Afghan War Blog

Sunday, March 1, 2015

RS HQs Provides Perspective on ANSF

Resolute Support Headquarters has issued a news release on February 28, 2015 entitled Afghan National Defense and Security Forces Operational Update. The news release provides ". . . some perspective on aggregate Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) capabilities and performance". It provides some facts and figures of troop and police strength, news on current ANSF operations, the increased levels of violence, high ANSF casualties, attrition problems, recruitment efforts, and steps taken to alleviate the current problems associated with casualties, attrition, and the current capability gaps of the ANSF.

NUG - CEO Decree Dec 14

A presidential decree issued in December 2014 has laid out the responsibilities and authorities of the new Chief Executive Officer position held by Abdullah Abdullah. According to Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) the document reiterates the agreement signed on September 21, 2014 between presidential contenders Ghani and Abdullah about the National Unity Government (NUG). Read a thorough examination of the issue and the December presidential decree at the AAN website in The President's CEO Decree: Managing rather than executive powers, AAN, February 13, 2015.

Presidential Decree CEO Dec 14

CSIS Paper - Transition in Afghanistan

Anthony H. Cordesman, of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), has authored a report on Afghanistan entitled Transition in Afghanistan: Losing the Forgotten War. The paper, published on February 6, 2015, stresses the need to reshape U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia. The report indicates that the military situation in Afghanistan is far worse than the US Department of Defense and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is reporting. The report also provides a detailed analysis of the problems in the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police. It critiques the rapid cuts in the advisory presence and pull back from the Train Advise and Assist (TAA) mission at the tactical level. This 242 page report is comprehensive in its approach to the mistakes of the past, in the analysis of the current situation, and in its recommendations for the future.

Some of the topics covered on the ANSF include the slashing of the numbers of advisors and support regardless of conditions on the ground, the impact of a late and erratic effort to create an effective ANSF, meaningless metrics on ANSF capability, corruption in the MoD and MoI, uncertain progress of the ANA, focus on ANSF force generation rather than combat capability, the uncertain role of the Afghan Local Police, the need for transparency (on the part of ISAF), and the need for a conditions-based policy (not time-based).

http://csis.org/files/publication/150206_forgotten_war.pdf

777th Joint Air Brigade of the AAF

The Afghan Air Force's 777 Joint Air Brigade is now providing the air support needed during the conduct of night raids by the special operations units of the Afghan National Army (ANA), Afghan National Police (ANP), and the National Directorate of Security (NDS). Read more in "AAF Special Brigade '777' Leads Night Raids Successfully", Tolo News, January 13, 2015.

Report - SIGAR Assessment on Burn Pits

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has published a report entitled Final Assessment: What We Have Learned From Our Inspections of Incinerators and Use of Burn Pits in Afghanistan, SIGAR 15-33-AL, February 2015.

www.sigar.mil/pdf/alerts/SIGAR-15-33-AL.pdf

Defense Contracts - Afghanistan

Mission Essential Personnel, LLC of Columbus, Ohio was awarded a $10 million firm-fixed-price multi-year contract with options for intelligence support to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The work will be performed in Afghanistan with an estimated completion date of July 2016.

L-3 National Security Solutions, Inc. of Reston, Virginia was awarded at $7 million firm-fixed-price contract for intelligence support to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The contract has an estimated completion date of July 2016.

www.defense.gov/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=5473

FY 2015 Funding for NGO Programs (Refugees)

The U.S. Department of State has announced an opportunity for funding of NGO programs benefiting Afghan returnees and IDPs in Afghanistan and Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The announcement, made on February 10, 2015, includes specific instructions for NGOs on how to apply for the State Department funding.

Video - "88 Days to Kandahar"

The former CIA station chief in Islamabad, Robert Grenier, discusses the time just after 9/11 when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan. The video, hosted by Peter Bergen of New America, features Grenier - a long-time CIA operative. He discusses the few months when he found himself directing the "southern campaign", helping in the defeat of the Taliban, and assisting the rise to power of Hamid Karzai. Grenier also looks at the serious mistakes made by the United States in Afghanistan and offers some recommendations for the future. Grenier believes the U.S. should adopt a sustainable effort in Afghanistan. A phrase used in the video is "Go Long, Go Light". The video, entitled "88 Days to Kandahar", is 90 minutes long and posted on YouTube.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=resL0ZngkR0

ICRC Cites Increased Casualties in 2014

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) states that the increase in violence in Afghanistan in 2014 has resulted in rising humanitarian needs of the Afghan population. Last year (2014) there was a 37% increase in its transportation of wounded combatants from the battlefield to health centres and a doubling of its recovery of mortal remains of combatants. The civilian population faced increasing difficulties in reaching health care due to the rising level of violence in the country and the deteriorating security situation. Read more in "Afghanistan: Escalating violence brings increased suffering to war-weary Afghans", International Committee of the Red Cross, February 9, 2015.

Weather Forecasting in Afghanistan

Any military operation needs information about the weather in order to conduct operations. Afghanistan is no exception to this fact. Read more about U.S. Air Force weathermen who forecast the weather in Afghanistan in "Face of Defense: Airman Weathers Storms in Afghanistan", DoD News, February 10, 2015.

Daily News Snippets (March 1, 2015)

Afghan Security Forces delivered humanitarian aid to remote villages and police outposts cut off by heavy snow storms and deadly avalanches. Read more in a news report by Stars and Stripes on February 28, 2015.

The U.S. Army has announced new deployments for Afghanistan. The 7th Infantry Division HQs goes to TAAC-South, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division to TAAC-South and the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade heads to Bagram? Read more in a news report by Army Times, Feb 27, 2015.

The TAAC-Air commanding general - BG Michael Rothstein - recently visited Moody Air Force Base, Ga to check on the training for the A-29 Super Tucano training program. The Afghan Air Force will receive 20 of these aircraft at some point in the next year or so. Read more in a press release by Moody AFB, Feb 26, 2015.

President Ghani will visit the United States in late March. There are plans for Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah to visit the White House on March 24, 2015. Some observers believe Ghani will ask for the U.S. troop withdrawal time frame to slip to the right. Read a statement by The White House on the visit (Feb 27, 2015).

Five of Karzai's Mistakes Ghani Can Avoid, Foreign Policy, February 18, 2015. Karzai's administration made many mistakes, let's hope Afghanistan's new government can avoid these five.

1. Not having a clear domestic policy
2. Refusing to define a regional foreign policy
3. Unequal allocation of aid across provinces
4. Sidelining competent Afghans
5. Ignoring women

Afghan- Pak Optimism. Some observers believe that diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan are improving. President Ghani is re-setting the relationship and observers are hoping that Pakistan will stop supporting the Afghan Taliban. Time will tell. Read "New Signs of Optimism for Afghan-Pakistan Relations", Voice of America, February 27, 2015.

James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee says the Taliban is set to gain control of more territory in Afghanistan this year. The Taliban insurgency is getting increasingly aggressive. Read more in a news report (Bloomberg, Feb 26, 2015). You can read his statement for the record in "Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community".

The U.S. State Department is offering rewards for information on two associates of the extremist group Hezb- Islami Gulbuddin (HIG). HIG is an offshoot of Herb-e Islami (Party of Islam) - and active in Afghanistan. (DoS, Feb 26, 2015).

COIN in Afghanistan Examined. Lillian Figg-Franzoi, a member of the United Nations Officer for Project Services, has penned an article where the tactic of counterinsurgency employed in Afghanistan is closely looked at. An interesting article with many valid (and some not so valid) points to consider. Read the article in "Learning How Not to Scare People: The Paradox of Counterinsurgency", E-International Relations, February 20, 2015.

An Army Medal of Honor recipient, William Swenson, was spied upon by military investigators after he was mentioned online in an Amazon book review by another soldier who was a subject of investigation. His home was put under surveillance, his neighbor and girlfriend questioned, and his trash was searched. See "Army Spied on Hero Solider Over a Book Review", NewsMax, Feb 26, 2015.

2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division will deploy in the spring and summer as part of the Resolute Support Mission. (Syracuse.com, Feb 26, 2015).

A suicide bomber, in a white Corrolla, attacked two vehicles belonging to Turkish members of the NATO force in Kabul. One Turkish soldier was killed in the attack. (Stars and Stripes, Feb 26, 2015).

Can China help with Afghanistan's peace process?, Deutsche Welle, February 18, 2015. Concerned about an Islamic insurgency (the ETIM) in Xinjiang province, China has offered to assist in the Afghan peace process. But experts say China lacks direct access to the Afghan Taliban and relies on its clout over Pakistan. Hmmmm.

Renewed Peace Talks with Taliban. The news media is buzzing with the prospects of peace talks with the Taliban. Learn more in "Talking to Taliban might help U.S. stabilize Afghanistan", Chicago Tribune, February 24, 2015.

Rula Ghani, First Lady of Afghanistan, was interviewed by Nina Easton of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on February 18, 2015. You can listen to her at the podcast at the link below. One interesting comment was concerning corruption. An AfPak Hand who will deploy to Afghanistan in mid-summer 2015 was in the audience. During the question and answer period he asked Mrs. Ghani if she had any advice to him once he started his job of advising with the MoD (or MoI - he wasn't sure). She responded with "If you see corruption, don't look the other way. Unfortunately, advisors tend to look the other way when . . . " confronted with corruption.
http://csis.org/event/conversation-rula-ghani

Two U.S. Army general officers with a recent (or current) assignment in Afghanistan have received new assignment orders. BG Douglas M. Grabram, the former commander of Train, Advise, and Assist Command South (TAAC South) will become the deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. BG Mark C. Schwartz, currently the deputy commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (SOJTF-A) will soon be the deputy commander of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. See news report "2 generals receive new assignments", Fort Hood Herald, February 18, 2015.

Afghan Surge and Counterinsurgency. About 30,000 additional troops surged into Afghanistan over five years ago in an attempt to reduce the violence in the country (especially the south) and give the Afghan military time and space to recruit, train, and deploy additional security forces. Five years later the troop levels are down from a high of 100,000 to just barely over 10,000 and the ANSF are in the lead for security all across Afghanistan. One thing has not changed. The Taliban are still out there and pose a significant threat. So despite the surge and the employment of counterinsurgency doctrine, strategy, and tactics the Taliban have not been defeated. As a result some observers would like to discredit the doctrine of counterinsurgency. John Ford writes in a recent column - not so fast - see what he has to say in "Reading Galula in Afghanistan", War on the Rocks, February 25, 2015.

SOCOM Operators Suffering 'Burnout' from Repeated Combat Zone Deployments. Special Operators are constantly deploying causing 'burnout' and personnel leaving after ten or more years being constantly deployed. Read more in "Special Operations: The Revenge of the Bureaucrats", Strategy Page, February 17, 2015.

"Colonels without Patches". A cute cartoon from "Doctrine Man". After 13 years of war in two countries . . . how did you accomplish that?
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=935673506465801

The staff of the Spin Boldak branch of Da Afghanistan Bank have taken the banks money and fled to Pakistan. Read more in a news article by Khaama Press (Feb 19, 2015).

A Wisconsin-based National Guard artillery unit has returned home after a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan. Soldiers of Battery A, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery provided fire support for combat operations in Afghanistan. Read more in "FA Battery returns home from Resolute Support", Fort Bliss Bugle, February 19, 2015.

Train, Advise, and Assist Command - East (TAAC East) is seeing a rotation of units for its area of operations. The "Brave Rifles" of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment is leaving Afghanistan and the 3rd "Rakkasans" Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division are now arriving. TAAC East is located at Tactical Base Gamberi in Laghman province; located adjacent to the base where the Afghan National Army (ANA) 201st Corps is headquartered. Read more in "3rd CR transfers duties in Afghanistan", Fort Hood Herald, February 18, 2015.

Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Troops who have participated in Operation Freedom's Sentinel now qualify for award of the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Campaign stars will be used on the Afghanistan Campaign Medal to recognize a service member's participation in multiple campaign phases in country. Read more in a Stars and Stripes news report.

Guest Bloggers 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 News by Newsletter

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Thursday, January 15, 2015

Temporary Break in Blogging

There will be a temporary break in blog posts for the Afghan War News Blog. I will be heading overseas for a short-term military training contract. I intend to resume blogging upon my return - the absence should be for several weeks.

Afghan War News
staff@afghanwarnews.info
www.afghanwarnews.info
www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com
@AfghanWarBlog

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Report - A-10 Retirement

Everyone knows that the A-10 retirement is a bad thing for ground troops but a good thing for helping the United States Air Force fund its not-quite-ready (see news report on the F-35's GAU-22 Gun System) and very expensive F-35. Read more about the A-10 retirement in Proposed Retirement of A-10 Aircraft: Background in Brief, by Jeremiah Gertler, Congressional Research Service (CRS), January 5, 2015. Report is posted on the Afghan War News website at the link below.

www.afghanwarnews.info/pubs/A-10BackgroundCRSJan15.pdf

MQ-9 Reaper Mission to Continue

Although the ISAF mission has ended - replaced by the Resolute Support Mission - there are still about 13,000 military personnel remaining in Afghanistan. And . . . the drone activity is still ongoing. The end of combat operations has meant little change for the 174th Attack Wing drone pilots of Syracuse, New York who fly remotely-operated aircraft in Afghanistan. The unit's MQ-9 Reaper drones continue to aid in intelligence-gathering missions in Afghanistan with surveillance and reconnaissance flights. Over the past year the unit flew over 4,500 hours in Afghanistan. Read more in "War in Afghanistan won't end for 174th Attack Wing drone pilots in Syracuse", Syracuse.com, January 13, 2015.

Ranger School Goes Online

The U.S. Army is leading American society not only in progressive social policies (see the move to allow women to attend Ranger School) but also spear-heading leading-edge educational opportunities for its personnel. At the forefront of this shift from resident courses of instruction and training to online learning experiences is the Ranger School. Read more in "Ranger School Replaced by 9-Week Long Online Game", Duffel Blog, January 10, 2015.

DEA Veteran Recounts Afghan Experience

A senior Drug Enforcement Agency veteran recounts fighting the Taliban and the CIA while trying to bring down Afghan drug kingpins. He refers to the Afghan government's drug eradication effort as a joke. He fears that with a U.S. pullout from Afghanistan the Taliban will gain greater strength. Read more in "A Drug Warrior's Inside Look at the War on Afghanistan's Heroin Trade", Mother Jones, Jan 12, 2015.

Expeditionary Wing's Mission in RS

Two Air Expeditionary Wings will operate in Afghanistan as part of Operation Freedom's Sentinel. The 438th AEW will be based in the capital of Kabul with personnel at other locations as well performing the 'train, advise, and assist' mission supporting the Afghan Air Force. Topics to be trained and advised include airlift, aeromedical evacuation, tactical reconnaissance, and close air support. The 455th AEW will be based at Bagram Airfield but will also have some satellite locations. It's primary mission will be to maintain a counterterrorism capability in Afghanistan targeting the remnants of al-Qaeda. It may also provide combat enabler support to the ANSF in limited operations to prevent detrimental strategic effects to the Afghan security forces. The Air Force personnel will account for about 20 percent of the 13,000 RS troops remaining in Afghanistan. Information is from "The Continuing Mission in Afghanistan", Air Force Magazine, January 7, 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

Early Morning Afghan News

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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Afghan News in Your Inbox

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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Afghan War News Newsletter

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.