Springtime in a "Failed State"

It is springtime in Afghanistan - which means a lot of things - but to the U.S. military stationed in that country it means the start of another fighting season. This fighting season will be a big test for the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) as there is a reduced number of Coalition troops in country (12,000?) and many of those are "train and advise" troops, staff, or support - not combat units. In addition, the Coalition airpower in country is a lot less than previous years. To many Afghans springtime is also the start of another 'poppy season'. This, of course, is a constant reminder of the U.S. inability to stem the growth of opium and transit of the drug to the Russian, European, and Middle East markets. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has recently published a series of reports on the efforts in Afghanistan and the contents are rather troubling. Gary Owen provides us a glimpse of the reports in "Phantom Troops, Taliban Fighting, and Wasted Money - It's Springtime in Afghanistan", Vice News, April 29, 2015.

SOF and Air Support to the ANSF Questioned

The primary mission of the NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan is to "advise and assist" at the corps, institutional, and ministry level. This mission means that for the most part, the troops are not engaged in combat. The extent of U.S. military forces involvement in combat operations in Afghanistan is restricted to "Train, Advise, and Assist" by special operations forces and air support where needed to prevent a significant setback of the Afghan National Security Forces. It is up to General Campbell, the commander of the NATO Resolute Support Mission and overall commander of the U.S. forces to determine how much or little SOF or air support is necessary. To some observers the departure of the bulk of U.S. forces in 2014 meant the end of the war - not so much. The ability of the Afghan security forces to combat and defeat the insurgents is still not mature. In fact, the fighting season ahead may prove to be just as tough as the 2014 fighting season. The Taliban are far from defeated and the Afghan Army and Police are not quite as good as Resolute Support HQs would like us to believe. Two writers seem to think that the U.S. military role is out of line with the assertions of the Obama administration that the U.S. is on the sidelines in the combat arena. Read "U.S. Attacks in Afghanistan Go Beyond White House' Pledges", The New York Times, April 29, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets

Copper and Iron - Afghanistan's Economic Future? President Ghani has said that Afghanistan will become the world's largest producer of iron and copper in the next 15 years. Afghanistan has rich deposits of minerals but a very bad security situation. Ghani is on a three-day visit to India and is hoping to encourage economic investment in Afghanistan's future. Read more in a news report by Khaama Press, April 29, 2015.

ISIS in Afghanistan. News reports continue to speculate on the strength of the Islamic State in Afghanistan. Javid Ahmad writing in The Diplomat (April 29, 2015) provides his thoughts.

Influx of Insurgents from Pakistan. Afghan officials are warning about an influx of insurgents from neighboring Pakistan into northern Afghanistan in an attempt to destabilize what has mostly been a peaceful part of the country. (ABC News, April 29, 2015).

Corruption and a U.S. Supported Regime. Read Tracy Wood's account of how the United States spent money and lives supporting a corrupt regime 40 years ago and think about the present conflict in Afghanistan. See "A War Correspondent Turned Lifelong Corruption Fighter", Voice of OC, April 29, 2015.

Taliban Onslaught. Franz-Stefan Gady examines the start of the Afghan fighting season that has begun with a vengeance this year. Read "Taliban Onslaught: What is Happening in Afghanistan?", The Diplomat, April 29, 2015.

Tajikistan Watches Conflict in Northern Afghanistan. Tajikistan, a country on Afghanistan's northern border, is watching with great interest the current fighting in Kunduz and other locations in northern Afghanistan. Read more in "Tajikistan Watches as Fighting Flares in Northern Afghanistan", The Bug Pit - Eurasianet.org, April 27, 2015.

Afghan Television Debate - Child Marriage. A United Nations backed television show highlighted the negative consequences of child marriage. Read more in a UN news release (UNAMA News Update, April 29, 2015).

"When Casualties Come Home from War". An excellent article on what happens on the home front when a servicemember is wounded or killed. By Jill Sargent Russell posted on Kings of War, April 29, 2015.

The Killing of Farkhunda. The Afghan press is full of reports and accounts about the killing of the Afghan women that took place over a month ago on the streets of Kabul by a band of Afghan men. This event received national and international attention. The Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) has provided more information and background on this event here and here.

Female Afghan Top Gun. The most recent graduate of pilot training in the Afghan Air Force is getting a lot of press. She has been profiled almost every week in the press. Read more about the 23-year-old pilot. Daily Mail, April 29, 2015.

DoD Policy & Women in Combat. The DoD policy on women has changed in recent years. Current policy is explained in "DoD Seeks Right Standards, Policies for Women in Combat Roles", DoD News, April 27, 2015.

Video - NATO Role 3 at Kandahar. Watch a 8-minute long video about the Role 3 medical unit on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Meet the doctors and nurses! Watch the video here.

Orphans in Afghanistan. Read the story about Afghanistan's orphans and the limited help available to them in "For Afghanistan's abandoned children, help is scarce", TownHall.com, April 29, 2015.

UN Welcomes Drone Review. The United Nations welcomed the news that the United States is going to conduct a review of drone operations. (UN News Centre, April 29, 2015).

IO and "Narrative". An Australian IO SME tells us something about "narrative" in his article in The Bridge, April 2015. https://medium.com/the-bridge/narrative-31b3ecc1c631

Outspoken Army Officer Retires. LTC Daniel Davis is retiring. An Army officer with four combat tours, he has been an outspoken critic of the conduct of the Afghan War and has called for a sweeping overhaul of the top leadership. Read more in "Outspoken officer retires, trains sights on politics", Army Times, Apri 28, 2015.

# of Security Clearance Holders Drops. Federal agencies have trimmed the ranks of employees and contractors with access to classified information. The number of security clearance holders has dropped 12 percent since the year before. This is caused by a number of factors to include the drawdown of forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, internal reviews of security clearance requirements, and declassification efforts. (Defense One, April 28, 2015).

Mental Health in Afghanistan. Living in an impoverished country like Afghanistan makes it difficult for those seeking medical assistance - especially in the mental health field. Read more "You're not alone: tackling mental health in Afghanistan", European Year for Development, April 23, 2015.

Gen Anderson Says Good Bye to FBNC. General Anderson, the commander of 18th Airborne Corps and the former (and last) commander of the ISAF Joint Command (IJC) is leaving his post. He will be relieved by MG Townsend, the former commander of 10th Mountain Division, a past commander of Regional Command East, and member of the "Boston Mafia". (Fayettville Observer, April 29, 2015).

ManTech wins $7 Billion Contract. ManTech International was awarded two contracts worth up to $7 billion by the Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) to provide global intelligence support services (GISS). (Defense Daily Network, April 28, 2015.

New Book - Warlords . . .  Jesse Driscoll has wrote a book scheduled for release in May 2015 entitled "Warlords and Coalition Politics in Post-Soviet States". I am sure much of the book will concern the Central Asian states; Afghanistan could get a mention. 

A Changed World Since 9/11. A lot has happened in the many years since September 2001. Some of us missed the changes because we spent - like years in Afghanistan. Read "This is How Much the World has Changed Since the War in Afghanistan Began", Vice.com, April 29, 2015.

Morse Code Training - End of an Era. The first Morse Code message went out on May 24, 1844. Morse Code played a huge role in the military for many years. It was one of the cheapest and most reliable means of communication. For years Morse Code training was conducted at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. When Fort Devens closed down the training went to Fort Huachuca. Now the training in Arizona is being shut down. For years Special Forces Communications Sergeants (O5Bs and then later 18Es) had to be proficient in Morse code. Read more in "Fort Huachuca bids farewell to Morse Code training", Army.mil, April 27, 2015. 

Military Retirement Changes? Not so Fast. Veteran members of the house are putting a damper on proposed changes to an Army retirement system that has served us well for many years. Some of the old timers think there is a rush to make changes. Read more in "Retirement reform faces challenge from veteran lawmakers", Military Times, April 29, 2015. (Got to love the old guys!).

Gen Dostum Emerges. It appears that Dostum is emerging as a major political figure - at least according to his media advisor. Read more in "Working with General Abdul Rashid Dostum", by Sultan Faizy, The Diplomat, April 24, 2015.

Gen Campbell Pushes for ROE like U.S. Police Departments. According to a news report by the Duffel Blog senior military leaders are pushing for Ruled of Engagement (ROE) that big city police departments enjoy in the United States. Read more in "Military Pushes for Same Broad Rules of Engagement as Civilian Police Forces", Duffel Blog, January 5, 2015. (Caution - satire).

Landslide in Badakhshan Kills Scores

A landslide killed scores of Afghans and buried many homes in the Khwahan district of Badakhshan province on Monday. Many residents are missing. This time of year northern Afghanistan sees lots of landslides. Last year the Afghan government was criticized for being too slow with relief response. Many local officials were accused of stealing humanitarian aid sent to the province; diverting food, blankets, and medical supplies to other villages not affected by the landslides. Regional Command North's response to the earthquake in 2014 was limited; hampered by a lack of coordination on the part of the Afghan provincial and national leadership. It will be interesting to see if the response by the Afghan government to the landslides is any better in 2015. The affected area is about 125 miles from the provincial capital (Faizabad) along near the border with Tajikistan. It is a remote and rugged area that is currently accessible only by helicopter - much of the area still has snow blocking passages.

Some news reports on the landslide:

"Massive Landslide Kills Dozens in Northeast Afghanistan", The World Post, April 28, 2015.

"Over 50 People Presumed Dead in Badakhshan Landslide: Official", Tolo News, April 28, 2015.

SIGAR: $488 Million at Risk - TFBSO

A recent report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) says that the Department of State (DoS), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of Defense's Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO) have failed to coordinate and prioritize their extractives activities. This failure has resulted in divergent strategies and poor working relationships - with the end result of creating potential sustainability problems. The Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) still lacks the technical capacity to research, award, and manage new contracts without external support.

Read the SIGAR report here.
Afghanistan's Mineral, Oil, and Gas Industries: Unless U.S. Agencies Act Soon to Sustain Investments Made, $488 Million in Funding is at Risk, SIGAR 15-55 Audit Report, April 2015.
www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-15-55-AR.pdf

See Wikipedia's webpage for more information about the TFBSO.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task_Force_for_Business_and_Stability_Operations

Read a news report on this topic by Siobhan O'Grady in The Cable - Foreign Policy, April 28, 2015 - "Afghanistan Watchdog: Poor U.S. Planning Puts $488 Million at Risk".

Learn more about Afghanistan's mineral potential.
www.afghanwarnews.info/development/minerals.htm

New Century & LEGACY - A Success Story

One of the best success stories to come out of the many training endeavors in Afghanistan is the result of a United Kingdom firm - New Century. This firm has been providing intelligence training to the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP) for quite a few years. Their employees have served as trainers, mentors, and advisors to the ANA and ANP and were located in almost all provinces. One of their most successful programs was called LEGACY. The police training program involved working with the Afghan National Police intelligence officers at provincial level. The New Century firm deployed small teams of former UK Special Branch, special forces, and defense intelligence operatives to train up the ANP. LEGACY trainers were also attached to the Military Intelligence Kandaks and companies of the ANA Corps. Almost all of these trainers were retired from their respective careers in the UK defense or police organizations. Many served in the same province in Afghanistan for two to four years. As a result they became very knowledgeable of the terrain, personalities, insurgents, politics, and all other aspects of the province. They developed extremely good relationships with their Afghan counterparts because of this continuity. In my travels over the past four years in Afghanistan I visited many COPs and FOBs throughout the Kabul, 201st, 203rd, and 209th Corps areas - one of the first stops I would make was the LEGACY guys - because they had the in-depth knowledge and ground truth of what was going on in their area. The LEGACY program and New Century's work is "What Right Looks Like" and should be a lesson learned for intelligence support to a counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and future conflicts.

View the New Century website.
www.newcentcorp.com

Webcast - Int Dev in Conflict Environments (Apr 30, 2015)

The International NGO Safety and Security Association (INSSA) is hosting an event (in person and online) entitled "International Development in Conflict / post-Conflict Environments" on Thursday, April 30, 2015. It is taking place at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and can be viewed on the INSSA Online YouTube channel or the INSSA Live page. The event is from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM. INSSA is a non-profit global membership association of individuals committed to improving the quality and effectiveness of safety and security for humanitarian relief and development assistance workers operating in complex and dangerous environments.

SF Afghan Cooking Course

The United States Army Special Forces Command G-4 has completed the second of four Islamic Field Feeding Courses preparing Culinary Specialists (92Gs) for duty in Afghanistan. The objective of the course is to show the cooks how to prepare authentic Afghan dishes. Special Forces Soldiers typically will host their Afghan military and civilian counterparts to dinners in order to build relationships. Some of the important aspects of the Islamic cooking course includes detailed explanations of foods which are 'halal' and other foods which are 'haram'. Learn about Afghan cooking and impress your spouse in the kitchen! Read more in a press release on the Special Forces Field Feeding Course for Afghanistan by Oak Grove Technologies (April 14, 2015).

New Chairman for the JCS?

Barbara Starr is reporting that President Barack Obama could announce his pick for the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff this week. The front runner remains General Joseph Dunford, currently the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and a former commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Looks like we will all become Red Sox fans in the very near future. Perhaps we will see the "Boston Mafia" that reigned in Afghanistan the last few years make more rank in the services! Warning: If you are briefing him and you got a New England accent he will query you on your knowledge of the BoSox! See the CNN story (April 27, 2015).

Kunduz Fighting Update

Heavy fighting has been taking place in Kunduz province the past few days. Thousands of families are reported to be displaced due to the fighting in different districts of Kunduz. The fierce fighting delayed President Ghani's trip to India by at least a few hours. Ghani had a quick meeting with General Campbell (Resolute Support Commander) to discuss the deteriorating situation in Kunduz. The Afghan army has sent over 2,000 troops into the troubled province. Some reports describe the fighting as a major militant offensive with about 3,000 militants engaged in five districts. The provincial governor says that militants control up to 40 percent of the province. Some attacks are occurring in the provincial capital. The Afghan Local Police (ALP) in the area have taken some heavy casualties. Some analysts say the accelerated pace of fighting is due to an influx of foreign militants. (Tolo News, Apr 28, 2015). Read more in "Violence in Afghanistan Delays Ghani on Trip to India", The Diplomat, by Catherine Putz, April 28, 2015. See also "Taliban, Afghan forces battle for control of northern city", Thomson Reuters Foundation, April 28, 2015. See a report by Radio Free Europe,  April 28, 2015.

ODNI 10 Years Old

Intelligence reformers pushed Congress for years to establish a centralized director for intelligence that would link all the various intelligence agencies together to provide better service and products for the end user. The U.S. intelligence community is a coalition of 17 agencies and organizations within the executive branch. These include the DoD services intelligence organizations, DEA, Treasury, CIA, DIA, NGA, NRO, NSA, DoS, DHS, DoE, FBI, and others. The debate is ongoing on whether the establishment of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has been effective. You can read a press release by the ODNI about how it is observing the 10 years of intelligence integration in this April 22, 2015 press release.

Read a news story about the 10-year anniversary of the ODNI by Joshua Rovner and Austin Long in "Did the New Spooks on the Block Really Fix U.S. Intelligence?", Foreign Policy, April 27, 2015.

Visit the ODNI website.
www.dni.gov/index.php

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.