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Contract Helicopter Support for TAAC North

German forces in Afghanistan have recently contracted for civilian contract air with Basta Holdings Corp. The contract has an initial deployment of one helicopter for non-military logistical support. A medium-sized utility helicopter is now operating out of Mazar-e-Sharif (Camp Marmal) in northern Afghanistan. There may be an option for providing additional helicopters as needed. Read more in "Basta Holdings to Provice ACMI Helicopter Leasing in Afghanistan Through New Agreement", Yahoo.com Finance News, October 13, 2014.

NATO Public Affairs Handbook

The nature of warfare has changed over the last few decades. First the wide availability of television changed the dynamics of war coverage during the Vietnam War in the 1960's. The media coverage of print and television in the 1970s also afforded terrorist groups a means to get their message out to the world at large; commit a horrible act of terrorism and you will soon have the media's attention - usually resulting in "Why did they do this?" The Internet, email, and social media have further transformed the rapid dissemination of "news". This was quite apparent during the Iraq and Afghan Wars. To ensure that NATO gets their message out to the public (via the media) it trains up its public affairs personnel. One training mechanism is the NATO Public Affairs Handbook (July 2010) available at the following link:

http://www.aco.nato.int/resources/13/handbookforweb2010[1].pdf

Bulgarian Army to use Commando Select in Afghanistan

The Bulgarian Army will receive ten new Commando Select vehicles in 2015 in Afghanistan. These four-wheeled armored personnel carries offer survivability and mobility on the battlefield. The vehicle comes in many configurations and some models will carry up to 10 personnel (three crew members plus passengers). (Photo at left from Textron Systems website.) In the past Bulgaria has maintained a presence of over 600 personnel in Afghanistan. In mid-2013 the number was 383. This will likely be reduced as ISAF withdraws its forces in late 2014. Bulgaria's mission for quite a while was interior security at Kandahar's airport and the advise and assist mission. It appears that Bulgaria will continue to send advisors to assist the Afghan National Security Forces in 2015. Learn more on the vehicle purchase at Market Watch (Oct 13, 2014).

Women Drivers in Afghanistan

There are very few women drivers in Afghanistan. Not only must these intrepid drivers brave the traffic (in Kabul it is horrible) but they must endure the stares of men who have trouble with the vision of women drivers. Read more in "Women drivers in Afghanistan must brave the traffic and the stares", The Washington Post, October 13, 2014.

Taliban Kill 22 ANSF in Sar-e Pol Province

News reports are indicating that 22 Afghan security personnel were killed in an ambush in Sar-e-Pul province in northern Afghanistan. Eight more were wounded and seven were captured. Six convoy vehicles were destroyed. Northern Afghanistan has seen an uptick in insurgent activity in the past few years as ISAF forces have conducted their retrograde (withdrawal). In the north the (mostly European countries) have collapsed from the east and west into the center (onto Camp Marmal in Mes-e-Sharif). Read more in "Afghanistan Taliban kill 22 in mountain ambush", BBC News Asia, October 13, 2014.

Commander Pigeon - Female Warlord in Afghanistan

Here is an interesting story about a female Afghan warlord - Commander Pigeon. Read "My Terrifying Night With Afghanistan's Only Female Warlord", by Jen Percy, New Republic, October 13, 2014.

Female Afghan Journalists Behind the Burqa

There are a small number of female Afghan journalists. They face a number of obstacles in their work - among them threats from the Taliban and intimidation from conservative members of Afghan society. Read more in "Some Female Afghan Journalists Slip Back Behind the Burqa", Voice of America, October 11, 2014.

Four Challenges for Ghani

D. Suba Chandran has identified four major challenges for the new president of Afghanistan. They are listed as "One Country, Two Executives", "The Shifting American Focus Towards Iraq", "Advantage Taliban-Pakistan", and "It's the Economy, Stupid". Read the article in "The New Afghanistan: Four Major Challenges for President Ghani - Analysis", EuraisaReview.com, October 13, 2014.

Three Cups of Tea? Back in the Game?

It has been reported that the disgraced author of "Three Cups of Tea", Greg Mortenson, has returned to Afghanistan. His charity, the Central Asia Institute, underwent an investigation in 2012. It was found that he had spent millions in donations on his expenses, travel, and clothing. There were a number of fabrications in his book. Many of the schools for girls that he claimed to have built do not exist. The co-author of his book committed suicide. But despite all of these setbacks Mortenson is still working on his projects in Afghanistan. Read more in "Three Cups of Tea author returns to Afghanistan, trying to move past his disgrace", Stars and Stripes, October 13, 2014.

Daily Afghan War News by Email

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.

ISAF To Pat Itself on the Back

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will be running a social media campaign they are calling "Nations, Impacts, and Contributions" or NIC. It is a social media campaign highlighting NATO and non-NATO partners' unique contributions to the ISAF mission. The program runs from October 12th through December 31st, 2014 (the end of the ISAF mission). The campaign will use photo, video and print products and each of the more than 50 countries will get their "own day". This "feel good" campaign is dedicating one day to each of the nations that contributed troops. Read more in an ISAF news release entitled "ISAF recognizes nations through social media campaign (NIC)", ISAF News, October 13, 2014. ISAF has posted a video introducing the campaign and provided a calendar of events as well; so if you are from Estonia your day is November 3, Georgia your day is November 5, and Italy then your day is November 14. Looks like it is in alphabetical order; putting the U.S. last.

The NIC campaign can be viewed on the following ISAF websites:
www.isaf.nato.int
www.facebook.com/ISAF
https://twitter.com/ISAFmedia

Chancellor Merkel Wants to Extend German Mission

Chancellor Merkel believes that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) will not be ready by the end of 2015. She believes that they will need assistance beyond 2015. The biggest camp where the Bundeswehr is currently stationed is Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. That camp is scheduled to close next year at the end of 2015. Afghanistan is still plagued by a thriving drug trade, rampant corruption, and a resilient Taliban. Germany has been the third-largest contributor of troops to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Read more in "Merkel wants to extend Afghan mission", The Local DE, October 13, 2014.

Turkmenistan Fortifies Afghan Border

Turkmenistan is nervous about post-ISAF Afghanistan. The Taliban is thriving and giving the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) a tough time. Casualties for the ANSF have been up 30% this year. In addition, two districts in northern Afghanistan were overrun by the Taliban; one held for over three weeks before being recaptured by the 207th Corps. So Turkmenistan, following the lead of other Central Asian countries along Afghanistan's northern border, is fortifying the border. Read more in "Turkmenistan's New Afghan Border Policy", Radio Free Europe, October 10, 2014.

Tax Relief for U.S. Contractors

It appears that the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) signed by President Ghani will provide protection to U.S. firms and contractors who are providing services to the Department of Defense or other U.S. agencies. Read more in "Bilateral Security Agreement Could Mean Afghan Tax Relief for U.S. Contractors", The National Law Review, October 13, 2014.

Ghani and 1st Steps to Good Governance

It appears that President Ghani is making some very strong initial strides in establishing good governance in Afghanistan. He has made some excellent decisions in streamlining the governmental process. Thomas Ruttig provides a detailed analysis of Ghani's first days. Read The Start into the Better Governance Marathon: Ghani's first days", Afghanistan Analysts Network, October 11, 2014.

Plight of Women in Afghanistan

A news article in The Huffington Post updates us on the plight of women in Afghanistan. Topics such as "bride price', lack of access to health and education, poverty, regressive social norms, and detrimental cultural practices contribute to the many problems presented to women in Afghanistan. Read more in "International Day of the Girl: Afghanistan Through the Eyes of the Girl" (October 10, 2014).

Afghanistan Mining Industry and Women

Afghanistan is rich in mineral resources but still hampered by security and infrastructure problems in exploiting those resources. Observers are hopeful that the mining industry can assist in strengthening Afghanistan's economy yet some are concerned about the possible adverse effects on Afghanistan's women. Read more in "Afghanistan's Mining Industry, Crucial for Economy, Holds Risks for Women", United States Institute of Peace, October 10, 2014.

Drawdown Affects More than Troops

The draw down of forces from Afghanistan is affecting more than the troops who are deployed there. The U.S. will be cutting back to about 9,800 troops and NATO to 2,000-3,000 troops by the end of December 2014. Along with these troop cutbacks are the reduction in the contractor force. One of the biggest contingents of contractors is supplied by the Philippines. At one time there were over 6,000 Filipinos in Afghanistan. The number currently (Oct 14) stands at about 4,000. Read more in "Pullout of US troops to affect 4,000 OFWs in Afghanistan", Business Mirror, October 12, 2014.

Suicide Bombings Continue in Afghanistan

The suicide bombers continue to attack both the Afghan National Security Forces and NATO targets as well. Read more in "Suicide Bombers Kill 3 in Afghanistan", The New York Times, October 13, 2014.

Subscribe to Afghan Daily 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.

Kabul Bank Scandal: A Promising Start

President Ghani is impressing observers with his quick re-opening of the Kabul Bank scandal investigation. He has promised to attack corruption within the Afghan government and this is a great start. Read more in "Kabul Bank Scandal: If at First President Ghani Does Succeed", Khaama Press, October 13, 2014.

Cellphone Photos of Women - A Cultural Problem

The rise of technology is generally considered a good thing. In Afghanistan the telecommunications industry (cell phones especially) has transformed Afghan society. Unfortunately, there are some downsides. One emerging adverse development is the selling of videos and photographs of Afghan women by the gigabyte to store on computers and cellphones. This, in a very conservative society like Afghanistan, is a cultural problem. Read more in "Cellphone snapshots of women cause stir in conservative Afghanistan", Stars and Stripes, October 11, 2014.

More on the C-27A Spartan Fiasco

The media is starting to ask some hard questions on why 16 perfectly good aircraft of the Afghan Air Force were scrapped. The $486 million program was reduced to $32,000 of scrap metal. Read more in "U.S. Air force probed for scrapping costly planes bought for Afghans", AOL.com, October 10, 2014.

Details of $44 Million MD 530F Helicopter Contract

You can read more details on the MD 530F helicopter contract for Afghanistan's Air Force in "MD Helicopters Awarded $44.2M Contract to Weaponize MD 530F Fleet for Afghan Air Force", Vertical Magazine, October 10, 2014.

Post-Mortem: Afghan Election

An observer and analyst of events in South Asia, Sharif Azami, has posted a post mortem on the Afghan election. He makes some great observations and draws some interesting conclusions in "The Ballot Stuffing Equilibrium and a Messy Compromise: Winners and Losers of the Afghan Elections", The Huffington Blog, October 10, 2014.

C-5M Super Galaxy and Afghan Retrograde

Next to the Security Force Assistance (SFA) mission in Afghanistan the next biggest mission is retrograde. Getting personnel and equipment home to the United States as the troop commitment drops to 9,800 in December 2014. The c-5M Super Galaxy is playing a big role in the retrograde mission. Read more in "Airmen take retrograde operations to the next level", DVIDS, October 10, 2014.

IMU Weakened

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) has operated in northern Afghanistan, eastern Afghanistan, and northwestern Pakistan for a number of years. It suffered a high rate of casualties in the last three or four years as a result of stepped up targeting by U.S. special operations forces. At the moment it is severely weakened. In an attempt to strengthen its position it has recently allied itself with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL). Read more in "Helplessness forces IMU to call itself an ISIL partner", Central Asia Online, October 10, 2014.

Bergdahl Investigation Concluded

Stars and Stripes reports (October 10, 2014) that the Bergdahl investigation has been completed. He disappeared from a base in Afghanistan five years ago and was captured by the Taliban. The next stage in the investigation is a lengthy review process. Bergdahl is currently assigned to U.S. Army North at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Read more in the article - "Bergdahl investigation finished".

Kerry Sees Turning Point in Afghanistan

Secretary of State John Kerry seems optimistic about the future of Afghanistan. He says the resolution of the election crisis and the formation of the national unity government are signs of hope that the country can get on track. Read the news story in "Kerry: Afghan Unity Govt. Could Prove Turning Point", Voice of America, October 11, 2014.

Paper - "How Do Insurgencies End?"

The Small Wars Journal  has posted (October 10, 2014) a journal article entitled "How Do Insurgencies End?" by Russell Croy. The author recently graduated with a M.A. in Political Science from Colorado State University and served in the Marines in the Al Anbar region of Iraq in early 2008. Croy explores the issue of why some insurgencies end quickly and others go on for decades. He notes that many scholars have provided papers on how to understand insurgencies they don't provide much info on how these insurgencies end. He then compares two insurgencies to illustrate his argument - that of Chechnya and in West Java. He draws a distinction in defeating an insurgency and ending an insurgency; and concludes that the ending of an insurgency should start not also from a position of military action but from the end goal of achieving a desirable and peaceful outcome.

Afghan War Daily 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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.)