Afghan War Blog

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Security News

SIGAR Quarterly Report. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has issued its quarterly report to the United States Congress (dated 30 Jan 2016). The 230-page report basically says that Afghanistan is more dangerous than it was a year ago. Some of the sections are entitled "Growing an Economy in Stony Soil", "SIGAR Oversight Activities", "Reconstruction Update", and more. There is a section on status of funds, security and governance.
www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2016-01-30qr.pdf

SIGAR - An Incapable Afghan NEB. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has issued a report stating that the Afghan National Engineer Brigade is, despite intensive U.S. training efforts, incapable of operating independently. Read the 17-page SIGAR 16-15 Audit Report published in January 2016.
www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR-16-15-AR.pdf

Rebuilding Afghanistan Now More Dangerous. The Taliban now controls more territory than at any time since 2001. A recent report by the Special Inspector General for Reconstruction in Afghanistan (SIGAR) notes that Afghanistan is growing more dangerous for US rebuilders. (Defense One, Jan 31, 2016).

General Campbell Testimony House. The Resolute Support commander recently (Tuesday, Feb 2) testified before the House Committee on Armed Services about the situation in Afghanistan. The general says that the effort in Afghanistan is like "building an airplane while in flight". He also said that out of 400 districts the Taliban control 8, influence 16, and that 94 districts are at risk. Hmmm. I wonder what the general thinks is 'district control'? You can watch a video posted on YouTube.com (2 1/2 hours). www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuYTzYRaiRs

Just "8 More Years". According to General Campbell, Afghanistan should be able to fund its own security costs by 2024. Currently NATO spends about $5.1 billion annually on the Afghan security forces. Read "It'll be 2024 before Afghanistan can fully fund its military, U.S. general says", Army Times, February 2, 2016.

Insurgency in the North. In the last few months of 2015 the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) have conducted a series of offensive to secure the surrounding countryside around Kunduz City; however, several districts are still controlled by the Taliban. Read more in "The 2016 Insurgency in the North: Beyond Kunduz city - lessons (not taken) from the Taleban takeover", Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), January 30, 2016.

U.S. Drones attacks ISIS. "Authorities in Afghanistan said Saturday that national security forces and U.S. drone strikes have jointly killed at least 28 Islamic State (IS) fighters in a restive eastern region bordering Pakistan". (Voice of America, Feb 6, 2016).

MoI Acknowledges Problems. The Ministry of Interior (MoI) on Saturday (Feb 6th) acknowledged that the Afghan security forces have been faced with certain challenges in their struggle against militants on the battlefields. The Taliban have really stepped up their effort during the winter fighting season and the Afghan security forces would appear to be on their heels in a defensive posture. Offensive operations have been telegraphed to the enemy thereby limiting their effectiveness. Military commentators are criticizing ". . . the government for a lack of effective management of the war and for failing to draw up a working strategy to tackle the militants." (Tolo News, Feb 6, 2016).

Taleban In-Fighting. Lot's of fighting among different factions of the Taleban since this past summer has resulted in as many as 500 Taleban fighters killed.

Taliban Kill 10 Year Old Boy. The Afghan government declared Wasil Ahmad - a ten year old - a hero for opposing the Taliban. Then the Taliban killed him with two bullets to the head. He had left the militia and returned to school - the 4th grade. (The New York Times, Feb 2, 2016).

Afghan 3/215th Corps KIA. The commander of the third brigade of 215th Corps in Helmand province, Gen Ata Mir Aagah, was killed in a road side blast in Greshk district on Monday, Feb 1st. (Khaama Press, Feb 2, 2016).

Ten Civilians Killed. On Monday, ten civilians were killed in a suicide bombing when an insurgent blew himself up after joining a line of people. The people killed were mostly new police recruits. There were an estimated 28 people injured. The attack took place in PD 3 at the police station.

Islamic State in Afghanistan

State Dept Overhaul & ISIS. Senior U.S. officials have revealed details on the changes to the State Department's counter-terrorism apparatus. The Bureau of Counterterrorism will now become the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism. The name change emphasizes the importance of non-military organizations and programs in the effort to "Counter Violent Extremism" or CVE. Read more in "Growth of Islamic State Forces State Department Overhaul", by John Hudson, Foreign Policy, February 1, 2016.

ISIS is Spreading. While the Islamic State is suffering some setbacks in Iraq, and to a limited extent in Syria - it is increasing its influence in other countries (Libya and Afghanistan). Check out a map of the growth of ISIS in "Mapping the Spread of the ISIS Plague", Foreign Policy, February 2, 2016.

Status of ISIS-Khurasan. One observer of Afghanistan thinks that the Islamic State lost a window of opportunity in 2015 when it failed to capitalize on the leadership struggle within the Taliban. He believes that a year after its founding the Islamic State's Khurasan province remains a notional entity. Read "What Happened to ISIS's Afghanistan-Pakistan Province?", The Diplomat, Februray 2, 2016.

U.S. Increases Opns Against IS. The United States military has carried out an increased rate of airstrikes and commando raids against Islamic State fighters in eastern Afghanistan. President Obama decided to broaden the authority of the DoD to attack the Islamic State group n Afghanistan. Many of the attacks have taken place in the Tora Bora region of Nangarhar province - along the border of Pakistan. Read "U.S. Broadens Fight Against ISIS With Attacks in Afghanistan", The New York Times, January 31, 2016.

More Peace Talks Held

The third meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States was held on Saturday, February 6th in Islamabad, Pakistan. According to joint press releases by the participating governments progress was built on the last two meetings with the group exploring ways for holding early direct talks between the authorized representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban groups.The next meeting of the QCG will be held in Kabul on 23 February 2016. Read press release by the Embassy of the United States in Islamabad, Pakistan dated February 6, 2016. The ultimate goal is to get the Taliban talking with the Afghan government but there is no indication that the Taliban want to participate - especially in light of the gains it has made in the past year since the U.S. and other coalition nations have withdrawn combat troops, advisors, and enablers (air support, MEDEVAC, intelligence, logistics, etc.). http://islamabad.usembassy.gov/pr-02062016.html

Information Operations

Taliban Attacks on Media. The Taliban attack on the employees of the Tolo TV network in Afghanistan is a shocker to Afghan journalists that now find themselves on the frontlines of the Afghan conflict. Tolo News is the largest media organization in Afghanistan and is not shy about criticizing Taliban activities in their TV, print, and online news outlets. In 2015 the Taliban put Tolo News on notice saying they were legitimate targets. After those threats the news agency requested security assistance from the Afghan government . . . but despite promises to help it was never provided. Read more in "Afghan Taliban Open New Front in War With Attacks on Media", by Lynne O'Donnell, Associated Press, February 2, 2016.

Threatening News in Afghanistan. The recent attack on Tolo News by the Taliban in Kabul where several employees were killed and many more injured highlight just how bad the security situation is in Afghanistan. Ahmed Rashid, noted author and commentator on the Afghan conflict, provides us with his perspective in "Afghanistan: Threatening News", The New York Review of Books, February 2, 2016.

"Voice of the Caliphate" - Destroyed. Air strikes have put the Islamic State-operated radio station in Nangarhar province off the air. The radio station had been broadcasting the militant group's extremist messages since last year. Read more in "Air Strikes Destroy Islamic State Radio Station in Afghanistan, Officials Say", Radio Free Europe, February 2, 2016.

Commentary

Afghan Nation-Building A Bust. Doug Bandow thinks its time for a departure from Afghanistan. "Afghanistan is a bust. The Taliban is expanding its control. The number of security incidents was up a fifth in the last months of 2015 over the previous year. Popular confidence is at its lowest level in a decade. . . ." And so on. Read more in "Bring America's Troops Home From Afghanistan: Nation-Building a Bust", Forbes.com, February 1, 2016.

Life Without War. A combat veteran of the Afghan War, Daniel Fisher, writes about life after his tour in Afghanistan in "#Essays on War: September Morning", The Strategy Bridge, February 2, 2016.

More Troops Not the Answer? General Campbell, Resolute Commander, testified before the House Armed Services Committee and said that the U.S. should continue to provide military assistance to Afghanistan for five more years. I guess this is the forever war! Some skeptics are convinced that the security situation gets worse each year. Read "Throwing More U.S. Troops at Afghanistan Isn't the Answer", National Interest, February 2, 2016.

RAND Report - COIN Update for Afghanistan. Christopher Paul and Colin P. Clarke have penned a 51-page report entitled Counterinsurgency Scorecard Update: Afghanistan in Early 2015 Relative to Insurgencies Since World War II, RAND Corporation, February 2016.

A "Plan Colombia" Needed for Afghanistan. Shawn Snow believes that in the fight to rid Afghanistan of violent extremism, the central government needs greater resources to gain a decisive advantage. Read "A Plan Colombia for Afghanistan", Foreign Policy, February 3, 2016.

Dividing Afghanistan? One commentator seems to think that a division of Afghanistan into two regions would help settle down the conflict. The western / northern portion would contain Heratis, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, and others. The southern and eastern portion controlled by the Pashtuns. Hmmm. Not sure that would work. Read more in "Deteriorating Security Situation in Afghanistan", Indian Defence Review, February 4, 2016.

Open-Ended Conflict. Abdullah Sharif provides his thoughts on the current situation in Afghanistan in "Quagmirestan: America's Open-Ended Involvement in Afghanistan", The World Post, February 3, 2016.

Pakistan's Hand. Carlotta Gall examines Pakistan's role in the rise of international jihadism. Read "Pakistan's Hand in the Rise of International Jihad", The New York Times, February 6, 2016.

Book - "The Envoy". A former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations has penned a memoir. Zalmay Khalilzad has wrote The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House, My Journey Through a Turbulent World available at Macmillan Publishers. Khalilzad was born in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan. Should be an informative read providing historical insight of the 'big picture'.

The War We Want and the War We Have. David Betz, a Reader in Warfare in the War Studies Department at King's College London, has penned a long essay on wars we want to fight and the wars we find ourselves involved with in "Carnage and Connectivity: How Our Pursuit of Fun Wars Brought the Wars Home", War on the Rocks, February 2, 2016.

Russia and a New Ally in Afghanistan? Some observers have made a lot of noise about Russia's supposed overtures to the Taliban in order to join forces against the rise of the Islamic State in Afghanistan. Javid Ahmad writes about Moscow's new ally in "Russia and the Taliban Make Amends", Foreign Affairs, January 31, 2016.

Lessons Not Learned. The US Army has two missions - defeating a capable adversary in large-scale land operations and conducting effective stability operations in areas in which governance is weak or nonexistent. The newly released report by the National Commission on the Future of the Army (Jan 28, 2016, 208 pages, PDF) lacks insight on how to address stability operations or counterinsurgency. As if to say that (as in the post-Vietnam era) we are not going to fight an OEF or OIF-like conflict every again. Read a critique of the recent report by the NCFA in "Ignoring the Army's Recent Past Will Not Help It Win Future Wars", by Andrew Hill, War on the Rocks, February 2, 2016.

Intelligence News

Canada & "Five Eyes". "Canada has stopped sharing intel with its allies after it discovered that its citizens' metadata wasn't properly disguised. The defense minister said it would resume sharing intel when adequate measures are put in place." Canada's Communications Security Establishment (CSE) - which is the NSA of Canada - was passing info containing metadata of Canadian citizens to its counterparts in the "Five Eyes" program (U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and UK). Read more in "Canada's spy agency mistakenly passed on citizens' metadata", Deutsche Welle, January 28, 2016.

CIA's "Eyewash". So how do you protect important secrets from your workforce? You can spread disinformation using internal memos while sending accurate information about highly secret operations through separate, discreet channels to those recipients with a need to know. According to one report the CIA does this from time to time in a practice referred to a 'eyewash'. Read more in "Eyewash: How the CIA deceives its own workforce about operations", The Washington Post, January 31, 2016.

Petraeus to Keep 4th Star. SECDEF Carter has informed Senator John McCain (Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee) that the Petraeus investigation is closed and the highly esteemed general will not face any further punishment for the inappropriate use of classified material. See "Pentagon won't demote Petraeus for sharing classified information", USAToday, January 30, 2016.

SOF News

JSOC and "Relentless Strike". Sean Taylor, the author of Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command, is hosted by The Heritage Foundation for about an hour in this video where he talks about JSOC and special operations forces. You can view the video of the event which took place on September 11, 2015 at the following link. www.heritage.org/events/2015/09/relentless-strike

"Age of the Commando". Matt Gallagher writes about the last decade or more where special operations forces have captured the imagination of the U.S. public at large. While he concentrates on the 'surgical strike' dudes he barely mentions the aspects of special warfare in a UW environment. Read his article entitled "Welcome to the Age of the Commando", The New York Times, January 30, 2016.

Movie - "War Machine". Brad Pitt will be portraying General Dan McMahon (inspired by General Stan McChrystal) in a political comedy movie soon to be aired on Netflix.

Navy SEAL to Receive Medal of Honor. Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers - a member of SEAL Team Six - will receive the nation's highest honor for his actions during a hostage rescue mission in Afghanistan in December 2012. (The Washington Post, Feb 2, 2016).

Surviving BUD/S. A Navy SEAL describes how to make it through the Navy's Basic Underwater Demolition and SEAL training. Read "A Navy SEAL's Guide to Surviving BUD/S", Task & Purpose, February 1, 2016.

SOF Command Moves. Almost everyone is aware that Gen Votel is going to CENTCOM, LTG Thomas (likely) to take USSOCOM, and MG "Scottie" Miller (likely) to head JSOC. Some other SOF commands are changing up. BG Kurt Sonnetag heads to CJTF-HOA in Dijibouti (leaving SOCSouth), Rear Admiral Collin P. Green will take SOCSouth. In addition, USAF BG Albert Elton will getting a second star (currently Dep Cdr of JSOC). BG Scott Howell has been selected for the grade of major general and is moving from director of operations at AFSOC and heading to Afghanistan to command the Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (SOJTF-A).

Green Beret Foundation Receives Trump Money. The Green Beret Foundation was selected by Donald Trump (presidential candidate), one of 22 veteran organizations, to receive part of the $6 million raised in an event in early February. See a press release on the topic.

SOF Sustainment in Denied Areas. For those who think about logistics in a unconventional environment (I am sure at least one reader does!) the Joint Special Operations University has published an 86-page report for your reading pleasure. Read Improving the Sustainment of SOF Distributed Operations in Access-Denied Environments, JSOU Report 16-2, January 2016.
http://jsou.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=18990336

More "Gray Zone" Stuff. One of the new buzz words within the SOF community and the military community at large is the "Gray Zone". As it is in vogue there are lots of writers providing their thoughts on the topic. One recent article is entitled "Paradoxes of the Gray Zone", by Hal Brands, posted by the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) in February 2016. The author presents eight paradoxes, complexities, and nuances at the heart of the gray zone idea - and at the heart of efforts to respond to gray zone challenges.

Brit SAS Injured in Iraq. News reports say that three British Special Air Service members were injured during a combat operation in Iraq by ISIL fighters. (The Telegraph, Feb 6, 2016).

SOF Guys in the Shadows. A recent news article provides us an insight look at four special operations groups that work in the shadows to protect Americans - Shadow Wolves, Global Response Staff, Special Collection Service, and Task Force Orange. (Independent Journal Review, Feb 5, 2016).

Book on Irregular Warfare. The place where SOF operates is sometimes called "The Gray Zone" - an area between war and peace. Other terms that come to mind are low intensity conflict, guerrilla warfare, and irregular warfare. The U.S. experience in special operations started with its participation in the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and subsequent formation of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) - the organization from which U.S. Army Special Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency draws its history. A new book has been published that looks at this early history - Rediscovering Irregular Warfare: Colin Gubbins and the Origins of Britain's Special Operations Executive by A.R.B. Linderman. Should be an interesting read for SOF types.

Governance

Vice President Dostum

Dostum on the Outs? It appears that Abdul Rashid Dostum is not happy with the National Unity Government (NUG). His nominations for selected personnel to be posted to the government have been ignored by President Ghani. Dostum's security plans for the creation of special units to fight insurgents has not received much attention either. He has been a constant factor in Afghan politics over the past three decades with great support from areas of northern Afghanistan. During the past 30 years Dostum switch sides in the conflict a number of times to include the Afghan civil war between the communist regime and muhjaheen - and also during the subsequent civil war after the fall of the communist regime and withdrawal of Soviet forces. Read more in "Afghan Vice President in Quiet Government Boycott Over Power Sharing", Gandhara Blog, February 1, 2016.

Rumored Resignation of MoI Minister? Twitter was raging yesterday (Sat) about speculation that the minister for the Ministry of Interior would soon resign. So the three most important Afghan Security Institutions (ASI) - MoD, NDS, and MoI could soon see 'acting' leaders is not encouraging. (Reuters, Feb 6, 2016).

Fist Fights in Kandahar. One of President Ghani's top aides got into a physical altercation with a leading tribal member of Kandahar province recently. The aide has been fired but there remains some hurt feelings that could be a major problem in the future if not smoothed over. Read more in "Afghan government rocked by Kandahar fistfight", Reuters, February 5, 2016.

Guide to Afghan Parliament. The Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) folks have put together an in-depth paper on the Afghan parliament. India just completed construction of a new parliament building ($200 million) and the two houses of parliament have plenty of seating in large halls. Read "New Building, Old MPs: A guide to the Afghan parliament", February 4, 2016.

No Elections? Afghanistan electoral institutions and processes are highly corrupt, inefficient, and ineffective. The recent history of the last presidential election resulting in the formation of the National Unity Government (NUG) shows just how bad the situation is. The deteriorating security and economic environment is not going to make things much better for the future parliamentary elections. Read more in "In Afghanistan, No Leadership Means No Elections", The South Asia Channel - Foreign Policy, January 29, 2016.

Corruption. The European Union issued a press release saying that the Afghan government needs to address the corruption found within government and police organizations. "Corruption remains endemic in Afghanistan", EU, February 2, 2016.

Integration of Women into Combat Units

Kristen Griest in Ranger School 2015 (Army file photo)

Army Plan for Women Integration. The Army is opening the door to every job a Soldier can hold regardless of gender. Read more in "Army reveals plan to fully integrate women into all MOSs, combat units", Army News Service, February 2, 2016.

Women and Selective Service. All things being equal, women should be required to register for selective service (the system used to induct personnel into the military should the draft be brought back). Equal rights bring equal responsibilities - or so says some of our leading generals. Read "Army, Marine chiefs: Require women to register for draft", The Hill, February 2, 2016.

RAND & Women in Combat Roles. RAND Corporation provided a number of studies to the military that informed the Pentagon on the decision to open combat roles to women. This latest post to The RAND Blog details the various reports. (Feb 6, 2016).

Females Bulking Up. Anyone who has served in the infantry or close to it knows that one of the physical limitations that most women have is their ability to carry heavy loads on their backs or lift heavy objects. For the most part (there are a few exceptions) this is a a fact of life (or nature?). The imposition of height and weight standards within the military services is one measure of ensuring that our service personnel stay fit. If you are fat you are less likely to be a contributor to success on the battlefield. The top brass has been telling us that the standards will not be lowered when women are integrated into combat units. Well . . . here it comes. News flash: we are changing the standards. Women will are now able to exceed the height and weight standards in order to 'bulk up'. So the intent is to let women put on some muscle (which adds weight) giving them a better physique to handle that heavy rucksack and machine gun. Well, my prediction is that there will be a few (hundreds) that use this new policy to bulk up and put on some extra muscle. And there will be thousands who will now have an excuse for those extra pounds of fat because the new standards allow. According to the current standards a male is allowed to have 18% body fat and a women is allowed to have 26% body fat; let's see if that gets modified as well. Read "Female Marines may be allowed to bulk up as service opens infantry to women", The Washington Post, February 3, 2016.

Mountaineering, Women, and the What the Marines Could Learn. A mountaineer and former Marine - Joe Plenzier - thinks the USMC could learn a lot about how women can perform in combat units by looking at how women are performing in the the sport of mountain climbing. Read "What mountaineers can teach the Marines about how to integrate women", The Washington Post, February 3, 2016.

Navy Secretary Scolded by Senate on Women Marines. Ray Mabus had an uncomfortable time before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2016 explaining why he dissed an extensive USMC study analyzing women in combat units. Read "Senators scold Mabus for causing drama with Marine Corps", Marine Corps Times, Feb 2, 2016.

AWN Snippets

TFBSO - Not All Bad News? The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has been all over the failures of the DoD Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO) that worked on the development of economic projects in Afghanistan. But not all folks out there wise on Afghanistan agree with SIGAR. Jeff Goodson, a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer with three deployments to Afghanistan expresses his view in an online article. Read "Legacy Rising: DoD Business Task Force Impact Evidence Grows", Real Clear Defense, January 28, 2016.

UN Drug Report. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has issued its "Executive Summary" for Afghanistan - Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015 dated October 2015.
www.unodc.org/documents/crop-monitoring/Afghanistan/Afg_Executive_summary_2015_final.pdf

Nicholson to RS Command. So John "Mick" Nicholson, a veteran of quite a few Afghan deployments will take Resolute Support. As the deck chairs shuffle, one wonders what happens to General John Campbell. He has done a great job under difficult circumstances in Afghanistan and deserves another posting - perhaps AFRICOM or EUCOM? Read "Will the Pentagon give Gen. John Campbell, the outgoing Afghanistan war chief, another job?", The Washington Post, January 30, 2016.

New Air Force Cdr in Afghanistan. BG Jeffrey Taliaferro will soon head up the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Afghanistan in Afghanistan. Part of his command will be TAAC-Air; the Air Force advisors training and assisting the Afghan Air Force.

DoDIG Report on Fuel Contracts. The Department of Defense Inspector General has issued a report saying that the controls for oversight of MoI fuel contracts was not effective. As a result of the lack of contract oversight and insufficient reporting data, CSTC-A did not have reasonable assurance that the fuel ordered and delivered to the Afghan National Police on the three MoI contracts valued at $437 million was used for its intended purpose. Read DoDIG report 2016-040 dated January 2016.
www.dodig.mil/PUBS/report_summary.cfm?id=6765

JIDA to Fall Under DTRA. The Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Agency (JIDA) will now be realigned under the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). (U.S. DoD, Feb 2, 2016).

Terminology - "2-pump chump". In today's Internet world there is lots to read - webpages, eBooks, blogs, newsletters and more. And there are a lot of writers (and would be writers) willing to express their opinion on just about everything - to include war. A new phrase I just learned is '2-pump chump'. Evidently it refers to some writers with just one or two war zone deployments under their belt who are now penning their opinions and thoughts of the war (whichever one they were in). I guess the term "2-pump chump" is used by some that believe if you don't have multiple deployments you don't know or haven't seen enough to write about. Hmmm. One can see a lot of war in one year; especially if that was a 15-month long deployment in Iraq in the 2006-2007 time frame. Just so you know I am about 5 or 6 tours beyond the "2-pump chump" level - depending on how you count deployments. Read more in a column by Tom Ricks posted on Foreign Policy, February 2, 2016.

Hard Times in Central Asia. The several countries to the north are facing economic difficulties that could fuel insurgencies in the future. Read more "In Central Asia, The Bad Times Have Arrived", Qishloq Ovozi Blog, Radio Free Europe, February 1, 2016.

Turkmenistan's Afghan Border and Russian "Help". Russia has offered Turkmenistan so help in guarding their border with Afghanistan. There have been several clashes between that country's security forces and Taliban elements located in northern Afghanistan. Both Russia and China are competing with each to make inroads politically, diplomatically, and economically in Central Asia. Turkmenistan is attempting to navigate the middle road in this competition. Read more in "Turkmenistan: We Don't Need Russian Help With Afghan Border", The Bug Pit, Eurasianet.org, January 29, 2016.

Guest Bloggers Invited

The Afghan War News Blog and the Afghan War News website is constantly striving to keep its blog, weekly newsletter, and website factual, current, and relevant. If you have a link to a website or document you feel should be shared with the greater community then please send it to us. In addition, we are looking for individuals with knowledge, experience, and expertise in Afghanistan on a wide range of topics (culture, security, development, governance, politics, etc.) to contribute blog posts and articles to our blog and add content to our website. Frequency of submission is up to you. If you wrote a paper on a relevant topic and would like to share it send it to us for posting on the blog and / or the website. If I missed an important story about Afghanistan - please let me know. Send the link! And naturally, if you see errors, outdated information, or broken links please let us know.

staff@afghanwarnews.info

Subscribe to the Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter

You can receive the Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter by email. It should arrive in your e-mail inbox at 0500 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, no forms to fill out, and no 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, January 31, 2016

No Weekly Newsletter on 31 Jan 2016

There will be no "Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter" this week. The past several days my time was consumed by a short-term research project. Back again next week.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter - Jan 24, 2016

Welcome to the Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter. Articles are posted online on the blog and sent out via email newsletter on Sunday morning. We welcome comments, ideas for stories, contributions, and guest writers! Visit our website at www.afghanwarnews.info, follow us on Twitter at @AfghanWarBlog, and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/afghan-war-news.

SOF News

Special Forces More Active in Afg? A recent news report says the U.S. Special Forces could be playing a larger role in Afghanistan. The recent death of an SF NCO in Marjah district, Helmand province highlighted the tactical deployment of SF teams advising the Afghan National Army (ANA) Special Operations Kandaks (SOKs). Read more in "US Special Forces in Afghanistan Poised to Assume More Active Role", Voice of America, January 19, 2016.

A SEAL Casualty of War. In December 2012 the commander of a SEAL Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) in Afghanistan was found dead in his room of a gunshot wound. He had experienced a rough deployment with several members of his command killed in combat. The stress of command was certainly having an effect on him Read more in "A Deadly Deployment, a Navy SEAL's Despair", The New York Times, January 19, 2016.

Wife of Fallen Green Beret Shares Her Story. SSG Matthew McClintock was killed in early January 2016 in Marjah district, Helmand province. He leaves behind a wife and three-month old son. His wife, Alexandra, shares her story of her fallen Green Beret in "Wife of fallen Green Beret shares their love story", Army Times, January 20, 2016.

SF Officer Remembers Bergdahl Recovery Effort. Former Special Forces commander Mike Waltz commanded seven Special Forces operational detachments in the operational area where Bowe Bergdahl went missing. He redirected his ODAs from their primary mission to join the intensive and dangerous search for Bergdahl. Listen to a podcast as he remembers the events of that frustrating period of time posted by Task & Purpose (Jan 19, 2016).

JSOC Connections. Howard Altman writes on the ascendancy of JSOC general officers to key positions in the fight against ISIS. Read "Likely leaders in the battle against Islamic State will have JSOC connections", The Tampa Tribune, January 18, 2016.

Video on Robin Sage. The culminating event of U.S. Army's Special Forces Training is Robin Sage. Watch a 13-min long video of Robin Sage by Alex Quade published on YouTube.com in Nov 2015.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSBGXY6GkZM

SOF in Libya? "The next battleground in the war on ISIS is forming in the sands of Tripoli. The U.S. Special Operations Command is spending more time and attention on Libya, trying to keep the Islamic State from growing more powerful there . . ." Read "Here's What Special Operators Want to Do in Libya", Defense One, January 20, 2016.

Navy SEAL Ignored Lawyers. The author of "No Easy Day" about the Osama bin Laden mission in Pakistan is suing his legal representatives for bad advice. (Military Times, Jan 20, 2016).

Former SEAL to Lead Counter-ISIS Messaging Center. A current Defense Department official, Michael Lumpkin, will be the lead to revamp the federal government's effort to counter ISIS and other group's recruitment propaganda. (National Defense Magazine, Jan 20, 2016).

SOF in Syria. The Secretary of Defense Ash Carter recently alluded to activities of special operators in Syria. Read more in "Special Ops forces in Syria doing more than raids, Ash Carter says", CNN Politics, January 20, 2016.

SOCOM Seeking High Technology. General Votel spoke at the National Defense Industrial Association's special operations conference in Washington, D.C. on January 20th. His message was that key capabilities provided by advanced technology helps special operators maintain an edge over potential adversaries in challenging environmental conditions. See "U.S. SOCOM Officials Lay OUt Technology Challenges", National Defense Magazine, January 20, 2016.

10th SFGA and SIGINT Training w/ 173rd. Members of the 10th Special Force Group and the 173rd Bde recently conducted signal intercept training in Germany. Read more in "Special operations intelligence specialists refine skills in combined training", Army.mil, January 22, 2016.

Indian SF Command. A ". . . lack of agreement on who would control a separate Indian Special Forces Command (SFC) has stymied creation of the unit despite the military's urgent desire for one." There appears to be rivalry among the Army, Navy, and Air Force over which would take command. In addition, the civilians in the military bureaucracy are weighing in with their vision of who commands the SFC. Read more in "Control Issue Stymies Creation of Indian Spec Ops Command", Defense News, January 17, 2016.

Spanish SOF Grows. The Spanish Army is increasing the size of its Special Operations Force - Grupo de Operaciones Especiales (MOE). The MOE has been deployed in multinational training missions in Mali, CAR, and Iraq in the past few years. Currently the MOE is deployed in Taji and Baghdad, Iraq. Read more in "Spanish Army Bolsters Special Forces Against Jihadism", Defense News, January 17, 2016.

Peace Talks

Afghan High Peace Council. The organization set up by the Afghan government to coordinate the reconciliation and reintegration of the Taliban leadership and fighter ranks has come under criticism. The High Peace Council has been in existence for several years but its progress in its mission has been slow or non-existent according to some critics. Read "Afghanistan's High Peace Council: Five Years On", Institute for War & Peace Reporting, January 2016.

Opening Speech by Rabbani. Rabbani opened up the Kabul peace talk meetings held on Monday, January 18, 2016 with a nine-minute long speech urging the Taliban to join the peace process. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ReXNklPuIw

Red Lines. The Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Salahuddin Rabbani, stated that that the Afghan government would not support an open-ended process without some tangible results. See "Afghanistan Wants 'Red Lines' in Peace Process", Voice of America, January 18, 2016. Rabbani also stated that all Taleban factions should join the peace talks. (Radio Free Europe, Jan 18, 2016).

5 Myths on Peace Talks. Christopher Kolenda writes about "Five Myths to Dispel on An Afghan Peace", Gandhara Blog, January 21, 2016.

Unofficial Talks in Qatar? Some news reports indicate that a possible two-day meeting between the Taliban and Afghan officials could take place in the gulf state of Qatar. Read "Afghan, Taliban Envoys Expected to Meet in Qatar", Voice of America, January 22, 2016.

Next Scheduled Talks. So the talking will go on. The next meeting will be on February 6, 2016 in Islamabad to finalize peace talks road map and mechanisms. The ultimate goal of these current talks are to get the representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban into direct negotiations. At the moment, it would appear the Taliban will likely not enter the talks - as they have the Afghan security forces on the defense and they are fighting through the winter season (usually a break in the fighting).

ISIS and Afghanistan

ISIS - "An Existential Threat". The Islamic State is attempting to establish footholds in a number of countries - in addition to that hold on territory that it currently enjoy in Syria and Iraq. ISIS is in competition with al-Qaeda in many of these areas. Afghanistan is one of those newly developed areas of endeavor for ISIS. Of course, Afghanistan and bordering areas of Pakistan has long been a sanctuary for al-Qaeda as well. Many foreign policy observers think we need to counter ISIS's growth anywhere they try to establish themselves (including Afghanistan). Read a report on ISIS and al Qaeda entitled Al Qaeda and ISIS: Existential Threats to the U.S. and Europe, Institute for the Study of War (ISW), January 2016.
http://understandingwar.org/report/al-qaeda-and-isis-existential-threats-us-and-europe

Stepping up the Fight against ISIS (or is it ISIL?). Ash Carter, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, has penned an opinion piece on the fight against the Islamic State. Read "Ash Carter: It's Time to Accelerate the ISIL Fight", Politico, January 22, 2016. He says the fight should take place in three forms 1) eliminating the centers of ISIS power in Raqqa, Syria and Mosul, Iraq, 2) protecting the homeland, and 3) fighting ISIS where it is started to establish footholds - such as Afghanistan and Libya. Glad he is now on board!

ISIS Radio Station in Nangarhar. The Islamic State used the Internet and social media platforms to spread its message in Iraq, Syria, Libya and around the world. But in the impoverished country of Afghanistan most people have access to radio broadcasts but little access to the Internet. For that reason the Islamic State is using radio broadcasts to spread its message. Read "IS radio beams propaganda, threats across rural Afghanistan", Fox News, January 21, 2016.

Intelligence News

Intelligence and U3 Information. The world of conflict has changed but some people think the intelligence world has not kept up. In past years (as in the Cold War) collection was the prime emphasis - learning everything possible about the Soviet Union (and others). The new age of Hybrid Warfare has changed up the intelligence world. Some think that less collection needs to be done and more analysis has to take place in the intelligence community. Today's world is seeing the growth of 'open source' collection of 'ubiquitous, useful, and unclassified' information. Read more in an article by Josh Kerbel - Chief Analytic Methodologist at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) - "The U.S. Intelligence Community Wants Disruptive Change as Long as it's Not Disruptive", War on the Rocks, January 20, 2016.

CTC Sentinel. The most recent issue of "CTC Sentinel" published by the Combating Terrorism Center focuses on terrorism threats we will likely face in 2016.
www.ctc.usma.edu/publications/sentinel

Book Review. A new book is out about the Central Intelligence Agency. Mark Stout provides an analysis of the book for us in "The CIA's Constant Battle Between Secrecy and Effectiveness", War on the Rocks, January 22, 2016.

Clinton Emails. "The intelligence community believes that at least several dozen of the emails sent and received by Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of State contained classified material, including intelligence material classified at the highest levels, according to a new letter by the inspector general". The IG of the intelligence community says that the information is "Top Secret" and "Special Access Program" (SAP) information. The emails were received and sent (and stored) on a private server installed at Hillary Clinton's suburban New York home. Read "Intelligence community watchdog reconfirms that dozens of Clinton emails were classified", The Washington Post, January 19, 2016.

Airpower

Airpower and COIN. Much of the focus on combating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been the heavy use of airpower by the United States and its coalition partners. Some critics believe that air strikes are not enough and 'boots on the ground' are required. Others see a need for more special operations forces to train and advise the moderate Syrian rebels and the Iraqi military forces along with targeted strikes against ISIS leaders. Certainly what has become apparent is that ISIS will not be degraded or defeated by just airpower. One observer is Christoper A. Lawrence - the Executive Director and President of the Dupuy Institute. He has penned an article entitled "Airpower: Just Part of the Counterinsurgency Equation", Small Wars Journal, January 18, 2016.

His viewpoint is that there is no concrete evidence that airpower has destroyed an insurgency. I agree with the author that airpower is limited in its ability to counter an insurgency; but am troubled with comparing the Islamic State to an insurgency; I think they past the stage of insurgency in Iraq and Syria - at the moment. ISIS controls territory and masses forces to both gain and defend territory. Once an insurgency moves to a more conventional phase they start to present targets. Of course, more than just airpower is needed to defeat ISIS - advisors and ground forces are needed; but not necessarily U.S. ground troops.

A-29s Arrive in Kabul. The U.S. Air Force delivered four A-29 Super Tucanos to the Afghan Air Force in January 2016. Read more in "Afghan Air Force receives first four A-29s", U.S. Air Force News, January 19, 2016.

India's Mi-35 Helicopters. The four helicopters recently provided by India to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) are almost operational and may soon see combat in Helmand province. Read "India's Mi-35 Helicopters Ready for First Battle in Afghanistan", NDTV, January 21, 2016.

More C-208B Aircraft? The U.S. DoD has approved a new contract for 18 additional C-208B aircraft for the Afghan Air Force. The contract is worth about $55 million. (Airforce-techology.com, Jan 22, 2016).

A-10 Retirement Delayed. "After trying to retire the battle-tested A-10 Warthog for the past two years, Air Force officials concede that the plane is key to the war on ISIS", Read "Air Force to Delay A-10 Retirement, Thanks to ISIS", Defense One, January 13, 2016.

Video - 25 Years of Bombing. The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) has produced a 5-minute long video entitled 25 Years of Bombing Iraq published on YouTube.com on January 14, 2016. The narrator provides a brief history of airpower and analyzes the contributions and limitations of airpower. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUttCk0L8Zw

Commentary

New Years Resolutions for Terrorism. Anthony H. Cordesman offers us some advice on how to contain terrorism. Read "New Year's Resolutions on Terrorism: Panic, Politics, and the Prospects for Honesty in 2016", Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), December 28, 2015.

General Milley and "AABs" and "SFABs". The Army Chief of Staff recently indicated that the the future Army force structure should have light brigades whose primary mission is to conduct Security Force Assistance (SFA). These brigades would be similar to the "Advise and Assist Brigades" deployed to Iraq and the "Security Force Assistance Brigades" deployed to Afghanistan. Two recent news articles provide more info 1) "Top Army general outlines plans for new brigades, new technologies", Army Times, January 21, 2016. 2) "Learning From Our Mistakes in Selection and Training of Military Advisors", SOFREP, January 14, 2016.

Stable Afghanistan Needed. A top advisor to the Afghan President was recently interviewed by Ashish Kumar Sen of the Atlantic Council. He states that Afghanistan plays a pivotal role in the economic prosperity of the greater region and the neighboring nations would benefit from a stable Afghanistan. Read "Security and Economic Development are Two Sides of the Same Coin", The Atlanticist, January 12, 2016.

Governance

RoL and Terrorist Detention Decree. "A recent decree by President Ghani on how to deal with terrorist crimes has introduced the prospect of detaining, without trial, Afghans (and foreigners in Afghanistan) suspected of planning acts of terrorism". Read "Casting a Very Wide Net: Did Ghani just authorise interning Afghans without trial?", by Lenny Linke and Kate Clark, Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), January 21, 2016.

Parliamentary Elections - October 2016. "Afghanistan's top election official says the country's long-delayed parliamentary elections have been scheduled for October 15." The Afghan legislature's 5 year term ended in June 2015 but elections were postponed because of security concerns and the rampart corruption of the 2015 presidential elections. Read more in "Afghan Election Officials Schedule Parliamentary Ballot for October 15", Radio Free Europe, January 18, 2016.

Security News

Instructor from 8th SOK on rifle range

Desertions and High Turnover Hurting ANDSF. Every year 1/3 of the Afghan National Army is replaced - soldiers exit the army replaced by recruits with 3 months of initial training. In addition, the army and the national police are suffering high desertion rates from posts where supplies, ammo, food, and pay are scarce. Read more in "Desertions deplete Afghan forces, adding to security worries", Reuters, January 18, 2016.

Helmand Province Update. Afghan forces are fighting to hold off the Taliban in three Helmand districts. (Reuters, Jan 19, 2016). In the meantime, General Phil Breedlove, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, visited Helmand province and met with the newly appointed command team of the 215th Afghan National Army Corps. He had kind words to say about the new ANA commander; very little to say about the bleak security situation in the 215th Corps's area of operations. Read "Making a difference: ANA 215th Corps command team lead the way", NATO, January 20, 2016.

Insider Attack. Nine Afghan police officers were killed in an insider attack in the southern Urozgan province on Monday, January 18th.

U.S. Targeting ISIS. According to a recent news report the White House has given the Pentagon the legal authority to target the Islamic State in Afghanistan. (The Wall Street Journal, Jan 19, 2016). See also a report by Military Times, Jan 20, 2016.

Suicide Attack in Kabul on Wed. A suicide car bomb (or motorbike) went off on Darul Aman road near the Russian embassy. At least seven killed and twenty wounded. A minibus carrying staffers of Kabul Tolo TV may have been the intended target. Read "Kabul car bomb near Russia embassy", BBC News, January 20, 2016.

Organization of a Terrorist Movement

Daniel M. Gerstein, of the RAND Corporation and formerly of the Department of Homeland Security, says that " . . . strategies to deal with terrorism should be created based on an understanding of the nature of the terrorist threat and the structure of terrorist organizations." Gerstein says that there are four distinct elements of a terrorist organization organized in concentric circles - the leaders in the very center, the operational elements, operational supporters, and in the fourth and outside ring are the sympathizers. He further posits that each of the four elements much be addressed differently by security and police forces - ranging from 'capture kill' to 'outreach and education'. Read more in "Solving the Geometrical Problem of Terrorism", U.S. News & World Report, January 12, 2016.

Women Integrated into Combat

Sec Navy Pushing Gender Neutrality. Navy Secretary Pushing Obama's Social Engineering of Military. President Obama has a steadfast ally in the fight to fully integrate women into all aspects of the military. Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, has pressured the Navy and Marine Corps to lead the other services in gender neutral uniforms, terminology, and much more. Mabus was a leading figure in the Obama presidential campaign in Mississippi and was rewarded by given the Navy post. Read "Navy secretary builds legacy, one controversial brick at a time", Marine Corps Times, January 17, 2016.

First Females Opt for Marine Special Ops. The Marine Corps' Special Operations Command (MARSOC) has had its first female applicants. There have been several requests by women to enter the assessment and selection pipeline to become a critical skills operator. Read more in "First Female Marines Apply to MARSOC", Military.com, January 20, 2016.

Afghan War News Snippets

Emotional Reactions to Bergdahl. Welton Chang explores the robust explanations for the strength of the near-involuntary reactions to any mention of Bergdahl (the U.S. Army deserter) and his actions. Read "The Psychology Behind Strong Emotional Reactions to Bergdahl", Task & Purpose, January 18, 2016.

Petraeus to be Demoted? It appears that SECDEF Carter is going to weigh in on the General Petraeus case. It appears that he is leaning toward a demotion. Evidently it is okay to pass thousands of emails containing classified information over an unclassified non-government email server using your private email account while Secretary of State; but you can't pass a few small notebooks with your notes in them to an officer (LTC) in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps with a Top Secret clearance (who happens to be your biographer). Hrrrrummmmppph. See "Exclusive: Pentagon May Demote David Petraeus", The Daily Beast, January 18, 2016.

SIGAR Report on TFBSO. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) testified before Congress on January 20, 2016 on the failures of the DoD Task Force for Business and Stability Operations in Afghanistan (TFBSO). The preliminary results show serious management and oversight problems. You can read a transcript of the testimony posted on the website of SIGAR.

TFBSO and Goats for Afghanistan. Read "How the US Blew Millions of Dollars, Airlifting Cashmere Goats to Afghanistan", Mother Jones, January 21, 2016.

GPS Data and USAID Medical Centers. "The geospatial coordinates for a number of Afghanistan medical clinics are incorrect in data shared between the U.S. and allies in the region. In a report published earlier this month by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), some 10 of the 32 medical clinics set up by the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Kabul region have incorrect GPS coordinates . . . " Read "GPS data failing USAID hospitals in Afghanistan", C4ISR & Networks, January 19, 2016.

Taliban Telecom Tax. Looks like the Taliban have continued their practice of running a 'protection racket' for operators of Afghan telephone companies and tower operators. Read "Afghan Taliban flex muscles with new telecom tax", Yahoo! News, by Anuj Chopra, January 18, 2016.

Periodical - Military Officer. The January 2016 edition of the magazine by the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) is available online. Good interview of General Colin Powell (retired) on the 25th anniversary of Desert Storm.

PM Australia Commits More Troops. The prime minister for Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, has committed an extra 20 troops to the mission in Afghanistan to assist in the training of Afghan troops. He met with service members at Qarga - the Afghan national army's officer training academy. (The Chronicle, Jan 18, 2016).

Sign Up for Weekly Newsletter

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter - Jan 17, 2016

Tajikistan's Security Woes

Map of Tajikistan - CIA

Tajikistan's Downward Spiral. Afghanistan shares a border area with Tajikistan in the northeast and this poses problems for Tajikistan. The border security organizations have been compromised with bribes from smugglers and drug traffickers. In addition, the re-emergence of Central Asian jihadist groups in northern Afghanistan, establishment of militants aligned with the Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan and elsewhere in the country, as well as the overall deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan does not bode well for Tajikistan. Internally, Tajikistan faces political turmoil and economic decline; surefire feeding grounds for the growth of militant jihadist groups. Learn more in a recent (Jan 11, 2016) by the Crisis Group entitled Tajikistan Early Warning: Internal Pressures, External Threats.

Islamic State a Threat to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. "Neither country has a military force capable of resisting incursions by the Islamic State (IS), the Taliban or other militant forces emanating from Afghanistan." (The Jamestown Foundation, Jan 12, 2016).

News Article on Crisis Group Report. Catherine Putz has penned an analysis of the Crisis Group's report. She says that the report points to opposition crackdowns as indicative of an unstable state. Read more in "Report Warns of Instability in Tajikistan", The Diplomat, January 12, 2016.

SOF News

JSOC Officers Moving Up. It appears that the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) crowd is doing well in the U.S. Army. General Votel, the current commander of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is likely to be nominated to head up Central Command - he formally commanded JSOC. LTG Tony Thomas will probably head to command USSOCOM - he commands JSOC and is also a former commander of the Special Operations Joint Task Force - Afghanistan. MG Scottie Miller, currently at Fort Benning and instrumental in overseeing the successful integration of women in Ranger School during 2015 has been mentioned for command of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Miller is a long-time Ranger Regiment and JSOC officer. He was a former commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Component Command - Afghanistan (CFSOCC-A) and of the SOJTF-A.

New SOCKOR Cdr. The current deputy commander of the Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan - BG Tony D. Bauernfeind - is heading to Special Operations Command Korea. See "General Officer Assignments", DoD News Release, January 12, 2016.

SEALs Under Investigation. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is - once again - investigating allegations that Navy SEALs beat detainees in Afghanistan in 2012. Read more in "Investigation of SEAL conduct in Afghanistan is Reopened", The New York Times, January 14, 2016.

Webcast Event - "Acquisition for SOF". USSOCOM performs a variety of functions - one of those is the acquisition of services, products, and equipment for the SOF units and organizations of the four services. Mr. James F. Geurts, Acquisition Executive at USSOCOM, will be discussing the challenge of planning and executing acquisitions to equip our forces' most elite warriors. The event (webcast) is hosted by the Atlantic Council on Tuesday, January 19th at 4:30 pm EST.

SOF and the "Gray Zone". Terminology is constantly evolving in the military. New buzzwords make their debut, stick around for a while, and then fade away. One of the newest terms to enter the special operations community vocabulary is the "Gray Zone". This, according to some reports, is the space or area between peace and war. Read more in "Special Operations and the Challenge of Working in the Gray Zone", SOFREP, January 14, 2016.

Wanted: Foreign SOF to fight ISIS. "Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said Thursday that the United States has asked more countries to send Special Operations troops to join the fight against the Islamic State, and not just typical partners like Britain and Australia." These countries probably include Jordan, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Jordanian and UAE SOF units have long worked with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan and the relationships between the SOF units are strong. Read more in "Wanted: Foreign Special Operations troops to join the U.S. in targeting the Islamic State", The Washington Post, January 15, 2016.

US SOF Deploys to Iraq. Additional Special Operations Forces have arrived in Iraq to assist Iraqi troops with better coordinating and targeting for coalition airstrikes. While the President contends there are no 'boots on the ground'; what is certainly clear is a bunch of guys wearing sneakers or hikers are running around Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and a lot of other places around the world. In addition to the deployment of special operators key leaders with a SOF background being put into important positions with the military, state and elsewhere. Read "U.S. Special Operations Forces Deploy to Iraq", Foreign Policy Report, January 14, 2016.

Obama and SOF. Kim Dozier writes on how President Obama is turning to special operations forces to help manage hot spots in the world. Read "Obama Turns to Special Ops to Salvage His Legacy", The Daily Beast, January 15, 2016.

SOCEUR Cdr Visits Slovak SOF. The commander of Special Operations Command Europe visited the Slovak 5th Special Forces Regiment in Zilina on January 12th. The Slovak SOF have worked alongside U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan for a number of years. (The Slovak Spectator, Jan 15, 2016).

"Generation Kill vs Generation Cupcake". Dan O'Shea, a former Navy SEAL, writes on 'safe spaces' on college campuses and lack of 'safe spaces' in combat zones. (The Tampa Tribune, January 16, 2016.

ISIS Threatens UFC Fighter. Tim Kennedy, a UFC fighter who is also a Green Beret with time in 7th and 19th Special Forces Group, is on the receiving end of threats from the Islamic State. (Army Times, Jan 13, 2016).

Multi-Intel Drones for SOF. "Army aviation special operators want new unmanned aircraft systems that can carry multiple sensors to collect vital intelligence from the battlefield . . . " Currently special operations forces have a variety of small and mid-sized drones that can do many different things. SOF wants and 'all in one' platform. Read more in "Army Special Operations Want Multi-Intelligence UAVs.", Defense News, January 14, 2016.

SO/LIC Director Lumpkin to State. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operation and Low Intensity Conflict (SOLIC), Mike Lumpkin, is in the mix for running the State Department's new Center for Global Engagement. He is a former U.S. Navy SEAL.