Sunday Morning Newsletter on the Afghan War

You can receive the Afghan War News Newsletter by email. 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 every Sunday. 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.

Taliban in Northern Helmand

The Taliban have apparently made some gains in the Kajaki district of Helmand province. This long-fought for area has been a thorn in the side of ISAF for many years and continues to be problematic for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). The British spent a number of years in this district as well. It is also the location of the very important Kajaki Dam. Read more in "Taliban parades in northern Helmand", The Long War Journal, July 18, 2015.

"DIVIDENDS" by CSTC-A - a Monthly Newsletter

The Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) is now publishing a monthly update in the form of a newsletter entitled "DIVIDENDS". The update from CSTC-A is on current fiscal accountability and transparency efforts in Afghanistan. The July 2015 inaugural issue covers "Electronic Funds Transfer", "Afghanistan Divestiture Strategy", and "Conditionality".
www.rs.nato.int/images/media/PDFs/150722july.pdf

Security News

ANDSF Deaths Last Six Months. At least 4,100 service members of the Afghan security forces died in the first six months of 2015. This is a 50% increase over the first six months of year 2014. 7,800 service members were wounded in the same period.

ANDSF and Taliban in Stalmate? According to The New York Times the "Afghan Security Forces Struggle Just to Maintain Stalemate" (July 22, 2015). Desertion is such a compelling problem that commanders are not allowing some soldiers leave as many do not return to duty and are "dropped from the rolls". Last year the outgoing (and last) IJC commander said that casualties were 'unsustainable" - and this year the casualties are much worse.

Afghan Army Losing the War? Franz-Stefan Gady asks "Is the Afghan Army Losing the War in Afghanistan", The Diplomat, July 22, 2015. Halfway through the fighting season, Afghan security forces are struggling to hold their ground. One retired Afghan general says "We are in a passive defensive mode - we are not chasing the enemy. Units get surrounded, and we don't send them support, so they are killed".

Faryab Province in Jeopardy? A recent news article (July 16) by Radio Free Europe wonders if Faryab province is slipping from Afghan government control.

Islamic Jihad Group (IJU). The folks at The Long War Journal provide us with an update (July 25) on a splinter group of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The IJU operates in Pakistan and eastern and northern Afghanistan.

ABP and ALP Surrender. According to a Tolo News report a large number of Afghan Local Police (ALP) and Afghan Border Police (ABP) surrendered to the Taliban after the insurgents attacked a joint military base in Warduj district in northeastern Badakhshan on Saturday (Jul 25th).

Responsible End to Afghan War. During an address to the Veterans of Foreign Was (VFW) convention President Obama stated that ". . . we brought America's longest war to a responsible end". File under things that make you say "Hmmmm".

General Milley Comments on Afghanistan. Gen Milley was questioned by the Senate during confirmation hearings on his thoughts of Afghanistan. He believes that the U.S. withdrawal should be a conditions based plan for drawing down, not a calendar-based plan. Milley is a former commander of the IJC. He is a nominee to head up the U.S. Army.

Faryab Suicide Attack. The death toll of a recent suicide bomber attack in Almar district has risen to 20.

Campbell and PAK COAS Meet. The NATO commander in Afghanistan and Pakistan General Raheel recently met to discuss the security situation along the Pak-Afghan border. So . . . did the U.S. general ask the Pakistani general when Pakistan would stop supporting the "Good Taliban"? Probably not.

Pakistani Shelling. In more border news the Afghan Foreign Ministry summoned the Pakistani Ambassador over Pakistani shelling along the border. There were four dead and two wounded in the incident.

Kabul Bombing Prevented. Kabul police stopped a vehicle laden with explosives prior to it reaching its target earlier in the week.

Salang Tunnel Attacked. Insurgents attacked the tunnel in northern Afghanistan along the Kabul-Mazar highway causing it to close for a period of time on Thursday, July 23rd.

U.S. Withdrawal Pace Not Determined. A spokesman for the U.S. military in Afghanistan (COL Brian Tribus) says that an assessment and recommendations to the White House will be made before deciding a decision is done on the scheduled withdrawal in 2016. (RFE/RL, Jul 21, 2015).

Al-Qaeda Leader Killed in Afghanistan. Some news reports say that a senior al-Qaeda leader has been killed in Bermal district of Paktika province by a U.S. airstrike. Abu Khalil al Sudani worked with Ayman al Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden for a long time, was a member of al Qaeda's shura council and directed suicide operations. Read more in a news report by The Washington Post, July 23, 2015.

Mullah Omar? There has been long-term speculation about the status of the leader of the Taliban - some say he has been long dead and others feel he is still alive hiding under Pakistani protection in Quetta, Pakistan. Recent reports now say he may have been killed over two years ago. (Khaama Press, Jul 23, 2015).

Governance News

Corruption. One of the biggest problems in establishing security and governance in Afghanistan is the pervasive corruption found at all levels. A recent article by Parag R. Dharmavarapu entitled "Corruption and Graft in Post-Conflict Afghanistan", Student Pulse, Vol 7 No. 07, 2015, provides an in depth analysis of Afghan corruption. See also an article by Nasir Shansab on corruption at NewsMax.

More on Corruption. In 2012 an Asia Foundation public opinion survey of the Afghan population cited corruption as being ranked the second biggest problem in Afghanistan after insecurity. In 2014 Transparency International ranked Afghanistan at 172 out of 175 countries in the 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index. Transparency International is calling for the establishment of an independent anti-corruption agency (ACA) for Afghanistan. Read more in a press release by the organization.

New Electoral Reforms Commission. A new commission has been established for Afghan elections. United Nations officials (UNAMA) will be participating in an advisory role. Hopefully the commission will help in the reformation of the electoral system. International donors are threatening to withhold funding for new parliamentary elections unless electoral reforms are pursued.

Wolesi Jirga on Vacation. The Afghan parliament is taking a 45-day summer vacation leaving much needed legislation undone. The most pressing concern is the lack of a confirmed Minister of Defense. Kinda sorta like the U.S. Congress!

Hamid Karzai Comeback? There are some who are speculating on Karzai's motives and worry that he may stage a comeback for the presidency in the future. He is leveraging a personal network to continue to exercise influence even though he is out of office. Oh my gosh, please no. Just go away! Read more in "Fears and Hopes of a Hamid Karzai Comeback in Kabul", The Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2015. See also "How Hamid Karzai Continues to Rule Afghanistan From Beyond the (Political) Grave", The Diplomat, July 25, 2015 for a unique perspective about Karzai's reliance on tribal politics rather than centralized government.

Development News

National Action Plan (NAP) for Women, Peace, and Security. The Afghan government has released its National Action Plan for implementing UNSCR 1325 dated June 2015. The plan outlines the roles of governance structures in regards to women, peace, and security matters. This includes the Ministry of Women's Affairs, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, family courts, EVAW, and more. The document is posted on the Stability Operations Lessons Learned & Information Management Systems (SOLLIMS) website hosted by PKSOI.
www.pksoi.org/document_repository/Misc/Afghanistan_NAP_WPS_(June-2015)-CDR-1370.pdf

Audit of USAID's Southern Agricultural Program. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has published an audit entitled "USAID's Southern Regional Agricultural Development Program: Audit of Costs Incurred by International Relief and Development, Inc.", SIGAR 15-73 Financial Audit, July 2015.
www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/Financial_Audits/SIGAR-15-73-FA.pdf

"The Good-Governance Trap". A recent article in Project Syndicate (June 24, 2015) says that there is little evidence that success in implementing governance reforms leads to more rapid and inclusive economic and social development. Certainly that is good news for Afghanistan since its government is ineffective, corrupt and undergoing a severe insurgent threat.

Map of Aid Worker Attacks. In 2000 there were 41 significant attacks on aid workers recorded across the globe. By 2014, it had risen to 190. In those 15 years, over 3,000 aid workers have been killed, injured, or kidnapped. A map on the IRIN website depicts those 15 years of attacks. You can key in on Afghanistan by clicking the country outline on the map.
http://www.irinnews.org/aid-worker-security-map/dataviz.html

U.S. and Information Operations

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and VOA. The United States has done a less than stellar job in the Information Operations (IO) arena. This is true at the strategic level and at the tactical level as well. A close examination of the IO efforts of the U.S. around the world from countering Russia's information machine, to the Middle East (can you say ISIS?), and on to Afghanistan will find that the adversaries IO machines have ate our lunch in print, the airwaves and on social media. Some critics believe that the U.S. IO organizations lack an over-arching plan at the strategic level and would like to see a consolidation of efforts.

Currently Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has an Afghan service that complements the Voice of America's (VOA) Afghan services. RFE/RL reaches (according to its website) more than 60 percent of the Afghan population across the country with its radio, SMS, and Internet programs. RFE/RL's Radio Azadi is broadcast in Dari and Pashto. It's website for Afghanistan and Pakistan - Gandhara - is published in English.

How VOA and RFE/RL ties in its reporting with the Resolute Support (RS) STRATCOM folks is important. Read more in "From VOA to Radio Free Europe, the US Needs a Single News Voice Abroad", Defense One, July 16, 2015.

IO and Training to Fight. There are very few armies in the world that can fight a conventional fight on the battlefield against the United States. The Persian Gulf War and early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) demonstrated that beyond a doubt. The conflicts of the future may be a hybrid war where insurgent organizations, terrorist groups, and non-state actors (some state-sponsored) will confront the U.S. assymetrically. The U.S. military needs to be able to respond appropriately and this includes activities within the information operations arena (such as social media). Unfortunately, our U.S. Army battalion and brigade commanders have trouble thinking outside of the box while 'in the box' at our national training centers (JRTC, NTC, etc.). Read more in "How the Pentagon Places SOF Soldier's Minds in Boxes", SOFREP, July 2015.

Revising the Narrative. John DeRosa, a member of the U.S. Department of Defense and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, has penned and essay on the importance of the narrative in resolving conflict. Read "Revising the Battle of the Narrative", Small Wars Journal, July 16, 2015.
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/revising-the-battle-of-the-narrative

The Good and Bad about Militia Forces

ALP Graduation in Shah Joy District

Militia forces have had a mixed performance in Afghanistan. Many of the attempts to establish local militia forces by the United States and its coalition partners have failed while some have succeeded. The outcomes have been mixed. Some militia programs have helped secure local communities from the Taliban while a few of them have degenerated into armed criminal bands that terrorize the local population. Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings, explores the security and political effects of militia forces in Afghanistan. In her paper she provides a good historical background on the Afghan Local Police as well as mentioning earlier militia programs such as ANUP, APPP, LDI, and CDI. She compares and contrasts the militias of Afghanistan with the popular local uprisings in Mexico and draws some conclusion and provides some recommendations for future support of prosecuting security policy through proxies. Read her article The dubious joy of standing up militias and building partner capacity: Lessons from Afghanistan and Mexico for prosecuting security policy through proxies, July 21, 2015.

Intelligence Topics

The Defense Clandestine Service is still building up according to Michael Vickers (a former head intel guy). Vickers, until recently the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, says that the DCS is still expanding its mission of providing human intelligence within the military realm. Read more in a news article in Defense One, July 23, 2015.

CIA and Sex Dolls. In order to ensure success in their clandestine operations CIA agents would sometimes employ the use of "sex dolls". Learn more in "How the CIA Turned a Sex Doll Into a Spy Trick", Newsweek, July 24, 2015. (Okay, this has nothing to do with Afghanistan . . . but I couldn't resist!).

Domain of Human Geography. The Center for Technology and National Security Policy of the National Defense University has published a paper entitled Shifting Human Environment: How Trends in Human Geography Will Shape Future Military Operations, Defense & Technology Paper 107, May 2015. Posted on the website of the Homeland Security Digital Library, Naval Postgraduate School. www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=767885

SOCOM, Big Army, DCGS, and the Enemy Within. Computer software in the intelligence field is causing difficulties between Big Army and Special Operations Command. Special operators prefer to use an intelligence software called Palantir while Big Army is pushing a very expensive but less effective application called DCGS. Read a recent news article providing info on this topic in "SOCOM Battles the Enemy Within", Strategy Page, July 21, 2015.

ISIS in Afghanistan

Almost every one's favorite topic lately is the threat of the Islamic State in Afghanistan. Some critics say that the threat is over-exaggerated while others see potential for some big problems ahead. It is hard to figure out the real story from unclassified news sources but sometimes it makes for interesting reading. As an example - a recent news story from Overt Action suggests that the Taliban is providing the intelligence for the U.S. to target ISIS in Afghanistan from the air using armed drones. Read more in "Who is Providing America the Intelligence Needed to Target ISIS . . . in Afghanistan", July 20, 2015.

Campbell on ISIS. On another note, the head of the Resolute Support mission, General John Campbell, says the threat of ISIS in Afghanistan could delay the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan (Military.com, Jul 20, 2015). See also "Islamic State could trip up U.S. plans to leave Afghanistan", Los Angeles Times, July 19, 2015. General Campbell recently held an emergency meeting with President Ghani on the ISIS threat.

Ghani and ISIS. General Campbell says that President Ghani is concerned about ISIS and is in favor of a partnership with the U.S. on counterterrorism. Campbell says that the ISIL threat is ". . .probably operationally emergent . . . ".  (DoD News, Jul 19, 2015).

U.S. in Search of ISIS Strategy. It is readily apparent to any casual observer that the United States strategy of confronting ISIS in Iraq and Syria is muddled and ineffective. A growing concern is the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan. Recently the head of Hezbi-Islami, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has instructed his followers to start supporting ISIS. So it appears that ISIS in Afghanistan is becoming a major concern for the Afghan government as well as the international forces (Resolute Support) that are propping up the Afghan military and government. While ISIS in Afghanistan has suffered some leadership losses in the form of U.S. airstrikes (and drone attacks) it is a hard learned lesson that airstrikes alone do not win a counterinsurgency effort. So one wonders what the U.S. strategy for ISIS in Afghanistan will look like in the months ahead. Read more in a news report by The Independent, July 23, 2015.

Jihadology Podcast. Don Rassler, of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, was interviewed by the team at Lawfare Blog on the emergence of the Islamic State in AfPak on July 21st and July 23rd. You can listen to part one and part two on the Lawfare Blog website.

U.S. Friendly Fire Incident Kills ANA Soldiers

At least seven Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed and others wounded in a friendly-fire incident in Logar province on Monday, July 20th. It appears from initial reports that a U.S. helicopter attacked an ANA checkpoint after receiving surface to air gunfire. USFOR-A is conducting an investigation into the incident involving an Apache helicopter. Resolute Support HQs issued a short statement offering condolences to the ANSF (RS Press Release, Jul 20, 2015). The Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) says the helicopters came under insurgent fire. How the helicopters then attacked the ANA position is unknown. Read more in "U.S. copters blow up Afghan army outpost", CBS News, July 20, 2015. (Photo: SGT Richard Jones, DVIDS, May 14).

Wasteful Spending on Warehouse in Kandahar

The U.S. military is once again getting a black eye on wasteful spending in Afghanistan. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) is reporting that the U.S. government spent $14.7 million to construct a warehouse in Kandahar, Afghanistan that was never used. The U.S. Army started to build the warehouse facility for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in 2009 but it was never completed on time. Although the project was to be completed by mid-2011 it fell behind schedule. Although it was finished the warehouse was never used. The lengthy construction delays resulted in the DLA in citing the contractor for unsatisfactory performance and lack of work progress. The cost to construct the facility continued to increase even after the U.S. Army, USACE, and DLA knew the facility was no longer needed. It seems the DLA could not explain why the project was not terminated. The U.S. Army did not take any action to prevent more than $400,000 in cost increases which occurred after the decision was made that the DLA would not be using the facility - consequently the funds are likely to have been wasted. You can read SIGAR's report at the following link - SIGAR 15-74 Inspection Report and read a news article by The Washington Post (Jul 20, 2015) on this topic.

PTSD

The U.S. military now has the highest rate of post-traumatic stress disorder in history. Sebastian Junger investigates and reports on this problem. Read "How PTSD Became a Problem Far Beyond the Battlefield", Vanity Fair, June 2015.

Afghan Drug War

A recent news report says that attempts to eradicate opium in Afghanistan merely helped the Taliban. The article contends that more than $12 billion was spent on the anti-drug effort and that the anti-drug program attained counterproductive results. Read more in Abigail Hall's article entitled "The Drug War Failed in Afghanistan Too", U.S. New & World Report, July 20, 2015.

Peace Process

In his annual Eid message Taliban leader Mullah Omar declared that the current ongoing peace talks are legitimate. But don't get too excited as the Taliban are scoring successes on the battlefield and are unlikely to actually negotiate a settlement. The Taliban leader's response is helpful to Afghan President Ghani who has gone out on a limb in his engagement with Pakistan - giving ample ammunition to many of his critics who believe Pakistan is the root of all evil.

Emily Winterbotham, a research fellow in the International Security Studies Department at RUSI, examines the broad context of the ongoing peace talks in "Afghanistan's Peace Process: A Long Road Ahead", The Diplomat, July 20, 2015.

The next round of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban representatives will take place in China at the end of the month (July). It is possible that the Afghan government will request a ceasefire. See a news report by ABC News, July 24, 2015.

Split Taliban Camps? The Gandhara Blog has posted an article by Hekmatullah Azamy suggesting the Taliban may be dividing into two camps in a dispute about whether to participate in the peace talks with the Afghan government. Read "The Looming Coup Within the Taliban", July 25, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets

Article on SFA. The Joint Center for International Security Assistance (JCISFA) has posted an article entitled "Strengthening Security Force Assistance Joint Force Management Processes and Procedures" in the Peace and Stability Journal, Volume 5, Issue 4, July 2015 (see pages 32-36). The article is about the results of a working group that examined how the U.S. joint military forces could improve personnel assignments in order to get the right people in the right jobs to conduct SFA missions. One of the biggest obstacles to a successful SFA mission is the proper selection and training of SFA advisors. Hopefully the JCISFA working group can cobble together some good recommendations to address this problem.

AWG and Fighting ISIS. LTC Justin Sapp, a Special Forces officer and commander in the Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG), provides us an update on how the AWG is assisting in the fight against the Islamic State. For those with some time in Afghanistan you may recall the occasional AWG advisors flying into small firebases offering advise and assistance to infantry units in remote areas. The AWG advisors - along with experienced CAAT COIN Advisors and Joint Expeditionary Team (JIEDDO) Advisors were invaluable in providing young officers and NCOs with timely and relevant advise. Read more in "Elite Army unit at Fort Meade searching for ways to fight ISIS", The Baltimore Sun, July 18, 2015.

Schools and USAID. Another article on wasteful spending on Afghan schools is provided to us by Public Radio International (PRI) in "Have we been duped? The successful building of schools in Afghanistan may be overstated", July 20, 2015.

Updated Requirements for Contractors in Afghanistan. The Resolute Support command has updated documents that outline some of the requirements of contractors working in Afghanistan to include business licences and visas. Documents include entry and exit requirements, contractor visas, NATO SOFA, Bilateral Security Agreement, and more. They have been posted by the Resolute Support Legal Advisor (RS LEGAD). www.rs.nato.int/visas-and-business-licenses.html

TAAC North Air Wing CoC. The Train Advise and Assist Command North has anew commander for the TAAC North Air Wing at Camp Marmal near Mes-e-Sharif. The Air Wing provides support to TAAC North as well as performing advisory missions. Read more in "New commander takes over Air Wing", RS News, July 19, 2015.

IPCB Transition. News on the transition of responsibilities from the IPCB to the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs (Jul 20, 2015).

UN Report on Afghanistan. A June 2015 quarterly report to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security.
www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2015/422

RS Update Edition 1. Resolute Support headquarters has posted a 7 minute long video updating us on gender issues within the ANDSF, the SME program within the ministries, and General Campbell's disappointment in the Afghan parliaments refusal to approve any of President Ghani's choices for Minister of the MoD. (DVIDS, July 25, 2015)
www.dvidshub.net/video/416577/resolute-support-update-edition-1

Women's Mental Health in Afghanistan. The New York Times has published an article that profiles the work of a female therapist in Kapisa province, Afghanistan. She helps women with common problems to include post-traumatic stress, malnutrition, depression, and domestic violence. (NYT, Jul 15, 2015).

Paper - "Women in Combat". The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has published a paper for the U.S. Congress that outlines the issues about women in combat. It is posted on the website of the Federation of American Scientists.
www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42075.pdf

More on Burn Pits. In a report posted by the Veterans Administration members of the military that served in Afghanistan have a higher rate of insomnia, high blood pressure, asthma, and emphysema. (Military Times, Jul 22, 2015).

Drones, Cheap Wars, and Dumb Decisions. A recent opinion piece by Benjamin H. Friedman explores how drones tend to encourage us to engage in seemingly risk-free conflicts but also tend to encourage the U.S. to engage in dumb military operations and enterprises. Read "How Drones Encourage Dumb Wars and Corrode Democratic Government", CATO Institute, July 24, 2015.

Video on Special Operations and Intelligence. Kim Dozier, a defense columnist, is the moderator for a one-hour long video posted on YouTube.com by The Aspen Institute entitled "Special Operators and Intelligence Analysts: the 21st Century's Lead Warriors" (July 2015). The panel includes Kathleen Hicks (long-time defense analyst and DoD bureaucrat), Eric Olson (former Commander of US Special Operations Command), and Michael Vickers (Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9S_lJeOKuM

Key Combat Trends in Afghanistan. Anthony Cordsman of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) has provided us with a PDF entitled Key Combat Trends in Afghanistan: Violence vs. Population (May 18, 2015). You can view other assessments of the war in Afghanistan at this link.

Training FSF: Quality vs Quantity. War on the Rocks has posted an article by Rebecca Zimmerman that looks at the training provided to foreign military forces. (July 15, 2015). In Afghanistan over the past several years the push was for a large military and police force and the quality of training was less important than fielding numbers. We are paying the price for that policy now.

JIEDDO is now JIDA. The Pentagon's counter-IED group know as the Joint IED Defeat Organization is now know as the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Agency. Read more in "Pentagon's IED Office Reinvents Itself For a New War", Defense One, July 13, 2015.

Five Facts about CIA's Drone Campaign. A professor of Islamic Studies, Brian Glyn Williams, dispels some myths associated with the Central Intelligence Agency's drone campaign conducted in Pakistan. Read more in The Huffington Post, July 23, 2015.

Navy Reserve Forces Command Highlights RS Personnel. The TNR Magazine has highlighted the contributions of Navy personnel deployed on the Resolute Support mission. View the July 2015 issue. http://issuu.com/cnrfc/docs/tnr_july_2015

New CSTC-A Cdr. MG Gordon B. Davis, Jr will soon be the commander of the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan. He leaves his post as deputy chief of staff of operations at SHAPE (NATO) in Belgium.

BG Douglas Crissman Departs. Crissman leaves his post as deputy command, JTF 3, USFOR-A to be the DCG of 3d Infantry Division.

COL Patrick Frank Departs. Frank leaves his post as XO to Cdr RS to go to the 1st Infantry Division.

Lapis Lazuli. This precious stone is found in only a few sites around the world. One site is the Kokcha Valley of northern Afghanistan. Read more in a CIA posting.

Obama - Ghani Video Conference. Presidents Obama and Ghani had a video conference recently (July 22) where they discussed corruption, the economy, and improved regional economic connectivity, security, and regional cooperation. Read a State Department press release.

Receive Afghan War News Every Sunday Morning

You can receive the Afghan War News Newsletter by email. 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 every Sunday. 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.

Resuming AWN Newsletter

The Afghan War News newsletter is now back. I took an almost three-month long break as I had some major work projects and lots of travel commitments. Things have settled down to the extent that I can resume my research and writing activities. Previously, the newsletter came out on a daily basis - but starting now it will be just once a week - sent out early on Sunday morning. Hopefully, I can send it out more frequently in the future . . . we shall see. This first weekly newsletter is longer than usual as I am playing catch up with some important news events that have taken place in the past few months. Future weekly newsletters will be much shorter. If you no longer want to receive the newsletter then simply click "Unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email.

Annotated Bibliography for Resolute Support Mission

The Annotated Bibliography for Resolute Support is updated and posted on the first day of each month. The ISAF mission ended on December 31, 2014 and the NATO Resolute Support mission started on January 1, 2015. The Resolute Support mission is primarily Security Force Assistance along functional areas at the ministry, institutional, and ANA corps level. The bibliography will be very helpful for advisors at all levels in Afghanistan as well as staff members of the RS mission. It has links to hundreds of documents, papers, publications, and websites about advising, the Afghan National Security Forces, and Afghanistan. The publication is an Adobe Acrobat PDF, is just over 200 pages long, and is less than 3 MBs big. You can read online or download at the link below.

www.afghanwarnews.info/pubs/RSM-Bibliography.htm

Recent Reports, Papers and Pubs on Afghanistan

DoD, Report on Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan, June 2015. The '1225 report' is replacing the '1230 report'. This bi-annual report covers December 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015. The report has a description of the strategy of the U.S. in regards to Afghanistan, current and anticipated threat assessment, as well as specific information about the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Info includes a description and assessment of the size, structure, strategy, budget, and financing of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.
www.defense.gov/pubs/June_1225_Report_Final.pdf

Paper on Governance in Kandahar. Ashley Jackson has penned a paper entitled Politics and Governance in Afghanistan: The case of Kandahar, Working Paper 34, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), July 2015.

Why the ANDSF Will Not Hold. M. Chris Mason has penned a paper entitled The Strategic Lessons Unlearned from Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan: Why the Afghan National Security Forces Will Not Hold, and the Implications for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, 25 June 2015. Posted on the PKSOI website by the Strategic Studies Institute and the U.S. Army War College Press. (236 pages, PDF). This paper (really a book) is a must read if you are a current or future advisor in Afghanistan!

CSIS Paper on Afghan Combat Trends. Anthony H. Cordsman of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) has a paper out entitled Key Combat Trends in Afghanistan: Violence vs. Population, May 18, 2015.

Spring Edition of Parameters. The U.S. Army War College quarterly Parameters has been published. Not too much about Afghanistan except for a review of the book by LTG Daniel Bolger - Why We Lost.

Special Edition of SOLLIMS Sampler. The July 2015 periodical has a number of Afghan-relevant articles in its Cross-Cutting Guidelines for Stability Operations issue. (PKSOI, Jul 2015).

U.S. National Military Strategy pub released. The DoD blueprint for how the military will use its forces to protect and advance U.S. national and security interests was released in early July 2015.
www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Publications/2015_National_Military_Strategy.pdf

SIGAR Audit on RoL in Afghanistan. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has published a 58-page audit on RoL entitled Rule of Law in Afghanistan: U.S. Agencies Lack a Strategy and Cannot Fully Determine the Effectiveness of Programs Costing More Than $1 Billion, SIGAR 15-68 Audit Report, July 2015.

www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-15-68-AR.pdf

Update on Afghan Police

On June 4, 2015 the International Crisis Group released a report entitled "The Future of the Afghan Local Police". The report was critical of the ALP and states that the ALP has had a mixed record in providing for security in many districts in Afghanistan. The report offers several recommendations to include extending the mission of some ALP units, dismantling others, and eventually discontinuing the program altogether. There are 19 total recommendations addressed to a variety of organizations to include the government of Afghanistan, United States DoD, UN Security Council, donor nations, and the United States government.

www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/afghanistan/268-the-future-of-the-afghan-local-police.aspx

Afghan Army and Police Pay Boosted. The Afghan president has increased the pay for the ANSF. Poor pay and lack of benefits along with a 59% increase in casualties this year over 2014 has resulted in a significant desertion rate. Read more in Stars and Stripes (June 30, 2015).

New LOTFA Agreement with UNDP. The Ministry of Interior Affairs announced the approval of an 18-month extension of the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan. Read more in a UNDP news release (June 30, 2015). A recent news report states that the European Union has made a significant contribution to law and order in Afghanistan (EU Observer, Jul 8, 2015).

EFT for ALP. The Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) and the MOI have reached an agreement to authorize a mobile money pilot program providing for Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) of pay for members of the Afghan Local Police (ALP). It is thought that the use of EFT will prevent corruption and 'leakage' of funds. Currently many of the ALP members rely on 'trusted agents' to carry pay to the remote ALP outposts. Read more in an RSM press release (June 29, 2015).

New MoI IG. The new MoI Inspector General says he will reduce corruption in the Ministry of Interior. The Essential Function 2 (TAO) advisors seem quite enamored of him. Hmmmm, we shall see. (RS News, Jul 13, 2015).

Assessment of EUPOL in Afghanistan. This assessment of the European Police Mission in Afghanistan found that it had been partly effective in delivering its mandate. This assessment conducted by the European Court of Auditors makes a number of recommendations applicable not only to EUPOL Afghanistan but to other police missions as well. The EU police mission in Afghanistan: mized results, July 2015, 52 pages, is posted on the Peace Keeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) website of the U.S. Army.
www.pksoi.org/index.cfm?disp=cdrview.cfm&cdrid=1366

Report - "Not Their War to Fight". Anila Daulatzai of Harvard University has published a paper entitled Not Their War to Fight: The Afghan Police, Families of their Dead, and an American War. The paper claims that Afghan police members work not to secure their country and communities but to seek employment and provide for their families. This 13 page paper provides an alternative (and not entirely incorrect) view of the Afghan National Police.

Medicine Transferred to ANP. RS HQs transferred about $150,000 in medicine to the ANP recently. (DVIDS, Jul 15, 2015).

7th ID now at TAAC South

The 7th Infantry Division has assumed the responsibility for running the Train, Advise and Assist Command - South at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The transfer of authority ceremony was held on June 10, 2015. BG Paul Bontrager will be the commander of TAAC-South. Read more in "7th Infantry Division assumes responsibility of TAAC-S", DVIDS, June 10, 2015. (Photo by Capt. Susan Harrington, RS HQs).

Afghan Air Force and Air Support

4th C-130 Arrives. The Afghan Air Force (AAF) received its fourth C-130 from the U.S. Air Force in late June. This completes a five-year plan to replace the troubled C-27A transport aircraft program (20 two-engine transport aircraft) with the larger four-engine C-130. The C-27A program was scrapped because the AAF couldn't maintain the smaller two-engine plane. Evidently the U.S. Air Force feels that the Afghans are capable of maintaining the larger and more complex C-130. Hmmmmm. Read more in "Fourth C-130 touches down in Kabul, expands Afghan Air Force capabilities", DVIDS, June 22, 2015.

AAF MD 530F's Get 2.75 Inch Rockets. The Afghan Air Force will be upgrading its MD 530's with rockets. (Defense World.net, Jul 14, 2015).

Afghan Airspace Management. The Afghans still are unable to manage their own airspace. The U.S. will continue to take care of Afghan airspace traffic for a few more months - through mid-September - giving Afghanistan time to transfer control to an international company with an 18-month to two-year contract.

MC-12W Project Liberty Team. Contractors providing maintenance support for MC-12 ISR aircraft in Afghanistan are highlighted in a DVIDS news release (June 27, 2015).

Special Mission Wing (SMW). Two U.S. Air Force advisors inform us about the Afghan Special Mission Wing in an article posted in Army Aviation Magazine.

TAAC-Air Provides Medic Training. Advisors provided training for Afghan flight medics who will perform duties on C-130 medevacs. (U.S. Air Force, Jul 15, 2015).

Air Advisor Academy Closes. As always happens when an era of counterinsurgency and stability operations comes to a close (it hasn't but the 4-stars think it has) cost cutting measures decimate the advisory and COIN training capacity of the military services. We saw this happen with the U.S. Army at Fort Polk (reduced staff at advisor school - 162nd Brigade) and closing of the Irregular Warfare Center (formerly the COIN Center). Now the Air Force has jumped on board. The U.S. Air Force is shutting the doors of the Air Advisor Academy located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. (Air Force Today, Jul 14, 2015).  In a time of budget constraints something has to give so the Air Force can afford their new F-35 jet. The Joint Strike Fighter is only $200 billion over budget and three years behind schedule. The closing of the Air Advisor Academy is an unfortunate development - just when we appear to get one of the advisor training programs right we cancel out the training capacity. Some critics see the shift from advisor training and COIN missions as a good thing while others see a future where the U.S. cannot avoid "nation building" type conflicts. (National Review, Jul 14, 2015).

U.S. Airstrikes Continue. It appears that the U.S. is stepping up its airstrikes in Afghanistan in support of the ANDSF and the U.S. counterterrorism mission (The New York Times, Jul 15, 2015).

DoD Law of War Manual (June 2015)

Rule of Law advisors and military lawyers working in Afghanistan may be interested in a recent publication released by the Office of General Counsel of the Department of Defense. The Department of Defense Law of War Manual dated June 2015 is available at the link below. It is 1206 pages of lawyerspeak!

www.dod.mil/dodgc/images/law_war_manual15.pdf

Regional News and Issues

"Why Afghanistan Needs Pakistan". James Creighton, a former U.S. brigade commander (with two Afghan deployments) and currently the chief operating officer of the EastWest Institute, tells us why it is a good thing the Afghan president is reaching out to Pakistan. Read his June 22nd article in The Diplomat. Another "Afghan expert", Michael Kugelman - senior program associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center, sheds light in a 13-minute video on the 'false spring' between Pakistan and Afghanistan (The Diplomat, July 1, 2015). In addition, read "Ashraf Ghani's Pakistan Outreach: Fighting against the odds", United States Institute of Peace, June 29, 2015. A former U.S. envoy (Ryan Crocker) says that Pakistan needs to start cracking down on the Afghan Taliban (the "good Taliban) and to start a new cooperative relationship with Afghanistan. (Gandhara Blog, Jul 4, 2015).

Balochistan. Pakistan is not without its own insurgent problems - read about the Baloch insurgency south of Afghanistan's border (The Diplomat, Jun 24, 2015).

Christine Fair and Playing Make-Believe with Pakistani Military. Fair, a critic of the U.S. support of Pakistan, recounts her experiences with the Pakistani Army. (Defense One, Jul 2, 2015).

Charting Pakistan's Internal Security Policy. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has published a special report by Raza Rumi dated May 2015 worth reviewing.

Iran and the Taliban. There have been rumblings in the media that Iran has stepped up its ties with the Taliban. According to The Wall Street Journal the Shiite nation has quietly boosted ties with the Sunni militant group and is now recruiting and training its fighters. See a report by Margherita Stancati entitled "Iran Backs Taliban With Cash and Arms".

Role of China and India in Afghan Stability. The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) offers up research on the role to two major nations in Afghan regional stability. See a 24 June 2015 report. China is attempting to set up a mining operation in Logar province at the Mes Aynak mine but a 5,000-year-old Afghan historic site is there as well - holding up the progress (Newsweek, Jul 1, 2015). Karl Eikenberry (former cdr and ambassador in Afg) writes on the importance of China and the future of Afghanistan (Asia Foundation, Jul 8, 2015). Tini Tran also weighs in on the China factor (Asia Foundation, Jul 8, 2015).

TAPI Pipeline. The Silk Road Reporters newsletter provides an update on the TAPI pipeline that will transit central and south Asia.

Demise of the Human Terrain System (HTS)

A slew of news reports and articles explore the rise and fall of the Human Terrain System (HTS) - see news reports by Counterpunch and USA Today (June 29, 2015). Thomas Briggs provides us with recommendations for the aligning of SOF and Academia in the Human Domain field (Small Wars Journal, June 29, 2015). Steven Metz of the Strategic Studies Institute of the Army War College believes that the Pentagon's decision to cut the Human Terrain System is short-sighted (World Politics Review, Jul 10, 2015). Tobin Harshaw writes that the Army's anthropology experiment ended in defeat (Bloomberg View, Jul 15, 2015). David F. Eisler writes on the importance of embracing sociocultural intelligence in stability operations (Small Wars Journal, Jul 14, 2015). Ryan Evans, the editor of the War on the Rocks Blog and a former member of the HTT in Helmand province provides us with an insider's perspective of the seven deadly sins of the HTS but also points out that it was an invaluable program that provided great benefit in many situations (Geopoliticus: FPRI Blog, Jul 13, 2015). My experience with Human Terrain Systems (and teams) in Afghanistan was overwhelmingly positive and I found the Evan's article closest to the mark.

Afghan Security News

Afghanistan Drug Reporting System (ADRS). The Afghan ministry in charge of counter narcotics has launched an interactive online system for all counter-narcotics related data in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Drug Reporting System will be a key component for the leadership in the coordination role in countering drugs. The online tool compiles data by sector and location from the nine entities (Ministries of Justice, Interior, Public Health, Rural Rehabilitation and Development, and international organizations) involved in counter narcotic initiatives. Read more in "First-ever comprehensive online system to counter narcotics launches in Afghanistan", UN News Centre, June 23, 2015. For more on the Afghan drug problem you can read a recent RAND Corporation report entitled Reducing the Cultivation of Opium Poppies in Southern Afghanistan, 2015.

Fight for Kunduz. With the opening of the fighting season (April) the Taliban made a major effort to take districts in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan. In May they seized one or two Kunduz districts for a few days before being pushed back. In June the Taliban came within four miles of the provincial capital. However, the Afghan government rushed reinforcements to the city to stem the attack. The Washington Post published a news article with a synopsis of the attacks on Kunduz. As of early July the city was still threatened but unlikely to fall to the Taliban. The fighting has put much development work into jeopardy (Deutshe Welle, Jul 2, 2015).

ANA General Caught Transporting Heroin. A senior Afghan general from northern Afghanistan was arrested after being caught transporting a large amount of heroin in his military truck. Perhaps he should have been paying attention to events in Kunduz? (NBC News, July 1, 2015).

Suffering Refugees. The onset of the 2015 fighting season has resulted in a large number of refugees in the north of Afghanistan. (Gandhara Blog, Jul 8, 2015).

Budgets and Bullets. The head of SIGAR, John Sopko, recently (May 2015) spoke before an audience at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) about the status of the Afghan security forces. You can read his very informative speech on the CSIS website in Budgets and Bullets: Taking Stock of Afghanistan's Security Forces.

DoD Casualty. The U.S. Department of Defense announced the death of a DoD civilian who was supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan. Krissie K. Davis of Talladega, Alabama was killed on June 8, 2015 during an indirect fire attack on Bagram Airbase. She was a member of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) at Anniston, Alabama and deployed to DLA Disposition Services Bagram as part of the civilian expeditionary force. Read more in a news story by The New York Times (June 10, 2015).

Civilian Casualty in Southern Afghanistan. A Resolute Support contracted civilian died as a result of a non-battle related medical condition in southern Afghanistan on June 27, 2015.

Parliament Attack. The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) has accused the Pakistan ISI of financing and planning the June 22 attack by six members of the Taliban on the Afghan Parliament. The Pakistani foreign office rejected the accusations. A woman and child were killed during the attack.

NATO Convoy in Kabul Attacked. In June 30th a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-packed car near a military convoy on the main highway leading to Kabul's airport. There were many civilian casualties - as many as three dead and 60 injured (Radio Free Europe, June 30, 2015). NATO reported that two of its personnel suffered minor injuries. Some reports (NYT, Jul 1, 2015) indicate that an angry crowd attacked U.S. military personnel at the scene and one Soldier was stabbed during the confrontation. The advent of the fighting season has seen almost weekly attacks in Kabul and numerous threat warnings.

The Afghan "Mini-Pentagon" is now complete. The four-year long building project will serve as the headquarters for the Afghan Ministry of Defense and its Afghan National Army. The building cost over $160 million. It is five stories high, with barracks, wastewater treatment facility, and power plant. The dining halls (3) can seat 1,000 people. Read more in "Afghanistan gets 'mini-Pentagon as troops struggle", Associated Press, June 12, 2015.

New 205th Commander Improves Contracting Process. According to Essential Function 1 advisors the new cdr of the 205th ANA Corps is bringing much needed command emphasis on eliminating corruption in the contracting field. (DVIDS, June 26, 2015).

Afghan Development and Aid News

SIGAR and Health Facilities. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Oversight is questioning USAID's database for healthcare facilities. Seems the coordinates provided were many times erroneous - several not even in Afghanistan and with one in the Mediterranean Sea (SIGAR letter June 25, 2015). SIGAR and USAID have also clashed over a U.S.-financed $335 million power plant outside of Kabul which remains ineffective in creating energy stability (GOVEXEC, Jun 2015).

USAID has updated its Civilian-Military Cooperation Policy that was issued in July 2008. This updated policy, as of June 2015, establishes the foundation for interagency cooperation between USAID and the DoD. The policy provides guidance to the 'whole-of-government' approach to contemporary national security challenges such as humanitarian activities, stabilization operations, and counterinsurgency. The Defense in Depth Blog of the Council of Foreign Relations provides an analysis of this updated policy (CFR, Jul 8, 2015). The USAID document is available at the link below. www.usaid.gov/policy/dod-cooperation

Delivering Aid and Afghan Corruption. Rick Cohen writes a piece about the corruption at the highest levels of Afghan government (can you say "Karzai"?) in Nonprofit Quarterly, July 8, 2015.

Most Dangerous Country in World for Aid Workers? Afghanistan, of course. Read more in Business Insider, July 16, 2015.

Afghan Schools Success Exaggerated? A National Public Radio report says that USAID reports of success are not verifiable. Read "Afghan Schools: Is the Success Story Exaggerated?", June 18, 2015. See also "How USAID Can Track "Ghost" Schools", Sunny in Kabul, June 29, 2015.

"Ghost Students, Ghost Teachers, Ghost Schools". A hard-hitting investigative report overcomes the information operations machine of ISAF to bring you the real truth on the status of Afghanistan's schools and how effective the U.S. school building effort really was (BuzzFeed News, July 9, 2015).

"Reach the Women". Gary Owen writes about the US military's experiment of female soldiers working with Afghan women. (Afghanistan Analysts Network, June 20, 2015).

Criticism of the National Solidarity Programme. There are some critics that say the NSP's Community Development Councils (CDCs) are lacking proper oversight. Read more in "Afghans Question Reconstruction Scheme", Institute for War & Peace Reporting, June 23, 2015.

Governance, Elections, etc.

Parliamentary Elections. Foreign donors are becoming frustrated with Afghanistan's failure to set a date for parliamentary elections. The elections were supposed to be held in April but have been delayed. The Afghan parliament's five-year mandate expired on June 22. "ELECT II" is a donor funded program run by the United Nations Development Programme that is due to end in December; however, it may shut down prior to December if the Afghans don't get their act together. The history of elections - presidential and parliamentary - is rife with corruption, meddling, violence, and vote-rigging. The latest presidential election held in the spring (and then summer) of 2014 did little to polish up the Afghan election image. In fact, it threw the Afghan government into chaos and impeded important progress in the conduct of Afghan military operations until it was finally resolved with the formation of the National Unity Government (NUG).

Governance in Afghanistan. An author provides us with his perspective on government, governance, and legitimacy in Afghanistan. Read "Inducing Cooperation: Building Governance in Afghanistan", Small Wars Journal, June 29, 2015 by Aaron W. Miller.

4th Oversight and Coordination Body. Coalition partners from 17 donor nations met with CSTC-A and others at the Afghan Ministry of Finance in mid-June to coordinate donor commitments for the ANSF in 2015 and beyond. (Army.mil, June 23, 2015).

National ID Card Program. It appears that the long-sought-for but never implemented national ID program is still a ways from being put into place. The computerized digital ID program was to be rolled out years ago but corruption and miss-management has taken its toll.

Advising in Afghanistan

Ian Bertram, of the U.S. Air Force and a Mi-17 air advisor in Afghanistan in 2012, suggests that advisors in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere would benefit from reading a series of books published long ago. He contends that the introduction of western values and methods are not always as useful as the use of traditional values and methods found in the host nation. Read "Ancient Backbone: Using Ancient Texts to Train Modern Allies", Small Wars Journal, July 15, 2015.

Lessons for Advisors . . . from Vietnam. Peter Murphy has penned an article entitled "Why Military Advising Was So Successful in Vietnam . . . ", Small Wars Journal, June 28, 2015.

Paper on Advising. Professor Raymond A. Millen of the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI), Carlisle Barracks, PA, has penned an informative paper about ministerial level advising. Millen served three tours in Afghanistan; his last as an advisor at the strategic plans level at the Ministry of Defense. His paper, 76 pages long, was published June 3, 2015 by the United States Army War College Press.
Professionalizing Ministerial Advising
www.pksoi.org/index.cfm?disp=cdrview.cfm&cdrid=1334

Afghan Peace Talks

Not much headway has been made in the peace talks with the Taliban. Unless, of course, you are an optimist. Over the past few months there have been lots of rumors of 'unofficial peace talks' between the Taliban and various entities (China, Pakistan, etc.) but with nothing concrete developing. However, in early July representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban met in Pakistan for some direct talks (although Taliban spokesmen in Qatar insist the talks were not authorized). The talks will resume after Ramazan. There is very little hope that much will come of this as the Taliban are enjoying success on the battlefield against the ANDSF and it appears that some Taliban groups are opposed to peace talks (Gandhara Blog, Jul 10, 2015) although it appears that Mullah Omar (head of the Quetta Shura) is approving the current peace talks process (Lawfare Blog, Jul 15, 2015).

Michelle Barsa writes on how to fix Afghanistan's broken peace process in an article posted by Foreign Policy (Jul 9, 2015). Halimullah Kousary writes in The Diplomat (Jul 6, 2015) about how Ghani's pivot to Pakistan has fallen flat. On another note, an Afghan university thinks it can teach your way out of a war (Foreign Policy, Jul 1, 2015).