Interpreters Important to War Effort in Afghanistan

Interpreters are an important part of the coalition war effort in Afghanistan.  There never seems to be enough of them, they are expensive, and you many not get the exact language needed even though you hire an Afghan.  Read more in "What happens when a war interpreter doesn't know the language", The Christian Science Monitor, September 9, 2010.

Afghan War News Snippets

SIGAR Inquiry on Camp Brown. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction recently conducted an inspection of a command and control facility at Camp Brown on Kandahar Airfield. Over $2.2 million was spent on a half-finished facility that was never used. Seems the expensive project was started by plagued with contractor failures and ultimately - due to retrograde of U.S. forces - no longer needed. A good example of money wasted it would seem. Read the SIGAR letter dated August 25, 2015.

U.S. Women in Combat. The Army is opening up Ranger School to women an a full-time basis. The announcement follows the graduation of two women in August from the physically demanding two-month long course. Other opportunities are also opening up - the Navy announced that SEAL training is now open to women. Read more in "More obstacles crumble for women in the military", The Washington Post, September 3, 2015.

'Good Listener, Neat Dresser' - Bio of the new Taliban Leader. The Taliban, in an effort to inform the world about its new leader, has published a 5,000-word biography aboutMullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur. It was published on the Taliban's official website on August 31st. Read more in a news report by Radio Free Europe, September 1, 2015.

Donor Aid Should be Conditional on Women's Rights. Women's groups are calling on international donors to make future funding conditional on promotion of gender equality amid fears security will overshadow human rights issues. Read more in a news report in The Guardian, September 5, 2015.

General Breedlove Explains Difference b/t NATO and U.S. Mission. In a short video General Breedlove - the Commander of Supreme Allied Command Europe (SACEUR) - explains that U.S. combat actions in Afghanistan are not part of the NATO mission - which is "Train, Advise, and Assist". (DVIDS, Sep 3, 2015).

Paper on IO. Arturo Munoz and Erin Dick have penned a paper entitled Information Operations: The Imperative of Doctrine Harmonization and Measures of Effectiveness, September 2015, RAND Corporation.

UK and Afghan Interpreters. The pressure is mounting on the UK government to take action over the Afghan interpreters. (Forces.tv, Sep 1, 2015).

Afghanistan's Music Institute and Women. "The Afghanistan National Institute of Music is providing girls an equal opportunity to learn and excel in their musical and academic studies. It is dedicated to promoting women's rights and ensuring gender equality in the music sector." Read more in "Girls find their Place in Afghanistan's Music Institute", The World Bank, September 2, 2015.

West Point: Pillow Fights and Dirty Tactics? Thirty cadets received injuries to include broken legs and concussions as a result of a traditional pillow fight the marks the end of the summer training session. It appears this years event got a little out of hand. Read more in "At West Point, Annual Pillow Fight Becomes Weaponized", The New York Times, September 4, 2015.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 10, 2014)

ISAF Joint Command (IJC) has shut down. Established in November 2009 the command (3-star billet) served as NATO's operational headquarters in Afghanistan. At its peak, IJC controlled over 130,000 troops from more than 40 nations across six regional commands. Read more in "ISAF Joint Command ends mission, makes history", ISAF News, December 8, 2014.  

Read a news report about Najiba Ahmadi - a quiet revolutionary working to end violence against Afghan women (The Independent, Dec 7, 2014).

The move to integrate women into combat arms is proceeding. The Army has selected 31 female Soldiers to be "Observer/advisers". They will report to Ranger School in January 2015 to observe men going through Ranger School from January to March. Read more in "Female advisers will report to all-male Army Ranger School in January", The Washington Post, December 9, 2014. (OMG!).

While visiting Tactical Base Gamberi (used to be FOB Gamberi) Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel attempted to explain the difference between the withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq. Read a DoD news report here (Dec 8, 2014).

Integrity Watch Afghanistan celebrated the International Anti-Corruption day on Tuesday, December 9, 2014. Read all about it here. (Integrity Watch Facebook, Dec 9, 2014).

A program to help Afghan interpreters escape retribution by the Taliban for assisting the U.S. military in Afghanistan may see some new life if Congress does the right thing. Congress is looking at approving 4,000 more visas for Afghan interpreters; but that number is still thousands short of the visas that are needed. Read more in a news report by The Washington Times, December 8, 2014.

In a video posted by the Wall Street Journal LTG Michael T. Flynn, former director of the U.S. Defense Department Intelligence Agency is interviewed about intelligence gathering in Afghanistan. See the video here (7 minutes).

The 2014 SPECA Economic Forum was recently held in Turkmenistan. The forum is a gathering of representatives from land-locked nations (Afghanistan would be one of them) to increase economic prosperity through the establishment of transit routes. This forum was held to look at how regional cooperation can most effectively contribute to the stabilization and economic development of Afghanistan. Read more in "Central Asian cooperation forum reviews connectivity successes in Afghanistan", UNESCAP, December 8, 2014.

The Australian Defence Force's (ADF) Heron remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) has flown its last mission from Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan. Read more in a news report by airforce-techonology.com, December 8, 2014.

Afghan War News Snippets

More Visas for Interpreters. A U.S. Senate committee has approved 4,000 more Visas for Afghans who worked for the U.S. military as interpreters or support staff. The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program is designed to help Afghans who assisted the U.S. in the Afghan conflict to immigrate to the United States. See "U.S. Senate Committee Approves 4,000 More Special Visas for Afghans", Gandhara, June 29, 2017.

U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan? None. Despite having over 8,400 U.S. troops engaged in the Afghan conflict supporting a corrupt and dysfunctional Afghan government the Trump administration has yet to nominate a U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan over six months into its time in office. See "Lack of US Ambassador to Afghanistan Draws Criticism", Voice of America, July 7, 2017.

China's Silk Road - More Than an "Economic Highway". China is making quite an ado about its "Silk Road" connecting China with the rest of the Eurasia continent in an economic belt. Afghanistan is playing a small part in the overall plan. Slowly, and under the radar, China is positioning naval and ground forces at strategic locations around the world. There are current plans to position elements of the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps (PLAMC) in Djibouti and Pakistan. Could we see some Chinese military in Afghanistan at some point in the future? Sounds far-fetched but . . . Read more in "The Muscle Behind China's New Silk Road Is Over the Horizon", Reconnecting Asia, June 26, 2017.

Norwegian Refugee Council. The NRC is busy in Afghanistan helping Afghans to learn a livelihood so they can support their families. Read "New hope for young Afghans", Norwegian Refugee Council, July 7, 2017.

Afghan Procurement Reform. The Afghan government is changing how it conducts its procurement process. Read more in an article by The Diplomat, July 8, 2017.

Afghanistan's 'Hill of Widows'. Read about "Zanabad" - the city of women that is home to a cluster of women who have eked out independence after being widowed. Read "Afghanistan's 'hill of widows' live in a world apart", Daily Mail, June 22, 2017.

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Afghan War News Snippets (Mar 20, 2015)

Afghan PCoP Killed. Mattiullah Khan, the Provincial Chief of Police (PCoP) for Uruzgan province in central Afghanistan was killed while visiting Kabul on late Wednesday by a bomber dressed in women's clothes and a burqa according to the Ministry of Interior (MoI). The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Mattiullah, considered by many to be a warlord despite his official title, was a favorite of U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan. The general, a member of the Popalzai tribe, served as PCoP since 2011. He was the cousin of former Uruzgan Governor Mohammad Khan - a good acquaintance of Hamid Karzai. Prior to that he was involved in providing route security and was the beneficiary of lucrative convoy security contracts. He also was the head of a fairly competent armed force (call it a militia) that was far more reliable than the Afghan National Army or Afghan National Police. Read more in a news report (ABC News, Mar 19, 2015).

Police-e Mardume. One of the major goals of the Police-e Mardum (Community Policing) Department within the Ministry of Interior (MoI0 is how to ensure that all provinces have community policing teams. Read more in "Police-e Mardume needs to cover all the provinces", European Union External Action, March 2015. www.eupol-afg.eu/node/555

Pakistan & Afghanistan: Can they be Friends? President Ghani of Afghanistan is trying hard to improve relations with a nation that has a long-term policy of supporting insurgents who attack the Afghan government and its security forces. Ghani hopes the Pakistanis will abandon their support to the Afghan Taliban and pressure them to sit at the negotiating table. The resulting peace talks would diminish the conflict and open the door to economic prosperity. Not likely. Read more in "Ghani's Gambit: Can Afghanistan and Pakistan Ever Get Along?", The New York Times, March 18, 2015.

Ghani to visit U.S. President Ghani of Afghanistan will soon be on U.S. soil. This will be his first official U.S. visit - issues to be discussed include troop levels (U.S.), peace talks, and economic assistance. Not the first trip to the U.S. for Ghani - he taught at a U.S. university for years. Read "Afghan President Ghani set to embark on key US visit", Deutshe Welle, March 19, 2015.

TAAC East Encouraged by Police Training. The Train Advise Assist Command - East folks seem to be encouraged with the progress that the police Regional Training Center (RTC) located in Nangarhar province is making in training the Afghan National Police (ANP). Read more in "US Advisors see progress in Afghan police training", DVIDS, March 19, 2015.

Predicting Violence in Afghan Villages. A common refrain of "Population Centric COIN" is protecting the population in order to sway the community away from the insurgents and get them to support the government (and the counterinsurgents). Researchers at Yale University have developed a data project that forms a relationship between villages that supported the counterinsurgents and the levels of violence those villages experienced. The news is not good. Read more in "Violence Is More Likely To Occur in Pro-US Villages in Afghanistan", Defense One, March 18, 2015.

UK Policy on Interpreters Questioned. A former leader of the Liberal Democrats (I guess these folks can be found in other places besides the U.S.) has questioned the government's policy on allowing Afghan interpreters to resettle in the United Kingdom. Read more in a news report on Forces.TV, March 19, 2015.

Canada - "Relentless Boosterism". A correspondent provides us his view of Canada's role in Afghanistan in "From Afghanistan to Iraq, the perils of overconfidence", CBC News World, March 19, 2015. 

Afghan Women Worry about NATO Withdrawal. A report in Newsweek by Christina Lamb entitled "Afghan Women Dread Departure of U.S. Forces" (March 18, 2015) says that while things have improved dramatically for women - progress may well be reversed.

Taliban - Fragmenting or Re-consolidating? It must be tough being an Intel Analyst and trying to track which insurgent group is associated with others, what their ties are, and how much they coordinate and cooperate with each other. Some open source press accounts say the Taliban are fragmenting while others say they are consolidating. Put into the mix that you have the "Afghan Taliban" and the "Pakistan Taliban" - not to mention ISIS associated groups - and you have quite a task connecting the dots in your link analysis database. Read more in "Splinter Militant Groups Reunite with Taliban for 2015", The Diplomat, March 16, 2015.

Japan Pledges Aid for Refugees. A recent news report says that Japan has pledged $16 million in aid for Afghan and Pakistan refugees. (Japan Times, Mar 19, 2015).

M4A1 Carbine May get Upgrades. The U.S. Army is considering several upgrades to the M4A1 Carbine that will improve its performance and accuracy. Read more in a news report (Military.com, Mar 18, 2015).

Laser Guns and Microwaves. The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is considering how to integrate emerging technologies such as laser guns and high-powered microwaves onto its AC-130J Ghostrider gunship. It is still a concept for the distant future. Read more in "Laser Weapons Could be Outfitted on Special Ops Aircraft", National Defense Magazine, March 18, 2015.

Retrograde in Afghanistan. The movement of personnel and equipment out of Afghanistan - known as retrograde - over the past few years has been a tremendous accomplishment for the logistics organizations of the Army and the U.S. Air Force. Beginning in 2012 thousands of pieces of equipment had to be moved or disposed of. Read more in "Afghanistan Retrograde: Materiel Command's Logistics Feat Like No Other", Army Magazine,  March 12, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets

DynCorp Contractors Honored. Three contractors killed in August were honored by Resolute Support Headquarters in Kabul on September 9, 2015 during a memorial ceremony. Richard McEvoy, Barry Sutton, and Corey Dodge were killed when their convoy was attacked by a car bomb in Kabul. They were working in support of the Afghan National Army / Afghan National Police Advisor and Mentor Program. (DVIDS, Sep 11, 2015).

Martyrs Week. Government officials, dignitaries, former Jihadi leaders, family and friends of Ahmad Shah Massoud marked the 14th anniversary of Massoud's assassination on Wednesday (Sep 9) at a wreath laying ceremony in Massoud Square in Kabul. Other ceremonies observed the popular Northern Alliance leader who was killed two days before 9/11. (Tolo News, Sep 10, 2015).

RS Cdr's 9/11 Commemoration Message. View General Campbell's message to the force posted on his Facebook account (Facebook, Sep 11, 2015). See also a video about a 9/11 ceremony held on the RS compound in Kabul (YouTube.com, posted by RS HQs, Sep 11, 2015).

UNAMA Report to SC on Afghanistan. The United Nations organization working in Afghanistan is required to submit a update report every three months to the United Nations Security Council. The latest report is dated September 1, 2015.
http://unama.unmissions.org/Portals/UNAMA/SG%20Reports/SG_Report_September_2015.pdf

Paper "Medical Care in Armed Conflict". The Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (PILAC) at Harvard Law School has published a paper entitled Medical Care in Armed Conflict: IHL and State Responses to Terrorism, September 8, 2015. The paper explores the many questions about medical care of insurgents and terrorists. http://pilac.law.harvard.edu/medical-care-in-armed-conflict-report

Afghan Casualty Evacs. The Afghan security forces are having trouble treating their wounded. Read more in "Afghans Struggle to Get Injured Off the Front Lines", Stars and Stripes, September 8, 2015.

Army 3 Star Says Language & Culture Important. The deputy commander of TRADOC recently toured the Defense Language Institute (DLI) and made some comments about the importance of language and culture during deployments to conflict areas. (Army.mil, Sep 3, 2015).

Marines and Women in Combat. "Over the past nine months, the Marine Corps tested a gender-integrated task force in both Twentynine Palms, Calif. and Camp Lejeune, N.C. in an attempt to gauge what the Marine Corps might look like with women in combat roles". Read more in "Marine's women in combat experiment gets mixed results", The Washington Post, September 8, 2015.

UK and Interpreters. A former head of the Army - Lord Dannatt - says that the UK government should allow Afghan interpreters into Britain. Read more in a news report in The Telegraph, September 5, 2015.

Kyrgyzstan Conflict History. Insight on Conflict provides a brief history of conflict in Kyrgyzstan - one of the Central Asian States to the north of Afghanistan. With a diverse ethnic makeup the country experiences periods of strife. Read more in "A Brief History of Conflict in Kyrgyzstan", September 9, 2015.

Afghan Refugee Crisis. The world's attention has focused on the refugee crisis in Europe; but little is mentioned in the world press about Afghanistan's long-term refugee problem. For three decades Afghanistan was the world's largest producer of refugees. Millions have returned to Afghanistan but many problems remain. Read more in "Afghanistan's 32-year Refugee Crisis", The Diplomat, September 9, 2015.

Story of an Afghan Refugee. A news report chronicles the trip of an Afghan refugee departing through Europe along an illegal human smuggling route. Read of his preparations in "Dangers Fail to Deter Afghans from Embarking on the Dangerous Journey to Europe", Gandhara Blog, September 9, 2015.

Karzai Being Karzai. The former president says he didn't know if al-Qaeda existed and if they were in Afghanistan prior to the 9/11 attacks. Sure . . . Read "Karzai: Al Qaeda never operated in Afghanistan", Politico, September 10, 2015.

Afghan Migrant - Hardship on the Road. Read the story of one Afghan migrants journey to escape his life in Afghanistan. "From Prey to Predator: An Afghan Migrant Trafficker's Story", Radio Free Europe, September 13, 2015.

Thirty Afghans Killed in Mecca. hundreds of people were killed and injured when a crane collapsed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Among the dead are 30 Afghans. (Khaama Press, Sep 12, 2015).

Bowe Bergdahl Case. Military prosecutors have decided to proceed in its case against Bergdahl using a seldom used section of military law. He was charged with misbehavior before the enemy - which carries a potentially stiff penalty. Read more in a news report by Military Times, September 7, 2015.

Fuel Overcharge Being Investigated. NATO spent vast sums of money keeping vehicles and facilities supplied with fuel. It was very expensive to supply fuel to the many remote NATO bases located throughout Afghanistan. There is now an investigation into allegations of NATO being overcharged millions of dollars by a contractor. Read more in "MoD police called in over 460 Million Pounds fuel overcharging for Afghanistan", The Telegraph, September 7, 2015.

FM 6-22 - Leader Development. The Army has released Field Manual 6-22, Leader Development, June 2015. http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/fm6_22.pdf

Ammo Abatement and Retrograde. There is lots of work involved the retrograde process of moving units from Afghanistan back to the United States. One important task is ammo abatement. Read more in "Ammo abatement Soldiers perform critical tasks", DVIDS, September 8, 2015.

3rd BCT, 10th Mtn enroute to Afghanistan. A color casing ceremony was held for elements of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Polk. The unit is about to deploy about 1,000 Soldiers to Afghanistan. Most of them will work in the eastern part of Afghanistan for Train, Advise, Assist Command - East or TAAC-East. Read more in "Ceremony held for deploying soldiers", Leesville Daily Leader, September 7, 2015.

Afghan Interpreters in Limbo - State Department Identified as Culprit

Read the story of an Afghan interpreter who has been waiting five years for his U.S. visa - U.S. visa backlog leaves Afghan interpreters in limbo, The Seattle Times, February 8, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Mar 9, 2015)

The Fire and Disaster Police Directorate of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) received 54 new fire trucks. The trucks were financed by the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A). They will be deployed to fire stations in Kabul and the provinces.
www.eupol-afg.eu/node/548

Hazara Hostages. A few days back the Ministry of Defense issued press reports that a major operation was underway to rescue 30 Hazara hostages taken off two buses in Zabul province. Not a peep since on how the operation is going. Hmmmm.

Afghanistan's National Water Polo Team. So you have no doubt heard that Afghanistan's football, cricket and Taekwondo teams have done very well in the international sports arena. Perhaps you have also heard of the Afghan Women's Cycling Team as well? But did you know about the Afghan National Water Polo Team? Probably not. A U.S. Marine reservist is the coach. Read more in "Marines help coach Afghanistan's first water polo team", Marine Corps Times, March 8, 2015.

Afghan Prison Riot. A number of casualties has occurred during a prison riot and hostage situation in northern Afghanistan in the provincial capital of Shebirghan in Jawzjan province. Two police officers were killed after taken hostage.  Read more in a news report by Stars & Stripes, March 8, 2015.

Some Army officers with Fort Bragg ties are heading to or departing Afghanistan. One of them is MG Jeffrey S. Buchanan - he will become the deputy chief of staff for operations of the Resolute Support mission. (Fayetteville Observer, March 8, 2015).

New Zealand awarded military medals to two former Afghan interpreters who worked with NZ forces in Afghanistan. The men and their families were among dozens of Afghan interpreters who were allowed to resettle in NZ in recognition of their service. (TVNZ.co News, March 8, 2015).

Sufi Order Attacked. Unknown gunmen attacked a Sufi Muslim center in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday night killing at least five and possibly 11 people. This is the first time that a Sufi spiritual center has been attacked in Afghanistan. Read more in "Afghanistan's ancient Sufi order shocked by deadly attack", LA Times, March 8, 2015.

Daily News Snippets (Dec 13, 2014)

Veterans of the Afghan War are attempting to get the State Department and Congress to provide more visas for Afghan interpreters. Read more in "Vets fight for Afghan interpreters", The Boston Herald, December 11, 2014.

The Weekly Standard comments on the current situation in "Afghanistan Uncertainties" (Dec 11, 2014).

CNN Video on Afghan Interpreters

A former U.S. Army Soldier talks to CNN about the thousands of Iraqi and Afghan linguists who helped U.S. troops and have since been forgotten. Watch a 10 minute long video on the topic.

America's Wartime Interpreters Try to Reach U.S., CNN, February 19, 2015.

Afghan War News Snippets (Mar 27, 2015)

The Ghani and Abdullah Tour. Secretary of State John Kerry hosted Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and President Ashraf Ghani for a state dinner this week. Being Secretary of State, John took the opportunity to make some remarks. (U.S. Department of State, March 24, 2015).
www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2015/03/239752.htm

Video - President Ghani and the Council on Foreign Relations. The CFR has a 'conversation' with President Ghani on March 26, 2015. Richard Haas of CFR hosts the presentation with Robert Rubin of CFR presiding.

https://youtu.be/xDZ6yllB560

Video - Dr. Abdullah Addresses Brookings Institute. On Thursday, March 26th, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the CEO for Afghanistan addressed the Brookings Institute. During his presentation and the follow-on question and answer period he touches on a number of issues to include peace talks, Pakistan, corruption, women's rights, who the Taliban are now, the reclusive Mullah Omar, relationship with China, drug trafficking, the National Unity Government, the Haqqani Network, ISIS, al Qaeda, and more. You can watch the video of his presentation (in English) at the link below posted on YouTube.com.
https://youtu.be/1zTki7_bK9g

Ghani to Visit India in April. President Ghani certainly knows how to travel. He spent last several days in the States and prior to that has hit several other countries (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, etc.). In April he heads to India. Top of the agenda will likely be the 'tilt' of Afghanistan to Pakistan leaving India out in the cold. Looks like it is time to patch up the Afghan-India relationship.

Afghanistan's Economic Plans - U.S. Not Included. An article published on March 26th reflects on the comments of President Ghani during his D.C. tour. Ghani believes that Afghanistan is at the center of an economic revival based on regional cooperation. The article points out that as we (the U.S. and international partners) fund the Afghan government and its security - the neighbors of Afghanistan will benefit economically - the U.S.? Not so much. Read more in "Afghanistan's fantastic plan for economic success leaves the US on the outside", Quartz, March 26, 2015.

Lose the Timeline. Jason Campbell writing in War on the Rocks (March 26, 2015) says we need a better Afghan strategy and we should lose the timeline for withdrawal. He discusses the Ghani visit to D.C., the new U.S.-Afghan relationship, and more.

What is the Endgame? While most observers applaud President Obama's decision to put a 'pause' on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan some are looking past 2016 and wondering what the U.S. commitment will be at that time. Read more in "What's the Afghanistan endgame?", LA Times, March 26, 2015.

Khost Attack. News reports indicate that five people were killed and 10 injured in a missile attack in Khost (eastern Afghanistan).

English for Afghan Air Force Pilots. The lack of English proficiency among Afghan pilots of the Afghan Air Force was creating hazardous conditions for flight operations in Jalalabad. U.S. Air Force Advisors of TAAC-Air responded to the problem with establishing an English course for Afghan aviators focused on aviation terminology. Read more in "Air advisors create English course for Afghan aviators", Air Force Times, March 25, 2015.

"Streetwise Agent vs. Brainy Analyst". The fusing of operations with intelligence is very important in a counterinsurgency environment as well as in the fight against terrorism; and sometimes the U.S. is found wanting in that regard. Yesterday, I wrote about the integration of intelligence processes at company level in Afghanistan (see blog post on the CoIST). Today the NY Times has an article about intelligence fusion at a higher level. The U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies (CIA, FBI, etc.) have a history of not properly coordinating the activities of the "analysts" and the "field operatives". Senior officials have recognized this deficiency and are trying to change the organization and culture. Which means if your are an "Intel Weanie" your status is going up a notch. Read more in "C.I.A. Officers and F.B.I. Agents, Meet Your New Partner: The Analyst", The New York Times, March 27, 2015. 

CIA Reorganization. In a move to shake things up at the CIA the head of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center is being removed from his post. The center has evolved over the past decade into a paramilitary force that employed armed drones to kill thousands of suspected terrorists and militants. Read more in "CIA official who directed hunt for bin Laden is being removed from post", The Washington Post, March 26, 2015. Matteo Fainl writing in The Weekly Wonk of the New America Foundation thinks that CIA Director Brennan's reforms will hurt the CIA.

Drones Suffer High Accident Rate. Drones are less dependable than regular military aircraft and have a higher accident rate. Read more in "How crashing drones are exposing secrets about U.S. war operations", The Washington Post, March 26, 2015.

Beau Bergdahl. The State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, says that the Bergdahl swap for five high-level Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo was 'worth it'. (The Hill, March 25, 2015). Jack Goldsmith writes about the legal implications of the prisoner swap in "Was the Bergdahl Swap Lawful?", Lawfare Blog, March 25, 2015. In other news, Beau provides details of his captivity. (The Washington Post, March 25, 2015) and in article by PBS.  

General Officer Moves. MG Townsend of 10th Mtn Div (and formerly commander of Regional Command East) will move to Fort Bragg to replace LTG Joe Anderson who is commander of 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg (and formerly commander of ISAF Joint Command). The 18th Airborne Corps commands four divisions - 82nd Airborne Division, 3rd Infantry Division, 101st Airborne Division (but they don't jump anymore), and the 10th Mountain Division (despite their name they are not located near training areas with any real mountains). (Fayetteville Observer, Mar 26, 2015).

Leadership Changes in Garmser district, Helmand province. According to Tolo News (Mar 26, 2015) the District Governor, District Chief of Police (DCoP), and a former head of security for the district have been fired amid charges of corruption and negligence.

UK and Resettled Interpreters. The UK has resettled less than 100 local interpreters who worked with British forces during the 13-year-long Afghanistan War. (Express, Mar 25, 2015).

Norway and Afghan Refugees. If you are an Afghan refugee in Norway your future is somewhat is up in the air as the current Tripartite Agreement between Norway, Afghanistan, and the UNHCR is subject to re-negotiation. Read "An Uncertain Future in Afghanistan", Prio Blog, March 26, 2015.

Mercenaries in Warfare. The growth of Private Military Corporations (PMCs) over the past 14 years has been significant. In both Iraq and Afghanistan private contractors working for the DoD and DoS outnumbered military personnel. Many of the functions formerly done by the military have been assumed by PMCs - to include providing security for facilities and convoys. Read more in the transcript of an interview of Sean McFate, a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and associate professor at National Defense University, who provides us with his perspective on contractors on the battlefield. Read "How Mercenaries Are Changing Warfare" by Kathy Gilsinan, The Atlantic, March 25, 2015.

Humanitarian Leadership Academy. Read about this academy that will train up aid workers. School to be set up by the Save the Children organization. (Devex, Mar 26, 2015).

Video - Afghans Seek Medical Care in Pakistan. This 3 minute-long video is about Afghans who cross over into Pakistan to seek medical care because they can't get the treatment they need in Afghanistan. (Gandhara Blog, Mar 26, 2015).

Behind-the-Scene Story on Women Pilots in the AAF. Resolute Support Headquarters and the U.S. Air Force made much of 'the first female Afghan pilot' who recently received a high-level award from the U.S. Department of State. She has appeared in press conferences, had numerous news reports released by DoD entities, and visited various Air Force units in the states. Behind the scenes and not readily known by the public are a number of previous failed attempts to integrate women into pilot training and getting them assigned to actual flying positions within the Afghan Air Force. Read more in "Why The US Wants to Forget About Female Afghan Pilots", Sunny in Kabul, March 24, 2015.

SOF Likes Palantir; Big Army Says Use DCGS. The ongoing saga of Big Army forcing the SOF community to use the very expensive but broke intelligence system known as Distributed Common Ground System or DCGS instead of the comparatively inexpensive but very able Palantir software application for intelligence processes and targeting continues. Read more in "Bureaucrats Block Special Ops Intel Requests", ABC News, March 26, 2015.

Unity Government Report Card. It has been six months since the National Unity Government (NUG) has taken over the leadership of the Afghan government. Some folks are taking this milestone as an opportunity to evaluate the NUG. Read "The Unity Government's First Six Months: Where is the governance?", Afghanistan Analysts Network,  March 26, 2015.

Taliban Leaders Enjoying Qatar. Taliban leaders (and their families) are living the good live in the Gulf region. Read more in "Taliban Leaders Are Living in Luxary in Qatar", Newsweek, March 24, 2015.

133rd Engineer Battalion, Afghanistan, and TAG Dismissed. Last year while the 133rd Engineer Battalion of the Maine Army National Guard was deployed to Afghanistan news leaked out that The Adjutant General (TAG) of Maine was going to disband the 133rd. This was a shocked to the then-deployed Soldiers of the 133rd. The 133rd is a storied unit with a rich heritage of previous deployments in Iraq and news of its future demise was not received well. The TAG was caught in a series of lies about the incident and has just been fired by the Governor of Maine. Read more in "Maine ex-Guard chief lied about battalion plan", Army Times, March 26, 2015.

Guam Air National Guard to Deploy on RSM. About 100 Guardsmen from Guam will go to Afghanistan this coming fall. The members of the 254th Red Horse Squadron received their alert recently. (Air Force Times, March 26, 2015).

Sham Air Force Summit on CAS and Dumping the A-10. The Center for Defense Information at POGO has provided us with their perspective on the U.S. Air Force attempt to rid itself of the close air support mission with its proposed retirement of the A-10 Warthog. Read all about it in "Running for Cover: A Sham Air Force Summit Can't Fix the Close Air Support Gap Created by Dumping the A-10", CDI at POGO, March 25, 2015.

More Daily News Snippets

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has released a statement about Afghan malnutrition. See "Afghan malnutrition - the search for solutions" (November 11, 2014).

Supposedly the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) - also called the Islamic State - has plans for Pakistan. Read "ISIS Has Master Plan for Pakistan, Secret Memo Warns", NBC News, November 12, 2014.

Only one interpreter who helped British forces has been allowed to move to the UK. Afghan interpreters and translators have had a hard time immigrating to the home countries of the coalition members that used their services in Afghanistan. See a news article in the Daily Mail (12 Nov 14).

A British commentator provides his thoughts on the UK participating in the Afghan War in "Afghan War inquiry: generals owe us an explanation", The Week (UK), November 11, 2014.

People from India are wondering what will happen to the huge base in Helmand province and worry about who will ultimately control Helmand province now that the ISAF coalition has departed. See "Will Afghan flag soar at Camp Bastion?", Deccan Chronicle, November 12, 2014.

There are multiple reports that the Afghan government has not paid many of its police - especially the Afghan Local Police or ALP. Read more in "Afghan Police Turn to Opium as $6-a-Day Salaries Delayed", Bloomberg Businessweek, November 11, 2014.

DVIDS has posted a news release about how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has relocated its Gardez offices that oversaw projects in the 203rd ANA Corps area. The Gardez Resident Office was located at FOB Lightning in Paktya province in the southern part of Regional Command East (now called Train Advise and Assist East). The relocation to FOB Gamberi was needed because (for some inexplicable reason) ISAF decided to pull its advisors from the 203rd Corps. Perhaps the 203rd had won the counterinsurgency fight in the provinces it was responsible for? (Not).

SFAAT Mission in Afghanistan

A large number of a new type of advisory unit are being deployed to aid in the transition of coalition combat troops out of Afghanistan. The advisory teams are called Security Force Assistance Advisory and Assistance Teams or SFAATs. The concept was developed by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) staff and approved by COMISAF (General John Allen) last fall. The first teams were notified over the winter of 2011 for an upcoming deployment in the spring of 2012.

Most of the teams are being deployed as part of a new concept called Security Force Assistance Brigades or SFABs. These SFABs are understrength brigade combat teams (BCTs) with about half of their authorized manning. The SFAATs are formed into 9, 12, or 18 man teams depending on the type of Afghan unit they are advising.  All SFAATs are assigned interpreters who assist them in the advisory effort.  In addition, those units advising Afghan Uniform Police (AUP) or Afghan Border Police (ABP) are assigned Embedded Police Mentors (EPMs). The EPMs are provided by a DynCorps contract.

For more information on SFAATs visit the link below:

http://www.afghanwarnews.info/units/sfaat.htm

ANP in Baraki Barak District - Logar Province

A very interesting and revealing news article about the Afghan National Police (ANP) in Baraki Barak district, Logar province. The author is Azam Ahmed, the Kabul bureau chief for The New York Times. He spent some time in the district hosted by the District Chief of Police (DCoP). This district is one where the Taliban control over 50% of the terrain depending on the time of day. At one time, as late as 2012, there was a U.S. infantry company, U.S. Special Forces detachment, many enablers (Intel, interpreters, LEPs, SFAAT, etc.), an ANA company, an ANASF detachment, the district police and an Afghan Local Police unit. Since that time the SF dudes, U.S. infantry company, SFAAT, enablers, and ANA company have departed. The Afghan police are on their own. As many observers of insurgencies realize the police are in the forefront in a counterinsurgency effort. This article provides us a glimpse of how the counterinsurgency fight in Afghanistan is going.

The " . . . war, by most accounts, has been lost. the nation is not pacified, the political future remains deeply uncertain and the death toll has never been higher. For the central government in Kabul, the real fight is to persuade the population, not to kill insurgents. And the police, local and national, are the only ones who can win it."

Read the article in "The Hardest Job in Afghanistan", The New York Times Magazine, March 4, 2015.

Daily News Snippets (Mar 4, 2015)

The remnants of the Karzai administration are still in place. This is especially true of the Acting Governors that remain in charge of provinces. There is a lack of any accountability to the new government. As of February 2015 only three governors have been introduced (Farah, Paktika, and Kunduz). The remaining 31 provinces are governed by appointees of Karzai. Therefore corruption still remains a major problem and a root cause of the insurgency. Read more in "Accusations of Corruption, Negligence Against Acting Governors Increase", Tolo News, February 19, 2015.

Ambassadors Fired. Some Karzai appointees are finding their futures uncertain. Reports indicate that President Ghani has sacked eleven Afghan Ambassadors on March 2, 2015. 

Police Officials Sacked. President Ghani has fired 27 senior police officers as part of a drive towards good governance. Many of them had strong connections with politicians, strongmen, or warlords. Most have found their way into other jobs - so don't cry too much for them. Read the news article (BBC News Asia, March 2, 2015).

Afghan Police Women. Press reports say that over 190 female police officers returned to Afghanistan after completing four months of training in Turkey. 

Kidnapped Hazaras. The 30 kidnapped Hazaras are still in captivity in Zabul province. They were taken off two buses traveling to Kabul when taken hostage. Reports indicate a rescue operation may be underway soon. Khaama Press says the rescue effort is taking place in the Khah-i-Afghan district of Zabul. There is speculation that the 30 passengers were kidnapped by DAISH (ISIS).

Avalanches in northern Afghanistan are taking its toll. Over 285 citizens have died thus far and three districts are heavily impacted. This is a yearly event. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has issued a condolence statement. General Campbell of Resolute Support HQs has done the same on Facebook. U.S., Czech, and Georgian troops are assisting with the delivery of aid. This year the avalanches have taken place in the Panjshir valley (Panjshir province). Recent snowfall accumulation has caused some flash flooding as well.

ANP Funding. International donors worry whether Kabul has the administrative capacity to oversee Western taxpayer money properly. Read "Afghanistan Struggles With Police Funding", The Wall Street Journal, February 28, 2015.

Rula Ghani. The First Lady of Afghanistan is now on the U.S. Afghan Women's Council (USAWC) along with Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton. Read more in this news release by Georgetown University.

Interpreters who worked for the Coalition are under threat in Afghanistan. Read "Interpreter pleads for protection from Taliban killers", The Times, March 3, 2015.

The nonprofit organization - International Relief and Development (IRD) - has been suspended by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). IRD had some significant problems in meeting the contract stipulations of some of the aid projects it was in charge of in Afghanistan. Read more in a news report by Non Profit Quarterly, dated March 2, 2015.

A women serving a 20-year sentence in the women's section of Nangarhar Prison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan is a notorious character. She is convicted of taking part in the murders of 27 men. Read more in a news article by The New York Times, February 28, 2015.

Lack of Transparency in Mining Contracts. The Minister of Mines and Petroleum says that a team of technical experts will be reassessing the majority of the mining contracts because of a lack of transparency in the process that awarded the contracts. Read more in "Minister Says Mining Contracts to be Reexamined", Tolo News,  February 20, 2015.

For years commentators will be writing on whether we won the war in Afghanistan. Some say it is too soon to tell. Others want to declare victory now. I guess it depends on how you define victory. Read one view point in "Yes, we did win in Afghanistan", War Council Blog, February 23, 2015.

U.S. Navy in a Landlocked Country. Even though Afghanistan has no ocean the U.S. Navy has had a long-time presence in the country since the start of the conflict. This continues today under Resolute Support. For instance, the NATO Role 3 Multi-national Medical Unit on Kandahar Airfield has a diverse group of Navy reservists from 22 different states. (DVIDS, March 3, 2015).

The U.S. Army continues to sink money into its Distributed Common Ground System - Army (DCGS-A). This computer-based intelligence program has cost billions of dollars and is still wanting. See "Textron to enhance DCGS-A data", C4ISR & Networks, February 5, 2015. See also DCGS-A.

AWN Daily Snippets (Mar 12, 2015)

Pashtun Poet. A very famous Pashtun poet, Abdul Ghani Khan (1914-1996), has had many of his poems translated into other languages - including English. Read more in "The Pilgrim of Beauty: A Pashtun Poet's Continuing Appeal", Gandhara Blog, March 11, 2015.

ANSF Operations. Tolo News reports that the ANSF are conducting clearing operations in the provinces of Farah, Zabul, Kandahar, Helmand, and Paktika to prepare for operations against the insurgents once the spring fighting season begins (Mar 11, 2015).

Afghanistan is the source of 80% of the worlds opium. Most of it goes through Iran and Central Asia to Europe; however, it appears that a 'southern route' is steadily being used - transiting the drugs through East Africa and then into Europe. (Business Insider, Mar 7, 2015).

China is paying a lot more attention to Afghanistan and folks are noticing. Some believe that China will play a helpful role in Afghanistan's future economic and security prospects. (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, March 8, 2015).

Humanitarian organizations are having a recruitment problem in Afghanistan. Development recruiters find that it is difficult to hire local and international aid workers for Afghanistan due to the security concerns. (DEVEX.com, Mar 10, 2015).

The Dutch Foreign Minister and Defense Minister visited Afghanistan recently. One of their stops was Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan. (NL Times, Mar 10, 2015).

Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst, has penned a report entitled "A gripping glimpse into bin Laden's decline and fall", CNN News, March 11, 2015. It also provides information on just how devastating the CIA's drone war in the skies of Pakistan has been on al Qaeda.

General John Campbell regularly posts warnings on Facebook the fact that he is happily married. It seems there are over 700 fake profiles on the Internet claiming to be him. (The Washington Post, March 10, 2015.

Not many Afghan interpreters are fortunate enough to escape the violence of Afghanistan and get to American (Visas from the State Dept are hard to get). However, the struggle does not end once in the United States; many suffer economically. Read more in "No Way to Treat an Ally", Free Beacon, March 11, 2015.

TAAC North Charity Run. The Europeans at Train, Advise, Assist Command - North located at Camp Marmal (near Mazer-e Sharif) held a charity run (called the "Wasa Run") for the families of fallen Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) personnel. The run, held on March 8, 2015 (Sunday is a "low ops" day at Camp Marmal), was initiated by soldiers of the Swedish contingent with help from other organizations on the base. Over 2,222 Euros (over $2K) was handed over to the Afghan Red Crescent Society Widow Center Maraston. There are over 21 countries working at Camp Marmal. (RS News, March 10, 2015).

Maintenance in the Afghan Air Force (AAF). While the pilots get all the glory the support personnel in the Air Forces the world over do much of the work to keep the pilots (and planes) flying. This is true of the newly-built (not quite ready) Afghan Air Force. A recent news release by U.S. Air Forces Central Command highlights the work that Afghan maintainers do to keep the Mi-17 helicopters flying. Read "Afghan Air Force runs on maintenance", CENTCOM, March 10, 2015.

Cultural and Situational Understanding

The United States Army has published ATP 3-24.3, Cultural and Situational Understanding, April 2015 - a manual that "establishes the techniques and procedures used by individuals, teams, and units of the United States army at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war." This manual is valuable for all members of the military (as well as contractors) who are engaged in security assistance. This publication elaborates on doctrine contained in FM 3-24, Insurgency and Countering Insurgencies. This manual should be suggested pre-deployment reading for those contractor or military personnel who will be engaged in the Security Force Assistance mission in Afghanistan. Many advisors deploy to Afghanistan without a basic knowledge of how to advise, how to engage in cross-cultural communications, and how to adapt to a different and strange environment. The reading of this pub will help the future advisor in knowing how to establish rapport and build a relationship - which is key to the ability to train, advise, and assist - and influence - a counterpart from another country.

Chapter 1 - Intro to Cultural and Situational Understanding
Chapter 2 - Cultural Perception and Mindset
Chapter 3 - Cross-Cultural Communications and Engagement
Chapter 4 - Cultural Understanding: a Three Level Approach
Chapter 5 - Cultural Counterparts
Appendix A - Working with Translators and Interpreters

Cultural and Situational Understanding, ATP 3-24.3, April 2015.
http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/atp3_24x3.pdf

Daily News Snippets (Dec 21, 2014)

Rumor has it that President Ghani has ordered the security ministries (MoI, NDS, and MoD) to report to the national security advisor (Hanif Atmar) and not to the office of the president.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has received a briefing on the security challenges, political landscape, and drug trade in Afghanistan. The briefing was conducted by the Chief of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) - Mr. Nicholas Haysom. Read more in a news report by Afghanistan Times (Dec 18, 2014).

Many Afghans seeking medical attention will travel to India. However, it is a journey that only some Afghan citizens can afford. The cost of medical care in India is rising - some say due to rising fees and others due to extortion practices. Some of the money goes to interpreters. Read more in "High Costs Burden Afghan Medical Patients in India", Tolo News, December 19, 2014.

Army Learning Concept 2015. The Army is changing up the learning experience for its Soldiers. Students will be learning about new concepts, immerse himself in the concept, and then shares that experience with others. There is a YouTube video posted by Military Review that explains the Army Learning Concept published on December 19, 2014.

According to the United Nations civilian deaths in Afghanistan have reached a new high. At least 3,188 Afghan civilians have been killed in the war with the Taliban in 2014 - making it the deadliest year on record for non-combatants. (The Huffington Post, Dec 19, 2014).

A news report says that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is moving in to compete with al Qaeda and the Taliban in the legendary region of Khorasan - which comprises Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Read "ISIS Targets Afghanistan Just as the U.S. Quits", The Daily Beast, December 19, 2014.

"Leaving Afghanistan: A Look Back in Photos" by Stars and Stripes.
www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/afghanistan

View pictures of Afghans working the saffron fields of Herat, Afghanistan (The Guardian, December 19, 2014).

Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) has published its "Thematic Dossier VII: Detentions in Afghanistan - Bagram, Transfer and Torture", December 20, 2014 available here.

Stars and Stripes  has posted an article entitled "Rising casualty count takes toll on Afghanistan's veterans", December 19, 2014. Care for wounded veterans needs to improve.

The United Nations is reporting that casualties among Afghan civilians is up nearly 20 per cent in 2014 (UN News Centre, Dec 19, 2014).

Airstrikes targeting Pakistan Taliban continue in response to school massacre (The Washington Post, Dec 20, 2014).

Afghan War News Snippets

Female Journalists at Risk in Afghanistan. According to a recent news report "Afghanistan is Deemed Most Insecure Place for Female Journalists", Ariana News, November 14, 2016. Read more about the insecurity of Afghan journalists at the website of Reporters Without Borders.

Refugees Forced Back to Afghanistan. "After America's Longest War, Refugees Face Forced Return to Afghanistan", Lima Charlie News, by J. David Thompson, November 17, 2016.

Cash instead of Food, Tents, and Blankets. Some humanitarian organizations are looking at dispensing cash instead of material goods to the needy in Afghanistan. Read "The increasingly popular way to aid the needy in war-torn nations: Give cash", The Los Angeles Times, November 11, 2016.

Laura Bush Honored. Former First Lady Laura Bush was recently honored for her work on behalf of Afghan women. The International Republican Institute presented her with an award. (IRI, Nov 15, 2016).

UN General Assembly Supports Afghanistan. The United Nations unanimously adopted its annual resolution in support of the Government of Afghanistan. Of concern is the rise in civilian casualties and influence of violent extremists. Read more in a news release by the United Nations (17 Nov 2016).

$85 Million for a Kabul Hotel (that didn't open!). A hotel, built but not finished, is located right across from the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan. It was to have more than 200 rooms, a conference center, and attached apartments. The plans to build the hotel were announced with great fanfare by the U.S. Embassy in 2009 . . . but . . . some things went very wrong. The money was funneled through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) - an agency run by the U.S. government to uses money to finance development projects overseas. A recent government watchdog report found that there was "troubling management practices and lax oversight". Hmmmm. The unfinished hotel is right across the street from the U.S. Embassy - how could you not be providing proper oversight? Read more in "How $85 Million Failed to Build a Swanky Hotel in Kabul", National Public Radio, November 17, 2016.

Trump and Afghanistan. Some believe that the Trump administration will want to fix Afghanistan right away - and in the process apply quick solutions that may not work. Observers believe that the Afghan conflict will only be solved with long-term strategies. Read "Trump's easy solutions won't work in Afghanistan", Deutsche Welle, November 17, 2016.

Germany to Repatriate Afghans. Some 12,500 Afghans have had their asylum applications rejected by Germany and will soon be on their way back to Afghanistan. It is estimated that about 5 percent of the 1/4 million Afghans who have reached Germany may be forced to leave. Read more in "Germany to repatriate about 12,000 Afghans", Deutsche Welle, November 17, 2016.

Where are the Visas? Thousands of Afghans served as interpreters for U.S. military forces across Afghanistan for a number of years. Many were promised Visas as a reward for their service in dangerous times. Now they are being hunted down by insurgents and they can't escape Afghanistan. The U.S. Congress and Department of State have fallen short in this respect. Read more in "Where are the Visas for the Afghans Who Helped American GIs?", The Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2016.

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Afghan Daily News Snippets

On November 29, 2014 several General Officers of the ISAF staff (General John Campbell, MG Ed Reeder of SOJTF-A, and others) visited the Ahmed Shah Massoud Mausoleum in the Panjshir Valley. View pictures from the visit on Facebook.

While Americans enjoyed the holiday weekend their allies in Afghanistan grew increasingly weakened. Read more in "The Drumsticks of War", Time.com, November 30, 2104.

Many Afghans see corruption as the enduring legacy of President Karzai. Read more in "Afghans See Corruption as Enduring Legacy", Institute for War & Peace Reporting, November 30, 2014.

The international donor conference for Afghanistan will soon be held (early December 14) in London. Ahead of the London conference, concern is growing that the world could forget Afghanistan - and the country could forget its commitments to women's rights. Read more in "Afghanistan: what will happen when the troops - and their dollars - depart?", The Guardian, November 27, 2014. Also see "Return of the Goodwill? London conference as symbol of new start", Afghanistan Analysts Network, December 1, 2014. It appears that both Ghani and Abdullah will attend the meeting.

John Kerry, Secretary of State, congratulated the people of Albania on their 102nd Independence Day held on November 28, 2014. He stated that Albania was a strong and reliable NATO ally and thanked the Albanians for their support of the ISAF and Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.

A recent news article laments the plight of Afghan interpreters who thought they could immigrate to the United States but instead have been abandoned. Read more in "Left to the mercy of the Taliban", BBC News, November 26, 2014.

The Pentagon plans to impose strict standards of private security firms that provide support in war zones in the future. (The Washington Post, November 26, 2014).

Members of the 21st "Mountain" Brigade of the Polish Army have arrived at FOB Gamberi in Laghman province to provide security and force protection to the Train Advise Assist Command - East (TAAC-E). Many of them will be used in the "Guardian Angel" role. (DVIDS, November 24, 2014).

Paul D. Miller writes a comprehensive article saying that America should stay the course in Afghanistan - extending its support and commitment for years to come. Read more in "America, Don't Give Up on Afghanistan", The New Republic, November 30, 2014.

A paper entitled "Revisiting the Social Movement Approach to Unconventional Warfare", wrote by Doowan Lee and Glenn W. Johnson has been posted to Small Wars Journal (December 1, 2014).

A recent news report says Afghan roads are too expensive to maintain. While the growth of roads in Afghanistan is commendable the bottom line is there is no money in the budget to maintain the roads so they deteriorate rather quickly. (Tolo News, December 1, 2014).

John Nagl, a retired Army officer who served in the first two Iraq wars and an author, has penned an opinion piece for The New York Times entitled "The President Needs a Secretary of War" (November 30, 2014).

President Ghani is reportedly conducting backdoor talks with the Taliban according to Tolo News (Dec 1, 2014). See "Ghani Resumes Backdoor Talks with Taliban".

The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) has published an online post entitled Ten Years of Afghan Constitution: Why Dialogue is Important (December 1, 2014).

Kabul Police Chief to Stay. It appears that President Ghani has rejected the resignation of the Kabul police chief and that he will stay on the job. See "Kabul police chief to stay on job after resignation rejected", Stars and Stripes, December 1, 2014. Other news reports say that the police chief will stay on the job until a successor is appointed.

A Special Forces officer, Thomas Doherty, has penned a paper entitled "Letting Them Scrape a Knee: Advising for Third Order Effects", Small Wars Journal, December 1, 2014. He writes on advising the ANSF in Afghanistan and how helping with logistics can actually hurt.

Some international aid agencies are sending some of their foreign staff out of country due to the security situation in Kabul. So far in 2014 36 aid workers have been killed and 95 wounded throughout Afghanistan (according to the Aid Worker Security Database).  Read more in a recent news article by The New York Times (December 1, 2014).

A U.S. Army officer, LTC Daniel L. Davis, writes a piece on counterinsurgency for The American Conservative entitled "COIN Is a Proven Failure" based on his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The relationship between Afghanistan and NATO has improved significantly with the replacement of "Karzai the Crook" with the new President Ghani. The new president is hoping that the new phase will bring peace and stability to the country. (Stars and Stripes, December 1, 2014).

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that Afghanistan will face more violence but that the local Afghan forces are capable. (Yahoo! News, December 1, 2014).