Event - "Improving Security Assistance" (May 5, 2015)

Transparency International's Defense and Security Program is presenting an event entitled "Improving Security Assistance" on Tuesday, May 5, 2015. The speaker is Mark Pyman and it is moderated by Sarah Chayes. The presentation is based on a report, Corruption: Lessons From the International Mission in Afghanistan, which concludes that the international mission in Afghanistan was undermined by corruption.

"The report provides a rigorous analysis of the damage that corruption - and turning a blind eye to it - did to the Afghanistan mission, based on interviews with seventy-five Afghans and internationals who were deeply involved in the mission. The report also offers a policy framework for countering this threat in future security assistance and stabilization operations."

Mark Pyman is the program director of Transparency International's Defense and Security Program. Sarah Chayes is a senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law and South Asia programs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Sarah spent a decade living and working in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Improving Security Assistance

Event - Tackling Kidnapping, Hijack & Hostage Taking 2015

Quaynote Communications is hosting an event - Tackling Kidnapping, Hijack & Hostage Taking 2015 in London, UK on May 13-14, 2015 at the Royal Aeronautical Society.
www.quaynote.com/ankiti/www/?code=kid15

Afghan War News Snippets

DGov Survives Bomb Blast. A news report says the district governor of Bati Kot in eastern Nangarhar province survived a bomb blast on Tuesday. Three bodyguards were wounded. This is after an attack on the logistics officer of the local police in the same district last week. (Khaama Press, Apr 27, 2015).

Human Rights Implementation - Not So Much. President Ashraf Ghani has promised many things since running as a candidate and winning the election. One of these promises was to end official tolerance for torture, protect the freedom of the media, include women in peace talks, and to bring transparency to negotiations with the Taliban. So far . . . these items are waiting on implementation. Read more in "Afghanistan must make rights a reality", Gateway House (Indian Council on Global Relations), April 27, 2015.

Ghani in India. President Ghani is on a three-day tour in India. There's lots to do on this trip. A primary aim will be to ensure India continues to provide reconstruction and development aid to Afghanistan - despite the 'lean to Pakistan'. Of course, there are the numerous public appearances as well. One such event was the ribbon cutting by Ghani that inaugurated the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi, India. Read more in "Ashraf Ghani Faces Challenge on India Visit", The Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2015 (subscription only). See also this story - "Afghan President Calls for Greater Regional Cooperation to Fight Terrorism", Voice of America, April 28, 2015.

Govt Chokehold on Afghan Media? Patricia Gossman writing in an article says that the country's media is facing new obstacles in obtaining government information and tightening restrictions on reporting from combat zones. Read more in "Dispatches: Tightening Chokehold on Afghanistan's Media", Human Rights Watch, April 27, 2015.

ANA Takes Fight to the Taliban. Tom Bowman writing in Parallels - National Public Radio (April 28, 2015) describes an Afghan National Army (ANA) operation against the Taliban in the foothills of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan. Read "On Its Own, The Afghan Army Takes the Fight to the Taliban".

House Action on A-10. The house is proposing the blocking of the Air Force retirement of the A-10 Warthog. This is, of course, great news for the Army. Read more in "House Authorization Would Keep A-10s Flying", Defense News, April 27, 2015.

Afghan Air Force Update. The commander of TAAC-Air vows not to abandon Afghan pilots and maintainers as they slowly learn how to sustain their helicopters and planes. Read more in "U.S. readies Afghans to fly solo", Air Force Times, April 27, 2015.

NYT Publishes Names of CIA Employees. The New York Times has published names of leading CIA employees associated with the CIA's drone program. See "Why The New York Times is Naming Names in CIA Drone Story", The Huffington Post, April 27, 2015.

Drone Reforms - Sometimes Don't Apply. "Despite a 2013 pledge to fix the targeting killing program, the Obama administration ignores its own directives for nearly half of all strikes". Read more in "Obama's Drone Reforms Don't Apply to 46 Percent of Strikes", Defense One, April 27, 2015.

Ungoverned Spaces - Refuge for Terrorists. We are now living in an era where ungoverned spaces (like parts of Afghanistan), long the accomplice in jihadist activity, are playing a starring role. Read more in "The losing war against ungoverned spaces", Pragati - the Indian National Interest Review, April 28, 2015.

Ismail Khan - Herat in Danger. The "Lion of Herat" - Ismail Khan - has warned that Herat will become insecure within weeks if the government keeps looking the other way. (Afghanistan Times, April 28, 2015).

Nimroz. Three police were killed and 4 troops injured in Nimroz province according to Pajhwok Afghan News.

Plea Deal for Bergdahl? Many observers feel that the deserter Bergdahl will plead guilty to a lesser charge in order to avoid a lengthy prison sentence. The Army would very likely agree to that. Read more in a news story in the Los Angeles Times, April 28, 2015.

Book Review - "Thieves of State". Aaron Mannes reviews the book by Sarah Chayes. See his review entitled "Grand Theft Autocracy", War on the Rocks, April 27, 2015.

Islamic State Training Camp in Logar. It appears that the Islamic State has a training camp that they operate in eastern Logar - a province located just below Kabul. Read more in "Islamic State promotes training camp in eastern Afghanistan", The Long War Journal, April 28, 2005.

Pakistan & Foreign Aid. Some analysts think that external foreign aid hasn't helped curtail extremist violence in Pakistan because the aid has focused too much on minimizing the Pakistani state's weaknesses and has ignored the real problem. Read "The Failure of Foreign Aid to Pakistan", Eurasia Review, April 28, 2015.

Parwan Province Math Competition. Members of Task Force Solid Shield (based at BAF) are assisting educators in Parwan with their educational goals. (CENTCOM, April 28, 2015).

82nd CAB Returning Home. The 82nd Airborne Division will soon see the return of the Combat Aviation Brigade from Afghanistan. (Fayetteville Observer, April 28, 2015).

SOCOM Info Ops Budget. The House Armed Services Committee is recommending that the U.S. Special Operations Command budget for info ops be doubled. (Tampa Bay Online, Apr 27, 2015).

Richard Holbrooke's Audio Diary. Read an opinion piece in The New York Times (April 28, 2015) about the diplomats hope for a reconciliation of the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan in "Richard Holbrooke's Diary of His Diplomacy".

3rd ID Soldiers Discuss Afghanistan. About 200 Soldiers from Fort Stewart are serving in Afghanistan. Read more in "Much work still remains in Afghanistan", WJCL News, April 28, 2015.

4th Fighter Squadron Leaving Afghanistan. The Hill Air Force Base unit is departing Afghanistan after completion of a six-month long tour. (Standard Examiner, Apr 28, 2015).

Historian Tells us about Dotum. Brian Glyn Williams gave a presentation about Abdul Rashid Dostum at the Asia Institute of UCLA. Read more in "Afghan warlord led U.S. forces to overthrow the Taliban".

TAAC-North Press Conference. The commander of TAAC-North conducted a press conference at Camp Marmal on April 16th. (Resolute Support News, April 28, 2015).

Cultural Support Teams (CST). Former members of a CST in Afghanistan relate their time on the ground with Special Operations forces in "Women in special operations: Female troops detail their time in combat", The Washington Post, April 28, 2015.

Drone Attack. Pajhwok Afghan News reports that a drone attack killed two insurgents and wounded four others in Kuner province. Other news reports say that three were killed in the Chape Darre district.

Grandmother Talks of Afghan Service. A grandmother who joined the service at a late age talks about her deployment to Afghanistan (NWITimes.com, April 28, 2015).

IED Explosion in Kabul on Tuesday. There was an IED explosion in the Darulaman Road area (PD3) early on Tuesday afternoon. Some news reports say it was a magnetic mine attached to a white police vehicle. Read more in "Explosion targets police vehicle in Kabul City", Khaama Press, April 26, 2015.

ANA Commandos

The Afghan National Army (ANA) has some elite units that are able to conduct very complex operations against the insurgents. These units are the Afghan National Army Commandos and the Afghan National Army Special Forces (ANASF). Sgt. Maj. Faiz Mohammed Wafa is the top enlisted man of the Afghan Commandos. He has been fighting the Taliban since he was twelve years old when he joined the Northern Alliance. Now he is at the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command (ANASOC) at Camp Commando (formerly Camp Morehead) near Kabul. Read more about the intense training an Afghan Commando undergoes and about Sgt. Maj. Wafa in "With the U.S. in the Background, Afghan Commandos Step it Up", National Public Radio (NPR), April 27, 2015.

Inter-Twined Relationships for Afghanistan

Afghanistan has entered a new era. The United States and its allies are slowly departing and taking a lot of its financial aid with it. The country has a new president who will hopefully bring a more responsive and legitimate government to the forefront, eliminate corruption (a major source of discontent among the population and recruiting issue for the insurgency), reinvigorate the economy, and establish better security by defeating the Taliban.To accomplish this he needs the support and cooperation of competing regional powers - including Pakistan, India, and China.

The evolving relationship among the four countries of China, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan is interesting to watch. Afghanistan's shift in its relationship with Pakistan has caused a perceived move away from India and requires closer coordination with China (in hopes China can influence Pakistan). Read an article that explores the new relationships in "India should overcome hesitation to play greater role in Afghanistan", by Britta Petersen, Observer Research Foundation, April 27, 2015.

One analyst says that India must 'standby' while Kabul explores its new relationship with Pakistan. It is felt that the situation will play out and India can then re-engage in Afghanistan once again. Read "More modestly, with Kabul", by C. Raja Mohan, Observer Research Foundation, April 27, 2015.

Khalid Homayun Nadira examines Pakistan's policy towards Afghanistan in "Explaining Pakistan's Self-Defeating Afghanistan Policy", Lawfare Blog, April 26, 2015.

Shakti Sinha writes about policy options for India in regards to Afghanistan in an analysis posted in Eurasia Review, April 27, 2015.

Mustafa Sarwar writes about how Pakistan has failed to deliver in the aftermath of President Ghani's flirting with Pakistan. Read more in "Afghan Leader Knocks on India's Door After Pakistan Disappointment", Gandhara Blog - Radio Free Europe, April 27, 2015.

Report - "Perspectives on Terrorism"

The Terrorism Research Initiative has released its latest issue of Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol 9, No 2, April 2015. Several articles are included: "NATO's Role in Counter-Terrorism", "Islamic State and al-Qaeda Competing for Hearts and Minds", "Counterterrorism Bookshelf", and more.
www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot

Afghan War News Snippets

Government Appointments. Twitter reports say that Asif Rahim and Humayon Azizi were appointed as governors of Herat and Kandahar respectively and Jilani Popal as the head of Independent Directorate of Local Government (IDLG).

Russia IO Machine at Work. The news agencies of Russia are busy. One of its latest attempts was a report that a key Afghan aid to President Ghani made some anti-American remarks at a conference in Moscow. The aid says "Not True". Read more in a news story - "Afghan Presidential Aide Refutes Anti-American Remarks", Radio Free Europe - Gandhara Blog, April 27, 2015.

Ahmad Zia Masoud. Masoud survived a mortar attack in Badakhshan. He is President Ghani's special envoy for reform and good governance. Read more in report by Khaama Press, April 27, 2015.

Kandahar Province. 101st Airborne and Romanians working together. A news story (April 1, 2015) on Army.mil tells us about the 33rd Romanian Mountain Battalion and the 101st combining into a composite force to provide security to the Kandahar airbase and work the Train, Advise, and Assist mission of TAAC-South.

Kunduz Fight. President Ghani reportedly postponed his India trip for a few hours because of the increased fighting in Kunduz. There are reports that the Taliban have entered two of the districts of the province. Read more in "Taliban attack major Afghan city, Ghani delays India trip", Thomson Reuters Foundation, April 27, 2015.

Fighting Season Underway. Spring has come to Afghanistan and the 2015 fighting season is underway. Read more in "Spring Ushers in Fighting Season in Afghanistan", The World Post, April 27, 2015.

Explosion in Zabul Province. A bomb exploded killing six members of a family in Zabul province. Two children and a woman were among those killed. ABC News, April 27, 2015. Some news reports say five deaths; others six deaths.

"Operation Badar". The Afghan army has launched a military operation in Zabul province to combat the threat of insurgents.

Sports and Conflict Resolution. Vanessa Thevathasan reports on how sports is providing new avenues for peace and development in Afghanistan. Sport is becoming a growing popular interest, especially among the young. Football, cricket, and rugby are all playing a greater role in bringing the nation together. (Insight on Conflict, April 27, 2015). 

Drone Policy Loosened. The Wall Street Journal reports that "Obama Kept Looser Rules for Drones in Pakistan". He reportedly waived the requirement to show proposed targets posed an imminent threat to the U.S. (subscription only, April 26, 2015). Read a news article on the same topic by Robert Chesney in the Lawfare Blog, April 27, 2015.

Small Drones for Humanitarian Relief in War Zones. An interesting article by Catrin Nye for BBC News tells us about how small drones can deliver food and medicine to people in war zones. Read "Getting aid to a war zone in a swarm of drones", April 25, 2015.

CASA-1000 Project. The Central Asia South Asia (CASA) electricity transmission project is progressing along. Read "CASA-1000 Project Signed, Promising Major Revenues for Afghanistan", Tolo News, April 24, 2015.

Islamic State in Afghanistan? Lauren McNally of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has penned "Is the Islamic State Escalating in Afghanistan?, April 27, 2015.

"Framework Ambassadors" Visit Afghanistan. The four NATO countries that serve as the "framework nations" for the Resolute Support mission are the United States, Turkey, Germany and Italy. These four nations lead the Train, Advise, Assist Commands. Turkey leads in the capital region, Germany in TAAC-North, Italy in TAAC-West and the United States in TAAC-East and TAAC-South. The four 'framework' ambassadors visited NATO's Resolute Support HQs during the last week of April. Read more in a news story in Khaama Press, April 27, 2015.

New Pub - "Peace Ops". The Air Land Sea Applications Center (ALSA) has published a change to "Peace Ops: Mult-service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Peace Operations", ATP 3-07.31. The updated manual is available at the link below.
http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/atp3_07x31.pdf

'Triple Nickel' arrives at BAF. Airmen from the 555th Fighter Squadron based at Aviano Air Base, Italy have arrived in Afghanistan. They will provide over-watch and close-air-support for ground units in Afghanistan with their F-16 Falcons for the next six months. Read more in "Triple Nickel arrives at BAF", DVIDS, April 27, 2015.

New Century Consulting, Imperatis, & SIGAR. A recent news story says that two firms that provided "counterinsurgency experts" for the Afghan war effort are involved in an investigation by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). New Century provided expert trainers for the widely-regarded "Legacy" program which was one of the few success stories in the training of the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police intelligence organizations. Read more in a news report by The Independent,  April 27, 2015.

Hostage Policy. Some believe that relatives should be allowed to pay ransoms for U.S. hostages. (L.A. Times, April 26, 2015).

EU and Afghan Women. Paulo Casaca writes in The Parliament Magazine (April 27, 2015) that the "EU must continue to support Afghan women".

JIEDDO Contract. CACI International has been awarded a contract to provide support services to the US Department of Defense's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization's (JIEDDO) J9 division. Read "CACI wins JIEDDO support contract", Shephard News, April 27, 2015.

F-35 Software Under Fire. A recent news story provides info on the subpar performance of the F-35 logistics information system. The ALIS software is slow, unresponsive, and generates lots of false alarms. National Defense Magazine, April 24, 2015.

SOCOM Dream Customer. Many defense contractors believe that there is "Something Special About Doing Business with SOCOM". With a leaner bureaucracy, control of its own budget, expediated procurement process, and warfighters just down the corridor the "beans and bullets" staff at the U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB are quicker to move contracts.

U.S. Military Retirement System Changes. It appears that Congress will be making some dramatic changes to the military retirement system. The change will move from a 20-year "all or nothing" retirement to a "blended" retirement system. Read more in "Retirement overhaul on fast track", Military Times, April 27, 2015.

Stay in the Know on Afghanistan

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 a.m. U.S. East coast time or just after lunch (1330) in Kabul. It is easy to subscribe. To submit your subscription request go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and enter your email in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. You will receive a confirmation email asking you if you want to subscribe. Just confirm and you are done. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

CERP Funds Not Documented

One of the more successful development programs of the Afghan War was the use of Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP). Unfortunately, due to faulty record keeping, much of the program is under a cloud - the U.S. forces are having trouble accounting for where a lot of the money went. This doesn't mean that the money was wasted (although I am sure a lot of that happened); it just means that it is hard to tell what it was spent on. This is not a surprising development. One of the problems with a unit rotation (instead of individual rotations) is that continuity is lost, electronic data files are purged, and units are forever reinventing the wheel. CERP managers, usually the Civil Affairs bubbas, were in the learning mode the first part of their rotation and sometimes they didn't get a great hand-off from their predecessor about CERP. Small wonder there are problems following the money. Read more in James Rosen's article of the McClatchy Washington Bureau dated April 23, 2015 entitled "More than $1 billion in U.S. emergency reconstruction aid goes missing in Afghanistan".
www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/04/23/264136/more-than-1-billion-in-us-emergency.html

Afghan War News Snippets

Drone Attacks. Despite the recent accidental killing of two hostages in a drone attack against al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan the drone program still enjoys strong support among members of Congress. Read "Deep Support in Washington for C.I.A.'s Drone Mission", The New York Times, April 25, 2015. In another news story Senator McCain thinks that "Drones should shift hands from CIA", The Hill Blog, April 24, 2015.

MEC. The Independent Joint Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (MEC) is expressing concerns about the rise of corruption in Afghanistan. The MEC has concerns that governmental organizations don't cooperate with the MEC activities. The MEC has released its six month report over corruption in Afghanistan. www.mec.af

Kunuz Military Operation. the Afghan security forces launched a military opn in Kunduz City and Qala-e-Zal district and there are reports of heavy fighting.

Desperate Situation for Turkmen of Baghdis Province. The situation for ethnic Turkmen in the northwestern province of Baghdis is dire. Read more in a news report from Gandhara Blog, Radio Free Europe, April 26, 2015.

India and Afghanistan - Natural Allies. President Ghani will soon be in India where he will attempt to smooth over relations with India. A writer looks closely at the relationship between the two countries in "Afghanistan-India: Natural Allies in an Unnatural Setting", Eurasia Review, April 25, 2015.

Afghan Elite Departing Afghanistan. Many Afghans are planning their 'exit strategy' from Afghanistan. The stream of refugees from Afghanistan has persisted for over 30 years starting with those fleeing the communist regime, the Soviet occupation, the civil war among the mujihideen, the takeover by the Taliban, and the conflict since the U.S. invasion in the fall of 2001. That exodus continues today with many of the Afghan elite (those with money) departing for a country that will take them. The worsening security situation means even more will leave Afghanistan. Read "Afghanistan's elite fleeing to Europe", Deutsche Welle, April 26, 2015.

Bank Official Shot. An official of the Kabul Bank was shot dead in Uruzgan province.

Kandahar U.S. Army Soldiers Injured by IED. Three Soldiers were injured by an IED while traveling in their MRAP near Kandahar. They were experiencing brain injuries and a team from the 455th EAES flew to their base for further examinations and treatment. Read more in a news story by CENTCOM, April 21, 2015.

Ring Road - Incomplete and Expensive Project. The 'Ring Road' encircles the heart of Afghanistan connecting the cities of Kabul, Kandahar, Herat and Mes-e-Sharif. Over half of the countries population lives within 20 miles of this 1,300 mile long circular road. The GroundTruth Project has produced a series entitled "Foreverstan: Afghanistan and the road to ending America's longest war". Read a news story about the project and check out the series here at http://foreverstan.com.

Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. The new government leadership in Kabul is faced with a balancing act between the two nations of Saudi Arabia and Iran. President Ghani supports the Saudi operation against the Houthi - a Yemeni Shiite rebel group backed by Iran. But at the same time Ghani is trying to improve relations with Iran - his very large neighbor bordering on his western frontier. Read "Afghanistan tries to strike balance in escalating Iran-Saudi rivalry", The Guardian, April 21, 2015.

Hemorrhage-Halting Blood Sponges. Special Operators are receiving a supply of injectable sponges designed to stop blood flow on the battlefield. Read more in a news story by Army Times, April 26, 2015.

Acting Police Chief Killed - Uruzgan. The acting police chief of southern Uruzgan, General Gulab Khan, has been killed in the province on April 25th. A civilian, which some press reports describe as his friend, was also killed. He was in this position only a short time - assigned when Matiullah Khan was killed in a suicide attack in Kabul in March. (Khaama Press, Apr 26, 2015). A Reuters news story says a junior officer may have killed the acting PCoP. 

Social Science and Violent Extremism. An anthropologist, Scott Atran, examines the motivations of extremists who travel to the Middle East as converts to Islam. Read "Here's What the Social Science Says About Countering Violent Extremism", The Huffington Post - Science, April 25, 2015.

5th Afghan-Turk International Expo. This expo was held in Kabul from 21-24 April. It was the fifth such exhibition. The purpose of the expo is to boost business relationships between the two countries. Read more in a news story from the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce & Industries, April 21, 2015.

Females and Marine Infantry Officer Course. After 32 months of attempts by women to pass the Marines infantry officer course the experiment may be coming to a close. None of the women who attempted the course has passed due to the extremely high standards of physical fitness. Read more in "Decisions loom after Marine infantry officer experiment ends", Marine Corps Times, April 25, 2015.

Women and Afghanistan. Marriet Schuurman, the NATO secretary-general's special representative for women, peace and security is interviewed by Gandhara Blog (Radio Free Europe) about women's rights in Afghanistan. One of the main points of the interview is the gender integration into the Afghan security forces. Read more in "NATO Helps Afghanistan to Preserve Women Rights", April 26, 2015.

ARSOF Next. A special edition of Special Warfare Magazine (April 2015) is available online. Articles include: ARSOF 2022, ARSOF Lineage, Characteristics of the ARSOF Unit, Traits of the ARSOF Soldier, and more.
www.soc.mil/swcs/SWmag/archive/ARSOF_Next/ARSOF%20Next.pdf

Electricity-Generating Backpack. Science and technology is a wonderful thing. Watch a video of Marines testing a backpack that will generate electricity and charge up batteries. See "With the Gear - Lightening Your Load, Lightening Your Way", DVIDS, September 2014.

Signup for AWN Daily Newsletter

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 a.m. U.S. East coast time or just after lunch (1330) in Kabul. It is easy to subscribe. To submit your subscription request go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and enter your email in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. You will receive a confirmation email asking you if you want to subscribe. Just confirm and you are done. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Afghan War News Snippets

Badakhshan. Reports indicate that the ANSF have started an operation against the Taliban in the Jurm district of Badakhshan province on April 25th.

Jalalabad Road. Hostages were taken by insurgents on Friday evening on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway. Reports say 7 were released (or rescued) but 3 remain in captivity.

Family Killed in Mortar Attack. At least five members of a family were killed and eleven others wounded following a mortar attack in eastern Laghman province. Militants are said to have fired the mortar round. (Khaama Press, Apr 25, 2015).

CEO Office Budget. It looks like the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah can buy some furniture for his office. The Parliament approved his position as a budgetary unit.

Top 10 Lessons from Afghan War. The Peace Stability Journal, Volume 5, Issue 3, April 2015 has an article entitled "Top Ten Lessons from the Afghanistan War, Negative and Positive Outcomes". The authors have put together an impressive list of the top ten positives and top ten failures. It is not too late to remedy a few of the failures.

Australian and New Zealand Military Observe ANZAC Day. ANZAC Day was observed in Kabul, Afghanistan. Watch an Australian Defense video.

PTSD and Sexual Dysfunction. A board-certified clinical psychologist who served two tours in Iraq provides info on PTSD and its relationship with sexual dysfunction.(Military Times, Apr 25, 2015).

Pentagon's New Cyber Strategy. In a speech at Stanford University U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter unveiled the Pentagon's new cyber strategy and made the case for greater collaboration between the government and the private sector (like those who work in Silicon Valley).

Cultural Support Team (CST). The role of two women on a Cultural Support Team while deployed to Afghanistan is profiled in "Meet the Real-Life G.I. Janes Who Served with Special Ops in Afghanistan", People Magazine, April 24, 2015.  

Hidden Cost of Drone Combat. The mental health of drone operators is discussed in "The Hidden Cost of Drone Combat: Soldier's Mental Health", Harvard Law School National Security Journal, April 24, 2015.

Hostage Rescues Hard to Do. The United States has some intelligence shortfalls when it comes to tracking locations of hostages. As the U.S. footprint on the ground in places like Afghanistan diminish its ability to collect human intelligence (HUMINT) also goes down. Read more in "War hostage locations are getting harder to track", Business Insider, April 24, 2015.

Video - "Afghan Crime Scene Training". Members from U.S. Forces Afghanistan and the Justice Center in Parwarn conduct training that focuses on collecting and documenting evidence on an active crime scene. Legal professionals from provinces across the country attend this training. (DVIDS, April 24, 2015).

www.dvidshub.net/video/400498/afghan-crime-scene-training

Subscribe to Afghan War Newsletter

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 a.m. U.S. East coast time or just after lunch (1330) in Kabul. It is easy to subscribe. To submit your subscription request go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and enter your email in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. You will receive a confirmation email asking you if you want to subscribe. Just confirm and you are done. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

Drones - Refueling in Air Coming Soon!

One of the distinct advantages of a drone is the amount of time it can spend over a specific geographic area. Some variants can spend 12 to 18 hours overhead before having to return to base to refuel. Now, another milestone has been reached - refueling in the air. Drones are not that far away from being refueled in the air. This is good news for the infantryman on the ground. There have been many occasions where a unit on the ground involved in a "Troops-in-Contact" (TIC) cringed when they heard over the radio that their UAV coverage was going off-station. Read more in "A Drone Has Never Linked Up With a Tanker Until Now", by Joseph Trevithick, War is Boring, April 16, 2015.

This leads me to a random but related thought. When is the Coalition (specifically TAAC-Air) going to recognize that the Afghan National Army (or the Afghan Air Force) could benefit from a small drone package that could be employed at corps level? Maybe something similar to the GOCO package that fielded Shadows to U.S. Army brigades in Afghanistan; augmenting the BCTs organic Shadow unit.

Watch a four-minute video depicting Shadow operations by a U.S. unit at FOB Fenty (Jalalabad) in May 2013. I visited this unit at the time and the Shadow provided great coverage throughout the area - providing surveillance at routes (spotting or discouraging IED emplacement) and responding to TICs. They are not a great pre-mission reconnaissance platform in many cases because of the noise but the Shadow has its uses.
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/289008/uav-shadow

The GOCO contract for the Afghans could provide U.S. contractors operating and maintaining the Shadow package from the TAAC bases but also in conjunction with a training package developing ANA capability to fly and maintain Shadows over a two year period. So I am thinking the contractors are based on the Coalition bases at J'bad, MeS, Herat, and KAF working side-by-side with Afghan ANA Soldiers who are trained to run Shadow operations. Perhaps the intel folks found within the MI kandaks at corps level. If the Islamic State can field drones - using them to conduct reconnaissance and battlefield coordination - then I am thinking a 14 year old Army can figure it out. So we wean the Afghans off our drone capability and help them develop their own drone capability.

Oh oh. But we are only on these TAAC bases at best for one more year. Looks like we are two years too late with this idea. I guess we should have started two years ago when the war was only 12 years old.

Sorry, just thinking out loud.

Sarah Chayes - Corruption in Afghanistan

Sarah Chayes discusses her new book "Thieves of State". She lived in Afghanistan for ten years and served as an advisor to ISAF. Watch a one hour plus video where she discusses corruption in Afghanistan and around the world. She believes that an underlying cause of conflict is the presence of corruption. Posted on YouTube.com by the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) on April 24, 2015. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KViCNUFegXU

Afghan War News Snippets

Russian Enroute to Afghan Jihad Killed. A Russian national traveling to Afghanistan to join insurgents was killed by Tajik police.

Profile of Italian Hostage. Justine Drennan has penned an article about the Italian, Giovanni Lo Porto, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in Pakistan while being held captive by al Qaeda. (Foreign Policy, Apr 23, 2015).

Profile of U.S. Hostage. Siobhan O'Grady has wrote an article about Warren Weinstein who was killed in the U.S. drone attack in Pakistan while being held by al Qaeda. (Foreign Policy, Apr 23, 2015).

Al Qaeda Still a Concern. According to a news report al Qaeda hiding in the AfPak region remain a concern of the United States. (Economic Times - India, Apr 24, 2015).

Taliban Attack Ghazni Govt Compounds. Rocket attacks were launched against government compounds in southeastern Ghazni province early on Friday morning - the day announced by the Taliban as the start of the 2015 fighting season. (Khaama Press, Apr 24, 2105).

Kandahar City Power Project to Shut Down. A proposed withdrawal of stable electricity supply from factories and homes in the key Afghan city raises security fears and threatens fragile development gains. The project is in jeopardy as USAID prepares to pull the plug. (The Guardian, Apr 24, 2015).

Father Son Reunion in Helmand Province. Recently the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in Afghanistan helped Suliman, a young boy from Helmand province reunite after a long separation. Watch a 3-min video published April 22, 2015 and posted by ICRC.

https://youtu.be/YNm7-LbIXek

India Hosting President Ghani. India hopes to regain lost ground in its relations with Afghanistan. The Afghan president has been getting friendlier with China and Pakistan which cuts into Indian influence. (Reuters,  Apr 23, 2015).

Hazaras in the Crosshairs? A lot of press has recently been given to the possibility that the Hazaras (usually found in the mountainous region of Central Afghanistan) are now being targeted by the Taliban and other groups because of their ethnicity. Some worry that this rash of recent abductions and killings might be a new trend of targeting this ethnic group. The folks at Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) delve a little deeper in the facts to separate fact from fiction. (AAN, April 24, 2015).

Italy Targets Suspects. Afghans and Pakistanis who were connected with an al Qaeda plot to support attacks against Pakistan's government and U.S. forces in Afghanistan were targeted by Italian police. (Voice of America, Apr 24, 2015).

Contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq. An 'opinion' piece' about U.S. contractors in war zones. Hmmmm. (Cleveland.com, Apr 24, 2015).

Report - Peace Process - Lessons Learned. "Of all the armed conflicts that have come to a peaceful end since the mid-1980s, 75% have done so via a negotiated settlement." Read more in The design and architecture of peace processes: lessons learned in the wake of crises, Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre, April 2015.

Author: Peace Talks Necessary. The author of three books about Afghanistan, James Fergusson, is interviewed on the prospects for peace in that country. He feels that the Taliban will not stop fighting and will pose a serious challenge to the ANSF. He believes that the ANSF will continue fighting as long as they continue to be paid and the international community provides funding for the Afghan government. He thinks the war will stop only with a political settlement resulting in a power sharing agreement with the Taliban. (Gandhara  Blog - Radio Free Europe, April 25, 2015).
http://gandhara.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-needs-peace-settlement/26976331.html

Indian Helicopters Provided to Afghanistan. According to a news report India has provided three multi-role Cheeteal helicopters to the Afghan Air Force. They were officially added in April 2015. The helicopters can be used for personnel transport, evacuation, reconnaissance, and aerial survey. They are capable of operating in high-altitude areas. (Khaama Press, April 24, 2015).

Report on Drugs. "Afghan Narcotrafficking: The State of Afghanistan's Borders", Joint U.S.-Russia Working Group, East West Institute, April 2015.
www.ewi.info/sites/default/files/ideas-files/Afghanistan-Borders.pdf

Lamb Pelts Aid Afghan Economy. Finland plays a big role in the lamb pelt trade of Afghan herders in northern Afghanistan. Read more in "Niche Trade in Lamb Pelts Proves Vital to Ailing Afghan Economy", The New York Times, April 23, 2015.

Hostage Problems. The rash of killed U.S. hostages is a troubling dilemma for the United States. Failed rescue attempts, beheadings, trading POWs for Taliban commanders, and drones killing hostages have put the U.S. hostage policy and procedures in question. Some think that the U.S. government needs a 'hostage czar'. Read "White House won't rule out hostage 'czar'', USA Today, April 24, 2015.

"Studies in Intelligence". The latest CIA publication - 'Journal of the American Intelligence Professional' is now available online. Volume 59, Number 1, March 2015 has a number of intriguing articles.

Afghan Election 2014. Afghanistan's 2014 presidential election did lead to its first peaceful transfer of power. However, it was scarcely democratic despite the 'rave support' of the U.S. Department of State cheerleaders. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has published a report that explores the election and its internationally mediated unity government outcome (our State Dept at work). Read "Understanding Afghanistan's 2014 Presidential Election: The Limits to Democracy in a Limited Access Order", by William A. Byrd, April 24, 2015.

Book Review - "The Wrong Enemy". The book by Carlotta Gall - "The Wrong Enemy: American in Afghanistan, 2001-2014", (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014), 289 pp. is reviewed by John H. Kavanagh. Review is posted on the Central Intelligence Agency library at this link.

49th MCB Returns from Afghanistan. Soldiers from the 49th Movement Control Battalion of the 4th Sustainment Brigade arrived home (Fort Hood) from a deployment to Kuwait and Afghanistan. While deployed their mission was to manage transportation operations for host nation trucks for sustainment and retrograde support. They also assisted in the closing of forward operating bases as the U.S. forces conducted their withdrawal. (Fort Hood Sentinel, April 23, 2015).

Ghani Orders Investigation into UN Police Report. Afghanistan's president has ordered the interior minister to investigate why a United Nations-funded report on corruption in the Afghan police was ignored and to take appropriate action. The report recommended firing senior police officials for sabotaging the main system for processing complaints about misconduct in the force. The oversight by the United Nations on the Law and Order Trust Fund of Afghanistan (LOTFA) has been poor and corrupt police officials have stolen millions of dollars from the fund. Read a news report by Reuters, April 24, 2015.

EU Signs EUPOL Agreement with MoI. The European Union Mission in Afghanistan announced on Thursday that it was extending its mission in Afghanistan for another two years. The European Union Police has been providing training to the Afghan National Police (ANP) since 2009 in various fields. (Tolo News, Apr 23, 2015).

Drones Killing Innocents. Robert Bechhusen and Matthew Gault provide us their insight into drone warfare after the accidental killing of two al Qaeda hostages in a drone attack in Pakistan. Read "Drones Kill Innocent People All the Time: But now the White House can't deny it", War is Boring, April 24, 2015.

Drones Killing al Qaeda Leadership. Declan Walsh tells us that high-level losses among al Qaeda's top leadership in Pakistan's tribal belt have resulted a diminished leadership capacity. Read his story in The New York Times,  April 24, 2015.

Understanding Insurgency. A Special Forces officer provides us a 25 minute presentation on "Understanding Insurgent Origins, Behavior, & Political Membership", United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), April 24, 2015. (Posted on the USASOC Channel - YouTube).

https://youtu.be/OG7PjFOkOCc

Video of Afghanistan. The "Humans of Kabul" provide a four-minute video of Afghan scenery and Afghan life on Vimeo. No bombs, gunfire, or poverty. Not sure of the soundtrack but . . . Just life in Afghanistan. https://vimeo.com/117363500

Switzerland "Happiest Country". Afghanistan? Not so much. According to the 2015 World Happiness Report the mountainous nation of Switzerland is the place to be. Afghanistan placed 153 out of 158. So that is why I get that feeling in the pit of my stomach when the Safi Airways flight touches down at Kabul International Airport. The report is published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. (Radio Free Europe, April 24, 2015).

Afghan War News w/ Morning Coffee

You can receive the Afghan War News Daily Newsletter each day. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 5:00 a.m. U.S. East coast time or just after lunch (1330) in Kabul. It is easy to subscribe. To submit your subscription request go to www.afghanwarnews.blogspot.com and enter your email in the "Follow by Email" dialogue box at the top of the right hand column. The only info needed is your email. No personal data, forms to fill out, or passwords needed. You will receive a confirmation email asking you if you want to subscribe. Just confirm and you are done. It is also easy to unsubscribe. At the bottom of the newsletter click "unsubscribe" and you will be automatically unsubscribed.

COIN Strategy Doesn't Work?

James F. Jeffrey explains in the March/April 2015 issue of Foreign Policy "Why Counterinsurgency Doesn't Work". He says the problem is in the strategy, not the execution. Huh. I thought that the execution was faulty but the strategy was good. The author explores the counterinsurgency wars of the United States in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He says our military can get the "Clear, Hold" parts of "Clear, Hold, Build" counterinsurgency done; but that the civilian agencies (DoS, DoJ, DEA, USAID, etc.) of the United States government always seem to fall short in the 'nation building' arena of the conflict.

Jeffrey concludes the article with this:

"What, then, should U.S. policymakers do when faced with an insurgency? If possible, Washington should respond by backing friendly local forces. If not, it should accept the consequences of a victorious insurgency, contain its spread, and protect critical allies. But to embark on another U.S.-troop-centric counterinsurgency mission would do an injustice to the fine men and women who serve in the U.S. military".

Ah. So now I get it. COIN strategy can be broken into two different approaches.

One approach is the use of massive amounts of U.S. troops on the ground in a foreign nation attaining a sufficient force to population ratio conducting counterinsurgency (and doing the lion's share of the fighting - as in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam). This type of COIN was endorsed in FM 3-24, Counterinsurgency,  2006. Some call this 'population-centric COIN."

A second approach is in the "By, With, and Through" methodology favored by U.S. Army Special Forces. This is where highly-trained Combat Foreign Internal Defense teams (C-FID) of twelve advisors are embedded with the indigenous host nation forces (at battalion and brigade level) to train, advise, and assist. In other words, let the host nation forces do the fighting (clear and hold) and the host nation (assisted by Civil Affairs teams and U.S. agencies) do the building. In a more hostile environment there may be the need for conventional FID teams (as in the SFAATs used in Afghanistan or the MiTTs in Iraq) to work in conjunction with SOF advisory teams.

So, in my view, it isn't the counterinsurgency strategy that is wrong - it is the approach and execution of that strategy.

Drone Strike Kills al Qaeda Hostages

Two western captives, one American and one Italian held in Pakistan by al Qaeda, were killed in a drone strike by the United States in January 2015. Warren Weinstein was an American development expert and Giovanni Lo Porto an Italian aid worker.  The American and the Italian were both held for three years or more. Some will use this event to support their argument that drone warfare is bad and immoral and ineffective. Others will point to the lack of boots on the ground, declining ability to interrogate captured prisoners, and a diminished human intelligence (HUMINT) capability as a limitation of drone warfare.

See Max  Boot's article in Commentary Magazine April 23, 2015 for more on the limits of using drones. Read a statement by the President on the deaths of Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto, White House, April 23, 2015. Another news story details a plan that was to recover several western hostages held in Pakistan - The Washington Post, April 23, 2015.

SIGAR Report: Vacant Kandahar Industrial Park

During an inspection SIGAR found one active business in the $7.8 million Shorandam Industrial Park in Kandahar. It was originally planned to accommodate 48 businesses. It appears that the set up of a power generator by U.S. forces on the industrial compound causes Afghan businesses to shy away from the site. The power generator is no longer there but the site still remains largely vacant. Read Shorandam Industrial Park: Poor Recordkeeping and Lack of Electricity Prevented a Full Inspection of this $7.8 Million Facility, SIGAR 15-50 Inspection Report, April 2015.

www.sigar.mil/pdf/inspections/SIGAR-15-50-IP.pdf

Afghan Ski Paradise

The mountainous province of Bamyan in central Afghanistan is the site of the beginnings of a ski paradise. During winter months this region sees lots of snow and there are plenty of slopes. Bamyan is one of the more peaceful provinces of Afghanistan. In addition the scenery is spectacular. Watch a five-minute long video by Deutsche Welle (Germany), April 23, 2105.
www.dw.de/a-skiers-paradise-in-afghanistan/av-18395111

Afghan War News Snippets

General Petraeus Sentenced. The retired four-star general, former commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and former CIA director received a sentence of two years probation and $100,000. Some critics say if he was someone else the penalty may have been more severe. Others point out that he shared notes with a United States Army LTC of the Military Intelligence branch with a Top Secret clearance. No Harm, No Foul?

Half-Finished Construction Projects. Anyone who has spent any time in Afghanistan is tainted with just how badly the U.S. managed the many construction projects over the past decade. And the news isn't getting any better. I am a firm believer that we needed less 19-year-old kids from New York City and more accountants and contracting officials deployed to Afghanistan. Read "Americans Keep Paying for Bad Work for Afghan Contractors", by Matthew Gault, War is Boring, April 23, 2015.

Video. Watch a short video (30 seconds) of Afghan Air Force MD-530s firing on the range. (NATO, April 21, 2015). www.facebook.com/NATO/videos/889557661067566/

Cell Phone Towers are Targets. One of the favorite targets of insurgents are cell phone towers. Usually these are spared if they provide 'protection money'. It's not always insurgents that target the cell phone towers; the criminal networks will do the same. In some areas the Taliban allow the cell phone towers to remain operational - but only during daytime hours. A cell tower in Maidan Wardak was recently destroyed.

Holbrooke's Disagreement w/ Obama Admin. Richard C. Holbrooke was the Obama administration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is now known that he kept a secret audio diary detailing his frustrations with the White House - believing that it was too willing to listen to the military and that it mistook domestic political calculations for strategic thinking. Read "Richard C. Holbrooke's Diary of Disagreement with Obama Administration", The New York Times, April 22, 2015.

ANA Slaughterhouse Construction under Investigation. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction is investigating the spending of $1.25 million for an Afghan National Army (ANA) slaughterhouse that was never completed. Read SIGAR 15-51 Inspection Report, April 2015. www.sigar.mil/pdf/inspections/SIGAR-15-51-IP.pdf

Border Police Missing. Policemen have gone missing after a Taliban attack on their checkpost in the Bala Murghab district of northwestern Badghis province. security has been deteriorating in this part of Afghanistan. (Khaama Press, Apr 23, 2105). See also this report which says the Taliban killed the nine border guards (ABC News, Apr 23, 2015).

National Strategy Needed by Afghanistan. Christopher Kolenda writing in Gandhara Blog (Radio Free Europe) on April 24, 2015 says that "Afghanistan Needs a National Strategy to Succeed".

Roadside Bomb Kills Six Civilians. A roadside bombing killed civilians in the country's southwest region. The six killed included four children and a man and a woman. (CTVNews.ca, Apr 23, 2105).

Australia Issues Travel Warning. On April 23, 2015 the Australia government issued a travel warning for Afghanistan. www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Afghanistan

IS in Pakistan. A writer examines the signs of the Islamic State moving into Pakistan. Read "Islamic State faces a complex web of militant groups and violence in Pakistan", New Statesman, April 23, 2015.

China and India. Central Asia is receiving a lot of attention from China, India and even Russia. That is leaving the U.S. on the edges. But, according to one analyst, that shouldn't concern Washington as the actions of China and India will result in greater development and stability for Central Asia. This is also the goal of the U.S. Department of States New Silk Road Initiative. Read more of this good news story in "Happy to Play Second Fiddle", by Michael Kugelman, Foreign Policy, April 22, 2015.

UAE - A dependable U.S. Ally. The UAE has supported American military adventures in Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Kosova, and Afghanistan. Learn more in a news report in War is Boring, April 23, 2015.

Undermining Terrorist Financing. Dr. Seth Jones, a expert on the Afghan conflict (and many other security related topics) provided testimony before the House Financial Services Committee. Read it in "Breaking the Bank: Undermining Terrorist Financing", RAND Corporation, April 22, 2015.

Update on Women in Ranger School. The original 19 females in Ranger School are down to 8. Of the 381 men there are 184 left. The first four days of the Ranger course are tough and is called the Ranger Assessment Phase (RAP). Read about historic Ranger School statistics:
www.benning.army.mil/infantry/RTB/

A Feminist Perspective on Use of Drones. One writer argues against the strategic utility of drones to neutralize terrorist organizations in "Drones, Gender and Classical Realists", E-International Relations, April 17, 2015.

A Scholar Interviewed on Gender, Security, and Military Contractors. Paul Higate of the University of Bristol is interviewed on a number of issues in an news story posted on E-International Relations on April 22, 2015.

2014 Report on Security Clearance Determinations. The Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) of 2010 requires the President to submit an annual report on Security Clearance Determinations to Congress.  You can read the report on the website of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, April 23, 2015.

CRS Pub on SOF. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has published a report entitled U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress, by Andrew Feickert, April 9, 2015.