Afghan War Blog

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Glossary - Afghan War News

In every military there is a huge amount of terms, acronyms, phrases, and words that are unrecognizable to the non-military members of society. To a newly deployed member of the military assigned to Afghanistan - the slang, abbreviations, and definitions used in theater can be perplexing as well. It takes a while to learn the lingo. For instance many newcomers confuse the terms Afghan and Afghani. To help out Afghan War News has compiled an online glossary.

www.afghanwarnews.info/glossary/afghanglossary.htm

A Promise to Afghan Interpreters

The United States has some unfinished business to attend to in regards to Afghanistan. That is the fair treatment of the many Afghan interpreters who risked their lives helping the United States military conduct their operations. Many are now unemployed after years of working with the U.S. military; some are under constant threat from the Taliban because of their long-time association with the Coalition forces. We need to do more to ensure that these Afghan interpreters acquire the necessary Special Immigrant Visa so they can come to the United States to live if that is their desire. That we owe them. Read more in "Keeping a Promise to Afghans", editorial by The New York Times, January 13, 2015.

Sec Kerry and Pakistan Meeting

Secretary of State Kerry is visiting Pakistan and conducting a series of meetings on a number of issues. Although there is no big news in his published statements (all the good stuff said is behind closed doors) you can read his remarks here. See "Remarks at the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue Ministerial", U.S. Department of State, January, 2015.
www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2015/01/235876.htm

You can also read a report about his visit in "Kerry Urges Pakistan to Fight Militants, Mend India Ties", Radio Free Europe, January 13, 2015.
www.rferl.org/content/kerry-pakistan-visit-/26790798.html

Kam Air - Least Safe Airline

According to a recent news report Kam Air - an Afghan airline - is one of the most dangerous airlines in the world. It sits at the top of the list with three other airlines - Nepal Airways, SCAT Airline (Kazakhstan), and Tara Air (Nepal). Apparently flying in the high remote mountains of Nepal is dangerous. In fact, all four airlines are prohibited from flying in the airspace of the European Union (EU). Kam Air has also been the subject of controversy a few years back. It was the centerpiece of an investigation by the United States of drug smuggling activities where high level officials were involved. However the corrupt President Karzai came to the airlines' rescue. Read about the safety of Kam Air in "The world's safest and least safe airlines", AOL.com, January 8, 2015.

Daily News Snippets (Jan 14, 2015)

Parliament approval of the nominees for the Afghan cabinet will start next week when the lower house holds sessions for vote of confidence.

An explosion in Kabul killed one and wounded four in Kabul zone seven early on Tuesday morning. Witnesses say the attack was probably against a vehicle belonging to the Afghan intelligence however the bomb struck civilians. (LA Times, Jan 13, 2015).

A road side bomb killed three people in Zurmat district of Paktia province.

Shawn Snow writes for The Diplomat about President Ghani and his plan to end corruption. He says the process of picking the cabinet has been slow and is hurting governance. Read his January 13, 2015 article in "Ashraf Ghani and a Game of Fiefdoms".

Massoumeh Torfeh writes in Al Jazeera about the picking of the new Afghan cabinet. Read the artilce "The new old cabinet in Afghanistan", January 13, 2015, posted on Yahoo! News. Torfeh is the former director of strategic communication at the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) and is currently a research associate at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The State Department has taken a lot of heat for its inability to process Special Immigrant Visas for the Afghan interpreters that served the U.S. military in Afghanistan. Read a humorous poke about a deadly situation directed at DoS for its failure to do the right thing in "State Department Awards Immigration Visas to 1,000 Dead Interpreters", Duffel Blog, January 6, 2015.

An important aspect of advisory work in Afghanistan is Force Protection. Part of an advisor's Force Protection plan is the use of Guardian Angels (security detail) when appropriate. Read an account of how one GA detail performs their duties in "Major Isn't Sure Where His Security Detail Went", Duffel Blog, January 3, 2015. (caution . . humor attack).

Afghan interpreters who were injured while working with British forces have won the right to argue before the high court a decision to restrict the numbers coming to Britain. (The Guardian, Jan 13, 2015).

The U.S. can't totally account for the $300 million it gives the Afghan National Police each year. (Business Insider, January 12, 2015).

A news article provides us information on the operations of a Air National Guard unit that supports the drone or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) mission. Read about the 162nd Wing of the Air National Guard in Arizona. (Tuscon News Now, January 13, 2015).

Ryan Goodman, an editor with the blog and website called Just Security has penned a piece entitled "A Turning Point in the Afghan War?" (Jan 12, 2015) where he reflects on the prospects of ending the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan in the future.

The Ukraine will continue to participate in the Afghan War mission under Resolute Support. Currently there are 10 Ukrainian soldiers in Afghanistan. Three are staff officers and seven are de-mining specialists. (SE Times, Jan 12, 2015).

Read an article about the Afghan National Police - where personnel management is wanting and corruption abounds - in "Afghanistan, Land of 157,000 National Police and 300,000 National Police ID Cards", National Review Online, January 12, 2015.

Polish advisors will continue to work in Afghanistan to train, advise, and assist the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Read more in "Polish advisers ready for Resolute Support in Afghanistan", The Daily Blog (New Zealand), January 13, 2015.

Guest Articles Wanted

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 blog posts and articles to our blog and add content to our website. And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links please let us know.

staff@afghanwarnews.info

Early Morning Afghan News

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Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Afghan Air Support Improves

The Afghan Air Force has had a slow start getting established. It was plagued by illiteracy, corruption, inefficiency, bad leadership, ANSF dependency on U.S. air support, lack of support by ISAF in the initial years of the conflict, and poor management of training and support contracts by the U.S. Air Force. The Afghan Air Force conducts a variety of missions to include the transport of supplies and personnel, close air support, aerial reconnaissance, and medical evacuation. In the past two years it has improved although not enough to be able to fully support the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. Read more in "From resupply to evacs, Afghan air support assumes growing role", Stars and Stripes, January 10, 2015.

Paper - "Resolute Support Light" by AAN

A paper just published examines NATO's new mission - Resolute Support - and provides some concerns and recommendations. The paper suggests that the RS mission and organization assumes that the primary problem with the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) is of a "technical" nature - the inability to provide fires, air support, intelligence, and logistics support to the ANP and ANA at the zone and corps levels and below. The author suggests that the primary problem with the ANSF is not "technical" but rather the existence of corruption, factional divides, and a "rent seeking" culture. Read the report entitled Resolute Support Light: NATO's New Mission versus the Political Economy of the Afghan National Security Forces, by Philipp Munch of Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), January 12, 2015.

Afghan Cabinet Announced - Finally

President Ghani announced the nominations for the new Afghan cabinet on Monday, January 12, 2015. He had promised to form his cabinet 45 days after his taking office but . . . well, it has only been over 100 days. I am sure Ghani and his CEO - Abdullah Abdullah - were conducting a lot of horse trading over the past three months.The nominations go to the Afghan Parliament next for approval. 25 ministers were named. Many of the names are young and relatively unknown to the public; but some have been long-time players in the Afghan political or security sector. Defense Ministry went to Sher Mohammad Karimi - the current Chief of the Afghan National Army (ANA). Ministry of Interior nominee is Nur ul-Haq Ulumi - a close Abdullah associate. Foreign Affairs went to Salahuddin Rabbani. He is the son of former President Burhanuddin Rabbani who was assassinated by a suicide bomber in 2011 while he was serving as the chair of the High Peace Council. National Directorate of Security (NDS) portfolio went to the current NDS chief Rahmatullah Nabil. Three of the positions went to women - Women's Affairs, Information and Culture, and Higher Education.

There are several news stories on this event; some are provided below:

- "New Faces vs. Old Structures: Afghanistan's new cabinet", Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), January 12, 2015.

- "Afghan President Ashraf Ghani unveils unity government", BBC News Asia, January 12, 2015.

- The Resolute Support organization that replaced ISAF welcomes the news of the forming of the new cabinet. See "NATO SCR, RS Commander welcome Afghan cabinet announcement", RS News, January 12, 2015.

- "Afghanistan Announces New Cabinet After Long Delay", Radio Free Europe, January 12, 2015.

- "New Afghan cabinet nominations announced", Stars and Stripes, January 12, 2015.

- "Afghanistan Announces Members of Cabinet", The Wall Street Journal, January 12, 2015.

AAN - Biographies of Cabinet Appointees

The Afghanistan Analyst Network (AAN) provides us with a detailed description of the nominees for the Afghan cabinet and their biographies. Read "New Faces vs. Old Structures: Afghanistan's new cabinet", January 12, 2015.

SIGAR - Problems with ANP Pay

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has released a report criticizing the oversight on the pay and personnel processes of the Afghan National Police (ANP). One of the targets of the report is the administration of the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA) administered by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Missy Ryan of The Washington Post writes about the report in a January 12, 2015 news report. Some of the problems highlighted include:

- There is little assurance that the funds are going to active police personnel (ghost policemen) or that the amounts are correct (skimming off the top of each policeman's pay).
- Electronic human resources systems still not successfully implemented.
- Twice as many ANP ID cards as there are policemen.
- Inflated police rosters, inflated salaries.
- UNDPs independent monitoring inflates figures of verified ANP personnel.
- Limited visibility over ANP data collection processes.
- Great risk of funds being diverted for corrupt purposes.

You can read the actual report at the link below.

SIGAR 15-26 Audit Report, Afghan National Police: More than $300 Million in Annual, U.S.-funded Salary Payments is Based on Partially Verified or Reconciled Data, January 2015.
http://www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-15-26-AR.pdf

Islamic State to Conduct Opns in Afghanistan

It appears that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has declared it will step up operations in Afghanistan. While it may be mostly bluster the declaration provided in a 16-minute video released over the weekend will be sure to attract the attention of the Resolute Support headquarters and the Afghan government. Read more in "Islamic State Adds to Terror in Afghanistan", The Wall Street Journal, January 12, 2015. In a related story some Afghan officials (a provincial governor and ANA general) say that ISIS is recruiting in the 215th ANA Corps area of Nimroz and Helmand province. Read "Afghan Officials Say Islamic State group operating in south", Stars and Stripes, January 12, 2015.

Advisor Selection and HRC

"The decisive point of any SFA mission may very well be the selection, training, and education of personnel in preparation for deployment."

SFA Handbook, JCISFA, June 2012

The United States military has had extensive experience in performing advising duties over the past decade in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in other parts of the world. Unfortunately, the United States Military has had poor results in selecting advisors to important advisory positions. This is true of all services but especially the U.S. Army. Quite simply - the personnel management system of the U.S. Army has operated in a peacetime mode while the nation was at war for over 13 years. The personnel management system is not flexible and it is not adaptable. The fault lies at Human Resources Command, FORSCOM, and the units selected to provide advisors. A recent article in Military Review entitled "Misunderstanding the Officer Personnel Management System", January 2015 defends the current system in place. However, there are many observers familiar with the SFA mission in Afghanistan that believe FORSCOM and Human Resources Command have failed in providing the right advisors for the Security Force Assistance mission in Afghanistan. This writer has personally embedded with over 120 Security Force Assistance Advisor Teams (SFAATs) in Afghanistan over the past three years. The number one problem with the SFA mission is poor advisor selection and pre-deployment training. Changes need to be made.

DCGS-A in the Spotlight . . . Again

The Army's Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) continues to attract the attention of members of Congress. DCGS has a long history of inoperability, dissatisfaction among intelligence analysts who had to use it during their Afghan deployments, and expensive cost overruns. So . . . the Air Force has the J-35 and the Army has DCGS. Read a letter of discontent by Representative Duncan Hunter addressed to the Secretary of the Army about DCGS.

British Afghan Troop Med Records Lost

A UK newspaper is reporting that the medical records of up to 1,300 soldiers were lost after two laptops were sent to Afghanistan. Read more in "British Afghanistan troops' medical records lost", The Telegraph, January 12, 2015.

Daily News Snippets (Jan 13, 2015)

The Pakistani school where the Taliban massacred over 100 students has reopened. Read more in "Pakistani School Reopens After Taliban Massacre", Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, January 12, 2015.

The coach of the Afghanistan national soccer team has been stabbed and injured by unknown attackers in Kabul. Some news reports on Twitter say he is enroute to India for advanced medical treatment. (Gandara Blog - Radio Free Europe, Jan 11, 2015).

For all you underwater Combat Divers out there. The Center for a New American Security has published a report entitled "Between Iron Man and Aqua Man: Exosuit Opportunities in Maritime Operations", CNAS Report, January 12, 2015.
www.cnas.org/iron-man-and-aqua-man

An Afghan policeman in southern Helmand province opened fire on senior government officials late on Monday afternoon (Jan 12, 2015). The incident took place in the office of the district governor of Nawzad district. Preliminary reports indicate that the DCoP and DGov were killed. An ANA officer and the district intelligence police officer were wounded. (Khaama Press, Jan 12, 2015).

Shafiq Hamdam writes in an article that Afghanistan's best asset is its youthful optimism. (Atlantic-Community.org, January 6, 2015).

Uniform Name Confusion. It seems the Army's top general is a bit confused about the name of the new camouflage uniform. Read more in "Army Chief Adds to Confusion over New Camouflage Pattern", Kit Up at Military.com, January 7, 2015.

Afghan refugees in Turkey find themselves in a strange world without resources. One Afghan migrant is helping out. Read "In Turkey, Afghan migrant gives new arrivals a reality check", LA Times, January 11, 2015.

It seems that the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are improving. Read more in "Pakistan intelligence chief meets Afghan leader as relations thaw", Yahoo! News, January 12, 2015.

Azerbaijani Armed Forces are sending a contingent of troops (39 pax) to serve under the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. Read more in "Azerbaijan sends peacekeeping force to Afghanistan", Azer Tac, January 11, 2015.

News reports say that Central Commands' social media accounts were taken over by ISIS just as President Obama was delivering a speech on cyber-security. Read "The Hacking of Central Command", The Atlantic, January 12, 2015.

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Monday, January 12, 2015

TAAC-E Visit to Pak Border - Torkham Gate

A high level VIP visit to the Torkham Gate border was conducted by Afghan and Coalition members. The Afghan National Army Chief of Staff Sher Mohammad Karimi, RS Commander General John Campbell, and members of the TAAC East visited the Khyber Border Coordination Center (KBCC) near the Torkham Gate area of the Afghan-Pak border in eastern Nangarhar in early January 2015. In addition, key leaders from the Afghan National Army, Afghan Uniform Police, and the Afghan Border Police were in attendance. The KBCC is run by the Afghan Border Police and is located on the former U.S. Forward Operating Base Torkham. The base was transferred to the Afghans in July 2014. The visit by coalition personnel was the first since last summer - six months ago. There are a host of issues that need to be resolved concerning the border. Some issues have to do with the immense corruption that takes place among the Afghan Border Police and the Afghan customs officials. Other issues concern the relations with Pakistan, cross-border incidents of insurgent groups, insurgents firing adjacent to Pakistan border patrol locations, and Pakistani artillery firing across the border into Afghanistan. Read more in "TAAC-E troops advise Afghans on Pakistan military border coordination", RS News, January 9, 2015.

Drug Abuse in Afghanistan

A news article provides background information on the huge drug addiction problem in Afghanistan. High unemployment, drugs that are easily available, and other factors contribute to the high rate of addiction. Read more in "Drug abuse proliferates, ravages Afghanistan", Trib Live, January 10, 2015.

Georgia Military Chief Has Meetings in Afghanistan

Georgia's top military official has paid an official visit to Afghanistan to meet with Georgian troops and also have discussions about Georgia's future military participation in the Resolute Support mission. Read more in "Georgia's military chief holds top meetings in Afghanistan", Agenda.ge, January 10, 2015.

Afghanistan to Continue Anti-Corruption Efforts

President Ghani has made much of his campaign promise to root out corruption. Of course, all Afghan politicians make the same proclamations, but some believe that Ghani actually means it and his verbal assertions are backed up with his recent actions. Read more in "Afghanistan shows will to root out corruption", Central Asia Online, January 9, 2015.

U.S. Airman helps Afghan Interpreter in U.S.

Afghan interpreters are a key part of the Coalition's success in Afghanistan. It is difficult to conduct combat operations, civil affairs projects, training or advising because of the language barrier. However, because of a few thousand brave Afghan interpreters this task became easier. It addition to the interpretation, Afghan interpreters functioned as cultural advisors and were an important part of the Force Protection plan for Coalition members. Now that the war for the U.S. and Coalition is winding down many of the interpreters employed for years by the U.S. military are in search of employment. In addition, some are at risk of retribution by the Taliban. Some Afghan interpreters have been fortunate enough to receive a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) from the U.S. State Department. A few of these interpreters have also benefited from the assistance of an American sponsor. Read the story of one interpreter and his family who are being helped out by a U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant in "Academy Airman helps Afghan interpreter start new life in US", U.S. Air Force, January 10, 2015.

MEB Afghanistan Deactivates

A deactivation ceremony for Marine Expeditionary Brigade - Afghanistan (MEB-A) was held at Camp Pendleton, California on January 9, 2015. The MEB-A officially took authority of Regional Command Southwest from II MEF (Forward) on February 5, 2014 and assumed the responsibility to lead coalition operations in Helmand and Nimroz provinces. The coalition departed RC Southwest in early fall of 2014. Read more in "MEB-Afghanistan deactivates, cases colors", RS News, January 9, 2015.

Afghan Retrograde - Hazardous Waste Material

The retrograde operation in Afghanistan is, for the most part, complete. By the end of 2014 the Coalition force was down to approximately 13,000 personnel and very few bases. Most of the attention on the retrograde of ISAF over the past two years has been on the movement of MRAPs, equipment, and personnel out of Afghanistan; the closing of bases; and ability of the Afghan National Security Forces to take on the Taliban without significant assistance from ISAF. There is one aspect of the retrograde process that, while perhaps not as newsworthy as the previously mentioned topics, is equally important. Over the past 13 years there has been an accumulation of hazardous waste material building up on the many small outposts and large forwarding operation bases. As each base closes provisions have to be made for the responsible disposition of the hazardous waste material. The European Commission and the United States has some pertinent directives and regulations that have to be followed and one firm - EcoLog International - is assisting in this task. Read more in "Cleaning NATO's EcoWaste in Afghanistan", by K. Aisha Abdelhamid posted on The Inspired Economist on January 7, 2015.

Proxy Wars in Afghanistan

Tamim Asey, a fellow at the Asia Society and a Fulbright scholar at Columbia University has penned an article about the history of proxy wars in Afghanistan and the fear that with the withdrawal of ISAF Afghanistan may once again see itself being the centerpiece of "The Great Game". Read more in "A Game as Old as Empire: Return of Proxy Wars in Afghanistan - Analysis", Eurasia Review, January 10, 2015.

Daily News Snippets (Jan 12, 2015)

Andrew Drwiega writes that the rise of ISIL in Syria and Afghanistan may force the Obama administration to scrap plans for a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces at the end of 2016. Read more in "Has ISIL Rise Triggered Rethink in Afghan Strategy?", Aviation Today, January 9, 2015.

The Afghan telecommunications industry has seen tremendous growth over the past decade. This growth continues - read about some advances that the Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC) has planned for Kabul in "Pioneering 3.75G+ Mobile Broadband Services Launched in Afghanistan", Khaama Press, January 10, 2015.

General Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, has come out in favor of closing Guantanamo Bay prison. Read more in "Dempsey: Gitmo a 'psychological scar on our national values'", The Hill Blog, January 11, 2015.

And some more on General Dempsey. According to one news report the general is distancing himself from the Obama promise on Afghanistan. Obama made some bold statements on Afghanistan - saying that the country would never again be a base from which terrorists could launch attacks against the United States. Read more in a news report by The Washington Times (Jan 11, 2015).

The Herat marble industry was once held up as a sign of economic promise for Afghanistan. Marble stone can be found in abundance in the Herat region and several marble manufacturing firms began to refine the marble for export to foreign nations. Unfortunately, it seems that Iranian marble manufacturers are paying a higher price for the raw marble. Read more in "40 Marble Factories Stop Operations in Herat", Tolo News, January 11, 2015.

An interesting article by Franz-Stefan Gady about how other nations view the United States military. It isn't exactly the same as how the American serviceman thinks he is thought of! Read more in "International Perceptions of the U.S. Military, Revisited", The Diplomat, January 7, 2015.

The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) assisted in providing over 200,000 doses of influenza immunizations for the Afghan National Army. Read more in "Fighting the Flu", DLA, January 2015.

The Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) discusses the possibility that the Ghani administration is willing to offer the Taleban some positions in the new Afghan cabinet. Read "Taleban for the Ghani Cabinet? A look at a BBC report", AAN, January 11, 2015.

A news article discussing President Ghani's scheduled trip to the United States. Read more in "Afghan president to visit U.S. as Taliban tension flares", The Washington Times, January 8, 2015.

The United States Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has issued a report entitled "Military Construction in a Contingency Environment: Summary of Weaknesses Identified in Reports Issued from January 1, 2008 through March 31, 2014." Available here.

Members of the North Carolina Army National Guard's 1450th Transportation Company are headed to Afghanistan. Read more in a news release by DVIDS (January 10, 2015).

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Sunday, January 11, 2015

Tajikistan Worried about its Afghan Border

Tajikistan's armed forces are setting up a new base very close to the Afghan border. The country has some concerns about armed groups operating just south of its border that are not under the control of the Kabul government. Armed groups could be the Taliban, warlord groups, or local militias. Or . . . it could be a catch all phrase for any or all terrorist or insurgent groups (like ISIS or the IMU) that may be operating in the area. With the departure of the Coalition forces from Afghanistan there is little punch remaining in the international forces to conduct combat operations. There still remains a small counter-terrorism capability within the current U.S. force structure in Afghanistan but this is likely reserved for high-value al-Qaeda and Taliban targets. Some U.S. and international SOF forces are continuing to work with the ANA Special Operations Forces and the MoI Special Police Units but their presence in the north of Afghanistan has diminished significantly. Read more in "Eyeing Taliban, Tajikistan Sets Up New Military Base on Afghan Border", Bug Pit Eurasia Net, January 8, 2015.

MoI 96.5 FM Radio

It appears that Afghanistan will have a new radio station. According to Twitter tweets by the MoI spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi @moispokesman, the radio station will be run by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and used to engage and inform the Afghan public in anti-terrorism and anti-crime efforts.
www.afghanwarnews.info/police/FM-96-5-MoI-radio.htm

Ambassador P. Michael McKinley

Ambassador P. Michael McKinley recently presented his diplomatic credentials to President Ghani in early January 2015. McKinley is no stranger to Afghanistan. His biography is posted on the website of the U.S. Embassy of Afghanistan at the link below.

http://kabul.usembassy.gov/ambassador4.html

Video - "Afghan Faces: The Engineer"

NATO Channel has posted (Jan 3, 2015) a video on YouTube profiling the work and life of a young Afghan engineer who is working for the Afghan government. The video, 2 minutes long, is available for viewing at the link below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN41FC8PQok

Still No Afghan Cabinet

The National Unity Government (NUG) of President Ghani and CEO Abdullah has still not appointed a cabinet. Several ministries remain vacant at the top position. The Afghan public and international community is getting impatient. Read more in "104 Days Without a Government and Counting: The national mood sours", Afghanistan Analysts Network, January 9, 2015.

Daily News Snippets (Jan 11, 2015)

Tolo News reports that the Sangcharak district police chief was killed in a Taliban ambush in northern Sar-e-Pol province on Saturday, January 10, 2015.

Six3 Intelligence Solutions, Inc. of McLean, Virginia was awarded a $12 million multi-year contract for intelligence support services in Afghanistan with an estimated completion date of July 9, 2016. Six3 Sytems is now a part of CACI.

The rebuilding of the Bamiyan Buddhas is not happening anytime soon. In 2001 the Taliban destroyed these centuries old statues. There are plans afoot to restore the giant Buddhist symbols but experts are having difficulty moving the project forward. Read more in "Disputes damage hopes of rebuilding Afghanistan's Bamiyan Buddhas", The Guardian, January 10, 2015.

The White House has canceled the next pay review by the Pentagon. DoD does a review of the military compensation system every four years. The high-level review of military compensation is called the Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation or QRMC. Obama has decided that it is not needed as Congress is just now completing its Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission (MCRMC) study - a report which is due in the next few weeks. Read more in "White House cancels next pay review", Army Times, January 9, 2015.

President Ghani is rumored to be ready to sign a security agreement with Iran soon. He is scheduled for a visit to Iran with the intent to conclude a bilateral security agreement between Kabul and Tehran. The agreement will center on mutual cooperation to reduce terrorism and drug trafficking. Lots of work to be done there! Read more in a news report by Khaama Press, January 10, 2015.

The demining workers who were kidnapped earlier this week in Logar province have been released. The workers were part of the HALO demining operation.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) of the 3rd Infantry Division located at Fort Stewart, Georgian will be deactivated. It is part of a U.S. Army cut of 11 BCTs as it works to an end-strength of 490,000 Soldiers by the end of 2015. Read more in "BCT deactivates as Army draws down", Army Times, January 9, 2015.

Hundreds of Afghan protesters in Chora district staged a rally to hail the two attackers of a French newspaper office as "heroes". The rally took place just after worshipers left Friday prayers. Read more in a news report by Reuters, January 10, 2015.

The Army has released new assignments for some of its one- and two-star general officers. Those receiving new assignments include MG Heidi Brown, MG Clarence Chinn, MG Theodore Martin, MG Walter Piatt, BG William Gaylor, BG James Iacocca, BG Donald Jackson, BG Michael Kurilla, BG Joseph Martin, BG Timothy McGuire, BG Mark O'Neill, and BG Mark Stammer. Read a news release by Army Times, January 9, 2015.

MG Chinn, is the former commander of JRTC where the Security Force Assistance Advisor's course was taught for several years. He then went on to Afghanistan where he served as a Deputy Commander for Regional Command East (RC East) - double-hatted as the commander of TAC 2 at FOB Lightning and senior advisor to the 203rd Corps. His next assignment will be Commanding General of U.S. Army South at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

The U.S. Army has ordered additional AN/TSQ-135 Mobile Tower Systems (MOTS) from Sierra Nevada Corporation. The tower provides air traffic services during the initial phases of a deployment. The AN/TSQ-135 was first used by the 3rd Infantry Division in Afghanistan. Read more in a UPI news report dated January 8, 2015.

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Saturday, January 10, 2015

Conference - Future of USG Advising Missions

Conference - "The Future of USG Advising Missions"

by United States Institute of Peace

Washington, D.C. January 15, 2015

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) will host a conference on the future of U.S. government advising missions. This is a policy-level discussion about mission mandates for long-term, locally-owned solutions on advising. Learn more about this conference at the link below:

www.usip.org/events/the-future-of-usg-advising-missions

Paper - The Future of the Afghan Security Forces

The Center for a New American Security, an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, has released a recently published (January 8, 2015) paper entitled Defend, Defect, or Desert?: The Future of the Afghan Security Forces. The author, Mr. Tyler Jost, is a former U.S. Army Company Commander who served two tours in Afghanistan and is currently a PhD Candidate in International Relations at Harvard University. Jost lays out how the United States can most effectively support the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). He argues that in the coming months, Afghanistan will depend on increasingly independent Afghan security forces to fight a tough insurgency; an insurgency that is as strong today as it was four years ago during the height of the Coalition surge in Afghanistan. The paper starts off with a good historical review of the previous Afghan military organizations and then proceeds to examine the current state of the ANSF and what needs to be done for the future in order to sustain the ANSF. At the end of the paper Jost provides a conclusion and some recommendations.

www.cnas.org/future-of-aghan-security-forces

History of AFSOC in Afghanistan

There is not a lot of information about the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) role in Afghanistan in the open source world. A recent news article provides some interesting information on the role that AFSOC played in Afghanistan and specifically how far the personnel and airframes were taxed over the last four years. Read "In 2010, America's Commandos Unleashed Aerial Hell on the Taliban", War is Boring, January 8, 2015.

Book - "The Valley"

A new book is coming out about Afghanistan. It is a work of fiction that takes place on a small outpost in the Korengal Valley in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan. The book, by John Renehan, is named "The Valley" and will be published in March 2015. The book's story is told through a Lieutenant Black - a staff officer visiting the small outpost conducting an after-action report. Read a book review entitled "Renehan's 'The Valley': A fine new novel about one outpost in the Afghanistan War", posted on The Best Defense Blog - Foreign Policy, January 8, 2015.

Deal with Taliban?

BBC news is reporting that a possible peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban was in the works but fell through. According to the BBC news report the Taliban were offered posts in the new Afghan government. There were hopes to bring in three former high-ranking members of the Taliban into the government. Three ministries were offered as well as the governor posts for three provincial provinces. Read more in "Taliban 'reject offer of Afghan government posts'", BBC News Asia, January 9, 2015.

Fighting Extremism Through Education

Sharif Fayez, an Afghan scholar, is the founder of the American University of Afghanistan and a former higher education minister. In a recently published article he states that ". . . Kabul needs to reform the education sector so it can meet contemporary challenges and help prevent violence and instability fomented by extremist ideologies". He reviews the role of education in Afghanistan and the influence of ideology and religion under the Communist regime, the Taliban, and the current political structure. He believes that public education has been used in the past as a political tool. He has some worries about the madrasah system which works as a socialization mechanism for religious groups and a recruiting ground for the Taliban. Of great concern are the unregistered and unmonitored madrasahs located in Afghanistan. Read his article in "Fighting Extremism Through Education in Afghanistan", Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, January 9, 2015.

DynCorp Gets Afghan Training Support Contract

DynCorp International has been contracted by the U.S. Army to provide advisory and other support services to Afghanistan in the training of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. There are two separate contracts - one for the police and one for the army. The contracts are for a nine-month base period of performance with two three-month options. The two contracts have a total value in excess of $100 million. Read more in "DynCorp International selected for training support in Afghanistan", UPI, January 9, 2015.

News - The War Isn't Really Over

Every military man's favorite news media outlet - Rolling Stone - provides us with an article discussing the use of drones and informs us that, despite White House pronouncements - the war in Afghanistan is not over. Read "Drone Rules in Afghanistan Go Unchanged, And Other Reasons the War Isn't Really Over", Rolling Stone, January 7, 2015 by John Knefel.

Afghan Daily News Snippets (Jan 10, 2015)

PTSD. The Veterans Alliance has published an infographic about PTSD among veterans. Some of the bits of info provided: 22 U.S. veterans kill themselves every day, the VA has some shortcomings in providing assistance for veterans suffering from PTSD, and 25% of 9/11 veterans are diagnosed with PTSD. U.S. veterans are at risk from PTSD because of war/combat exposure, multiple deployments, and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

http://veteransalliance.com/infographic-america-letting-ptsd-kill-troops/

The new Kabul Chief of Police, LTG Rehemi, visited COMISAF on January 8, 2015 for an office call. Rehemi was the PCoP for Balhk province prior to his current position.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced some major changes in the European infrastructure. There will be a closing of a lot of bases throughout Europe with lots of consolidation going on. The closures will save over $500 million annually. Over 15 sites will be returned to their host nations. Of course, this drastic reduction will not affect our capability (of course DoD would say that). DoD says that the savings will allow for the basing of the F-35 Lighting II joint strike fighter at RAF Lakenheath starting in 2020. From the novice observer looking in it appears we are cutting a lot of programs and infrastructure so we can fund the Air Force's F-35 program. Just saying. Read "DoD Officials Announce European Infrastructure Consolidation", January 8, 2015.

www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123929

The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law has an ongoing program that examines the U.S. intelligence community. The center believes that the U.S. Intel community is too large, very fractured, and needs better oversight. Read more in "Secretive Private Intelligence Contractors Need Better Oversight", Defense One, January 8, 2015.

The Pentagon is seeking a 20% cut in U.S. war funding - bringing the request down to $51 billion. This is in addition to the $534 billion in the basic defense spend plan. The $51 billion is for the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund. The OCO used to be called the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) fund until President Obama took office and decided we won the war on terrorism and changed GWOT to OCO. Read more in a news report by Bloomberg News published January 8, 2015.

Clive Williams, an adjunct professor at Macquarie University's Centre for Policing, Intelligence, and Counter Terrorism (Australia) provides his thoughts on the future of Afghanistan. Williams spent a few years in Afghanistan working for ISAF. Read "The great game of Afghanistan", Brisbane Times, January 9, 2015.

Reports by the Pajhwok news media indicate that Taliban gunmen kidnapped eight deminers on Friday from an NGO mine clearing operation in Logar province.

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Afghan News and Coffee at 5 AM

Friday, January 9, 2015

LTG Mulholland to CIA

Lieutenant General John F. Mulholland Jr. has been selected to be the new Associate Director for Military Affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). LTG Mulholland has had a distinguished career in Special Forces. His unit, the 5th Special Forces Group, spear-headed the initial invasion of Afghanistan in the fall of 2001 weeks after the terrorist attack on 9/11. Over 300 of his SF operators along with 100 CIA operators linked up with the Northern Alliance and toppled the Taliban regime. Read more about his new job in a press release by the CIA dated January 7, 2015.