Afghan War Blog

Monday, October 13, 2014

Afghan War Daily News

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Sunday, October 12, 2014

Brief History of Drones

Chris Cole, an author who has wrote a series of articles on UAVs and drones for Global Research has provided us with yet one more entitled Rise of the Reapers: A Brief History of Drones, (October 6, 2014). The article brings us from the early years when the Royal Navy (UK) developed some drones for gunnery practice in the 1930s. He takes us to the period following the Second World War where the US developed the Firebee drone for air target practice and later reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. He mentions the role of Israel - with their development of drones in the 1970s and 1980s. He concludes with the story of the armed drones used first in Afghanistan and then in the present time throughout the Middle East and parts of North Africa. A very well researched article and extremely educational. Learn more about drones.

More Drone News

It seems that the United States has a shortage of drones in the Middle East and that is hampering operations in Iraq and Syria. Wow! I thought we had thousands of drones of all types by now; and we still don't have enough? Hmmm. Read more in "Shortage of Drones Hampers U.S. Military Missions", The Weekly Standard, October 9, 2014.

Small Steps to Help Afghanistan's Future

Three writers have collaborated on an opinion column posted in The Washington Post providing some suggestions for the way forward in Afghanistan. Vanda Felbab-Brown, Ronald Neumann (former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan), and David Sedney (former Deputy U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan) believe that success is within reach but only if ". . . we capitalize with small investments that can enable significant payoffs" and adopt some minor policy changes. A major push is needed to prod our allies to provide 2,000 additional personnel to augment the U.S. contingent to deploy on Resolute Support (post Dec 2014 mission). A slight modification of the timetable for the withdrawal of troops could provide additional space and time for our European allies to fully commit to the long-haul. Critical support to the Afghan National Security Forces is needed in the area of air support, intelligence, and institutional development. Major mistakes in contracting by the United States have led to a capability gap in the Afghan Air Force; the U.S. Air Force should be provided more time to get it right. Read more in "The small steps to save our gains in Afghanistan".

Baloch Culture in Afghanistan

The Baloch people of Afghanistan are very closely tied to those who live in Iran and Pakistan. This area of the world where the Baloch people comprise the majority of the population is the size of France. However, within their respective countries they are minorities. The Afghan Baloch number about two million people. The Baloch people of Afghanistan are seeing a cultural revival. Read more in "Afghanistan's Re-Emerging Baloch", The Diplomat, September 26, 2014.

Improving Tactical Intelligence

A former Army intelligence captain who was assigned to an aviation intelligence section and stationed in Jalalabad, Afghanistan in 2009 is now attending the System Design and Management program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is working on a thesis that will make systems better for intelligence collection and analysis. Read more in Designing Intelligence, MIT News, October 8, 2014.

Kidnapped German Aid Worker Freed

A German aid worker who was kidnapped in Pakistan more than two years ago has been freed in Afghanistan. The details are slim but you can read them in "Kidnapped German Aid Worker Freed in Afghanistan", ABC News, October 10, 2014.

600 Security Contractors Needed for KAF

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has posted a Request for Information (RFI) to determine " . . . the availability and adequacy of potential sources prior to determining an acquisition and contract strategy to procure Private Security Company (PSC) services . . ." for Kandahar Airfield (KAF). Only expatriates from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia or New Zealand can participate. You can view the RFI at this link.

Video - ANA Receive Training on MRAPs

Armed Forces Network (AFN) has released a five-minute video of Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers receiving training on MRAPs. Military Advisor Team Five, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Two-Five, and personnel with the Warrior Training Alliance work together to teach the ANA soldiers some important MRAP lessons. The ANA have used older "Humvee's" and Ford Rangers in the past; however these don't provide the protection that the MRAPs provide. The MRAPs provide more coverage and the ability to mount bigger weapons for greater defense. Watch the video dated October 2, 2014.

News on Afghan War Everyday

Saturday, October 11, 2014

16 Hardly Used C-27s Scrapped for 6 Cents a Lb

The C-27A fleet of aircraft - 16 located at Kabul International Airport - have been scrapped for 6 cents a pound or a total of $32,000. These 16 aircraft (plus four more at a USAF base in Germany) were part of a $486 million program to upgrade the Afghan Air Force (AAF). The aircraft, which had been parked at the ramp at Kabul International Airport, were towed to the far side of the airport and scrapped by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). An Afghan company took the aircraft away. This controversial aircraft program is a glaring example of waste by the Department of Defense. The U.S. Air Force seems to have switched in mid-stream by deserting a program (that admittedly had some maintenance and contract issues) of 20 perfectly good transport aircraft ideally suited for the Afghan Air Force and the terrain in Afghanistan for a new program of four C-130s. The C-27s were put aside because of some maintenance and parts issues; only to be replaced by the more complicated C-130. The more one reads into this whole issue the more confusing it becomes. Thus far the U.S. Air Force has not come up with a good explanation of why the C-27A program failed (and why they didn't fix it), why they thought that four more complex airplanes (C-130s) were better than 20 less complex airplanes (C-27As), and why they scrapped 16 planes instead of finding buyers for the planes (or parts of the planes - such as the engines?). Things that make you go "Hmmmm". Read all about it in Stars and Stripes, Reuters, Defense News, The New York Times, and Bloomberg News.

Ron Paul Comments on Afghanistan

Ron Paul, a former Congressman and Presidential candidate, has provided us with his thoughts on the Afghan War in "The real status of forces in Afghanistan and Iraq", Daily News Opinion, October 8, 2014.

Intelligence Programs Under Review

The $80 billion U.S. intelligence community is currently being reviewed by staffers on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The review will develop a comprehensive list of all the collection programs from the U.S. intelligence community. I think there is about 16 different intelligence organizations in the intelligence community (IC); so that sounds like lots of work! The Senate committee has done a good job reviewing and providing oversight over new programs but has been surprised with revelations of legacy programs that it apparently was unaware of until recently. Read more in "Congress Scouring Every U.S. Spy Program", The Daily Beast, October 10, 2014.

Reasons for Soviet Union Invasion (1979)

A recently published tract provides us with an explanation of why the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. This paper is unique, so the author says, in its assessment of ". . . nuances of the Soviet decision-making process and account for those unique developments within the theatres of intervention". Read the article by Uday Rai Mehra entitled Why Did the Soviet Union Invade Afghanistan in 1979?, posted on E-International Relations on October 9, 2014.

Book - "War Dogs"

A new book is coming out entitled "War Dogs". It is wrote by Rebecca Frankel and include "tales of canine heroism, history, and love". Read more in "Review: The many roles of 'War Dogs' in Iraq, Afghanistan", Tampa Bay Times, October 8, 2014.

Mrs. Ghani - A Force for Gender Equality?

The election of President Ghani has been welcomed by many as a step forward. One aspect of his election to President that has not been discussed in great detail is the role of Ghani's wife. Rula Ghani is a Lebanese American and a Christian. She will certainly be playing a more active role than conservative Afghans will be used to. Should be interesting to see what type of influence she will have on gender issues and the plight of women in Afghanistan. Read more in "Will Afghanistan's new first lady push for gender equality?", AOL.com, October 9, 2014.

Daily Afghan War News

Friday, October 10, 2014

Toll on Drone Pilots

Here is another article providing us with the line that drone pilots suffer from PTSD and depression. It lets us know that drone warfare still produces casualties on the U.S. side. I suppose it is tough working 12 hours a day in that air conditioned room in Nevada and then getting home every night to your family eating steak and drinking beer. I am not sure it is the same type of PTSD that the Army SPC4 gets after having spent a year-long tour at a place like COP Jaghato in Wardak province or a Marine's time at Camp Dwyer in Helmand province. But then what do I know - I have seen Jaghato but my experience in Nevada is four short trips to Las Vegas. Read more in "Stop Pretending Drone Warfare is Casualty-Free for America", Time.com, October 7, 2014.

Bases Closing in Afghanistan

The number of bases in Afghanistan has dropped dramatically. It is reported that there are less than 30 bases occupied by ISAF as of October 2014. This will drop even further as we get closer to December. Some bases will remain - Mazar-e-Sharif in the north, Herat in the west, Kandahar Air Field in the south, and FOB Gamberi, Jalalabad, and Bagram in the east. Of course, there will be an ISAF presence in Kabul as well. FOBs like FOB Shank (nicknamed "Rocket City" for the incoming rockets that came in almost every day) are a small remnant of their past. Shank at one time had over 3,000 personnel stationed there. Most of these bases, large and small, are being transferred over to the Afghans. However, many of the smaller ones were just leveled with bulldozers and "returned to their natural state". (Photo: A Puma UAV is launched by a 6/8 Cav Soldier at FOB Shank, Logar province, Afghanistan; credit U.S. Army. The UAV helps keep U.S. and Afghan soldiers safe by providing an eye in the sky and finding threats to the Soldiers.)

Amnesty International Protests Hanging of Five Afghans

Amnesty International is calling the recent hanging of five Afghan men an "affront to justice". The five men were convicted of armed robbery and zina (sex outside of marriage) - the crimes were committed against four women who were raped within earshot of their captive husbands. The executions were the first in Afghanistan in 2014. The trials proceeded rather quickly, some critics say in response to the public demand for a speedy resolution, and Amnesty International is questioning the proceedings. The men were first sentenced on September 7th. Their sentence was upheld in an appeals court on September 15th and by the Afghan Supreme Court on September 24th. Of course, Amnesty International is opposed to the death penalty no matter how fair the trial is so . . . Read more in "Afghanistan: Execution of five men an affront to justice", Amnesty International, October 8, 2014.

13 Year Anniversary of Afghan War

America's longest war just had its 13th anniversary. On October 7, 2001 the United States commenced combat operations against the Taliban regime. The first day of the war involved airstrikes by US and British forces against Taliban installations, communications nodes, and training camps. Cruise missiles were launched from three U.S. Aegis cruisers and one destroyer as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles from British and American submarines. In addition, F/A-18s, B-1s, B-2s and B-52s conducted bombing runs. There were small detachments of U.S. Army Special Forces (and the occasional CIA agent) infiltrated to work alongside elements of the Northern Alliance. Read more in a news article posted by the Business Insider on October 7, 2014.

1742nd Transportation Company Completes Afghan Tour

The 1742nd Transportation Company of the South Dakota Army NG returned home from their long tour in Afghanistan. Their nine-month deployment involved providing transportation and convoy security support, supply and service functions, and assisting with the draw down and retrograde across Afghanistan. The majority of the Soldiers were stationed at Kandahar Air Field (KAF) in southern Afghanistan. Read about the Soldiers accomplishments in "1742nd Soldiers welcomed home from Afghanistan", DVIDS, October 8, 2014.

Afghan Death Toll at 13 Years

As of Tuesday, October 7, 2014 at least 2,207 members of the United States military had died as as a result of a deployment to Afghanistan (count by Associated Press). 1,826 of those deaths were the result of hostile action. Over 20,000 were wounded in Afghanistan; some very seriously with life-long injuries. See "US Military Deaths in Afghanistan at 2,207", ABC News, October 7, 2014.

Fate of 3 AWOL Afghans Still Undecided

The three Afghan soldiers who left training in Cape Cod in an attempt to travel to Canada are awaiting their fate in an immigration court. They are being held in the Federal Detention Center in Batavia, New York pending their hearing. See "Bail hearing in Batavia for Afghan soldiers", WIVB.com, October 8, 2014.

German Soldiers 'Stranded' in Afghanistan

The German military's ability to transport equipment and troops is getting some bad press. Seems the Luftwaffe is hurting with problems getting its jet fighters into the air and mechanical breakdowns of its cargo and troop transports. Many of the German Soldiers stationed in northern Afghanistan are having difficulty taking their mid-tour leave and that is causing some problems (Their tours are 4-6 months long and they can head home for a break from the action; usually in the middle of their long tour). Read more in "German soldiers 'stranded' in Afghanistan as more planes breakdown", The Telegraph, October 1, 2014.

U.S. Airstrikes Increase in Afghanistan

The air war in Afghanistan has been heating up. More airstrikes were conducted during the month of August than in any single month in the past two years. There are probably many reasons for this. ISAF is closing a lot of bases so the increase in convoys conducting retrograde of personnel and equipment required additional air support. July and August are typically the most active for the Taliban (something about fighting in hot weather) so the number of airstrikes to support ISAF and Afghan security forces would naturally be high. In addition, the Taliban (far from being defeated on the battlefield) were taking it to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) this year. 2014 saw a 30% increase in casualties for the ANSF. There were 436 weapon releases for August 2014 compared to an average of 150 in the previous seven months. Read more in "US intensifies Afghan airstrikes as drawdown nears", The Boston Globe, October 8, 2014.

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Thursday, October 9, 2014

4th C-130 for AAF On Hold

The 4th C-130 scheduled to be deployed to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) is now on hold pending a review by the Department of Defense (DoD) of the AAF's medium-airlift requirement and its ability to fully use the existing C-130s before providing the additional capabilities. An investigation conducted by the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that the utilization rate of the first two C-130s delivered was at 48 percent of their flight-hour capacity. This prompted an evaluation of whether a third (and fourth) C-130 was needed. The potential savings to the U.S. taxpayer of not delivering the 4th C-130 is over $40 million. Read a letter from SIGAR to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on this topic (October 6, 2014).

AAF's Light Air Support (LAS) Aircraft

Daniel Goure, a military correspondent and Vice President of the Lexington Institute, has penned an article about the Afghan Air Force (AAF) and the acquisition of twenty Light Air Support (LAS) aircraft. He provides some background on the real need for air support for the Afghan ground forces and some of the problems associated with getting the personnel trained up and the aircraft off the factory floor. You can read his article entitled "The Afghan Air Force Rises from the Ashes", Real Clear Defense, October 7, 2014.

Pub - AOC, Win in a Complex World, TRADOC Pamplet 535-3-1, 7 Oct 14

Training and Doctrine Command has published TRADOC Pamplet 525-3-1, Army Operating Concept: Win in a Complex World 2020-2030, 7 October 2014. The AOC describes how future Army forces will prevent conflict, shape security environments, and win wars. The AOC guides future force development by identifying first order capabilities that the Army needs to support U.S. policy objectives. The pub provides the intellectual foundation and framework for learning and applying what we learn to future force development under Force 2025 and Beyond. There are four chapters in this publication.

Chapter 1. "Introduction" covers purpose, references, abbreviations and terms, relationship b/t Army doctrine and concepts, and assumptions.
Chapter 2. "Operational Context" covers continuity and change, Army's missions, threats, future operational environment, future conflict, etc.
Chapter 3. "How Future army Forces Operate". Military problem, central idea, how the Army operates, tenets, core competencies, etc.
Chapter 4. "AOC Conclusion".

Should be great Sunday morning reading for all you doctrinal Nazi's . . . and for all others who want to know what the doctrinal experts are talking about.

www.tradoc.army.mil/tpubs/pams/TP525-3-1.pdf

Analysis - "Do Drones Have a Future?"

A lengthy analysis was posted on October 7, 2014 on the War on the Rocks website entitled "Do Drones Have a Future?" The bottom line is that the future ". . . looks less favorable". The article states that budget cuts and bureaucratic resistance are cutting back on the growth of drones. The article provides a summary of the drones within each service (Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines) and some of the needs, gaps, and issues associated with the services. Some snippets of the article follow. The Air Force, despite training a huge number of drone pilots, does not have good promotion futures for drone operators. The Navy is having some problems with the roll-out of its Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft. (I think the acronym hurts the program!). The Marines need a sea-based system similar to the Predator or Reaper to support their expeditionary operations. The Army, surprisingly, seems to be in the lead in terms of innovation - take note of its manned-unmanned teaming concept pairing up UAVs with Apache helicopters. The article also addresses some of the cultural aspects of drone deployment and future technologies to be on the watch for. Very informative and worth a read!

4 More ANA Officers Go AWOL (Italy)

Four Afghan National Army (ANA) officers have gone missing from a warfare course in Italy. They were among 20 Afghan officers attending a course provided by the Italian Army. The good news is that only 25% of the class went missing.

Final GDP-ISAF Rotation w/ Republic Georgia Armed Forces

"KRTSANISI NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER, Republic of Georgia – Marines and Sailors from Georgia Training Team, Marine Forces Europe and Africa, are nearing the end of their six month deployment supporting the Georgia Deployment Program- International Security Assistance Force. They are the final GTT to train a Battalion from the Georgian Armed Forces to support the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. Combat operations will conclude in Afghanistan later this year, and the mission will transition from ISAF to Resolute Support Mission. The RSM will focus on training, advising and assisting Afghan forces marking the beginning of a new chapter in ensuring that stability and security returns to the region."

An Analysis of Afghan War (Stephanie Gaskell)

Stephanie Gaskell, deputy editor and senior reporter for Defense One, provides us with her October 6, 2014 analysis of the Afghan War in Will Afghanistan Become the 'Forgotten War' Again?. She provides us with some facts and figures (how many deaths, how much money spent, etc.) and discusses the transition of the U.S. military from combat operations to the "train, advise, and assist" mission.

13 Afghan War Statistics

A newspaper in the United Kingdom, The Telegraph, has published an article with some facts and figures (statistics) on the Afghan War. Entitled "Afghanistan war in numbers" the October 7, 2014 news article cites 13 statistics about the war on the 13th anniversary of the start of the international campaign in Afghanistan (October 7, 2011). Figures include number of international troops that have died, # of troops still in Afghanistan, # of students enrolled in schools, etc.

Times Reporter Allowed to Return to Afghanistan

A New York Times reporter, Matthew Rosenberg, was expelled from Afghanistan this past summer because of some news that he reported that was unfavorable to Afghanistan. The new president, Ashraf Ghani, has reversed the decision and he is now allowed back in Afghanistan. President Ghani has certainly broke away from the former President Karzai in his actions and decisions. Within his first week he has signed the Bilateral Security Agreement (Karzai refused to sign), re-opened the Kabul Bank fraud investigation (one of Karzai's brothers was granted immunity by the former president), visited the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command (Karzai did not like the spec ops guys), and has come out strongly against corruption (Karzai, of course, was the biggest crook in Afghan history).

President Ghani Visits ANASOC

The new president of Afghanistan - Ashraf Ghani - paid a visit to the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command (ANASOC) along with Maj. Gen. Abul Sayed Karim during a visit to Camp Commando, Afghanistan. Camp Commando was at one time called Camp Morehead. The visit occured on October 6, 2014 just one week after the new president took office. Learn more about the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command. (Photo by SFC Daniel Shapiro, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan, October 6, 2014).

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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Afghan Air Force is Growing

The Afghan Air Force is growing but not to the extent that it can cover the gaps left by ISAF's air support going away. Its Mi-17s are still not able to perform the various types of air support in the amount needed by the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police - MEDEVACs, personnel movements, air resupply, and aerial ISR. The close air support aircraft is the Mi-35 HIND Attack Helicopter - of which there are eleven and only half of those can actually fly. The Mi-35s are old and will reach the end of their life by 2016. Most pilots don't fly at night (they lack the night vision and training required). Maintenance is still a concern - much of it is contracted to foreign mechanics. The fixed-wing transport part of the Afghan Air Force is negligible - with only three C-130s and a handful of the smaller C-208 Caravans. The fleet of C-27As never really got into the air and they are now being scrapped. Read more in "Mustering the air power for Afghanistan", Defense Update, October 5, 2014.

Another Drone Book

It seems that there is an abundance of recently published books on drones. It is hard to keep track of them. I never realized just how many drone experts there were in the world. Yet another one is entitled Predator, the Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution by Richard Whittle - the book was released in September 2014. Whittle has also wrote a book called "The Dream Machine: The Untold History of the Notorious V-22 Osprey". Read a book review of Whittle's drone book here.

Pakistan Drone Attacks Continue

The United States is continuing drone attacks against targets in Pakistan. Two more drone strikes occurred in North and South Waziristan recently. Both areas are Taliban-controlled tribal agency areas. The drones, operated by CIA pilots, have been targeting al Qaeda and other insurgent targets in Pakistan. There have been only 11 drone strikes in Pakistan in 2014; all taken place in the last few months (none prior to June). Read more in a news article by The Long War Journal dated October 6, 2014.

5 Priorities for Afghanistan

Now that President Ghani has taken office various commentators, analysts, and observers are providing input as to what he needs to fix and in what order! Ahmad Majidar is a senior research associate at the American Enterprise Institute (www.aei.org). He also teaches senior U.S. military officers on security and politics in Afghanistan. He provides us with 5 priorities for Afghanistan.

1. Fostering national unity
2. Improving governance
3. Bolstering economy
4. Combating narcotics
5. Improving security

In his article he discusses the topics above in detail. He closes with ". . . the Obama administration, too, must avoid repeating the mistake of Iraq and reconsider its plan to pull out all troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016".

Read the full article, "5 priorities for Afghanistan", Global Public Square Blog, October 7, 2014.
Learn more about Ahmad Majidar
www.aei.org/scholar/ahmad-k-majidyar/

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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Tuesday, October 7, 2014

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.