Afghan War Blog

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Defense News

Preserving COIN as a Capability. As the military moves away from the Iraq and Afghan conflicts (although the move is slower than we thought) it will be leaving some military capabilities behind (like counterinsurgency). Read Steven Metz's comments on how to preserve some of those capabilities in "How the US Military Can Preserve Seldom-Used Capabilities", World Politics Review, Friday 26, 2016.

"Force of the Future" - Rough Landing. "Defense officials' hopes for sweeping personnel reforms were crushed by Senate Republicans on Thursday who attacked the ideas as 'an outrageous waste of time' and the Pentagon's pick to implement them as unfit to serve". Read "The Pentagon's 'Force of the Future' plan just got trashed in Congress", Military Times, February 25, 2016.

Combat Vet Now at HMS Works to Improve Life for Amputees. A combat medic with a tour in Iraq is now at Harvard Medical School and is working to bring relief to war vets with amputations. Read more in "Veteran wants to improve the quality of life for amputees", Harvard Gazette, February 18, 2016.

India's Military and Women in Combat. The United States is not the only military conducting social experiments with women in combat units. India is joining a handful of countries that permit women to take on combat roles. Read more in "India's Military to Allow Women in Combat Roles", The Diplomat, February 26, 2016.

Future of the Army. Conrad Crane provides us his thoughts on the report done by the Commission on the Future of the Army in "7 Issues the Future of the Army Commission Should Have Spent More Time On", War on the Rocks, February 25, 2016. 1) Once cut, the Army is not easily expandable, 2) how to better integrate active and reserve components, 3) deficiencies in force structure and capabilities, 4) an expanded discussion of stability operations and counterinsurgency (my note: the most important failure in my view), 5) explicit analysis of force size and structure recommendations, 6) real discussion of risk, and 7) contractors on the battlefield.

Do We Still Need the Draft? David Barno and Nora Bensahel says Yes! Read "Why We Still Need the Draft", War on the Rocks, February 23, 2016.

Military Terminology. Ever wonder what a military term or phrase mean't. Know you can know. The Department of Defense just updated Joint Publication 1-02, Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, 15 January 2016.
www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf

Conscription - Fact and Myth. The defense community is buzzing about the draft (selective service) now that women are able to fully-integrate into combat and SOF units (equal rights, equal responsibility thing). So lots of commentary about it. Read Phillip Carter's thoughts in "The Zombie Myths of Conscription", War on the Rocks, February 25, 2016.

Contractors - Denied Benefits & Care. Contractors who work in war zones (I am one of them) are covered by medical insurance under the Defense Base Act. This insurance pays for medical care and disability benefits for workers injured on the job as well as death benefits for those killed. While the insurance companies reap millions of dollars in profits every year they are very stingy in paying out benefits to deserving contractors. Read more in "Injured war zone contractors fight to get care", Los Angeles Times, Feb 27, 2016.

Journal of Strategic Studies. This new issue (Volume 39, Issue 1, 2016) is now available. Articles include China's strategic Air Force, an anatomy of authoritarian counterinsurgency, contractor support to US and UK military operations, impediments to fighting the Islamic State, and civil-military relations in Pakistan and India. www.tandfonline.com/toc/fjss20/39/1

Learn about the U.S. Army's Acting Secretary. Patrick Murphy got out of the Army as a Captain after having done a tour in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. He was one of the first veterans elected to Congress in the post-9/11 era. He is now the Acting Secretary for the Army. Big move up! Read "Army's new top civilian leader: former paratrooper, congressman", Army Times, February 24, 2016.

SOF News & A Little Intel

MARSOC - Ten Years. MARSOC is celebrating its ten year anniversary. Read an article about the Marine Special Operations Command in "10 years of MARSOC: How the Marine Corps developed its spec ops command", Marine Corps Times, February 24, 2016.

Video - Marine Raiders. Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) has posted a 5-minute long video on YouTube.com about the history of the Marine Raiders (published Feb 24, 2016). This video is released on the 10th anniversary of the formation of MARSOC.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZuwfDmxhPE

MARSOC Training. Jeremy Bender provides us photos and a description of the type of training that the Marine Corps puts its top operators through for the Marine Special Operations Command. Read "Come along to MARSOC training, where the Marine Corps grooms its top operators", Business Insider, February 24, 2016.

Romanian SOF to Afghanistan. The Romanian Special Operations Group ROU SOAG-3 of the Targu Mures-based 6th Special Operations Brigade Mihai Viteazul will be heading to Afghanistan soon.

Paper - Operational Art in Special Warfare. A host of writers (Fred Krawchuk, John Peters, Linda Robinson, and others) have penned a 186-page report entitled Toward Operational Art in Special Warfare as part of a RAND Corporation project. It was published in February 2016. The jist of the paper is that the U.S. DoD should strengthen its special warfare planning capacity and culture, implement institutional reforms to facilitate unified action among relevant U.S government agenicies, and develop enhanced influence capabilities. www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR779.html

Delta Force - The Truth! The hit show The Unit is going to soon air on the UK's Forces TV. To celebrate this event Forces TV takes a closer look at its inspiration - the U.S. Army's Delta Force. Read "Delta Force: The Truth Behind 'The Unit'", Forces TV (UK), February 23, 2016.

SOF Operators Buying Their Own Equipment? A recent news report says that there is a disconnect between vendors who supply equipment for SOF units, the money allocated for the equipment, and the operators that use the equipment. Read more in "Lacking basic gear, special operators stuck buying their own equipment", Stars and Stripes, February 25, 2016.

SEALs - "The Quiet Professional?" - Not So Much! One of the catch phrases for the U.S. Army Special Forces has been "The Quiet Professional". The same cannot be said of the U.S. Navy SEALs based on the numerous autobiographies and movies that feature the U.S. Navy's special operators- some of it for fame and personal profit. Read a 85-page research paper on the topic entitled Navy SEALs Gone Wild: Publicity, Fame, and the Loss of the Quiet Professional, Naval Post Graduate School, December 2015.

1st SFGA and Its Whiskey. A craft bourbon has raised thousands of dollars to help special ops veterans and their families. Learn "How the 1st Special Forces Group Got Its Own Whiskey", War is Boring, February 23, 2016.

Evading Danger? One SF veteran provides advise on how to "Escape and evade danger like a Special Forces veteran", Business Insider, February 26, 2016.

AFSOC Wants More V-22s. The Air Force Special Operations Command would like to acquire three additional multi-mission V-22 Ospreys before the product line ceases. This would bring the total to 54 airframes. Read more in a news report by National Defense Magazine, February 26, 2016.

French SOF in Libya. The country of Libya has been in a constant state of turmoil since the fall of its long-time dictator. There are now two governments - one in Tobruck and one in Tripoli. In addition, sandwiched between the two cities along the Mediterranean Coast is a small enclave of about 6,000 Islamic State fighters. There are indications that some European powers may intervene - the Brits and Italians possibly. In addition, the United States and other nations are said to have small SOF teams in Libya. News now comes that the French SOF are there as well. Drone strikes have taken place and there are rumors about the occasional CIA agent being in the vicinity of the better hotels. Read "French special forces waging "secret war" in Libya: report", Reuters, February 24, 2016.

British SAS as Well? One news report says that the UK SOF are in Libya as well. Read "Special Forces spearheading 'secret war' against ISIS in Libya", Mirror (UK), February 25, 2016.

And Finally . . . U.S. SOF Heading to Fight Boko Haram. It appears that a small team of U.S. special operations troops may be heading to Nigeria to help the local army there to fight Boko Haram. This will be another "advise and assist" mission that SOF is well-trained to conduct. Sure . . . except that Nigeria is just one more corrupt dictatorship that is inept and clueless in how to fight a counterinsurgency. I think this is just pissing in the wind on trying to assist a regime that steals money from it's public and puts foreign aid funds into Swiss bank accounts. Read "U.S. troops likely headed to Nigeria for Boko Harma advisory mission", Military Times, February 26, 2016.

Governance

MEC Logo

2014 Presidential Election Results Announced. Better late than never! The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced the results of the controversial 2014 presidential election - 16 months after the establishment of the National Unity Government (NUG) led by President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. Democracy at work! Read more in "IEC Announces 2014 Presidential Election Results", Tolo News, February 24, 2016.

New Minister of Interior. Noor-ul-Haq Oloomi has been replaced with Taj Mohammad Jahid as Afghanistan's interior minister according to the presidential palace. Oloomi will move on to be the Afghanistan Ambassador to the Netherlands. Jahid, age 51, has been a former commander of the 207th and 209th Army Corps. The newly appointed Senior Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs is General Abdul Rahman Rahman. The nominations will need to be introduced to parliament and pass a vote of confidence.

New Attorney General. Afghanistan has a new Attorney General. The past one was appointed by former President Karzai in 2008. Farid Hamadi has been nominated as the new Attorney General. Hamadi is a former Human Rights Commissioner.

Encouraging News - Increased Revenue. Afghanistan experienced an impressive revenue turnaround in 2015. This report examines the sources of the revenue increase and the actions that helped spur it, and discusses lesson learned and future challenges. Read Afghanistan's Revenue Turnaround in 2015, United States Institute of Peace (ISIP), February 24, 2016.

Peace Talks

HPC Chief Appointed. News reports say that Sayed Ahmad Gailani has been appointed as the new Chief of the Afghan High Peace Council. Deputies have been appointed as well and include: former Afghan VP Karim Khalili, Habiba Sarabi, Mawlavi Khabir, and others.

Afghan Embassy Statement. A press release has been distributed by the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C. entitled "Statement on Participation of Taliban Groups in Upcoming Peace Talks", February 24, 2016.

Taliban Unaware of Peace Talks Plans. It seems that the Taliban's office in Qatar will not be joining the peace talks soon. A spokesman says that all foreign troops must leave Afghanistan first before it will join in peace talks with the Afghanistan government. There are other pre-conditions as well. Looks like the fighting goes on. (Radio Free Europe, Feb 24, 206).

Peace Push Criticized. Not everyone is happy with the big move forward to conduct peace talks with the Taliban. Read about Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum view on all of this in "Key Afghan Warlord Criticizes Kabul's Peace Push", Voice of America, February 24, 2016.

Can Talks Succeed? Some think the talks will actually take place (b/t Taliban & govt). Hmmm. We shall see. But just because they do talk; does that mean anything will get accomplished? I don't think so. Ahmed Rashid provides us his thoughts on the topic in "Afghanistan Taliban: Can talks succeed?", BBC News, February 27, 2016.

AAN Analysis. Tomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) provides an update to the peace process in In Search of a Peace Process: A 'new' HPC and an ultimatum for the Taleban, February 26, 2016.

Time Not Right for Talks? Some Afghans believe the time is not right for peace talks with the Taliban - thinking that the negotiations could lead to unfavorable compromises with an enemy that remains far from beaten on the battlefield. Read more in "Some think time not right for talks with Taliban", Stars and Stripes, February 21, 2016.

Afghan War News Snippets

Borders Closing to Afghan Migrants. The country of Macedonia has closed its southern border with Greece to Afghan migrants but will allow entry for Iraqis and Syrians. Countries to the north of Macedonia have closed their borders to Afghans so this has caused a 'domino effect' where no nation was to be the ultimate final stop for the migrants. Read more in "Greece: Macedonia has closed its borders to Afghan migrants", Associated Press, February 21, 2016.

Clashes as Result of Borders Closing. Clashes are taking place between Afghan asylum seekers and Greek riot police as a result of Macedonia closing its borders to Afghans. Read more in "Policy Shifts on Refugees Lead to Clashes Between Migrants and Police", The New York Times, February 23, 2016.

Afghan Migration Report. A couple of organizations, RUSI and BAAG, have collaborated on a report entitled Migration & Development: The Case of Afghanistan, London Roundtable - 16th December 2015, published on 19 Feb 2016.

Asylum Seekers Disillusioned. "A special plane from Germany carrying rejected Afghan asylum seekers has landed in Kabul. What prospects do these people now have in their home country?" Read "Disillusionment driving Afghan asylum seekers back home", Deutsche Welle, February 25, 2016.

Movie - Day One. This movie about an Afghan female interpreter has been nominated for an Academy Award in the short film, live active category. The director of the movie, Henry Hughes, is a combat veteran who spent a tour in Afghanistan with the 173rd. Read more in "Cavalry scout-turned-filmaker is headed to the Oscars, interpreter in tow", Military Times, February 25, 2016.

Afghan Interpreter Aided by Army Reservist. A U.S. Army reservist was instrumental in helping an ally from his war tour to gain entry to the United States. Read more in "Army Reserve Soldier welcomes former interpreter to America", DVIDS, February 24, 2016.

Movie - Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. One of my favorite move stars, Tin Fey, stars in a movie about a news reporter in Afghanistan. Evidently it is based on the adventures of journalist Kim Barker who spent some time as a reporter in Afghanistan. Hits the theaters on March 4th. The blonde that plays her sidekick is "hot", so that alone is worth the price of admission. In the states she would be a "Ten"; in Afghanistan a "Thirty". Watch the trailer here. www.whiskeytangofoxtrotthemovie.com/

Bin Laden and McRaven. Admiral McRaven was head of the special operations unit that got the head of al Qaeda in Pakistan and many remember him for that but he would rather be remembered for the totality of 37 years service. Read more in "McRaven now appreciates impact in U.S. of his bin Laden raid", The Tampa Tribune, February 25, 2016.

U.S. Payments for MSF Clinic Bombing - Not Enough? The U.S. military is paying thousands of dollars to wounded survivors and relatives of the 2 Afghans killed when a U.S. AC-130 gunship attacked a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in Kunduz city this past October 2015. Families of the deceased will receive up to $6,000. Read more in "U.S. payments to Afghans in hospital attack called inadequate", Military Times, February 26, 2016.

U.S. Money Still Flowing. "How to track the taxpayer money helping to rebuild the country is a key question as budget battles begin this week." Read more in "U.S. Money Will Keep Flowing to Afghanistan As Oversight Plummets", Huffpost Politics, February 24, 2016.

DoD Probe Into Afghan Sex Abuse. "The Pentagon's inspector general is launching a 'full assessment' into multiple reports that the U.S. military encouraged troops to ignore their Afghan allies' sexual abuse of children." The practice of bacha bazi - or boy play - is one that has captured the attention of the western media and that sometimes puts American servicemen into difficult cultural and moral situations. Read a memo by the DoDIG dated February 19, 2016 on this topic.

Kabul Power Restored? After weeks of a partial blackout in the capital city electrical power has been restored. Afghanistan's national power company repaired power lines near the northern border with Uzbekistan that were cut by Taliban insurgents in January. The lines supply 280 of the 600 megawatts of power consumed daily in Kabul. Bad winter weather and security concerns delayed repairs for weeks prompting may Kabul residents to question the Afghan government.

Video Games, Deployment, and Rage Quitting. I seen lots of Soldiers playing video games on deployments; I was never into nor did I have the spare time. But evidently there is something called "Rage Quitting" - which is what happens when you combine a slow deployment in Afghanistan and video games. Read more in "A True Story of Rage Quitting in Afghanistan", Task and Purpose, February 26, 2016.

Corruption in Afghanistan? Who Knew? An anti-corruption monitoring group says that the Afghan government's official commitment to address the problem is weakening. The independent Monitoring and Evaluation Committee or MEC has released its half-year report. Read more in "Monitoring Group: Corruption Still a Problem in Afghanistan", Voice of America, February 25, 2016.

Women's Rights. Lael Mohib, founder of the Enabled Children Initiative and spouse of Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States, is interviewed in "Advancing Women's Rights in Afghanistan: A Conversation with Lael Mohib", In Asia: Weekly Insight and Analysis, February 24, 2016.

Russia Gives U.S. "Cold Shoulder" Over Afghanistan. Russia is disengaging from any United States efforts to spur peace talks or to establish stability in Afghanistan. Instead Russia is concentrating efforts to ensure security prevails in countries north of Afghanistan. Read more in "Russia Pulls Back From Cooperating With U.S. on Afghanistan", The New York Times, February 20, 2016.

Guest Bloggers Wanted

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

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Sunday, February 21, 2016

Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter - Feb 21, 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.

Musa Qala District Abandoned by ANDSF

The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have withdrawn its security forces from the district of Musa Qala in Helmand province (on Saturday) after a protracted struggle with the Taliban over the past year. The district is now under Taliban control. The ANDSF calls it a "redeployment of forces". Another government spokesman said that the troops were not accomplishing anything in the district and that the move will put the troops into a different and more important district that is heavily contested by the Taliban. The few troops that were in the district were confined to a couple of bases. The Taliban had already taken control of the district bazaar and government buildings. The fall of Musa Qala district may have a cascading effect on other nearby districts in Helmand province. It could be that the Afghan government is on a path to cede northern Helmand to the insurgents. Some observers think that the Taliban now either control or are contesting 10 of the 14 Helmand province districts. Overall, a grim reflection on how ill-prepared the ANDSF are in combating the Taliban. Read more in "Afghan troops pull out of strategic Helmand district", Reuters, February 20, 2016.

Human Terrain System (HTS) - In the News Again

The Human Terrain System or HTS is under attack once again. From my point of view, having worked with the Human Terrain Teams (HTTs) deployed in Afghanistan, this was a novel approach to educate and advise brigade commanders and their staffs on the local Afghan environment - specifically the human domain. To a large degree the small 3-5 man HTTs were successful; although the program had its share of failures, fraud, and a bumpy start. But overall it was an enabler for the Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) that deployed to Afghanistan. Two fierce critics of the HTS are Tom Vanden Brook, a reporter for USA Today, and Representative Duncan Hunter (California). While they rightfully point out abuses by the HTS program they carry the attack too far. Read Vanden Brook's latest rant about the HTS where he re-iterates past wrongdoings again in "Army's rebranded social science program draws flak", USA Today, February 9, 2016. Pete Turner, a former HTT member, responds to the USA Today article in "Guest Post: Duncan Hunter and Human Terrain System by Turner", Zenpundit.com, February 14, 2016.

Steady Rise in Civilian Deaths in Afghanistan

2015 was a bad year for civilians in Afghanistan. The numbers were very discouraging - with an increase in the number of deaths and injuries suffered by the Afghan population. At least 3,545 civilians were killed and 7,457 injured as the Taliban stepped up attacks against the Afghan government and its people. A recent United Nations report indicate that the casualty figures are surging along with the draw down of NATO-led combat forces. This is the highest number of total civilian casualties in a single year in Afghanistan since 2009. Many of the casualties were women and children.

Read some news reports on this topic:
"Civilian Casualties Hit New High in 2015", United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), February 14, 2016.
"UN says 2015 was worst on record for civilian casualties in Afghanistan", The Telegraphy, February 14, 2016.
"Afghanistan Had Record Number of Civilian Casualties Last Year, U.N. Says", The New York Times, February 14, 2016.
"UN reports stark rise in number of Afghan civilian casualties in 2015", The Guardian, February 14, 2016.

UN Report.
Afghanistan Annual Report 2015 - Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Kabul, Afghanistan, February 2016, 99 pages.

Read past reports and news articles about civilian casualties in Afghanistan:
www.afghanwarnews.info/topics/CIVCAS.htm

Advising the AAF

The Resolute Support Mission is two-fold; conducting counterterrorism operations and train, advise, and assist the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF). An important part of the ANDSF is the Afghan Air Force (AAF). To do the Train, Advise, and Assist (TAA) mission with the AAF the United States (and its coalition partner nations) has air advisors working with the AAF as part of the Train, Advise, and Assist Command - Air or TAAC-Air. A recent paper provides us with a break down of the essential components of a successful air advising posture, applies it to the mission in Afghanistan, and concludes with a summary of key points and suggest areas for improvement. The authors of the paper are Lt Col Aaron Tucker of the USAF and Colonel Aimal Pacha Sayedi of the Afghan Air Force. Read Advising the Afghan Air Force, National Defense University Press, January 1, 2016.

SOF News

USSOCOM and Drones. A news report provides information about how the U.S. Special Operations Command utilizes drones to do ISR and targeting. Read "US Special Operations Command lifts the lid on special mission MQ-9 Reaper", IHS Jane's 360, February 14, 2016.

Decision Time on SF NCO. "A decorated Army sergeant and Green Beret who protected an Afghan boy from a child molester in the Afghan police could find out any day whether his actions will end his career in the military". read "Decision looms for Army sergeant who protected Afghan boy", Fox News, February 19, 2016.

Russians told Location of US SOF. "The Pentagon told the Russian military where U.S. Special Forces are located in Syria with the hopes that Russian aircraft will steer clear of that area and not risk bombing American service members . . . " Let's hope the Russians don't share that information with the Hezbollah, Syrian military, and Iranian militants fighting the U.S. proxy military groups in Syria. Read more in "U.S. quietly tells Russia where American troops are located inside Syria", Military Times, February 18, 2016.

AC-130s and Lasers. Energy-directed weapons could soon be mounted on the special opns AC-130 by 2020. Read more in "Special Operations Aircraft to be Outfitted with Laser Weapon", National Defense Magazine, March 2016.

Masters of SOF. "Applications are being accepted for a 10-month master's degree program offered by the National Defense University for special operations officers, warrant officers, and noncommissioned officers. The fully accredited degree program will be conducted at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina offered in August 2017. Read more in Army Times, February 19, 2016.

"Gray Zone" and "Occupied". A new term being bantered about by the SOF folks is the "Gray Zone". While a non-SOF guy (girl) might have trouble visualizing what type of conflict this is, an experienced SF dude would (should) have no trouble with the concept. For those impaired in this respect there is a television series on NetFlix that could be helpful. I am half-way through the ten-episode series. It is a Norwegian product (yes, English subtitles) about a Norway that is slowly being occupied by the Russians. A form of hybrid warfare that took place in Crimea and eastern Ukraine and could take place in the Baltic states (the former republics of the Soviet Union known as Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia). Read more in "Run, Freeze, Or Fight? "Occupied" and the Future of Warfare", by August Cole, War on the Rocks, February 18, 2016.

Highway to be Named for Fallen USSF Soldier. Three Rhode Island State Representatives have introduced a bill to name a stretch of highway in memory of SFC Peter McKenna - a member of 7th SFGA who was killed in Afghanistan in 2015. (News 10, Feb 17, 2016).

Canada SOF - More to Iraq. The new plan of Canada is to pull back some of its air support (six CF-18 fighter jets) but provide more SOF trainers. The Canadian special forces contingent will go from 69 to 207 personnel; a sizable increase. It appears that some help will be going to the Kurds (better than squandering it on the Iraqi government forces). In addition, more than $700 million in humanitarian aid will be provided. There will also be some equipment provided to include small arms, ammunition, and medical support for the Kurds. Read more in "Canada to Boost Spec Ops, Arms in Iraq While Withdrawing CF-18s", Defense News, February 15, 2016.

Commentary

India & China: Key Partners. Raffaello Pantucci writes on the importance of India and China in developing stability for Afghanistan. Both countries are increasing their involvement with Afghanistan in many ways - economically, diplomatically, and more. This is a great article to help one understand the complexities of Central and South Asia and how regional powers can help Afghanistan become stable once again. "India and China key partners in keeping Afghanistan stable", Reuters, February 15, 2016.

Not Getting Better. Joseph Blady writes a pessimistic article about the current situation in Afghanistan - "In Afghanistan, things aren't getting better", The Hill blog, February 15, 2016.

"The number of properly trained Afghan troops has been grossly overestimated. Afghan military and police leaders are collecting salaries for troops and police that don't exist. The government is doing the same for schools, teachers, clinics and doctors. Fraud and corruption are rampant. Contractors are being paid exorbitant amounts of money, but doing little. Intelligence is faulty. Oversight is being done from a distance and without effect. Afghanistan will not survive without help".

Obama's Failure in Afghanistan. Paul D. Miller writes how the President took a bad situation in Afghanistan and made it even worse. Read "Obama's Failed Legacy in Afghanistan", The American Interest, February 15, 2016.

Civil-Military Divide . . . Does it Exist? Nate Cubra, a columnist, provides us with his thoughts on this topic in "A War Apart: Examining the American Civil-Military Divide", Georgetown Security Studies Review, February 17, 2016.

Drone Warfare. The use of UAVs to carry out targeting against terrorist targets is an imperfect program that works. Michael V. Hayden, former CIA director, writes his thoughts about the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in "To Keep America Safe, Embrace Drone Warfare", The New York Times, February 19, 2016.

Enhancing SC Effectiveness. In times of defense spending austerity the use of 'security cooperation' to advance U.S. interests around the world needs further examination. Many programs designed to train and equip armies have been less effective than desired. Thomas W. Ross writes an essay entitled "Enhancing Security Cooperation Effectiveness: A Model for Capability Package Planning", National Defense University Press, January 1, 2016.

Lessons for ANDSF for 2016. Shawn Snow, a former Signals Intelligence Analyst for the U.S. Marine Corps, writes about lessons learned that the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF) must remember if they are to be more successful in 2016 than they were in 2015. His analysis seems a bit optimistic but it focuses on the right areas for the most part. Read "Afghanistan: Lessons Learned for the 2016 Fighting Season", The Diplomat, February 15, 2016.

Afghan War Glossary

In every military there is a huge amount of terms, acronyms, phrases, and words that are unrecognizable to the non-military members of society. To a newly deployed member of the military assigned to Afghanistan - the slang, abbreviations, and definitions used in theater can be perplexing as well. It takes a while to learn the lingo. For instance many newcomers confuse the terms Afghan and Afghani. To help out Afghan War News has compiled an online glossary.

www.afghanwarnews.info/glossary/afghanglossary.htm

ISIS in Afghanistan

Early Islamic State in Kunar. Unknown to many there was a modern ideological and political predecessor to today's self-anointed Islamic State that had a short-lived existence in Afghanistan in 1990. The Islamic Emirate of Kunar was founded by Jamil al-Rahman and his Salafi political party following an election in Kunar, Afghanistan in early 1990. The demise of this Islamic State was hastened by conflict with HIG's leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Read more in an article by Kevin Bell in "The First Islamic State: A Look Back at the Islamic Emirate of Kunar", CTC Sentinel, Combating Terrorism Center, West Point.

ISIS: Some Tactical Errors. While the militant says it is organizing the Islamic State in Afghanistan others say it is making some fierce enemies. Despite good organization and lots of money it has had its difficulties in getting established in eastern Afghanistan. Some instances of torture and the murder of innocent villages has cost it support. Read more in "How IS has been making enemies in Afghanistan", BBC News, February 20, 2016.

Defeat of ISIS in Afghanistan? The Islamic State in Afghanistan has had a rough start. It has been attacked by different groups of the Taliban. Reportedly the Pakistani security forces are making things difficult on that side of the border. The Afghan security forces are certainly playing a role in the IS security situation and the Americans have been doing a lot of airborne attacks (aircraft and drones). Read more in "Is Islamic State on the Verge of Defeat in the Last Afghan Stronghold", Gandhara Blog, February 17, 2016.

Drug Trafficking in Afghanistan

Opium, Corruption, and Govt: A Smoothly Run Machine. Most government functions in Afghanistan simply do not work well. Whether it is the military, health services, police, education, or any other aspect of Afghan government at the national, provincial, and district level - there are problems with corruption, ineptness, and more. However, there is one aspect of Afghan society that seems to work well - that is the joining of government officials, drug traffickers, and others in ensuring that the opium gets to market - providing income and profits to many. Read more in "Tasked With Combating Opium, Afghan Officials Profit From It", The New York Times, February 15, 2016.

Taliban as a Drug Cartel. Recently the Taliban 'shadow governor' of Nimruz province (adjacent to the troubled Helmand province) was captured by Afghan special police (444) transporting nearly a metric ton of opium across the southwestern Afghan desert. The event highlights how much the Taliban and drug trade are intertwined in southwest Afghanistan. Read more in a news report by Azam Ahmed entitled "Penetrating Every Stage of Afghan Opium Chain, Taliban Become a Cartel", The New York Times, February 16, 2016.

Legalize Opium? One writer, Jeffrey Miron, shares his thoughts on the opium trade in "Opium Prohibition in Afghanistan", CATO Institute, February 16, 2016.

Drugs in Nangarhar. This province has historically been one of the more important ones - with a road that travels from Pakistan to Kabul (east-west). However, it has lots of problems with security. The Taliban are present as well as the newly-established Islamic State. And, of course, there is the drug problem. Read The Devil is in the Details: Nangarhar's continued decline into insurgency, violence and widespread drug production, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), February 2016.

Islamic Terrorism & Drug Money. The Taliban is not the only organization using drug money to finance operations. The Islamic State or ISIS depends heavily on drug money to fund its operations as well. Read more in "There's a little-known connection between Islamic terrorism and drug money", Business Insider, February 17, 2016.

Development News

Afghanistan and the WTO. In December 2015 it was decided that Afghanistan could join the World Trade Organization. This should have some benefits to the Afghan economy over the next few years to include an increase in employment (possibly 10%) and a 1.5 percent boost in Afghanistan's gross domestic product. However, there are many issues to consider and resolve in this complex situation. Read more in "Aid and trade: Afghanistan's long road to WTO accession", Devex Impact (USAID), February 15, 2016.

Governance

Replacement Player. Fazl Ahmad Faqiryaar has been appointed as legal advisor to President Ashraf Ghani. He succeeds Mohammadi who was fired because of his involvement in the "Smart City Scandal". The Smart City scandal was tied up with the "Kabul Bank Scandal". One of the convicted participants of the bank scandal had reached a deal with the government to mitigate his jail sentence in exchange to helping out with the "Smart City".

Dostum Back in the Swing of Things. Vice President of Afghanistan Abdul Rashid Dostum had taken a break from participating in the National Unity Government (NUG) for a short while but now he is back in the fold. His advancement of private militias in northern Afghanistan had put him at odds with the NUG. There are more than one former mujahideen leaders calling for a greater role for private militias to participate in the fight against the Taliban - especially in light of the ANDSF ineffectiveness on the battlefield.

MSC 2016. President Ghani attended the Munich Security Conference where he stated that the conflict in Afghanistan is not a civil, internal war but a regional and international war. Most of the attention of the attendees (and press) was on the Syria situation and the Ukraine. Afghanistan was not a highlighted event and one wonders how much Ghani was able to accomplish. You can watch his 13-minute long speech in a video posted by the Afghan UN representative on YouTube on Feb 13, 2016. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XplzKBVJIE

IO, CT, and Intel News

Bureau of Counterterrorism Renamed. The new name is the "Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism". This name (and mission) change reflects the emphasis placed on the new buzzword (or at least fairly new to me) of "Countering Violent Extremism" - sometimes called CVE. The new organization will look at combating terrorism, in part, by countering online extremism. Read more in "State changes counterterrorism unit to include online focus", FCW, February 16, 2016.

Worldwide Threat Assessment. The Director of National Intelligence, James R. Clapper, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 9, 2016 providing an assessment of threats against the United States. You can read his 33-page prepared statement for the record in Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community. The information on Afghanistan is on page 26 and comprises about 3/4 of a page in this report.

More on Clapper. It appears that the DNI was aware that high intelligence officials at Central Command (CENTCOM) were cooking the books when it came to intelligence estimates of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Read more in "America's top spy reportedly was aware that analysts were cooking ISIS intelligence reports", Business Insider, February 16, 2016.

Assessing CT Actions. A 60-page report provides us with how to assess CT operations in Asking the Right Questions: A Framework for Assessing Counterterrorism Actions, CNA Analysis & Solutions, February 2016.

Resource on Global Islamist Insurgency. Robert Bunker and Dave Dilegge have provided us with a valuable resource about Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Global Radical Islamist Insurgency: Al Qaeda and Islamic State Networks - A Small Wars Journal Anthology, iUnivers (February 11, 2016), 852 pages. http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/global-radical-islamist-insurgency

Peace Talks

High Peace Council Leadership. President Ghani has decided to appoint new leaders for the High Peace Council (HPC). He indicated that women and former mujahideen fighters would have representation on the HPC. The High Peace Council has had varying degrees of influence and power over the past decade depending on the politic circumstances and the reigning President (Karzai or Ghani). The situation with the National Unity Government or NUG has also put obstacles in the path of the peace process. (Pajhwok News Service, Feb 15, 2016)

Price of Peace. Talks with the Taliban should not come at the expense of the hard-earned progress on human rights. Read Maisam Wahidi's thoughts in "Afghanistan: The Price of Peace with the Taliban", The Diplomat, February 19, 2016.

Peace Talks to Gain Steam? A recent news report says that there is a good chance Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives may engage in direct talks with each other by the end of February 2016. Read more in "Afghan Official Expects Peace Talks Soon", Voice of America, February 15, 2016.

Security News

Northern Afghanistan. The winter season has slowed down the Taliban offensive during recent months in the north of Afghanistan. However, some observers think that the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) should press home the fight before the spring offensive begins by the Taliban. Read more in "The Winter Storms of Northern Afghanistan", Radio Free Europe, February 14, 2016.

Taliban Fighting in Ghazni. The Nawa district is seeing some fighting between different Taliban factions (Mullah Mansoor vs. Mullah Mohammad Rasool). There also seems to be some discontent among Taliban groups in Paktika province as well. Read "Deadly clashes erupting between rival Taliban groups in Ghazni", Khaama Press, February 16, 2016.

Scores Killed in Helmand. The fighting in Helmand province goes on. The districts of Sangin and Marjah are heavily contested - and we are just talking about the district government compound; not the outlying areas of the district away from the district center - those areas being under the control of the Taliban. There is concern among observers that the provincial capital may be threatened. Read more in "Dozens of Afghan soldiers and police killed in Helmand", Reuters, February 16, 2016.

Ghost Soldiers. One of the persistent problems of the ANDSF is the "Ghost" soldier or policeman. The salaries are being paid but they are not present for duty since they 1) don't report to work, 2) don't exist, 3) have been killed, 4) etc., etc., and etc. Read more in "Pentagon scrambles to account for Afghan 'ghost' troops", Military Times, February 16, 2016.

Bergdahl Trade. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that the U.S. may have paid too heavy a price for the deserter. (Business Insider, Feb 18, 2016).

ANDSF Completes Anti-ISIS Opn. In this 30-second long video we learn that the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces have completed an anti-ISIS operation in Achin district, Nangarhar province. (Radio Free Europe, Feb 15, 2016). In addition, the U.S. is bombing ISIS and the Taliban are also fighting ISIS. Hmmmm.

Swedish-run Med Clinic Attacked. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) says that the ANDSF conducted a raid on its health clinic in Wardak province in the village of Tangi Saidan. The village is reported to be under the control of the Taliban. Government sources say three Taliban fighters in the clinic were killed. Read more in "Afghanistan: Three killed in raid on Swedish-run clinic", BBC News, February 18, 2015.

ICRC Workers Kidnapped. Five aid workers belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were kidnapped and then released in southeastern Ghazni province. The ICRC has been operating in Afghanistan since 1987. (Khaama Press, Feb 19, 2016.)

Power Restored? Kabul has experienced an electrical power shortage due to transmission lines north of the city being interdicted by the Taliban. It appears that, after one month, the lights will soon come back on in the big city.

AAF Needs More Support. The National Security Advisor for Afghanistan, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, says that the Afghan Air Force needs more support from the United States. (Khamma Press, Feb 16, 2016).

AAF and CIVCAS. One news report indicates that civilian casualties caused by the Afghan Air Force is rising. See "The U.S.-funded Afghan air force is growing. So are civilian casualties it causes", The Washington Post, February 17, 2016.

BG Hicks to NATO Air Training Command - Afghanistan. BG David Hicks is heading to Afghanistan. See "Five officers to change roles, Air Force announces", Air Force Times, February 19, 2016.

About that MoD HQs Building. The Special Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan (SIGAR) never seems to run out of bad news to report to the U.S. Congress on how badly things are going in Afghanistan. One of their latest reports tells us of the waste of money and construction problems associated with the new MoD headquarters building in Kabul. Read more in the SIGAR report dated February, 2016.

Drones for ANA. The Afghan army will receive their first unmanned aircraft in March according to a U.S. official. The U.S. will provide the remotely piloted ScanEagle and train up Afghan soldiers to operate the system. Afghans are currently being trained in the United States. A training period of three years will also take place in Afghanistan for about three years. Some of the initial training will take place in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif. The ANA will receive 8 systems with each system having six drones. (Reuters, Feb 18, 2016).

Poor ANDSF Leadership. "General John Campbell, the outgoing commander of Resolute support Mission and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, has said that poor leadership within the ranks of the Afghan security forces is their biggest hurdle and called on the country's leaders to bring reforms". Read more in a news report - "Poor Leadership A Major Issue for Afghan Troops: Campbell", Tolo News, February 13, 2016.

Women in Combat

Article - Afghan Women in Conflict. "Popular distortions often applied to women's functions in war can obstruct the peace process." Rosalie Arcala Hall and Julian Smith say that there are several myths about women's roles in conflict and they inform us about them in this article. They look at several international conflicts in their study. "Women in Combat: Both Spoilers and Enablers of Peace", The Diplomat, February 15, 2016. The article is based on a book entitled Women in Conflict and Peace, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, 2015. Includes case studies from Afghanistan, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Rwanda. The specific chapter (33 pages) on Afghanistan can be read at the following link. www.idea.int/publications/women-in-conflict-and-peace/upload/Women-in-Conflict-and-Peace-afghanistan.pdf

Women and Draft: FAQs. The Selective Service has once again come into the spotlight. The almost forgotten mechanism for inducting men into the military service has not been used since the early 1970s. However, with the recent changes in allowing women to enter the combat arms some are looking to subject women to the draft - should it ever come back. The first step is to require them to sign up with Selective Service. Currently all men must register with the Selective Service within 30 days of turning 18. Read more on the draft and selective service in "Women in combat and the draft: answers to your biggest questions", Military Times, February 16, 2016.

Adapting Physical Testing - Recruiting More Women. It appears that the U.S. Army is going to modify how it physically evaluates candidates for the military to ensure that the right people get to the right jobs. Read more in "Army Looks to Recruit More Women, Adapt Physical Testing", Military.com, February 13, 2016.

"Gender-Neutral Boots & Measures Taken to Mitigate Drop in Recruit Quality. It is a well-known fact that the quality of the manpower pool (should I say womenpower?) provided by American society has dropped significantly in terms of physical fitness. To ensure that recruits can handle the physical demands measures are being taken to screen recruits for their physical condition. In addition, there are other societal aspects being closely looked at that are prompting changes in footgear being provided to new recruits. Read more in "Drop in Recruit Quality: Military Now Required to Issue Basic Trainees Lightweight, Gender-Neutral, "Velcro" Boots", Article 107 News, February 16, 2016.

Lessons from Afghanistan - TFBSO

RAND Corporation has published a paper entitled Task Force for Business and Stability Operations: Lessons from Afghanistan, 2016. The TFBSO was a multi-year endeavor for the U.S. Department of Defense which sought to use private-sector strategies to create sustainable economies in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has come under a withering attack by the Special Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan (SIGAR) yet it also has its supporters. This 139-page report from RAND should provide a good read for those who want to implement private-sector strategies into a conflict-ridden environment. www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1243.html

News Snippets

CoC RS Commander. March 2nd will be the change of command from General John Campbell to recently promoted General John Nicholson. Gen Campbell will retire from the Army. Read "Pentagon Sets Date for Change of Command in Afghanistan", Voice of America, February 18, 2016.

Social Media and Young Afghans. Younger Afghans are increasingly finding marriage partners online using social media. This method allows them to circumvent the strict segregation of the sexes in this deeply conservative society. Read more in "Afghans skirt strict rules to find love on social media", CNS News.com, February 14, 2016.

Skiing in Afghanistan. Some day, many years from now, people will fly to Afghanistan to ski the mountains. But for now, the skiing opportunities are primarily limited to the central province of Bamyan. However, it is a work intensive sport. No ski lifts. So you trudge up a mountain for almost an hour for a couple of minutes of downhill pleasure. I will pass for now. Hopefully, if peace comes to Afghanistan . . . and if I live long enough . . . I too will ski the slopes of that picturesque country with beautiful mountains. But for now I must be content to watch this 3-minute long video entitled "Ski Afghanistan: A Challenge Unlike Any Other", Radio Free Europe, February 15, 2016.

Poker on Friday Nights. So how do the Resolute Support soldiers sequestered at "Camp Kabul" spend their free time? Evidently some try their hand at the card game of poker. Learn more by reading "Poker in Afghanistan: Strategy and Tactics at the NATO Base in Kabul", Poker News, February 15, 2016. The article also provides insight about life confined to a small base with lots of people.

Afghan Refugees / Migrants. According the the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Afghans represent 26% of the Mediterranean sea arrivals to Europe.
http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php

Child Soldiers. According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization the Taliban are training Afghan children in Madrasas to fight and plant IEDs. Read Afghanistan Taliban Child Soldier Recruitment Surges, HRW, February 17, 2016.

Video - ANA's Med Ctr Gardez. Watch a 2-min YouTube video posted by Resolute Support HQs on the ANA's regional medical center located in the 203rd ANA Corps region. Not in English!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXiszHz1VP0

Corruption . . . and more Corruption. Transparency International (TI) has release a report about one of Afghanistan's most serious problems - corruption. Read National Integrity System Assessment Afghanistan 2015, February 16, 2016.

FORSCOM CG visits BAF. General Robert Abrams, the commander of Forces Command, visit Bagram Air Field. Read more in a news release by DVIDS, February 12, 2016.

Bergdahl Probe. The Justice Department is considering whether to review allegations that the U.S. paid for SGT Beau Bergdahl's freedom and what the role the FBI played in his release. Read more in "Justice Department May Probe Alleged Bergdahl Ransom Payment", The Daily Beast, February 19, 2016.

Afghan Journalists Fleeing to Europe. So the people that report the news in Afghanistan have been making their way to Europe. Some are paying big money to make that dangerous trip. Many do it for economic reasons but some are in fear for their lives - as a result of their reporting corruption in Afghan society. Read more in "Hundreds of Afghan Journalists Have Fled to Europe", Gandhara Blog, February 18, 2016.

Afghan Interpreters - State Dept Folly. A recent rule change by the U.S. Department of State has left over 3,000 Afghan interpreters stranded in Afghanistan. These faithful interpreters who served the U.S. military in Afghanistan have already submitted their requests for U.S. visas so they can escape retaliation by the Taliban. However, the State Dept is once again doing everything they can to ensure they can't flee a dangerous situation. Read more in "Rule Change Dashes Hope for Afghan Military Allies Seeking Refuge in U.S.", Free Beacon, February 16, 2016.

Federal Court Rules on Afghan Interpreters. A federal district court in Washington, D.C. has ruled in favor of Iraqi and Afghan interpreters who are suing the U.S. Government over failure to act on visa applications. The decision reaffirms the government's obligations to thousands of U.S. allies trapped in life-threatening circumstances as a result of their service to the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read more in a news release by the Urban Justice Center (Feb 16, 2016).

Another Afghan War Film. As is the case with many conflicts as they start to wind down Hollywood begins to crank the movie machine up. There are good, bad, funny, sad, accurate, and inaccurate movies about almost every conflict the U.S. has been in. We are now starting to see an increase in the frequency of films being released about the Afghan War (or so it seems to me). Just last week I reviewed a Danish film about Afghanistan - see movie review of A War. A new film soon to be released is about an Afghan interpreter. These folks are the unsung heroes of the Afghan War - without them the U.S. military was very ineffective. Read more about the new film in "Why a US Army Vet Cast a Muslim-American Woman to Lead His Afghan War Movie", Defense One, February 15, 2016.

Soviet Union Departure - Anniversary. February 15th was the 27th anniversary of the exit of the former USSR Red Army from Afghanistan.

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Sunday, February 14, 2016

Afghan War Blog Weekly Newsletter - Feb 14, 2016

Movie Review - "A War"

I recently had the opportunity to watch the movie entitled - A War. This Danish film about the troops of Denmark deployed to the volatile Helmand province is realistic, emotional, and riveting. The movie presents the issues combat leaders face when charged with protecting the Afghan population, defeating the insurgents, and ensuring that their troops return safe from the battlefield. In addition, the movie shows the problems experienced by the parent left at the home front - caring for children missing their Dad, worries about their spouse in the war zone, and problems of adapting to life without the second parent in the home. The film explores the morality of war as well; providing us insight as about split-second decisions that combat leaders make in the heat of combat that have ramifications down the road. Read my review of this movie at the link below.

www.afghanwarnews.info/movies/a-war.htm

"Expeditionary Advising" and 215th Corps

The Blue Areas are where TAACs are Located

Expeditionary Advising the 215th ANA Corps - Not so Much! A couple of years ago the United States rapidly drew down the force levels in Afghanistan. Keeping below a troop level of 9,800 required the closure of a large number of bases and a restructuring of the mission. It was decided to keep a small counterterrorism force, some enablers & support units (drones, intelligence, logistics, air support, etc.), and to maintain an advisory capacity at the ministry, institutional, and corps levels. However, not all the Afghan National Army corps were covered by full-time, permanent advisors co-located at or near the corps headquarters. The 203rd and 215th Corps were advised by an expeditionary package - called "Advise and Assist Cells" that operated out of Kabul. While this may have been effective for the 203rd Corps responsible for seven provinces east and south of Kabul it was probably less effective for the 215th Corps in southwest Afghanistan (Helmand and Nimroz provinces). History will probably judge that this attempt at "Level 2" or expeditionary advising was not as effective as hoped; at least not for the ANA and ANP in Helmand province. Recent news reports now indicate that a large contingent of advisors are to be deployed in Helmand province to assist the 215th Corps. Read more in "U.S. troop reinforcements head for embattled southern Afghan province", Reuters, February 9, 2016.

SFA Planners Guide. For those heading out on an advisory mission there are a wealth of documents to read. One of the better ones for learning Security Force Assistance (SFA) is the Security Force Assistance Planners Guide by the Joint Center for International Security Assistance (JCISFA) at Fort Leavenworth which was just updated in January 2016.
www.afghanwarnews.info/documents/JCISFA-SFA-Planners-Guide15Jan2016-CDR-1543.pdf