ALP Insider Attack. On Sunday, Jul 26th four Afghan Local Police killed their commander and two others and joined the Taliban in Saripul province (Pajhwok Afghan News, Jul 26, 2015). In another news report by Khaama Press (July 27) we learn that an ALP commander and 7 of his men from Sar-e-Pul have joined up with a Taliban group.
Gunfire at Afghan Wedding Kills 20. Two families (rival warlords?) had a shootout during a wedding with some drastic results. The fight took place late on Sunday in Deh Salah district in Baghlan province. Ten people were wounded and at least 20 were killed. The dead were all male guests in ages from 14 to 60. Read more in "Gunfight kills at least 20 at northern Afghanistan wedding, officials report", The Guardian, July 27, 2015.
Toy Guns Banned in Afghanistan. The Afghan Interior Ministry has ordered its police to confiscate toy guns. Read more in "Why Afghanistan is Banning Toy Guns", The World Post, July 27, 2015.
Kidnapping Capital of Afghanistan. The peace and prosperity of Herat in western Afghanistan has led to the emergence of a growing middle class - and a criminal network that targets them for kidnap, ransom, and extortion. Read more in "Afghanistan's model city is also its kidnapping capital", Global Post, July 27, 2015.
Farah Blast Kills ALP Commander. Pajhwok Afghan News reported that a bomb blast killed an Afghan Local Police leader.
Faryab Province Update. The Afghan Army Chief of Staff claims that insurgents have not made any significant advances in Faryab province. Others, however, strongly disagree. Read more in a news report by Gandhara Blog, July 27, 2015.
Helmand Province Update. Reports indicate that the Nawzad district in Helmand was taken on Wednesday, July 29th by the Taliban. The Afghan Army says that it has "stepped back" a bit but will retake the district soon. (Khaama Press, Jul 29, 2015).
Sar-e-Pul Province Update. Reports from Afghan police in Kohistanat district say a recent surrender of police to the Taliban was the result of no air support or reinforcements from regional security forces. According to some reports the district has fallen after police defected to the Taliban. The fall of the Kohistanat district is the latest in a string of Taliban victories in the Afghan north. (The Long War Journal, Jul 28, 2015).
Kunduz Fight. The Taliban and other insurgent groups have done well thus far this fighting season. While they failed to take the provincial capital it is reported they control over half of the province- chiefly in the rural areas. (Reuters, Jul 28, 2015).
Containing the IMU. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan or IMU has a strong presence in northern Afghanistan and is a constant source of anxiety not only for the 209th Corps but also for Uzbekistan. John C. K. Daly wonders if Uzbekistan can contain the IMU. (Silk Road Reporters, Jul 31, 2015).
AOAV Update on IED Attacks. The Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) organization has released an update on IED attacks in Afghanistan (July 2, 2015).
AAF and Non-Standard Aircraft. The organization charged with providing non-standard aircraft such as the Mi-17 or MD-530D to the Afghan Air Force has had a change in leadership. Read more in "Non-Standard Rotary Wing team has new leader", The Redstone Rocket, July 29, 2015.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Governance News
Green Trend Signs MOU with Others. The Green Trend party, headed by Amrullah Saleh (a former head of the National Directorate of Security or NDS), has signed an agreement with two other political parties pledging support to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Tolo News, July 27, 2015.
No Pay for Presidential Palace Workers. Tolo News reports that as many as 2,000 employees of the presidential palace have not received pay for the past six months. (July 28, 2015).
NUG and the Way Out of Crisis. A commentator, Mohammad Shafiq Hamdam, writes about the failures of the National Unity Government (NUG) and offers a way out of Afghanistan's crisis. He proposes that the people of the Afghan nation appeal to the United Nations to mediate an immediate cease-fire by all parties, the convening of a real and inclusive Loya Jirga, and the establishment of a transitional government. (The Huffington Post Blog, July 29, 2015).
No Pay for Presidential Palace Workers. Tolo News reports that as many as 2,000 employees of the presidential palace have not received pay for the past six months. (July 28, 2015).
NUG and the Way Out of Crisis. A commentator, Mohammad Shafiq Hamdam, writes about the failures of the National Unity Government (NUG) and offers a way out of Afghanistan's crisis. He proposes that the people of the Afghan nation appeal to the United Nations to mediate an immediate cease-fire by all parties, the convening of a real and inclusive Loya Jirga, and the establishment of a transitional government. (The Huffington Post Blog, July 29, 2015).
Development News
Can You Hear Me Now? Apparently there are some telecommunications difficulties emerging within Afghanistan. Some citizens have been complaining of poor service. Read more in "Kabulis Criticize Telecommunication Services", Tolo News, July 26, 2015.
India to Donate 1,000 Buses. The Afghan national state-run bus service will receive a donation of a large quantity of buses. Read more in "India to Donate 1,000 Buses as Kabul Public Transport Falters", Tolo News, July 27, 2015.
Basil Now a Big Crop in Helmand. Pajhwok Afghan News reports that farmers in southern Helmand province are having good yields in cultivating Basil (July 27, 2015).
Fragile States and Poor Development. The Asia Foundation provides us their view on how fragile states retard growth and sustainable development in "Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations: Why They Matter, How Aid Can Help", July 29, 2015.
Northern Afghanistan - Work and Income. GIZ (Germany) provides a description its Sustainable Economic Development and Employment Promotion (SEDEP) project.
India to Donate 1,000 Buses. The Afghan national state-run bus service will receive a donation of a large quantity of buses. Read more in "India to Donate 1,000 Buses as Kabul Public Transport Falters", Tolo News, July 27, 2015.
Basil Now a Big Crop in Helmand. Pajhwok Afghan News reports that farmers in southern Helmand province are having good yields in cultivating Basil (July 27, 2015).
Fragile States and Poor Development. The Asia Foundation provides us their view on how fragile states retard growth and sustainable development in "Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations: Why They Matter, How Aid Can Help", July 29, 2015.
Northern Afghanistan - Work and Income. GIZ (Germany) provides a description its Sustainable Economic Development and Employment Promotion (SEDEP) project.
Information Operations
War on the Web. There is growing concern about the radicalization of the world's youth via social media. The Islamic State is proven very adept at the use of social media sites such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and others. The West will ignore the growth of social media as a weapon by terrorist and insurgent groups at its peril. Read more in "War on the Web", U.S. News & World Report, July 23, 2015.
Policing Terror Talk. A bill in Congress would have Facebook, Twitter, and others report terrorist content. Read more in "Social-Media Firms Resist Role of Policing Terror Talk", The Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2015.
Policing Terror Talk. A bill in Congress would have Facebook, Twitter, and others report terrorist content. Read more in "Social-Media Firms Resist Role of Policing Terror Talk", The Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2015.
Counter-Terrorism & Intelligence News
Destroying the ISIS Financial Network. One important aspect of counterterrorism is "Counter Threat Finance" operations or CTF. The use of CTF can significantly inhibit the operational capability of terrorist, criminal, and insurgent groups, networks, and movements. Read how to interdict the Islamic State by hitting their wallets (or pocketbooks?) in "The 21st Century Answer to "Burning their Crops and Salting their Fields": Interdicting and Destroying the ISIS Financial Network", Small Wars Journal, August 1, 2015. The article, by Greg Kleponis and Tom Creal, reflects the author's experiences while advising in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
ISIS vs Taliban. Eric Jones in SOFREP writes about how ISIS is fighting the Taliban and how the ANSF is taking the fight to both organizations. SOFREP.com, July 27, 2015.
Paper - "Global Civilization and Counterterrorism". The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has posted a paper that examines global terrorism, order and disorder, and how we should try to combat disorder and violent extremists.
www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/global-civilization-and-counterterrorism
Paper - "Understanding Terrorism Today and Tomorrow". The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has posted a paper that helps us understand what terrorism is. The article is adapted from a speech by General Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, given at the CTC 2015 Senior Conference.
www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/understanding-terrorism-today-and-tomorrow
Former ISAF DCSINT now Cdr Fort Huachuca. MG Scott Berrier, former the head Intel guy and leader of the Essential Function 7 crowd, is now the new commander at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (why can't they just say Intel school?) and Fort Huachuca. (Sierra Vista Herald, Jul 31, 2015).
"Dead Drop". In tradecraft terms, a dead drop is a location to secretly pass information without a face-to-face meeting. Recall the scene in the Godfather where Al Pacino retrieves a pistol in the restaurant men's room? That is a dead drop. "The Dead Drop" is also the name of a weekly blog that provides intelligence tidbits and Washington rumors.
www.thecipherbrief.com/articles/welcome-dead-drop
Birth of Contemporary Terrorism. Brian Michael Jenkins, a renowned terrorism expert at RAND, has provided us with an informative article entitled The 1970s and the Birth of Contemporary Terrorism (July 30, 2015).
How Technology Changes Espionage. The use of computers has made the use of human intelligence (HUMINT) much more difficult (electronic passports, databases, etc.). However, the use of technology has made spying easier in some ways. Read more in "A new age of espionage", The Economist, August 1, 2015.
CIA - Gays and Lesbians Allowed. Read how the Central Intelligence Agency changed its policy in "How the CIA Came Out of the Closet", The Daily Beast, July 31, 2015.
Counter-terrorism in Pakistan. A recently published paper analyzes the new counter-terrorism strategy recently adopted by Pakistan - finds fault with it and provides recommendations. Read Revisiting Counter-terrorism strategies in Pakistan: Opportunities and Pitfalls, International Crisis Group, July 22, 2015.
Use of Drones to Continue Into Future. To no ones surprise the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones will continue far into the future - both for intelligence gathering, military applications, and commercial use. Read more in "Operating in an Era of Persistent Unmanned Aerial Surveillance", by William Selby posted on Small Wars Journal, July 31, 2015.
Rebranding Human Terrain System
Rebranding the Human Terrain Mission. There are some critics who continue to attack the now defunct Human Terrain System (and the teams) and who are concerned that a similar capability will be established within the military - but with a different name. Read "Remaking the Human Terrain: The US Military's Continuing Quest to Commandeer Culture", CounterPunch, July 31, 2015.
Army's Need for Anthropologists. With the quiet death of the military's controversial Human Terrain System, America's Soldiers have lost a guiding light that is needed now more than ever. Read more in "The Army Needs Anthropologists", Foreign Policy, July 28, 2015.
Peace Talks
Army Operating Concept - Two Approaches
Russia has been identified by our military leaders as our number threat today and for the years to come. The reemergence of Russia as a threat has caused the U.S. to take a second look at its operating concepts that influence doctrine, strategy, equipment and planning. The Army Operating Concept is how the Army plans to fight and win in the future. Two commentators provide their views on the proper approach to our number one threat - Russia. Michael Jacobson thinks we need to concentrate our resources to be able to defeat Russia in a conventional fight (as in the quick victory we experienced in the Persian Gulf War in 1991). You can read his thoughts in "The U.S. Army is Charging into the Future with a Lack of Focus", War on the Rocks, July 30, 2015. Mark Galeotti believes we need to buttress up our defensive abilities against "hybrid warfare". This is relying less on superior technical firepower, equipment, etc. and becoming better at recognizing and reacting to asymmetrical threats and unconventional warfare. Read his article in "Time to Think about "Hybrid Defense", War on the Rocks, July 30, 2015.
Learn About the Taliban
"The Taliban was toppled in Afghanistan in 2001 for harboring al-Qaeda, but it has not been defeated. With an estimated core of up to sixty thousand fighters, the Taliban remains the most vigorous insurgent group in Afghanistan and holds sway over civilians near its strongholds in the country's south and east. It has also metastasized in neighboring Pakistan, where thousands of fighters in the country's western tribal areas wage war against the government. Now, as the international combat mission in Afghanistan closes, the Taliban threatens to destabilize the region, harbor terrorist groups with global ambitions, and set back human rights and economic development in the areas where it prevails."The Taliban, by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), July 2015. A CFR InfoGuide Presentation.
www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/taliban/p35985#!/
TAAC-Air CoC Ceremony
TAAC-Air CoC Ceremony. BG Christopher Craige has taken command of the Train, Advise, Assist Command - Air (TAAC-Air) during a ceremony in Kabul on July 27, 2015. He now commands more than 600 military members and contractors including coalition partners from the United States, Greece, Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Turkey, Croatia, Italy and Denmark. TAAC-Air trains, advises and assists the Afghan Air Force (AAF) to develop its organic operational capability. The AAF operates the Mi-17 transport helicopter, Mi-35 attack helicopter, Cessna 208B light lift aircraft, MD-530 light attack helicopter, and the C-130 medium lift aircraft. Read more in "TAAC-Air holds change of command ceremony", DVIDS, July 27, 2015.
Afghan News Snippets
Alcohol Free Beer in Kabul. It appears that a new drinking trend is taking hold among Kabul residents. Learn more in "Kabul Vendors Buzzing Over Alcohol-Free Beer", Radio Free Europe, July 27, 2015. Perhaps some enterprising capitalists can bring some in past the guys guarding the RS HQ gates.
National Defense Magazine. The August 2015 issue of National Defense is now online. 55 pages of defense news a click away! JSTARS, Geospatial-Intelligence, Ground Robots, Drones, and more.
Troop Levels in Afghanistan 2007-2014. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has published a report entitled Department of Defense Contractor and Troop Levels in Iraq and Afghanistan: 2007-2014, by Heidi Peters, Moshe Schwartz, and Lawrence Kapp, July 22, 2015. Posted on the website of the Federation of American Scientist.
www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R44116.pdf
War Funding Explained. The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) has produced a 4-minute long video that explains the past, present and future of war funding. Posted on YouTube June 1, 2015. https://youtu.be/3DGA2NA8oLI
Drones and Contractors. The Air Force has a shortage of drone pilots and 'screeners'. It has to rely on private contractors to fill in the empty seats. Read more in "When you mess up, people die: civilians who are drone pilot's extra eyes", The Guardian, July 30, 2015.
Overhauling U.S. Security Assistance. A recent article from Brookings suggests that it is time to overhaul the U.S. security assistance program. According to the authors we are throwing good money after bad when we emphasize "security" over "governance". Not too far off the mark - just look at how much we have spent propping up the security forces of the ineffective and corrupt governments of Afghanistan and Iraq over the past decade or more. (Brookings.edu, July 22, 2015).
Kabul Lacks Coherent War Strategy? An article in Tolo News (July 27, 2015) cites several commentators who have offered sharp criticism of the national unit governments handling of the insurgency since taking power in late 2014.
COIN a Failure? Not so much. Tom Ordeman, an American risk management specialist, provides his perspective on the perception that COIN is a failure in "No, COIN is Not a Proven Failure", Small Wars Journal, July 28, 2015. The ensuing comments below the article about COIN in Afghanistan are worth reading.
How to Transition from FID to UW. Sometimes Foreign Internal Defense (FID) doesn't work. Sometimes the very related endeavor called Security Force Assistance (SFA) doesn't work either. (Read about the difference between FID and SFA). So what do we do when FID (or SFA) doesn't work out? Just start an Unconventional Warfare campaign! Read From Foreign Internal Defense to Unconventional Warfare: Campaign Transitions When US-Support to Friendly Governments Fails, by Jason Martinez, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, May 2015.
www.hsdl.org/?view&did=768339
Lessons Learned? Learn all about the resources available to the Army. (Stand To, Jul 30, 2015).
Afghanistan and the Iran Nuclear Deal. Michael Kugelman thinks that Afghanistan is a big winner in the U.s. - Iran deal (War on the Rocks, Jul 29, 2015).
NATO's Comprehensive Approach in Afghanistan. "The international effort in Afghanistan has been plagued by the presence of too many intervening actors with different interests and approaches going about their specific tasks without proper coordination with each other." NATO, in an attempt to solve this problem, adopted the 'Comprehensive Approach' (CA). Read more in NATO's Comprehensive Approach in Afghanistan: Origins, Development, and Outcome, by Sverrir Steinsson, July 26, 2015. Posted on E-International Relations.
Central Asia's Stake in Afghan War. Tamin Asey thinks that the Central Asian states need to become more involved in the Afghan War since Afghan forces are fighting Central Asian extremists. (The Diplomat, Jul 29, 2015).
British Troops in Kabul Profiled. A news story in the Peterborough Telegraph (July 28, 2015) provides information on the British mission in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Assessing Kandahar Airfield. Military engineers from the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) and advisors from the U.S. Department of Commerce are working with Afghan counterparts to turn over buildings and facilities at Kandahar Airfield. (DVIDS, Jul 28, 2015).
US-Pakistan Relations. The Atlantic Council has a private briefing with a former foreign minister of Pakistan. Chats on the Pakistan economy, India-Pakistan relations, and talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
Video - Georgia, NATO, and Afghanistan. At this time Georgia is the second largest contributor to the Resolute Support mission. Learn more in a short 2-min NATO video entitled "NATO tests Georgia's best", posted on YouTube July 30, 2015.
Culture - Bacha Bazi. A columnist, Maya Wesby, explores the world of crossdressing boys and girls in Afghanistan (Newsweek, July 25, 2015). The are benefits and pitfalls with the custom - disguised daughters attend better schools and play sports; dressed as girls, poor young boys become sexual slaves.
Corruption Breeds Violence. Michael Coleman writes about the experiences of Sarah Chayes (who lived in Afghanistan for a number of years) with corruption and the Afghan government. (The Washington Diplomat, Jul 29, 2015).
Intelligence of Marine Corps Officers Declining? Brookings has come out with a study that finds that the quality of officers in the Marines, as measured by test scores, has steadily and significantly declined in the past 34 years. There were fears that when the U.S. ended the draft in 1973 and transitioned to an all-volunteer military that the quality of enlisted recruits would decline. However, contrary to popular thought the intelligence level of enlisted significantly increased. Read more in "Understanding the steady and troubling decline in the average intelligence of Marine Corps officers", Brookings.edu, July 24, 2015.
New PT Standards for Air Force. The Air Force, recognizing that many of its members have developed a paunch, has adjusted how they measure the waistline for the physical fitness test. Read "Air Force Announces New 'Tape Under the Fold' Regulation for PT Test", The Duffel Blog.
Security Cooperation and the Army Reserves. The U.S. is attempting to influence events around the world and one way of doing this is through Security Cooperation (SC). The United States Army Reserve plays a role in SC - read more in "USAR Security Cooperation", by Benjamin Flosi posted on Small Wars Journal, July 30, 2015.
Women in Combat. A new book explores women's challenges in combat zones. Read a book review of the book - Women at War - by Patricia Kime at Military Times (July 27, 2015).
Female Ranger Students. It appears that two females currently in Ranger School are nearing the finish line. They recently passed through the Mountain Phase and are entering the Swamp Phase (Florida). Read more in a news report by Army Times (Jul 31, 2015).
Female Marine LtCol Wants Change. A female Marine officer, Kate Germano, is advocating higher standards for women Marines and she is getting into trouble for her views. (The New York Times, Jul 28, 2015).
Women and Special Operations. The head of U.S. Special Operations Command (General Votel) and Eric Olson (former SOCOM Cdr) talk about women in Special Operations and the Cultural Support Teams (CSTs). (Defense One, July 24, 2015).
National Defense Magazine. The August 2015 issue of National Defense is now online. 55 pages of defense news a click away! JSTARS, Geospatial-Intelligence, Ground Robots, Drones, and more.
Troop Levels in Afghanistan 2007-2014. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has published a report entitled Department of Defense Contractor and Troop Levels in Iraq and Afghanistan: 2007-2014, by Heidi Peters, Moshe Schwartz, and Lawrence Kapp, July 22, 2015. Posted on the website of the Federation of American Scientist.
www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R44116.pdf
War Funding Explained. The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) has produced a 4-minute long video that explains the past, present and future of war funding. Posted on YouTube June 1, 2015. https://youtu.be/3DGA2NA8oLI
Drones and Contractors. The Air Force has a shortage of drone pilots and 'screeners'. It has to rely on private contractors to fill in the empty seats. Read more in "When you mess up, people die: civilians who are drone pilot's extra eyes", The Guardian, July 30, 2015.
Overhauling U.S. Security Assistance. A recent article from Brookings suggests that it is time to overhaul the U.S. security assistance program. According to the authors we are throwing good money after bad when we emphasize "security" over "governance". Not too far off the mark - just look at how much we have spent propping up the security forces of the ineffective and corrupt governments of Afghanistan and Iraq over the past decade or more. (Brookings.edu, July 22, 2015).
Kabul Lacks Coherent War Strategy? An article in Tolo News (July 27, 2015) cites several commentators who have offered sharp criticism of the national unit governments handling of the insurgency since taking power in late 2014.
COIN a Failure? Not so much. Tom Ordeman, an American risk management specialist, provides his perspective on the perception that COIN is a failure in "No, COIN is Not a Proven Failure", Small Wars Journal, July 28, 2015. The ensuing comments below the article about COIN in Afghanistan are worth reading.
How to Transition from FID to UW. Sometimes Foreign Internal Defense (FID) doesn't work. Sometimes the very related endeavor called Security Force Assistance (SFA) doesn't work either. (Read about the difference between FID and SFA). So what do we do when FID (or SFA) doesn't work out? Just start an Unconventional Warfare campaign! Read From Foreign Internal Defense to Unconventional Warfare: Campaign Transitions When US-Support to Friendly Governments Fails, by Jason Martinez, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, May 2015.
www.hsdl.org/?view&did=768339
Lessons Learned? Learn all about the resources available to the Army. (Stand To, Jul 30, 2015).
Afghanistan and the Iran Nuclear Deal. Michael Kugelman thinks that Afghanistan is a big winner in the U.s. - Iran deal (War on the Rocks, Jul 29, 2015).
NATO's Comprehensive Approach in Afghanistan. "The international effort in Afghanistan has been plagued by the presence of too many intervening actors with different interests and approaches going about their specific tasks without proper coordination with each other." NATO, in an attempt to solve this problem, adopted the 'Comprehensive Approach' (CA). Read more in NATO's Comprehensive Approach in Afghanistan: Origins, Development, and Outcome, by Sverrir Steinsson, July 26, 2015. Posted on E-International Relations.
Central Asia's Stake in Afghan War. Tamin Asey thinks that the Central Asian states need to become more involved in the Afghan War since Afghan forces are fighting Central Asian extremists. (The Diplomat, Jul 29, 2015).
British Troops in Kabul Profiled. A news story in the Peterborough Telegraph (July 28, 2015) provides information on the British mission in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Assessing Kandahar Airfield. Military engineers from the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) and advisors from the U.S. Department of Commerce are working with Afghan counterparts to turn over buildings and facilities at Kandahar Airfield. (DVIDS, Jul 28, 2015).
US-Pakistan Relations. The Atlantic Council has a private briefing with a former foreign minister of Pakistan. Chats on the Pakistan economy, India-Pakistan relations, and talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
Video - Georgia, NATO, and Afghanistan. At this time Georgia is the second largest contributor to the Resolute Support mission. Learn more in a short 2-min NATO video entitled "NATO tests Georgia's best", posted on YouTube July 30, 2015.
Culture - Bacha Bazi. A columnist, Maya Wesby, explores the world of crossdressing boys and girls in Afghanistan (Newsweek, July 25, 2015). The are benefits and pitfalls with the custom - disguised daughters attend better schools and play sports; dressed as girls, poor young boys become sexual slaves.
Corruption Breeds Violence. Michael Coleman writes about the experiences of Sarah Chayes (who lived in Afghanistan for a number of years) with corruption and the Afghan government. (The Washington Diplomat, Jul 29, 2015).
Intelligence of Marine Corps Officers Declining? Brookings has come out with a study that finds that the quality of officers in the Marines, as measured by test scores, has steadily and significantly declined in the past 34 years. There were fears that when the U.S. ended the draft in 1973 and transitioned to an all-volunteer military that the quality of enlisted recruits would decline. However, contrary to popular thought the intelligence level of enlisted significantly increased. Read more in "Understanding the steady and troubling decline in the average intelligence of Marine Corps officers", Brookings.edu, July 24, 2015.
New PT Standards for Air Force. The Air Force, recognizing that many of its members have developed a paunch, has adjusted how they measure the waistline for the physical fitness test. Read "Air Force Announces New 'Tape Under the Fold' Regulation for PT Test", The Duffel Blog.
Security Cooperation and the Army Reserves. The U.S. is attempting to influence events around the world and one way of doing this is through Security Cooperation (SC). The United States Army Reserve plays a role in SC - read more in "USAR Security Cooperation", by Benjamin Flosi posted on Small Wars Journal, July 30, 2015.
Women in Combat. A new book explores women's challenges in combat zones. Read a book review of the book - Women at War - by Patricia Kime at Military Times (July 27, 2015).
Female Ranger Students. It appears that two females currently in Ranger School are nearing the finish line. They recently passed through the Mountain Phase and are entering the Swamp Phase (Florida). Read more in a news report by Army Times (Jul 31, 2015).
Female Marine LtCol Wants Change. A female Marine officer, Kate Germano, is advocating higher standards for women Marines and she is getting into trouble for her views. (The New York Times, Jul 28, 2015).
Women and Special Operations. The head of U.S. Special Operations Command (General Votel) and Eric Olson (former SOCOM Cdr) talk about women in Special Operations and the Cultural Support Teams (CSTs). (Defense One, July 24, 2015).
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.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Taliban in Northern Helmand
"DIVIDENDS" by CSTC-A - a Monthly Newsletter
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).
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
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
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
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 |
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.
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
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
Wasteful Spending on Warehouse in Kandahar
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
Peace Process
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.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
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
www.afghanwarnews.info/pubs/RSM-Bibliography.htm
Recent Reports, Papers and Pubs on Afghanistan
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
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.
Update on Afghan Police
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).
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)