Afghan War Blog

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Afghan News Snippets (Apr 1, 2015)

Haqqani Network to Return to Home Base in Pakistan. Nearly 1 million civilians were forced from their homes in northwestern Pakistan as the result of a Pakistan military offensive over the past several months. These civilians are now able to return to their homes. Among those returning civilians will be thousands of Haqqani Network fighters who also fled their sanctuaries to avoid the fighting. Observers are contemplating how the return of the Haqqani Network to their home base will affect the recent thaw in Pakistan - Afghan relations. Read more in "Dangerous Afghan Taliban Network Prepares Return to Pakistan Sanctuary", Gandhara Blog, March 31, 2015.

Citizens Say Sar-e-Pul Districts Controlled by Taliban. Residents and local officials say that several districts of Sar-e-Pul province are on the verge of falling to the Taliban and other groups that oppose the central government. Reports indicated that some police in these districts have not been paid for four months. Read "Concerns Raised as Sar-e-Pul Districts on Verge of Collapse", Tolo News, March 30, 2015.

Afghans Demand Elected Mayors. Although the Afghan constitution has a provision requiring mayors to be elected in local elections - most of the mayors are appointed by the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Those appointments are generally made as a result of corruption, nepotism, or personal connections - less frequently are appointments based on qualifications or merit. Read more in an article entitled "Afghans Demand Elected Mayors", Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR), March 31, 2015.

"Rare Moment of Hope". Jonah Blank, a senior political scientist at RAND Corporation and former U.S. official who handled Afghan issues, gives us his reasons for optimism when it comes to the future of Afghanistan under President Ghani's watch. Read "Give Ghani a Chance: Why this time is different", The RAND Blog, March 31, 2015.

Women in Peacekeeping. As peacekeeping has evolved to encompass a broader humanitarian approach, women have become increasingly part of the peacekeeping family. Women are now deployed in all areas of peacekeeping as members of police, military, and civilian entities. They are key in supporting the role of women in building peace and protecting women's rights. Learn more about women in peacekeeping from this online article by the United Nations.
www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/issues/women/womeninpk.shtml

DoDIG Report on GIRoA Controls over Contract Management. This Department of Defense Inspector General report found that the government of Afghanistan's Ministries of Defense and Interior did not have effective controls over the contract management process for U.S. direct assistance funding provided to sustain the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The Ministry of Finance (MoF) was also found to be at fault. The report also found that ". . . CSTC-A did not hold the ministries accountable for not instituting the necessary controls over the contract management process and did not enforce the requirements within the commitment letters". The report recommends that CSTC-A use the ministerial advisory contract to place subject matter experts within the ministries to develop and increase the capacity of MoI and MoD to manage contracts appropriately. Read the report, DODIG-2015-082 dated February 26, 2015.
www.dodig.mil/pubs/report_summary.cfm?id=6269

ProPublica. An independent, non-profit newsroom that does investigative journalism in the public interest is looking for input on fraud and abuse of U.S. dollars in Afghanistan. ProPublica wants YOU to get involved. Read more at "Help ProPublica Investigate".

USASOC Video on "ARSOF Next". The United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) presents a 30-minute long video on what the future of Army Special Operations looks like. Key concepts include adaptability, autonomy, empathy, and expertise. Attributes of the Special Forces Soldier are discussed. Video posted on YouTube.com on March 31, 2015.
https://youtu.be/vC99Apc5ijc

AWG to Stay. The Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) will be staying on but at a reduced level. It will become part of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). AWG brings back lessons learned from around the globe and they had a big role in Afghanistan in advising in the field and providing lessons learned as well. Currently AWG is studying new threats and devising immediate materiel and doctrinal answers. (Defense News, March 31, 2015).

Afghan Women Mountain Climbers. Afghanistan has lots of high mountains. Anyone who has had the opportunity to fly over or drive through the Hindu Kush knows this for sure. As a former mountain climber / rock climber I was struck by the many climbing locations and often wondering if anyone had climbed this particular mountain or that rock face - ever. Mountain climbing in Afghanistan is not a very well developed sport and it certainly is not one where Afghan women participate. Yet there is a budding group of Afghan women who aim high. Ascend is an organization that helps Afghan women to become mountain climbers. Read more on this topic in "The Ascent of Afghan Women", by Sandra Caligaro for National Public Radio (NPR), March 31, 2015.

ATP 3-35. The U.S. Army has updated its deployment and redeployment doctrine. Check out Army Deployment and Redeployment (March 2015).
http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/atp3_35.pdf

Bergdahl Desertion. An article by Kate Brannen in The Cable Blog of Foreign Policy (March 30, 2015) says that "Bergdahl's Biggest Worry is Rare Misbehavior Before the Enemy Charge". This charge is far more serious than the desertion charge and carries a maximum punishment of life behind bars, a dishonorable discharge, a reduction in rank, and lost of thousands of dollars of pay and benefits that Bergdahl earned after joining the military. The charge isn't necessarily related to his time in captivity but rather from the time he walked off his remote outpost to when he was captured by the Taliban. He left his unit and his actions exposed men to danger who went searching for him over a period of months in very hostile areas of eastern Afghanistan.

Guest Writers 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. If you wrote a paper on a relevant topic and would like to share it send it to us for posting on the blog and website. And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links please let us know.

staff@afghanwarnews.info

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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Interview with Mike Waltz on Afghanistan

James Rosen on "The Foxhole" of Fox News interviews Michael G. Waltz - a Special Forces officer with multiple tours in Afghanistan and also a former high-level employee of the Department of Defense. The interview is on the topics of Afghanistan, the Islamic Jihad, President Obama as the commander-in-chief, Pakistan offering sanctuary to insurgents, the distraction that Iraq caused in winning in Afghanistan, reliance on NATO as a central player in Afghanistan, and more. Waltz is a reserve component member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, served as special advisor to Vice President Cheney on South Asia and counterterrorism, and worked in the Department of Defense in the office responsible for counternarcotics in Afghanistan and South Asia. Waltz currently serves as a senior national security advisor with the New America Foundation. Waltz is also the author of the book Warrior Diplomat. Watch the 18-minute long interview with Mike Waltz.

Afghan Daily News Snippets (Mar 31, 2015)

Bergdahl Desertion. Members of Bergdahl's platoon are undercutting his defense. Bergdalh claims he left his remote outpost in Afghanistan to meet with higher level ranking officers about abuses within his unit. However, his platoon was due to redeploy back to FOB Sharana the next day - which was the largest base nearby with high level ranking officers. Bergdalh's defense attorney has a tough fight ahead of him. Read more in "Some in Bergdahl's platoon undercut his emerging defense", CNN News, March 29, 2015. A military judge writes on the defense team's tactics in "Did Bergdahl's Defense Team Reveal Its Strategy Too Soon?", Task & Purpose, March 30, 2015. Meanwhile the Republicans are using the prisoner swap to mount an attack on President Obama's foreign policy - criticizing the exchange of a deserter for five high-level Taliban commanders who were imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay - see "GOP puts Bergdahl swap on trial", The Hill Policy Blog, March 28, 2015.

Five Passengers Abducted. Tolo News reported (Mar 30, 2015) that five passengers were abducted in Balkh province by unknown gunmen. The incident took place in the Sholgara district on Monday.

IMU and ISIS. A group of Uzbeks in northern Afghanistan claiming to be from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) says it is pledging allegiance to the Islamic State extremist group. (Radio Free Europe, Mar 30, 2015).

Suicide Attack in Kabul. An attack kills 3 people and wounds a lawmaker and seven others. Some reports say that a member of parliament was the apparent target of the attack. (Gandhara Blog, Mar 30, 2015).

Power Shortage Due to Clashes. Fights between the ANSF and Taliban have cut off the main supply of power from the Kajaki power plant in Helmand to consumers in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. Clashes have made it difficult to repair the cut power lines. (Reuters, Mar 30, 2015). In addition, Kabul is still suffering from power shortages due to extreme winter conditions and avalanches.

Medical Lessons from Battlefield. The first responder sector is benefiting from medical lessons learned from the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Read more in "Lessons from the battlefield are transforming emergency medicine in huge ways", Business Insider, March 29, 2015.

Ghani and CFR. President Ghani, during his U.S. tour, spent time with the Council on Foreign Relations discussing the many challenges that lie ahead for Afghanistan. Hannah Gais, reports on the address by Ghani in her column "How Ashraf Ghani's Government Will Address Afghanistan's Endemic Problems", The Diplomat, March 30, 2015.

Arming Police Militias. Arming vigilantes in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to work alongside struggling police forces isn't a solution - it's a time bomb. Or at least so says Hassan Abbas and Nadia Gerspacher - the authors of a news article entitled "The Irregulars", Foreign Policy, March 30, 2015. I can't say I agree with the authors and it is very likely they don't have a clue about the Afghan Local Police.

Desert Warrior Course. The Army is starting up a new school in Texas called the Desert Warrior Course where Soldiers will learn combat tracking, night land navigation, medical skills, basic desert patrolling, hazardous desert wildlife (can you say snakes?), and other skills. The 20-day long course will be filling a gap in small-unit tactics that have gone neglected. The school will be modeled after previous desert training events (such as the desert training phrase - BTDT - that Ranger School used to offer back when it was really hard). The first Desert Warrior Course starts in June 2015. Read more in "Army to launch new desert school", Army Times, March 30, 2015.

SF Recruiting Video. It looks like U.S. Army Special Forces has released a new SF recruiting video in an attempt to get folks to volunteer for SF training. Shooting skills, parachuting, fast-roping and more! A one minute long video posted on the USASOC Facebook site.

Women in Balochistan Suffer. Just south of Afghanistan is Pakistan's largest province - Balochistan. Life is grim for women living there - honor killings, acid attacks, maternal mortality and illiteracy. Read more in "Shocking Conditions for Balochistan's Women", The Diplomat, March 29, 2015.

Upcoming Event on Pakistan. The Wilson Center will hold a presentation by Pakistani journalist and security specialist Zahid Hussain who will provide an evaluation of Pakistani's countermilitancy efforts since last December on April 2, 2015 from 3:00 - 4:30 pm. The event is titled "Pakistan's Intensified Countermilitancy Push: Real Deal or False Hope".

Guest Bloggers Invited

Afghan War News w/ Morning Coffee

Monday, March 30, 2015

Afghan News Snippets (Mar 30, 2015)

Light News Day! There wasn't much news on the Internet Sunday when I put this newsletter together. I suppose everyone is suffering from "news fatigue" on the topics of the Ghani-Abdullah visit to D.C., the Farkhunda murder, and ISIS in Afghanistan. There is lots of other stuff going on in the world capturing the headlines to include Iran nuclear talks, crashed German airliner, troubles in Yemen, and the ongoing conflict in Syria and Iraq. Of course, the weekends are usually relatively slow when it comes to news.

Then again, maybe I got scared of being on the computer most of the day after reading the newly released (2015) report by RAND Corporation entitled "A Review of Research on Problematic Internet Use and Well-being: With Recommendations for the U.S. Air Force". It seems that 6% of the Air Force personnel suffer from Problematic Internet Use or PIU.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR849.html

"Just as the Internet was becoming part of everyday life in the mid-1990s, mental health professionals started seeing patients who were so absorbed in their online activities that they were neglecting their important social relationships, their work responsibilities, and even their health."

More Afghan Tour of U.S. News. The U.S. State Department released a statement (through its Bureau of International Information Programs) on the recent President Ghani visit to the United States. Read "Afghanistan is moving forward, with help from its friends", Share America, March 27, 2015.
https://share.america.gov/afghanistan-is-moving-forward/

Abdullah Interview - BBC. CEO Abdullah is interviewed by BBC where he expressed optimism that his country was on the path towards self-reliance but noted that more must be done for continued strength. He discusses the need for continued international assistance, possibility of peace talks, threat from ISIS, women's rights, and more. Watch the four minute video. (4 mins).
www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32080321

Abdullah Interview - NPR. Dr. Abdullah is interviewed by National Public Radio (NPR). Some observations by the CEO: Karzai ruined the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship and it needed to be repaired; Ghani and Abdullah put aside their egos for the good of Afghanistan and formed the National Unity Government, it is good to leave the door open for peace talks with the Taliban, and more.

Ghani, U.S. Assistance, and Women's Rights. Catherine Powell, writing for the Development Channel Blog of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) hesitantly supports the modified departure of U.S. troops in Afghanistan as it will help Afghanistan to ensure women's rights are improved over the next several years. Read "Mr. Ghani Goes to Washington", March 27, 2015.

Graphics Showing US Public's Thoughts on Afghanistan. USA Today says that the percentage of Americans who think it was a mistake to enter Afghanistan has increased by 40 percentage points over the past 13 years. (March 29, 2015).

Foreign Fighters in Afghanistan (1980-1992). Dr. Avraham Sela presented a talk entitled "State, Society and Transnational Islamic Volunteer Fighters in Comparative Perspective: Palestine 1948 and Afghanistan (1980-92)" at the Center for Security Studies of of Georgetown. Read more on his talk in an article by Georgetown Security Studies Review (March 28, 2015).

Loose Nukes in Pakistan? An article in Eurasia Review says that Pakistan's nukes (between 90 to 120) are a lot safer than folks think. Read "Safety and Security of Pakistan's Nuclear Installations", (March 29, 2015).

Video - LTG Eikenberry and Dr. Ali Jalali. A 50-minute long video provides us with a presentation by former LTG Karl Eikenberry and Dr. Ali Jalali who talk about state-building in Afghanistan. Eikenberry did two tours in Afghanistan and was also an ambassador to Afghanistan. Dr. Jalali was born in Kabul and has been a U.S. citizen since 1987. He currently is a professor on Near East and South Asia studies at the Center for Strategic Studies of the U.S. National Defense University. (Posted by the United States Institute for Peace on YouTube.com, March 20, 2015, 50 minutes long).

https://youtu.be/JHoLD0aWYIk

Guest Bloggers Wanted

Afghan War News with your Morning Coffee

Sunday, March 29, 2015

History of Task Force Musketeer (France)

EC-665 Attack Helicopter - Tiger
(photo by Erwan de Cherisey)

Task Force Musketeer was the name of the French aviation task force in Afghanistan. French military forces have been involved in Afghanistan since 2001 and for most of that time the French ground forces were supported by French rotary wing aircraft of many different types. The French helicopters performed a wide variety of duties to include air support, MEDEVAC, personnel movement, resupply, convoy escort, and reconnaissance. Erwan de Cherisey is a guest writer for the Afghan War News Blog. He has wrote a detailed history of France's aviation support in Afghanistan entitled - Task Force Musketeer. Erwan de Cherisey has wrote numerous articles for many different publications about aviation, Afghanistan, defense and other topics. He holds a master's degree in contemporary history and travels to many conflict zones around the world to report on peacekeeping, stability, and security operations. Erwan will provide articles and book reviews to the Afghan War News Blog on an occasional basis and we are proud to have him on the writing team! Read more about Erwan de Cherisey.

View the online article about Task Force Musketeer.

Trains Connecting Afghanistan to . . . Everywhere

President Ghani of Afghanistan envisions ". . . a strategic railroad stretching from Central Asia to China, Europe and its neighbors that would allow Afghanistan to develop its untapped mineral resources." He sees Afghanistan as being a transit country connecting the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, and China by road and rail. Currently the railways in Afghanistan are extremely limited and government regulations and management of the railways is haphazard at best. Read more in "Afghanistan's Big Project: A Train to Europe", Newsweek, March 26, 2015.

Paper - Economics in COIN

It is estimated that the Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of State (DoS) combined spent over $100 billion in reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. The Commission on Wartime Contracting estimates that much of this money was lost due to fraud, waste and abuse. Employing economics in a stability situation such as Afghanistan always presents challenges. However, many problems in this field were the result of the lack of an overall unified strategy for economic reconstruction. This paper compares previously deployed economic development plans (WWII and Vietnam) to efforts undertaken in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read "Economics in Counterinsurgency Operations", by Hayes J. Weidman, IAS-004, March 2015. The paper is a special study published by the Simons Center for Interagency Cooperation.

http://thesimonscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/IAS-004-March15.pdf

Paper - Russia, COIN, and Lessons (Not) Learned

A paper recently published (Dec 2014) entitled "Russian Organizational Learning in the Context of Afghanistan and Chechnya Counterinsurgencies" provides us with an examination of the Soviet Unions approach to counterinsurgency in Afghanistan (violently offensive mindset that alienated the populace they needed to succeed). The paper compares this approach in Afghanistan to the Russian counterinsurgency approach in Chechnya (essentially the same). The 47 page long paper seeks to understand why the lessons learned (or perhaps not learned) in the Afghan COIN environment were not implemented in the later counterinsurgency situation found in Chechnya. In addition, the author notes that the United States did not learn its counterinsurgency lessons in Vietnam and when presented with the counterinsurgent struggle in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. had to relearn those lessons. The author of this paper, MAJ Anthony M. Roh, wrote the paper as a student in the School of Advanced Military Studies at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The paper can be read online or downloaded at the link below on the Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL).

https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=763327

Afghan War News Snippets (Mar 29, 2015)

Afghan Goodwill Tour Successful. President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah made big points in their smoothly choreographed week-long blitz of D.C. Lots of good press, a reset of Afghan-U.S. relations, and renewed commitments by the U.S. to continue support for Afghanistan. Read more in "A New Day in US-Afghan Relations, But for How Long?", Defense One, March 26, 2015.

Abdullah at Brookings. Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah recently attended a session at the Brookings Institute where he discussed a number of issues. See a report by the Brookings Institute (March 27, 2015) on his visit.

American Folly and Afghan Gratitude. A commentator, Steve Chapman, writes in The Chicago Tribune (March 27, 2015) that the Afghan leader(s) visit to the U.S. was refreshing in that they expressed their thanks for the sacrifice U.S. troops have made in Afghanistan (and the bags of money we have handed over) but he fears that we are stuck in Afghanistan for the long haul with doubts on the success of establishing a stable Afghanistan.

"Afghanistan's Next Chapter". The New York Times has published an editorial about the "Afghan Tour" recently completed by Ghani and Abdullah. There are two major challenges for Afghanistan - The Afghan Army needs to stem the attrition and turnover of it Army and the endemic corruption must be significantly cut back.

Generals Fired. President Ghani fired over 60 Afghan general officers in recent weeks. Many were forcibly retired - and they, for the most part, won't be missed. Among the 60 plus generals there were no doubt some that didn't show up for work or they did not have any real job. This move should save a lot of money and create a less bureaucratic security structure.

Video - Professor Tom Barfield. An expert on Afghanistan and book author speaks about state building in Afghanistan. Additional topics is state building mixed with counterinsurgency and counterterrorism. Dr. Barfield is a professor of anthropology at Boston University and president of the American Institute for Afghanistan Studies. (posted by the United States Institute for Peace on YouTube.com, March 20, 2015, 31 minutes).

https://youtu.be/pomICnvu5UU

Presentation on Central Asia at Brookings. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will give remarks on current priorities and future prospects for U.S. engagement in Central Asia at the Brookings Institution on Tuesday, March 31, at 3:30 p.m. He will discuss how the U.S. plans to deepen our partnerships in the region to enhance regional security, economic integration, and address common foreign policy challenges.

www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/03/239867.htm

Hazara Captives. It has been almost one month since 31 Hazaras were taken captive by unknown gunmen in Zabul province. Still no resolution.

Zulfiqar Operation Ongoing. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are still conducting their operation in Helmand province. It is an attempt to shape the environment prior to the start of the 2015 fighting season and put the insurgents off balance.

Farkhunda Case to AGO. The Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoI) has sent the cases of 28 suspects involved in the killing of the woman named Farkhunda to the Attorney Generals Office (AGO).

Turkmen-Afghan Border. Turkmenistan is increasingly worried about its border with Afghanistan and the threat posed by ISIS. Read "ISIS and Turkmenistan's Border Worries", The Diplomat, March 28, 2015. Turkmenistan has asked the U.S. for military aid to address Afghan border instability. Read more on this topic in "Turkmenistan Asks U.S. for Military Aid to Address Border Instability", Eurasia.net, March 27, 2015.

South of Afghan Border. In Balochistan, a part of Pakistan south of Afghanistan, the Chinese have a major development project ongoing. Pakistan is preparing to hand over its deep sea Gwadar port to Chinese interests in the next month. However, it appears that Baloch insurgents are targeting Chinese interests in the area. In an attack on Monday at least five oil trucks were set on fire and some drivers abducted. Insurgents accuse multinational firms of looting Balochistans natural resources - little gain is seen among the Balochs of the large enterprises operating in the Baloch region. The internal strife has prompted many Balochs to resettle in southwestern Afghanistan - an area where some Balochs live. Read more in "Chinese Operations in Balochistan Again Targeted by Militants", The Diplomat, March 27, 2015.

Karzai on ISIS. Former President Karzai is visiting Australia. He was recently interviewed by CNBC where he made some comments about the presence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan. He says ISIS lacks the necessary support to make gains and that there is a lot of media hype going on. He was also very critical of the U.S. and the Coalition's efforts in Afghanistan - saying that not much was accomplished over the past 13 years. He accused the U.S. of having a flawed policy with Pakistan - who he considers at fault for its support of the Taliban. Read more in "Karzai: Islamic State is not in Afghanistan", CNBC, March 28, 2015.

White House and Bergdahl. The Army's decision to charge Beau Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy is not a good move for the White House. It was just ten months ago that the White House made a big deal of the release of Bergdahl by the Taliban in exchange for five high-level Taliban fighters to include a ceremony on the White House lawn. The White House celebration seems a bit misguided and inept. Read more in "How the White House bungled the Bowe Bergdahl case", LA Times, March 28, 2015.

Indiana NG MPs Afghan Bound. Members of the 939th Military Police Detachment are heading to southern Afghanistan. (WTHR.com, Mar 28, 2015).

Move Toward Parliamentary System? One observer of the Afghan governmental system thinks that Afghanistan should move from a centralized governmental system (where the President has lots of power - such as appointing all 34 provincial governors) to one based on parliamentary procedure that is more decentralized. It would appear, based on comments made during his U.S. tour, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah (CEO) is in agreement with this idea as well. Read more in "Afghans in America: Takeaways from Ghani and Abdullah's US visit", The Diplomat, March 27, 2015.

Postes Afghanes. Learn about the 'snail mail' service of Afghanstan before the 1980s. Thomas Ruttig of Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) looks back on 135 years of Afghan postal service and provides a first-hand view of 30 years of personal experience with the Afghan postal service. Read "Post Runners, Aerogrammes and the Big E-Mail Challenge: Scenes from 135 years of Afghan postal service". (March 29, 2015).

Team Shield Police Advisory Team. Read a short story on how TAAC East police advisors are assisting the Afghan police. (Army.mil, Mar 28, 2015).

Task Force Corsair. TF Corsair is a multifunctional aviation task force that aids Afghan forces by providing full-sprectrum aviation support in TAAC South. Read "Task Force Corsair assists from above", DVIDS,i March 28, 2015.

AP Journalist Killer Sentenced. The killer of an AP journalist was sentenced to 20 years of prison by an Afghan court. (Stars and Stripes, Mar 28, 2015).

Keep the A-10. The Huffington Post Blog has published an article by Robert Slayton (Professor of history at Chapman University) saying the U.S. Air Force has to keep the A-10. He says "Simply put, the A-10 is the best plane ever designed to support troops in combat. By any nation, anytime." Read more in "Protect Our Troops", Huffington Post Blog, March 27, 2015.

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Saturday, March 28, 2015

43rd Battalion (Georgia) to Deploy to Afghanistan

43rd Battalion of Georgia. A farewell ceremony was held for the 43rd Battalion of the IV Mechanized Brigade of the Georgia Armed Forces prior to its departure for a deployment to Afghanistan as part of the Resolute Support Mission (RSM). The 43rd Battalion will replace the 51st Battalion on Bagram Air BAse (BAF) located just north of Kabul. The deployment will be six months long and the mission is to provide security for BAF. (The Messenger Online (GE), March 26, 2015.

www.messenger.com.ge/issues/3337_march_26_2015/3337_2.html

Beau Bergdahl Should Get Jail Time

Bergdahl Should Pay. A Special Forces commander who was in Afghanistan when Bergdahl went missing describes the effect his disappearance had on operations. The SF teams that he commanded were re-missioned to searching for Bergdahl instead of going after militants. Equipment was diverted, drones were reallocated, key missions were scrapped, and his men were sent into some of the most hostile areas of Afghanistan to conduct the search for the missing Soldier. The SF officer says Bergdahl is lucky - as he survived captivity and is back in the United States. However, "the soldiers who died looking for him never had the opportunity to return home". Read Michael Waltz's opinion piece in "Bergdahl should pay for betrayal: Opposing View", USA Today, March 26, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets (Mar 28, 2015)

New Banking Law? The Afghan parliament may approve a new banking law that includes provisions for Islamic banking. Read more in "New Afghanistan banking law may jump-start Islamic finance", Yahoo! News, March 27, 2015.

ISIS and Taliban. Some experts think that certain elements of the Taliban may end up pledging allegiance to ISIS. Listen to the thoughts of regional analysts Scott Stewart and Michael Waltz on the operational capabilities of ISIS in South Asia and the importance of the U.S. to rethink its withdrawal strategy. (Fox News, Mar 25, 2015).

NATO Backs Slower US Exit. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has embraced the U.S. decision to slow down the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Voice of America, Mar 26, 2015).

China and India. The two regional powers of China and India are competing for influence in Afghanistan - but they will also have to work together. (The Diplomat, Mar 27, 2015).

Spin Boldak Bank Robbery. Five officials of the Spin Boldak Branch of the Central Bank of Afghanistan were arrested in connection with the theft of 76 million AFN five weeks ago in southern Kandahar province. (Tolo News, Mar 26, 2015).

UK Troops Exposed in Helmand. A recent news report says that British soldiers were left dangerously exposed in the volatile province of Helmand due to poor decision making. Military chiefs underestimated the strength of the Taliban in Helmand province and there were deep failings in decision making at higher levels. (Guardian, Mar 26, 2015).

CEO Abdullah Optimistic. John Grady writes in USNI News that the Afghanistan Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah is optimistic about his countries future. He says that the new National Unity Government is functioning but security is still the number one problem in Afghanistan. (March 26, 2015).

Afghans Want Faster Training of AAF. The Afghan government has asked the United States to accelerate the training and equipping of Afghan pilots to fly aeromedical evacuation and close air support missions. Currently the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing headquartered in Kabul conducts in-country training of the Afghan Air Force. There are also 30 Afghan pilots and 90 maintainers at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia receiving training n the A-29 Super Tucano. Training is also conducted by defense contractors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Read "Afghans want U.S. to speed up training of Afghan air force", Air Force Times, March 26, 2015.

Video - Ambassador James Dobbins. The former ambassador spoke in this video about state strengthening in Afghanistan. He was a special representative for the State Department for Afghanistan and Pakistan. The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) hosted a conference and one of the speakers was James Dobbins. (USIP, March 23, 2015, 42 minutes).

https://youtu.be/A0AViKj8EGk

Former U.S. COP in Bakwa district captured by TB. The Taliban have released a video showing the capture of a former U.S. base in Farah province. (Khaam Press, Mar 27, 2015).

ISIS Recruiting in Afghanistan. CNN has received a video that shows ISIS recruiters in Afghanistan. (CNN, March 24, 2015).

Guest Bloggers Wanted

AWN Newsletter Daily

Friday, March 27, 2015

Video - EU in Afghanistan

The European Union in Afghanistan has published a short video entitled "This is How Afghanistan Can Become Peaceful and Prosperous" (March 19, 2015, 2 minutes long). The narrator says that "When we think of Afghanistan, we think of war, conflict and its violent past. But what about the future?" The video sends the message that Afghanistan sits at the centre of a natural corridor for trade and transit but in order to take advantage of this geographic advantage cooperation with other regional countries like China, Pakistan, Iran, India, and the Central Asian states is crucial. This video explains how regional cooperation would benefit Afghanistan and what the EU Delegation in Kabul is doing to help. https://youtu.be/5oQ3vMLyrc4

Afghan War News Snippets (Mar 27, 2015)

The Ghani and Abdullah Tour. Secretary of State John Kerry hosted Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and President Ashraf Ghani for a state dinner this week. Being Secretary of State, John took the opportunity to make some remarks. (U.S. Department of State, March 24, 2015).
www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2015/03/239752.htm

Video - President Ghani and the Council on Foreign Relations. The CFR has a 'conversation' with President Ghani on March 26, 2015. Richard Haas of CFR hosts the presentation with Robert Rubin of CFR presiding.

https://youtu.be/xDZ6yllB560

Video - Dr. Abdullah Addresses Brookings Institute. On Thursday, March 26th, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the CEO for Afghanistan addressed the Brookings Institute. During his presentation and the follow-on question and answer period he touches on a number of issues to include peace talks, Pakistan, corruption, women's rights, who the Taliban are now, the reclusive Mullah Omar, relationship with China, drug trafficking, the National Unity Government, the Haqqani Network, ISIS, al Qaeda, and more. You can watch the video of his presentation (in English) at the link below posted on YouTube.com.
https://youtu.be/1zTki7_bK9g

Ghani to Visit India in April. President Ghani certainly knows how to travel. He spent last several days in the States and prior to that has hit several other countries (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, etc.). In April he heads to India. Top of the agenda will likely be the 'tilt' of Afghanistan to Pakistan leaving India out in the cold. Looks like it is time to patch up the Afghan-India relationship.

Afghanistan's Economic Plans - U.S. Not Included. An article published on March 26th reflects on the comments of President Ghani during his D.C. tour. Ghani believes that Afghanistan is at the center of an economic revival based on regional cooperation. The article points out that as we (the U.S. and international partners) fund the Afghan government and its security - the neighbors of Afghanistan will benefit economically - the U.S.? Not so much. Read more in "Afghanistan's fantastic plan for economic success leaves the US on the outside", Quartz, March 26, 2015.

Lose the Timeline. Jason Campbell writing in War on the Rocks (March 26, 2015) says we need a better Afghan strategy and we should lose the timeline for withdrawal. He discusses the Ghani visit to D.C., the new U.S.-Afghan relationship, and more.

What is the Endgame? While most observers applaud President Obama's decision to put a 'pause' on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan some are looking past 2016 and wondering what the U.S. commitment will be at that time. Read more in "What's the Afghanistan endgame?", LA Times, March 26, 2015.

Khost Attack. News reports indicate that five people were killed and 10 injured in a missile attack in Khost (eastern Afghanistan).

English for Afghan Air Force Pilots. The lack of English proficiency among Afghan pilots of the Afghan Air Force was creating hazardous conditions for flight operations in Jalalabad. U.S. Air Force Advisors of TAAC-Air responded to the problem with establishing an English course for Afghan aviators focused on aviation terminology. Read more in "Air advisors create English course for Afghan aviators", Air Force Times, March 25, 2015.

"Streetwise Agent vs. Brainy Analyst". The fusing of operations with intelligence is very important in a counterinsurgency environment as well as in the fight against terrorism; and sometimes the U.S. is found wanting in that regard. Yesterday, I wrote about the integration of intelligence processes at company level in Afghanistan (see blog post on the CoIST). Today the NY Times has an article about intelligence fusion at a higher level. The U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies (CIA, FBI, etc.) have a history of not properly coordinating the activities of the "analysts" and the "field operatives". Senior officials have recognized this deficiency and are trying to change the organization and culture. Which means if your are an "Intel Weanie" your status is going up a notch. Read more in "C.I.A. Officers and F.B.I. Agents, Meet Your New Partner: The Analyst", The New York Times, March 27, 2015.

CIA Reorganization. In a move to shake things up at the CIA the head of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center is being removed from his post. The center has evolved over the past decade into a paramilitary force that employed armed drones to kill thousands of suspected terrorists and militants. Read more in "CIA official who directed hunt for bin Laden is being removed from post", The Washington Post, March 26, 2015. Matteo Fainl writing in The Weekly Wonk of the New America Foundation thinks that CIA Director Brennan's reforms will hurt the CIA.

Drones Suffer High Accident Rate. Drones are less dependable than regular military aircraft and have a higher accident rate. Read more in "How crashing drones are exposing secrets about U.S. war operations", The Washington Post, March 26, 2015.

Beau Bergdahl. The State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, says that the Bergdahl swap for five high-level Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo was 'worth it'. (The Hill, March 25, 2015). Jack Goldsmith writes about the legal implications of the prisoner swap in "Was the Bergdahl Swap Lawful?", Lawfare Blog, March 25, 2015. In other news, Beau provides details of his captivity. (The Washington Post, March 25, 2015) and in article by PBS.

General Officer Moves. MG Townsend of 10th Mtn Div (and formerly commander of Regional Command East) will move to Fort Bragg to replace LTG Joe Anderson who is commander of 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg (and formerly commander of ISAF Joint Command). The 18th Airborne Corps commands four divisions - 82nd Airborne Division, 3rd Infantry Division, 101st Airborne Division (but they don't jump anymore), and the 10th Mountain Division (despite their name they are not located near training areas with any real mountains). (Fayetteville Observer, Mar 26, 2015).

Leadership Changes in Garmser district, Helmand province. According to Tolo News (Mar 26, 2015) the District Governor, District Chief of Police (DCoP), and a former head of security for the district have been fired amid charges of corruption and negligence.

UK and Resettled Interpreters. The UK has resettled less than 100 local interpreters who worked with British forces during the 13-year-long Afghanistan War. (Express, Mar 25, 2015).

Norway and Afghan Refugees. If you are an Afghan refugee in Norway your future is somewhat is up in the air as the current Tripartite Agreement between Norway, Afghanistan, and the UNHCR is subject to re-negotiation. Read "An Uncertain Future in Afghanistan", Prio Blog, March 26, 2015.

Mercenaries in Warfare. The growth of Private Military Corporations (PMCs) over the past 14 years has been significant. In both Iraq and Afghanistan private contractors working for the DoD and DoS outnumbered military personnel. Many of the functions formerly done by the military have been assumed by PMCs - to include providing security for facilities and convoys. Read more in the transcript of an interview of Sean McFate, a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and associate professor at National Defense University, who provides us with his perspective on contractors on the battlefield. Read "How Mercenaries Are Changing Warfare" by Kathy Gilsinan, The Atlantic, March 25, 2015.

Humanitarian Leadership Academy. Read about this academy that will train up aid workers. School to be set up by the Save the Children organization. (Devex, Mar 26, 2015).

Video - Afghans Seek Medical Care in Pakistan. This 3 minute-long video is about Afghans who cross over into Pakistan to seek medical care because they can't get the treatment they need in Afghanistan. (Gandhara Blog, Mar 26, 2015).

Behind-the-Scene Story on Women Pilots in the AAF. Resolute Support Headquarters and the U.S. Air Force made much of 'the first female Afghan pilot' who recently received a high-level award from the U.S. Department of State. She has appeared in press conferences, had numerous news reports released by DoD entities, and visited various Air Force units in the states. Behind the scenes and not readily known by the public are a number of previous failed attempts to integrate women into pilot training and getting them assigned to actual flying positions within the Afghan Air Force. Read more in "Why The US Wants to Forget About Female Afghan Pilots", Sunny in Kabul, March 24, 2015.

SOF Likes Palantir; Big Army Says Use DCGS. The ongoing saga of Big Army forcing the SOF community to use the very expensive but broke intelligence system known as Distributed Common Ground System or DCGS instead of the comparatively inexpensive but very able Palantir software application for intelligence processes and targeting continues. Read more in "Bureaucrats Block Special Ops Intel Requests", ABC News, March 26, 2015.

Unity Government Report Card. It has been six months since the National Unity Government (NUG) has taken over the leadership of the Afghan government. Some folks are taking this milestone as an opportunity to evaluate the NUG. Read "The Unity Government's First Six Months: Where is the governance?", Afghanistan Analysts Network, March 26, 2015.

Taliban Leaders Enjoying Qatar. Taliban leaders (and their families) are living the good live in the Gulf region. Read more in "Taliban Leaders Are Living in Luxary in Qatar", Newsweek, March 24, 2015.

133rd Engineer Battalion, Afghanistan, and TAG Dismissed. Last year while the 133rd Engineer Battalion of the Maine Army National Guard was deployed to Afghanistan news leaked out that The Adjutant General (TAG) of Maine was going to disband the 133rd. This was a shocked to the then-deployed Soldiers of the 133rd. The 133rd is a storied unit with a rich heritage of previous deployments in Iraq and news of its future demise was not received well. The TAG was caught in a series of lies about the incident and has just been fired by the Governor of Maine. Read more in "Maine ex-Guard chief lied about battalion plan", Army Times, March 26, 2015.

Guam Air National Guard to Deploy on RSM. About 100 Guardsmen from Guam will go to Afghanistan this coming fall. The members of the 254th Red Horse Squadron received their alert recently. (Air Force Times, March 26, 2015).

Sham Air Force Summit on CAS and Dumping the A-10. The Center for Defense Information at POGO has provided us with their perspective on the U.S. Air Force attempt to rid itself of the close air support mission with its proposed retirement of the A-10 Warthog. Read all about it in "Running for Cover: A Sham Air Force Summit Can't Fix the Close Air Support Gap Created by Dumping the A-10", CDI at POGO, March 25, 2015.

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

Paper - "Why COIST Matters"

The U.S. Army was not ideally trained at the company level for the conduct of a counterinsurgency in the beginning years of the Afghan conflict. One of the biggest deficiencies was the lack of an intelligence capability within the company headquarters. Later in the conflict the Army adapted and a temporary intelligence element was formed to fix this shortcoming - the Company Intelligence Support Team or CoIST. Some CoISTs worked very well while others were not very effective. Many times the differences in performance could be attributed to the degree of command emphasis and support, selection of CoIST personnel, equipment provided to the CoIST, and the pre-deployment training. The U.S. Army is currently moving on with its doctrine (leaving counterinsurgency in the dust); so the art and science of intelligence operations in support of a counterinsurgency may well be lost. This will be a problem if the U.S. Army becomes engaged in a counterinsurgency effort once again; we will have to re-learn costly lessons. In addition, in the new age of developing partner capacity many of our partner nations are currently engaged in a counterinsurgency effort. For instance, the Afghan National Army (ANA) is going to be involved in COIN for a few more years and U.S. intelligence advisors should be helping the ANA to develop a capability similar to the U.S. Army's CoIST. One writer believes that the CoIST should be institutionalized at company level within the U.S. Army. Victor R. Morris has penned a paper entitled "Why COIST Matters", Small Wars Journal, March 25, 2015. You can read his paper at the first link below. You can learn more about CoISTs at the second link below.

http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/"why-coist-matters"

www.afghanwarnews.info/intelligence/COIST.htm

Afghan News Snippets (Mar 26, 2015)

Bergdahl Charged with Desertion. U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg has said the former POW, SGT Bowe Bergdahl, has been charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) with desertion. This complicates things for the Obama administration on two fronts: one is that Bergdahl was exchanged for five high-level Taliban commanders and the other is that the family members of the Americans beheaded by ISIS will want to know why the U.S. wouldn't negotiate for their release. An Article 32 hearing will determine if there is sufficient evidence for a court martial. If convicted he faces confinement, reduction to private, and forfeiture of pay. I am not sure how Susan Rice feels after saying Bergdahl served 'honor and distinction." (YouTube.com). Read why the Army is charging Bowe Bergdahl with desertion (The Atlantic, March 25, 2015).

Ghani Addresses U.S. Congress. President Ghani addressed the United States Congress on Wednesday morning (March 25th). It is reported that many democrats showed up for this head-of-state address and took part in the standing ovation. Sometimes they don't show. The speech was a little more than one hour. You view the address on YouTube.com.
https://youtu.be/cgqc7MO9zl0

Video about Ghani's Visit & Situation in Afghanistan. Two experts chat on a panel discussion about President Ghani's visit to D.C. and the slowing down of the U.S. troop withdrawal. Tony Shaffer (senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research) and Michael Kugelman (senior program associate for South and Southeast Asia from the Wilson Center) are featured. Both made some good points towards understanding the situation in Afghanistan. Shaffer says that we need to stick with the counterterrorism mission to ensure we don't end up with a failed state with ungoverned territories where terrorists can operate. Kugelman pointed out that we need to manage our expectations on what 9,800 U.S. troops can achieve given what 100,000 troops couldn't get done a few years back. Other topics include Ghani, Karzai, economy, comparison and contrast with Iraq, cabinet not formed, and more. (CCTV America, March 24, 2015, 7 minutes).

https://youtu.be/WgiFaizqc8w

Ghani Speaking at USIP. President Ghani spoke on Wednesday, March 25th at the United States Institute of Peace (ISIP). One interesting comment by Ghani was the problem with peace is not with the Taliban in Afghanistan, but between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said that Afghanistan has been in a state of undeclared hostilities with Pakistan for 13 years. It was webcast and you can view it at the link below.
https://youtu.be/yLq6_S-Sk00

Troop Withdrawal Slowdown Helps CT Effort. The pause in withdrawing U.S. troops will ensure that the U.S. can maintain a counterterrorist capability. The slowdown will allow Resolute Support HQs to keep the corps level advisory teams at Gamberi and Kandahar. In addition, CT forces of the Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (SOJTF-A) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) will be able to remain at Kandahar and Jalalabad.

Obama Critics Pounce. While some are applauding President Obama's decision to delay the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan others are saying "I told you so". Read "Obama Halts Afghanistan Withdrawal and His Critics Still Pounce", The D Brief, March 24, 2015.

Sen. Cotton on Obama and Afghanistan. A junior U.S. Senator, Tom Cotton, has penned an op ed piece posted on Politico.com (March 25, 2015) saying that "President Obama Must Stand With Afghanistan".

Corruption in the ANA. A writer, Matthew Gault, provides us his perspective of corruption within the Afghan National Army (ANA). Read "The Pentagon Will Fund an Army That Steals Food, Hates Women and Can't Pay Its Soldiers", War is Boring, March 24, 2014.

Suicide Bombing in Kabul. A suicide bombing attack killed at least seven people in Kabul on Wednesday, March 25th. There are also reports of in excess of 30 wounded. It appears to have been conducted near the Ministry of Finance.

U.S. Drone Strike. Reuters reports that a drone strike killed nine Pakistani militants in Nangarhar province early Tuesday. (March 24, 2015).

Man Beheaded in Helmand. Unknown gunmen decapitated a man and sliced his two daughters' necks in southern Helmand province on late Tuesday night. (Tolo News, Mar 25, 2015).

UN Info Campaign on Women's Rights. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is conducting a number of information campaigns to raise awareness about women's rights in Afghanistan. News report by UNAMA (March 25, 2015).

U.S. Presence Important for Afg. James West, a guest blogger for the Defense in Depth Blog on the Council of Foreign Relations website has penned a post entitled "Afghanistan's Riddle: For Lasting Stability, U.S. Presence Is One Important Step Among Many" (March 25, 2015).

ATVs for USSOCOM. The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is buying 2,000 All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) from Polaris Industries. The contract is for 1,750 of the four-seat MRZR-4 and 300 of the two-seta MRZR-2. The ATVs are easily transported in the V-22 Osprey, MH-47, and MH-53 - and can also be dropped by parachute as well. Special Forces teams used ATVs extensively to patrol remote areas and conduct infiltration during missions. The ATVs are also used to get around FOBs and COPs as a utility vehicle. (Defense News, Mar 24, 2015).

F-35: All Our Eggs in One Basket. On a more expensive defense acquisition note, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is causing lots of angst in the defense community. The Air Force's most recent folly would seem to be the very expensive and underachieving F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. One observer believes the U.S. Air Force may be putting 'all our eggs in one basket'. The F-35 will replace the F-16, A-10, F-18, and AV-8. It may well replace the F-15 and F-22. Dan Ward asks what happens when the F-35 has a fleet wide grounding because of a safety issue? What do we do for an Air Force during that time? Read "The F-35 Nightmare Could Get Even Worse". (Read Clear Defense, March 24, 2015).

Video - Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR). The Afghan Ministry for Rehabilitation and Rural Development (MRRD) has posted a video about the JFPR on YouTube.com (March 25, 2015). The video presents information about irrigation canal projects in Afghanistan that assists the agricultural sector of Afghanistan.

https://youtu.be/YqoJRMmR18U

Battle for the Soul of Jihad. Daniel L. Byman and Jennifer R. Williams wrote an article posted on Brookings.edu (March 24, 2015) about how al Qaeda and the Islamic State are battling for the leadership of the worldwide jihad.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Resolute Support Mission EF 5 - Force Sustainment

NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan is to advise Afghan personnel in the Ministries of Interior and Defense as well as the Afghan Army corps and regional police headquarters. In an effort to organize the Security Force Assistance work Resolute Support HQs in Kabul and the corps-level advisory teams have adopted a "Functionally-Based SFA" model where the advising effort is divided into 8 essential functions. One of these functions is Essential Function 5 - Force Sustainment. EF 5 advisors "train, advise, and assist" the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the areas of logistics, maintenance, medical, information, communication, and technology. A recent posting on the U.S. Army's "Stand-To!" website describes EF 5 in greater detail. Read "Resolute Support Essential Function 5", Stand-To!, March 23, 2015.