions". But the article acknowledges that the band-aid stopped the possible slide to a parallel government and escalation to a civil war between ethnic groups and buys time for the new government to continue the security mission against the Taliban and to . . . start acting like a government. Read "Afghanistan: a band-aid and a way forward", The Strategist, October 2014.

Report - Afghan Politics, Elections, and Government (CRS Sep 2014)

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has published a report entitled Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance, by Kenneth Katzman, RS21922, dated September 17, 2014. Topics include the historic patterns of Afghan authority and politics, post-Taliban transition and political landscape, Afghan governing capacity and performance, and more. In its summary it states ". . . the government remains rife with corruption and ethnic and political tensions among its major factions are ever present."  It further concludes "The United States has helped establish anti-corruption institutions, but these bodies have faltered from lack of support from senior Afghan leaders who oppose prosecuting political allies". You can read the report online or download at this link - http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/232516.pdf.

Salang Tunnel Needs Fixing But . . .

Photo by Alicia Embrey USACE

The Afghan government is asking the United States and other international supporters for millions of dollars to fix the Salang Tunnel in northern Afghanistan. The tunnel, located in the Hindu Kush mountain range, was built decades ago by the Soviet Union. Some estimates say that 80% of Afghanistan's commerce travels through the 1.6 mile long tunnel. The tunnel is in need of serious repair work - requiring millions of dollars and a shut-down lasting several months. However, the United States is reluctant to pay the bill; especially since it has footed the cost of millions of dollars of road construction in Afghanistan already. Read more in "Bottomless Pit: U.S. Balks at Bills for Afghanistan's Treacherous Salang Tunnel", The Wall Street Journal, October 2, 2014.

Country Rankings for Over-60 Quality of Life

One of the troop contributing nations for ISAF - Norway - ranks No. 1 in quality of life for someone over 60. So if you are looking to retire then Norway could be your top choice. And, you may ask, which country has the lowest quality of life if you are over 60? Well, . . . Afghanistan, of course. Read more in "Norway ranks No. 1, Afghanistan last, in quality of life for over-60s", Los Angeles Times, October 2, 2014.

Afghan Daily News Sent to Your Inbox

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 am Eastern Standard Time. It is easy to subscribe. 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.

First Afghan A-29 Super Tucano Delivered to Moody AFB

The United States invaded Afghanistan the the fall of 2001 (13 years ago) and within months found itself in a counterinsurgency fight. It is a doctrinal truth that the best counterinsurgency forces are those from the host nation - the country where the insurgency is taking place. In this case - that is the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). One important aspect of countering an insurgency is having an aerial platform that can deliver effective close air support for troops in contact with insurgents. Currently the Afghan Air Force (AAF) has about six CAS aircraft. These six aircraft, of which at any given time only 2 to 3 can fly, are the aged Mi-35 HIND Attack Helicopter. It is estimated that the service life of these helicopters ends at the end of 2015. So after 13 years the Afghans still do not have an effective aerial COIN platform in sufficient numbers with which to provide close air support. Does anyone see anything wrong with this picture?

The first close air support aircraft that the Afghans will be able to use is still a year or two away from being fielded. In September 2014 the first A-29 Super Tucano (1st of 20) was delivered to Moody Air Force Base in preparation for the Afghanistan pilot and maintenance training mission. The A-29 is a light air support aircraft that the Afghans desperately need now and could have used several years ago; long before the U.S. air support got withdrawn. Read more in "A-29 Super Tucano arrives at Moody AFB", U.S. Air Force news release, September 26, 2014.

Afghan MD 530F Aircraft Contract

Photo by TSgt Quinton Russ USAF

It looks like the Afghan Air Force will be getting a bit of an upgrade. A contract was recently awarded to MD Helicopters, Inc. for $44 million for work on seventeen MD 530F helicopters. The MD 530F is used primarily for helicopter pilot instruction at Shindand Air Field in western Afghanistan. However, it appears some weapons systems will be put on the aircraft as well. That makes sense since the Afghans have very little close air support capability. Their Mi-35s (all six of them of which 1-3 are usually down for maintenance) are reaching the end of their service life and the Super Tucanos won't be up and running until sometime in 2016.

Read the contract specifications for the MD 530F in the text below taken from www.defense.gov/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=5388.

"MD Helicopters, Inc., Mesa, Arizona was awarded a not to exceed $44,200,000 firm-fixed-price, foreign military sales (Afghanistan) undefinitized contract action for the integration, testing, procurement, modification and installation of a weapon system onto the seventeen MD 530F aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona with an estimated completion date of Sept. 29, 2015. One bid was solicited with one received. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $21,658,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-14-C-0081)."

BSA Made Simple

There has been lots of conversation in the media about the Bilateral Security Agreement being signed (and, oh by the way, something called the NATO SOFA). But, other than knowing that the agreement allows us to keep up to 10,000 U.S. troops in the country for another year, most people would be hard-pressed to explain the fine details of the arrangement. So . . . read all about it in "Explainer: Key Points in U.S.-Afghan Bilateral Security Agreement", Radio Free Europe, September 30, 2014.

Paper - Women, Peace, and Security (EDP Sep 14)

The non-governmental organization known as Equality for Peace and Democracy (EDP) (www.epd-afg.org) has published a paper entitled "Women, Peace, and Security in Afghanistan: Looking Back to move Forward". The paper, published in September 2014, revisits the Peace Process Roadmap to 2015 from the High Peace Council as a means of looking back in order to determine how to move forward. The paper outlines the major challenges to women's involvement in peace and security. The Equality for Peace and Democracy organization " . . . recommends that the political, international and civil society actors focus on mechanisms that allow for a greater grassroots contribution to the peace process". Read an Executive Summary of the report . . . and read the report online or download at ReliefWeb.

Afghan Interpreters Still Wait for VISAs

The State Department seems to be still having some difficulty in the issuing of visas to Afghans who worked for the military over the past decade. Although state did a better job in 2014 than in previous years there still is a backlog of interpreters waiting on their visas. In years past the State Department did a horrible job. "In 2009, the Afghan Allies Protection Act allocated 7,500 visas for Afghans employed by the US government, the majority as military interpreters. But, by 2011, the US embassy in Kabul had not processed a single visa". (Quote is from news article linked to below). Many interpreters who filed an application for a visa were denied because they were "blacklisted". One could get blacklisted for a number of minor reasons. Read more in "Afghan interpreters demand promised US visas", Yahoo.com, October 1, 2014.

ISIS in Afghanistan

Observers are carefully watching the international moves that the Islamic State (or ISIS or ISIL) is making in regards to Afghanistan (and Pakistan). Read more in "ISIS Makes Inroads in Afghanistan, Pakistan", Foreign Policy, September 30, 2014.

U.S. Hands over FOB Lightning to Afghans

FOB Lightning in Gardez now belongs to the Afghans. Lightning, located adjacent to the home of the 203rd ANA Corps, is also the home to Train Advise and Assist Command (TAAC) Southeast. Read more in "Americans Hand Over Base Keys to Afghan Military", The Wall Street Journal, October 1, 2014.

ANA Soldiers Missing in U.S. Now Detained

The three Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers who went missing during a training event at Camp Edwards, Cape Cod have been found. They were stopped by Canadian border authorities when the three attempted to cross a bridge leading to Canada. Two of the three spent at least eight months in the United States in a training school on a military base. It seems their ability to soak up the culture during that time frame was limited. The three paid $1,600 to take a taxi from Cape Cod to Niagara Falls. A quick online search at Greyhound would show that individual bus tickets were only $137.50 each. But then . . . how many American Soldiers know how to go to the Kabul bus station to catch a ride to Kandahar? (not recommended by the way!). Read more in "Afghan soldiers who fled Cape feared death at home", The Boston Globe, October 1, 2014.

Retrograde Opns - 4th Sustainment Bde at Work

Soldiers from the 4th Sustainment Brigade are now working at Bagram Air Field (BAF). They are based at Fort Hood, Texas when not deployed. Their mission is to provide sustainment and retrograde support throughout Afghanistan. A part of their mission is the tearing down of old buildings, B-huts, and tents on BAF. Read more in "Wranglers take the reins in Afghanistan", Fort Hood Herald, October 1, 2014.

Read the Afghan War News at 5:00 AM

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 am Eastern Standard Time. It is easy to subscribe. 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.

Afghan Tactical Air Coordinator's Course

The Afghan Tactical Air Coordinator (ATAC) course has been graduating ANA soldiers who can do live vectoring and talk-on coordination with close air support aircraft. The main program of instruction includes classes on special equipment required by an ATAC, map and communication skills, aircraft capabilities, surface-to-air threats for the aircraft, and other considerations for air support. Read about the recent graduation from a 15-day long ATAC course in Laghman province, Afghanistan in "Afghan soldiers graduate from ATAC school", DVIDS, September 26, 2014. (Photo by MAJ Josh Jacques, Combined Joint Task Force 10, FOB Gamberi, September 21, 2014.)

Afghanistan: How Soon Should We Leave?

Now that the Bilateral Security Agreement is signed the worry about having to go to the "zero option" goes away - as well as the concerns of how Afghanistan would go it alone without the help of the international community. The next big question is how soon should we leave? Republicans are asking President Obama to reconsider his withdrawal plan. The example of the escalation of violence in Iraq has many pointing out that the same can happen in Afghanistan if we leave too soon. Current plans are to have the troop levels down to 9,800 by the end of 2014. Those troops that remain will conduct the Security Force Assistance mission and counterterrorism operations. Read more on this topic in "Afghan deal rekindles questions on how soon US should exit", Stars and Stripes, October 1, 2014.

Lanmark Technologies Gets $12M JIEDDO Contract

Lanmark Technologies, Inc. has been awarded a $12 million contract to provide JIEDDO deployable ORSA expertise in support of C-IED operations overseas. The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) leads DoD actions to rapidly provide counter-Improvised Explosive Device capabilities in support of overseas commanders and to enable the defeat of the IED as a weapon of strategic influence. LMT provides a wide range of services to the defense department.

"Landmark Technologies, Inc., Vienna, Virginia, is being awarded a $12,467,465 time-and-materials contract for J9 Operations Research System Analysis support services. The J-9 ORSA will provide rapidly deployable ORSA expertise in all aspects of counter-improvised explosive device operations to support U.S. forces within and outside of the continental United States. Landmark Technologies, Inc., will perform support services at the primary location in Reston, Virginia, and overseas locations. If all options are exercised, work is expected to be completed by October 2017. Fiscal 2014 overseas contingency operations funds in the amount of $4,000,000 are being obligated at award. This contract was competitively procured, with 10 bids received. The contracting activity is the Joint IED Defeat Organization Contract Operations, Arlington Virginia (HQ0682-14-C-0006)."

www.defense.gov/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=5386

AAF Receives 3rd C-130

The Afghan Air Force (AAF) has received delivery of its third C-130 cargo aircraft. The AAF has had a troubled past - stories of drug running, poor maintenance, untrained personnel taint the gains the AAF have made in recent years. Many observers question why the Afghans are getting the C-130s. The Afghans could not get the smaller, less complicated, and easier to maintain C-27A's to fly (the C-27As are currently sitting on the ramp at Kabul Airport and are slowly being dismantled). Read more in "Gift Horses: Afghanistan's C-130 Fleet", Defense Industry Daily, September 28, 2014. View a ISAF HQ Public Affairs video (DVIDS) on the delivery of C-130s in October 2013 here.

Our Afghans Have Gone AWOL Again

Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army officers rarely get the chance to travel. Very few are offered the opportunity to travel to Europe or the United States as part of a training program of educational course of instruction. Not all of them return to Afghanistan as they tend to go "missing". For instance, an ANA colonel with the Ministry of Defense delegation to the NATO conference recently held in Wales went missing - and very quickly asked for asylum. Afghan groups going to the Joint Forces Training Center (JFTC) in Poland or the Joint Multi-national Readiness Center (JMRC) in Germany usually return with a few empty seats on the plane. The same is the true of Afghans visiting the United States. Recently two went missing while attending a DEA training event and three went missing while participating in training on Camp Edwards, Cape Cod. Read more in "Pesky Questions About Those AWOL Afghans", by Michelle Malkin in Townhall, October 1, 2014.

Afghan Civil Service Pay for Oct on Hold

Afghanistan has run out of money. The country will delay paying salaries to hundreds of thousands of civil servants because it does not have enough cash. Afghan military and police pay comes from a separate fund (courtesy of the U.S.).  Afghanistan has asked for $537 million in emergency funds from the United States; no word on whether we will fork over another 1/2 billion dollars. U.S. officials say that it would not provide "new money"; but may provide an advance of $537 million from next years allocation. Read more in "Cash-Poor Afghanistan Will Delay Paying Civil Servants - Finance Ministry Official", The New York Times, September 27, 2014.

Battlefield Correspondent Writes and Sketches in RC East

I am not sure what Regional Command East is calling itself these days. It might be called a "Train Advise Assist Command" or TAAC. RC North has transitioned to TAAC North (going from a two-star to one-star command) and soon the other RCs will do the same. Anyway  . . . a correspondent and "sketcher" is traveling through RC East and as he travels around eating chow, finding cots to sleep on, and taking up seats on helicopters he does a little writing and sketching. His latest visits were to a small outpost called COP Koh-e-Safi and then later to a larger base called FOB Fenty. Read his observations and check out his artwork in "Where pencils dare", The Washington Post, September 30, 2014.

Kabul Bank Investigation Re-Opened by Ghani

President Ghani is stepping up to the plate having just assumed office. He signed the Bilateral Security Agreement the day after his inauguration. And true to his word of coming out against corruption. He has reopened the investigation into the Kabul Bank scandal. Over $1 billion dollars went missing - much of it to relatives of former President Karzai; to include two of his brothers. Neither of the brothers served time in jail and very little money was paid back to the bank. The re-opening of the investigation is a step in the right direction. Now let's put some of the crooks into jail! Read more in "New Afghan president re-opens inquiry into Kabul Bank scandal", Thomson Reuters Foundation, October 1, 2014.

Military Auxiliary Radio (MARS)

If you were in the service in "the old days" before Roshan minutes, mobile phones, Twitter, Facetime, Skype, AOL IM, E-Mail, Sniper Hill, and the many other communications devices now available then you may recall the Military Auxiliary Radio System or MARS. Soldiers used to go on year-long deployments (Vietnam and Desert Storm come to mind) and never get to make a phone call. Mail (yes, snail mail) could take months to arrive. However, as cumbersome as it seems looking back, MARS offered quite a morale boost on long deployments. MARS is still around. Read more in "MARS volunteers supporting Soldiers with radio communications", Army.mil, September 30, 2014.

Coffee, Toast and Afghan Daily News

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Navy Med Unit at Landstuhl Closes

If you have been wounded, injured or sick and needed to go to the states for medical treatment you likely passed through the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. The staff at the medical center and hospital was augmented as the Afghanistan and Iraq wars heated up - producing a large number of casualties. However, the Iraq war finished up in 2011 (but wait, we are back there again!) and the Afghan War is slowing down. Since 2006 the Navy Expeditionary Medical Unit (NEMU) at Landstuhl has assisted in the management of the coordination of care and transportation of military personnel from the war zones. But that time has come to an end with the inactivation of the NEMU. Read more on this topic in "Navy disbands Landstuhl medical unit as casualties dwindle", Stars and Stripes, September 26, 2014.

"Sandhurst in the Sand" Graduates First Class

The first class of cadets has graduated from the Afghan National Army Officers Academy (ANAOA) in Kabul, Afghanistan on September 24, 2014. Modeled after the British military academy and known informally as "Sandhurst in the Sand" - the school is supported by British officers and NCOs. Read more in "Defence secretary salutes first Afghan officer cadets", Your Defence News, September 25, 2014.

New Afghan Leaders Urged to Protect Human Rights

The international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has provided (in a letter) specific recommendations to the new Afghan government leaders (Ghani and Abdullah) on steps that should be taken to protect the human rights of all Afghan citizens. HRW states that Afghanistan has a significant and long-running human rights situation that needs correcting. These recommendations include "strengthen accountability for the security forces, advance women's rights, protect the media, revitalize the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, and address the need for transitional justice". Read more in "Afghanistan: New Leaders Should Take Action on Rights", Human Rights Watch, September 26, 2014.