Pol-i-Charkhi Prison - "Incomplete Project"

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has released a report entitled Pol-i-Charkhi Prison: After 5 Years and $18.5 Million, Renovation Project Remains Incomplete, SIGAR 15-11 Inspection Report, October 2014. The Department of State paid the Al-Watan Construction Company (AWCC) $18.5 million for work performed on a contract (awarded in June 2009) valued at $20.2 million. Unfortunately AWCC only completed 50% of the required work. The prison was designed and built in 1973 for 5,000 inmates but currently houses about 7, 400 in crowded conditions. The State Department says that it will fix the problem with another $11 million to finish renovations and $5 million to remedy waste water disposal. Hopefully they will assign a state employee (with some contracting, accounting, and construction experience) who will provide proper oversight on the project. You can read or download the report at the link below off SIGAR's website:
www.sigar.mil/pdf/inspections/SIGAR-15-11-IP.pdf

CRU 222 and Gender Integration

Gender integration with the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) is a big issue with ISAF. It seems that ISAF has been working toward this goal for a long time but only recently (my perspective) does it seem to be making headway. Perhaps (finally) we are using a little pressure and leverage (that would be withholding money, equipment, or assets) to facilitate gender integration. A good example of gender integration (and perhaps some behind the scenes leverage) is the newly acquired women's facility on Camp Lion. This former Norwegian Special Forces camp housed the Norwegian Special Operations Advisory Team and was handed over to the Afghan Ministry of Interior on October 12, 2014. Camp Lion is on the military side of the Kabul International Airport. It is home to Afghanistan's Critical Response Unit 222 (CRU 222) which is overseen by the Afghan General Command of Police Special Units (GCPSU). The agreement to turn the camp over included provisions for a women's facility (there is that leverage thing; you can have the camp but there must be a women's facility!). Read more in "Norway negotiates all-female facility at Camp Lion", ISAF News, November 2, 2014.

China and Iran: Cooperation on Afghanistan?

China and Iran both border Afghanistan; although China's border is a very short one located in a remote and mountainous region. Both countries wish to see a stable and secure Afghanistan. China sees great economic potential in Afghanistan's rich mineral resources and a stable Afghanistan allows China to invest and reap economic benefits. Iran would like to see the Taliban go away. However each country differs on their view of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. China would like to see us continue our hard work investing lives, time, energy and money in Afghanistan. Iran would like to see the United States influence subside so its influence can grow within Afghanistan. It is quite possible that the future will see greater cooperation between Iran and China on Afghanistan. Read more in "Could Iran and China Cut the US Out of Afghanistan?", The Diplomat, November 1, 2014.

Commentary - Eyes Wide Shut

The nations of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China are holding yearly meetings addressing some of the security, economic, and development issues that affect the relationships between the three nations. The short conferences (a couple of days) are held to discuss the current security and political situation in Afghanistan and its implications for neighboring countries. Members of the countries respective governments, strategic analysts, academicians, and diplomats attend the conference. The latest conference was held in Pakistan. Read a commentary on the issues addressed and the recommendations put forward by conference participants in "China, Afghanistan and Pakistan Dialogue: Eyes Wide Shut? - Analysis", Euroasia Review, November 1, 2014.

Refuelers at FOB Fenty

The refuelers from Echo Company, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division stay busy 24 hours a day on Forward Operating Base Fenty (Jalalabad, Nagarhar province) in eastern Afghanistan. They are tasked with refueling military and civilian aircraft safely and quickly. The Forward Air Refueling Point (FARP) allows aircraft to come in, refuel, and get right back to their mission. Learn more about the people that run the FARP in "Fueling the fight over Afghanistan", DVIDS, October 26, 2014.

U.S. Funding Goes to Afghan Insurgency

According to a recent report (October 2014) by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) the United States refuses to 'suspend or debar' supporters of the Afghan insurgency from receiving lucrative government contracts because the information about these individuals is classified. Read more in "U.S. Refuses to Stop Giving Contracts to Backers of Afghan Insurgency", The Washington Free Beacon, October 30, 2014.

Video - "Spoke and Hub Footprint"

In a short video (1 minute) General John Campbell (COMISAF) describes the "spoke and hub" concept of the enduring footprint that NATO will have during the Resolute Support mission after December 2014. See "COMISAF Enduring Footprint", Defense Media Activity - Army, October 30, 2104.

Ghani Calls on Taliban to Join Peace Process

President Ghani wants the Taliban to join in on the peace process. He said at a recent press conference that peace is our highest priority. Read more in "Afghan President Calls on Taliban to Join Peace Process", Radio Free Europe, October 31, 2014.

China Replaces NATO?

Now that Operation Enduring Freedom is approaching the end of mission (December 2014), the insurgents have been defeated, the terrorist safe havens have been cleared, and al Qaeda has been eliminated we wonder who will reap the benefits of this hard 13-year long hard-fought victory. While we were slogging it out on the battlefield, suffering numerous deaths and wounded, and spending our money - someone was on the sidelines waiting to pick up the pieces and reap the benefits. Can you spell C - H - I - N -A? Watch for it. China has been slowly picking up its diplomatic activity with Afghanistan. It has cautiously invested in economic activities such as Afghanistan's extensive mineral wealth (see Mes Aynak copper mine). It has engaged other South Asian nations (India and Pakistan) to encourage regional stability. China has become very westward looking in its diplomacy and economic engagement (not Europe, but Central Asia) especially with the re-invention of the Silk Road. Of course, there are some security concerns as well. China, due to its subjugation of the Muslims in its western province of Xinjiang, wants to ensure that an unstable Afghanistan does not become a sanctuary for jihadists. Apparently it sees the problems that insurgents who have sanctuary in Pakistan can cause security forces in Afghanistan (something that ISAF could never seem to fix). Learn more in "Afghanistan: Out with NATO, in with China?", The Christian Science Monitor, October 28, 2014.

444 Days: Story of CIA Officers held Captive During the Iranian Hostage Crisis

This blog post has nothing to do with Afghanistan but everything to do with how vulnerable members of the U.S. military and other governmental agencies can find themselves in a quickly developing hostage situation. In November 1979, 35 years ago, six Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers stationed at the US Embassy in Iran suddenly found themselves as hostages. They, along with other embassy employees, were held by radical Islamist students in the American Embassy for 444 days. The CIA has posted (on their website) the story of their days in captivity. See "444 Days in Tehran: The Story of CIA Officers Held Captive During the Iranian Hostage Crisis", Central Intelligence Agency News & Information Blog, November 4, 2014.

Over the years there have been more than a few CIA officers held in captivity. Some of these officers died in captivity. One CIA officer, William Buckley, was captured while serving as the CIA Station Chief during an extremely dangerous time in Lebanon. He died after days of horrific torture by his Islamic Jihad captors. Buckley was also an Army veteran of the Korean and Vietnam War as well as a Special Forces officer. See "CIA Remembers Agency Hero William Buckley", Central Intelligence Agency Press Release, March 14, 2014 and a dedication to LTC William Buckley by the Special Forces Association.

UK - A Lasting Legacy in Afghanistan

On October 27, 2014 United Kingdom troops left Helmand province, Afghanistan marking the historic end of UK combat operations in the province for 13 years. UK forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001 and the end of 2014 will see the completion of the International Security Force Assistance (ISAF) mission. However, the ISAF mission will be replaced by the NATO Resolute Support mission and the United Kingdom will play a role in that mission as well. The UK will continue to provide officers and NCOs for the Resolute Support headquarters and staff in Kabul. In addition, the UK will continue its support of the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA) also located near Kabul. The ANAOA is informally known as "Sandhurst in the Sand". The graduates of the ANAOA go through a 42-week long leadership course. Read more in "A lasting legacy in Afghanistan", UK Ministry of Defence, 1 November 2014.

Nepal Contributing to the ISAF Mission

There are a lot of contractors in Afghanistan. Many of them are from the United States. Many of them come from Europe. And some come from Nepal - yes, Nepal. The Nepalis work in a variety of jobs to include security, support, and food service. Some are legally in Afghanistan and others are skirting the rules a bit. There are about 5,000 Nepalis working in Afghanistan according to the Afghan government. Read more on this topic in "Thousands of Nepalis work illegally in Afghanistan", Kantipur.com, November 2, 2014.

Women in Afghanistan: Lost Opportunity

A commentator and author (Ann Jones) who spent lots of time living in Afghanistan provides us a history of the fight for women's rights in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. She identifies "failed opportunities" on the part of the international community. She slams the Bush administration hard on this issue. Along with the attack on the U.S. establishment she has some critical comments on the elite (male) politicians of Afghanistan for their lack of support for women's rights. She sees hope for Afghan women with the election of President Ghani. A very educational and in-depth (and perhaps slightly slanted perspective) picture of women's rights in Afghanistan - past, present, and future. Read "Democracy's ugly misogyny: The dark reality of "free" elections in Afghansitan", Salon.com, November 1, 2014.

Pakistan Objects to Pentagon Report

Pakistan is objecting to a recent report released at the end of October entitled the Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan, DoD 1230 Report, October 2014. In the report the Pentagon states that the Taliban insurgent groups enjoy sanctuary in Pakistan (no big secret, everyone knows this) and that Pakistan is not quite doing enough to shut down the sanctuaries. What isn't quite spelled out in the report in plain language is the fact that Pakistan's intelligence service (ISI) is actively supporting the insurgent groups (especially the Haqqani Network) with money, training, and other types of support. The two excerpts below are from page 95 of the report cited above.

"Taliban attacks in Afghanistan launched from sanctuaries in Pakistan remain a serious problem. These sanctuaries exist primarily in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Baluchistan." 

"Afghan- and Indian-focused militants continue to operate from Pakistan territory to the detriment of Afghan and regional stability. Pakistan uses these proxy forces to hedge against the loss of influence in Afghanistan and to counter India’s superior military. These relationships run counter to Pakistan's pubic commitment to support Afghan-led reconciliation. Such groups continue to act as the primary irritant in Afghan-Pakistan bilateral relations".

NATO Secretary General Visits Afghanistan

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is visiting Afghanistan (trip beginning 6 Nov 14). He will meet with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah to discuss NATO-Afghanistan cooperation and the 2015 Resolute Support Mission. He will also meet with the ISAF commander (Gen John Campbell), other senior ISAF officers, NATO Senior Civilian Representative Ambassador Maurits Jochems, and others. One of his planned trips is to visit ANASOC Hqs as well as other ANSF units.

Iraq and Afghanistan: Compare and Contrast

A commentator provides us with her viewpoint on the differences and similarities between Iraq and Afghanistan. She discusses Obama's relief that the Iraq parliament did not sign the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) in late 2011. That 'non-signing' took Obama off the hook, he did not have to leave 5,000 advisors in Iraq, and he could declare victory (meaning he got us out of Iraq as he promised during his election campaign). The same model was to be followed by Obama in Afghanistan. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) were to be deemed independent and capable and we would slowly depart. (There is probably a little disappointment among Obama supporters and White House staffers that the Bilateral Security Agreement was signed by Afghanistan).

Obama would have liked to be done with Afghanistan as well so he could concentrate on his domestic policies and agenda. Unfortunately reality got in the way. The Afghans wanted us to stay and the ANSF still have some huge capability gaps in their ability to conduct operations (aviation, logistics, sustainment, intelligence, medical, etc.). That . . . and the Taliban are still a robust force and there is no indication that the ANSF have learned how to properly conduct a counterinsurgency campaign. (Yes, it is an insurgency and it is thriving). So, applying the Iraq model to Afghanistan, one would conclude we should stay committed to the Security Force Assistance mission; otherwise, we might face a similar situation such as now found in Iraq (conflict with ISIS). Read more in "Ending the Afghanistan War 13 Years Later: Is it Time to Leave?", Wall Street Politics Cheat Sheet, October 31, 2014.

Paper - "Advisor and His Counterpart"

The art and science of advising has been around for many, many years. The U.S. Army has a rich history of advisory efforts - some reaching back into the days of the Vietnam War (late 1950s to early 1970s). The lessons of yesterday are still applicable today. Read "The Advisor and His Counterpart in Vietnam", Handout 306, United States Army Special Warfare School, Fort Bragg, NC, November 29, 1968.

Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been busy in Afghanistan. Currently it is attempting to complete many ongoing projects before the end of the year and the end of the Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) mission. There should only be 66 remaining projects as we head into the Resolute Support mission in January. Read more in "Transatlantic Afghanistan District completes 21 projects in September", DVIDS, November 4, 2014.

Commentary (Ex) Senator Lieberman on Afghanistan

Joseph Lieberman, a former senator from Connecticut, and a one-time "moderate" who could cross party lines and actually help Congress do "governance", has provided us with his thoughts on Obama and Afghanistan. Joe says that Obama needs to re-consider his plan to fully withdraw U.S. advisors by 2016 (end of ) in light of the disastrous effects of pulling out advisors from Iraq in 2011. He says, that although Iraq and Afghanistan are different, there are some parallels and lessons that we can ignore (at our peril). He warns that pulling out of Afghanistan fully may unravel everything that we have accomplished thus far (much as Iraq unraveled). Good commentary by one of our more capable former U.S. Senators. Read his opinion piece in "Obama repeats his Iraq mistake in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, June 20, 2014. (I know, it is dated but still valid!).

Bagram: DoD Busiest Runway

Bagram Air Field (BAF) in eastern Afghanistan is the Department of Defense's busiest runway. There are 46 different types of aircraft that fly in and out of BAF. A mission flies on average about every two minutes. Read more in "Expeditionary Airmen operate DOD's busiest single runway", DVIDS, October 28, 2014.

Afghanistan: A Dire Outlook

There are conflicting reports on how well or poorly Afghanistan is doing. The latest DoD 1230 report says that the Afghan National Security Forces are "winning" and the future is promising. The latest report by SIGAR is far less optimistic. Read one outside assessment in "Afghanistan Going off the rails as U.S. Withdrawal Speeds Up", Foreign Policy, October 30, 2014.

Paper - "American Advisors" by Joshua Potter

If you are on your way to Afghanistan (or Iraq . . . or anywhere) to be a military advisor then a paper wrote by LTC Joshua Potter (US Army) will be very useful. American Advisors: Security Force Assistance Model in the Long War, Combat Studies Institute Press, Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (2011) is a good education and should be a must for pre-deployment training for advisors heading overseas. You can view or download the paper at the following link:
http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/AmericanAdvisors.pdf

ANSF Casualties Not Sustainable

A top United States military commander in Afghanistan says that the casualties suffered by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are not sustainable. LTG Joseph Anderson, the commander of the ISAF Joint Command (IJC), says that since the beginning of 2013, the ANSF have suffered nearly 9,000 fatalities. In comparison, the U.S. has lost 2,246 troops in OEF since 2001. The number of troops from the ANSF going AWOL is also high. Currently the Afghan National Police (ANP) is at 89 percent strength while the Afghan National Army (ANA) is at 81 per cent strength. LTG Anderson reports that the ANSF are winning since they are able to hold their ground against the enemy. Hmmm. Most counterinsurgency experts say that if the government forces are not defeating insurgents in their base areas (support and attack zones), the insurgents are continuing to operate, have freedom to move in the rural areas, and can pick the time and place to attack the government forces then the insurgents are considered to be winning. I guess it depends on which Field Manual you read. Read more on ANSF casualties in "US commander: Afghan casualties not sustainable", Stars and Stripes, November 5, 2014.

RC East is now TAAC East

The 10th Mountain Division is closing up shop in Regional Command East and heading back to Fort Drum, New York. 10th Mountain has been in Afghanistan from the very beginning, and the very end, and . . . a few times in between. In late 2001 elements of 10th Mountain deployed to "K2" in Uzbekistan and then later to Bagram Air Field as part of the initial conventional forces to enter Afghanistan (after the SF teams and the occasional CIA agent). The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is transitioning to the Resolute Support mission; and the Regional Commands are transitioning to "Train Advise and Assist Commands" or TAACs. Thus, RC East is being renamed TAAC East. Read more in "10th Mountain Division ends operations in Afghanistan, 13 years after it arrived", Stars and Stripes, November 4, 2014.

TAAC-East Replaces RC-East

Regional Command East is no longer with us. It has been replaced by Train, Advise, and Assist Command East or TAAC East. The RC had a two-star commander; the TAAC has a one-star commander. U.S. Army BG Christopher Bentley will lead TAAC East - an organization comprised of 60 division staff officers and Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division (Fort Stewart, GA) and 1,000 Soldiers from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment (Fort Hood, TX).

TAAC East's mission is to train, advise and assist (TAA) the Afghan National Security Forces in eastern Afghanistan. The TAAC is no longer advising at the tactical level; the organization will work to strengthen ties between the operational and strategic levels - providing the connective tissue between corps-level Afghan units to the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior.

The 201st ANA Corps is located in Laghman province and advisors will be stationed at FOB Gamberi to provide advise and assistance on a daily, persistent basis. It is believed that this is called "Level I" advising. The 203rd ANA Corps is located at FOB Thunder near Gardez; however, there is no "advisor platform" from which to project an advisory effort. Perhaps TAAC East will conduct "Level II" advising -which is basically a visit once or twice a month and some phone calls. (I wonder how that will work out?).

Read more in "3ID, 3CR form TAAC-E in eastern Afghanistan", DVIDS, November 5, 2014.

Afghan Detainee Transfer to U.S. - Analysis

The U.S. will soon be shutting down the U.S. administered military detention facility at Bagram. The questions remains of what to do with the non-Afghans currently detained there. One interesting development is the transfer of one of the detainees to the United States for prosecution. Read more in "Detainee Transferred from Afghanistan to US for Trial: A Model for GTMO Closure?", Lawfare, November 4, 2014.

Iran and Pakistan Destabilize Afghanistan

The Pentagon's latest assessment on security in Afghanistan has criticized Iran and Pakistan - stating that both countries are destabilizing regional security by supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Read more in "Pentagon Says Policies of Iran, Pakistan Destabilize Afghan Security", Radio Free Europe, November 5, 2014.

Video - COMISAF Speaks on Afghan Future

In a short video clip COMISAF (General John Campbell) speaks about transition, Afghan security, and the need for the Taliban to come to the peace table. See Changes Underway with Afghanistan Drawdown, DoD News, October 30, 2014.

Book - "Swimming with Warlords"

The journalist Kevin Sites has wrote a book on Afghanistan entitled Swimming with Warlords: A Dozen-Year Journey Across the Afghan War. His view on the current state of affairs in Afghanistan is not a pretty one yet he says that "hope" is alive and he is optimistic about the future of Afghanistan. The book is available on Amazon.com.

"The Long Goodbye to Afghanistan"

On November 6, 2001, Defense Security Donald Rumseld said "I do not think it will take years to deal with the Taliban or the al-Qaida organization". 13 years later the United States is leaving Afghanistan and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) will come to an end. However, the U.S. will keep 9,800 troops in country to continue the Security Force Assistance mission and conduct limited counter-terrorism operations. The Defense Department says the Afghan security forces can stand on their own; however, they seem to be having some difficulty in some parts of the country (Helmand and Kunduz provinces). Read more in "The Long goodbye to Afghanistan", Chicago Tribune, October 31, 2014.

Afghan's Minerals Law

Afghanistan has a new minerals law. The question is will it improve sector governance and catalyse the massive investment needed? Read more in "The new minerals law: breaking new ground for Afghanistan?", The Guardian, October 30, 2014.

Dismal Outlook for Helmand Province

The U.S has left Camp Leatherneck and the Brits have departed Camp Bastion. According to ISAF the transfer of the bases was smooth and the Afghan National Security Forces will be able to handle the security situation within Helmand province without the assistance of the International Security Assistance Force. But . . . some news reports seem to indicate otherwise. Read more in "Continued violence in Helmand elicits disillusionment, fear as coalition departs", Stars and Stripes, October 31, 2014.

Australia Combat Pay Cut

It seems that Afghanistan is a less dangerous place and the Australian combat troops will get their combat pay cut after 2014. Read more in "Defence says Afghanistan 'less dangerous' so cuts Australian military's pay", The Sydney Morning Herald, October 31, 2014.

Kerry, China, and Afghanistan

Secretary of State John Kerry took the opportunity to provide his insight on the relationship between the United States and China and outlining different aspects of that relationship in a speech before the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. (See Remarks on U.S.-China Relations, U.S. Department of State, November 4, 2014). While the speech was quite long and covered many subjects he did touch a little bit on China and Afghanistan. His comments on that topic are below:

"It can also make a difference in countering violent extremist groups like ISIL, which seek to harm people in every corner of the globe. And it can help in bringing stability to places like Afghanistan, where today we are partnering to support political cohesiveness and prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a safe haven for terrorists. We welcome China’s role as a critical player in the Afghan region. And just last week, in fact, President Ghani, our Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Dan Feldman, and President Obama’s counselor John Podesta all traveled to Beijing to participate in a conference focused on supporting Afghan peace and reconstruction."

Slain Afghan Official Mourned

The sub-governor of Kandahar, Abdul Qadim Patyal, was assassinated while he was attending a night class on Afghan literature. He embodied the hope of many who saw a youthful public servant who was not tied to a warlord or specific "tribal family" that would help bring Afghanistan out of the 14th century and into the 21st century. Read more in "Slain Afghan official, a poet, embodied hope of youth", Los Angeles Times, November 4, 2014.

Afghan 119 Information Center

The 119 Information Center service in Afghanistan is now five years old. Afghans can dial 119 on the phone to reach an emergency call center to report a crime, seek emergency assistance, or report insurgent activity. There is a main call center located in Kabul and several regional call centers around the country (Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif, etc.). The call centers operate around the clock and have communication with the regional Operational Coordination Centers or OCC-Rs. The Ariana TV network and Awaz Productions are now broadcasting a program called Reaction 119 which provides information about the value of the government emergency call center service. The program, aired on the private television channel, is dedicated to demonstrating the services of the Quick Reaction Police and the 119 Information Center. Learn more in "Afghan 119 police services prevent violence", Central Asia Online, October 31, 2014.

Guest Articles, Posts, and Commentary Welcome

The Afghan War News Blog and the Afghan War News website are constantly striving to keep its blog, daily newsletter, and website factual, current, and relevant. If you have a link to a website or document you feel should be shared with the greater community then please send it to us. In addition,we are looking for individuals with some knowledge, experience, and expertise in Afghanistan on a wide range of topics to contribute articles to our blog and add content to our website. And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links let us know.

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Last of Russian Helicopters Delivered

The last of 63 Russian Mi-17 transport helicopters have been delivered to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) in October 2014. The Russian Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation says it will assist with future helicopter deliveries to the Afghan military and help maintain the aircraft already in service. The U.S. funding for the purchase of the Mi-17s were widely criticized by members of Congress because of Russia's support of the Assad regime in Syria and Russia's annexation of the Crimea and support of the Ukrainian rebels. In addition, there appears to be a bit of price gouging going on as well by the Russians. The U.S. military are staunch supporters of the Mi-17 program as the Russian helicopters are best suited for the Afghan terrain and maintenance capabilities. Read more in Russia Delivers Last of U.S.-bought Helicopter to Afghan Military", DoD Buzz, November 3, 2014.

Interview with John Nagl - Author "Knife Fights"

Dr. John Nagl was recently (October 28, 2014) interviewed about his new book "Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice". Nagl is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army and a former president of The Center for a New American Century. The book is an education in 21st Century Warfare - both its theory and its practice. Nagl first came into the public eye with his book "Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife" - about counterinsurgency and how the United States had to understand an insurgency and be flexible in its response and able to adjust its strategy to deal with the threat. The interview, narrated by Peter Bergen (no slouch himself on warfare, insurgency and terrorism) was recorded by The Center for a New American Century, it is 1 hour and 23 minutes long and can be seen at the link below on YouTube.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6WLiErc2mw

More Aircraft for the Afghan Air Force

The United States will be providing additional aircraft to the Afghan Air Force. Read more in "Warplanes: Fixing the Afghan Air Force", Strategy Page,  October 30, 2014.

Afghan Refugees Die in Boat Disaster

24 people were killed in a boat sinking off the Turkish coast. They were part of a group of 42 Afghan refugees who paid a smuggler to transport them from Turkey to Europe. Read more in "24 killed in migrant boat disaster off northern Istanbul coast", Hurriyet Daily News (Turkey), November 4, 2014.

Afghan Withdrawal Timeline Reassessment

General John Campbell is reassessing the United States withdrawal time frame from Afghanistan. The electoral dispute and late signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement put a lot of planned programs to advise and assist the Afghans on hold. These programs were meant to prepare the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) for the full withdrawal of International Security Assistance Force (except for 12,500 personnel under the Resolute Support mission). Insurgent attacks have reached the highest levels since 2011 and the ANSF has suffered high casualties in the 2014 fighting season. The recent events in Iraq, where the U.S. withdrew completely in 2011, have raised questions on the ability of the ANSF to hold out against the Taliban after ISAF leaves. Read more in "Top US commander of Afghan war reassessing US withdrawal timeline", Stars and Stripes, November 4, 2014.

Tajikistan and Turkmenistan to Aid Afghanistan

The two Central Asian countries of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are keen to see a secure and stable Afghanistan. The last thing these countries need is an unsecure northern Afghan border from which insurgents can cross causing internal security problems within their respective countries. To that end they are assisting with the delivery of electricity to Afghanistan at a reduced cost. Read more in "Turkmenistan, Tajikistan want to aid Afghanistan", Central Asia Online, October 28, 2014.

Rebuilding Technology Base in Afghanistan

There certainly is some progress being made in Afghanistan. The news is not just "gloom and doom". The technology and telecommunications sector of Afghanistan has seen great benefit from the years of hard work done by the international community. Great strides have been made in the education field for basic education as well as advanced education at the university level. The Technical University of Berlin has been helping with the reconstruction of academic organizations in Afghanistan since 2002. Computer centers have been established at five college locations in Afghanistan. Learn more in "Rebuilding tech in Afghanistan with open source", OpenSource.com, posted October 29, 2014.

DCGS-A Suffers Another Black Eye

The Army's Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) program can't seem to catch a break. It is now revealed that a government official said to be ". . . the architect of a failed effort . . ." had an embellished resume. Seems he was known as "Dr. Richardson" yet never earned a Ph.D. (as seen on his resume). DCGS has been judged an expensive failure for the U.S. Army and intelligence units in Afghanistan tried to use other software applications rather than DCGS. Unfortunately, the billions of dollars need not have been wasted on DCGS as there was a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) computer application used by the Special Operations community that did the same function at a far less cost. Read more in "Official allowed others to believe he had Ph.D.", AP Big Story, October 28, 2014.

ANSF Prepared to Defend Helmand

Many observers will cast a keen eye on what happens in Helmand province now that the Brits have departed Camp Bastion and the U.S. Marines have left Camp Leatherneck. Some observers predict doom but the the commander of the 215th Afghan National Army Corps says his troops will do fine. Read more in "Afghan Forces Prepare to Fight Alone as Foreign Troops Leave", The Huffington Post, October 28, 2014.

Czech Soldiers Sign up for Resolute Support

The Parliament of the Czech Republic has approved a plan to keep its soldiers in Afghanistan for two more years. The number of Czechs will likely be about 250. Read more in "Czech soldiers to stay in Afghanistan", Yahoo! News, October 31, 2014.

Afghanistan to Remain Dependent on West

Afghanistan will not be able to fund the security forces that are needed to quell the insurgency - the international community will have to foot much of that bill. The Afghan government yearly budget is about $7.6 billion. International donors provide 65% of that amount. Read more in "Op-Ed: Afghanistan to remain western-funded client state", Digital Journal, by Ken Hanly, October 28, 2014.

Afghan Forces Winning Says IJC Cdr

The commander of the ISAF Joint Command, sometimes called IJC for short, provided an update on the Afghan War in a teleconference with Pentagon reporters. Army LTG Joseph Anderson said that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are winning. He stated that the ANSF is ". . . the most trusted government organization in Afghanistan" and that it is ". . . a hugely capable fighting force that has been holding its ground against the enemy". The Afghan forces number about 352,000 - 156,000 in the army and 155,000 in the police.

In the transition from the ISAF mission to the Resolute Support mission there has been a steady decline in the number of Coalition forces in Afghanistan. Currently (early November 2014) there are 38,000 soldiers from 44 nations; with a planned strength of 12,500 Coalition members by the end of December 2014. The number of Coalition bases has decreased from 86 bases in January 2014 to a current number of 26 (as of early November 2014). There are no more Regional Commands. All of the RCs have transitioned to "Train Advise and Assist Commands" or TAACs. The last RC to transition was RC East (to TAAC East). The new mission, Resolute Support, is all about advising and assisting the Afghans at the corps, institutional, and ministerial levels to work systems and processes. The advisory effort is focused along Eight Essential Functions (the "8 EF's are the follow-on to the "Five Functional Pillars") which encompasses everything from planning, programming, budgeting and execution to sustainment and planning. Some of the capability gaps of the ANSF include aviation, intelligence, logistics, and medical.

Read more in "Afghan Forces Winning, ISAF Joint Command Chief Says", DoD News, November 5, 2014.