Afghan War Blog

Sunday, November 30, 2014

U.S. MEDEVAC Crews Less Busy Train More

A recent news article provides us with a glimpse of the daily routine of MEDEVAC crews stationed at Bagram Air Field. Now that U.S. combat troops are doing little to no fighting the incidents of MEDEVACs is very low. So low, in fact that ". . . the operational tempo has slowed to a crawl . . " the flight crews are spending a lot of time conducting training and ". . . are finding other ways to break the monotony of the deployment, such as table tennis and Whiffle ball games . . ." Read more in "With fewer coalition troops in Afghanistan, 82nd medics running at a slower pace", Fayetteville Observer, November 28, 2014. In the meantime the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police are getting hammered by the Taliban. Casualties have increased dramatically for the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) over last year and the ANSF is struggling to get its wounded soldiers off the battlefield before they bleed out.

Old Landmines Still A Hazard

Afghanistan was once one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Most of the mines were planted by the Mujihadeen during the Soviet occupation and many of these have since exploded or have been dug up by de-mining organizations such as HALO Trust. Some old minefields have yet to be discovered - this recently happened in a refugee camp recently setup in Gurbuz district, Khost province. This past summer the Pakistani Army conducted a massive sweep of North Wazirstan (part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan along the Afghan border) to target the Tehrik-i-Taliban (Pakistani Taliban or "the bad Taliban). Over 100,000 refugees crossed over into neighboring Afghanistan to escape the fighting. While setting up the refugee camp it was discovered that parts of it were sitting on top of a minefield dating back to the Soviet occupation. Read more in "Finding Refuge on a Minefield", Foreign Policy Magazine, November 28, 2014.

Tuberculosis in Afghanistan

Japan and the World Health Organization (WHO) are engaging in a partnership to combat tuberculosis (TB) in Afghanistan. The agreement provides funding for $12 million (USD) for the procurement of anti-tuberculosis medicines and implementation of other activities related to fighting TB in Afghanistan. In 2013, 58,000 new TB cases were documented with 13,000 deaths. Learn more in a press release by WHO (29 November 2014).

ANA Overrun at Sangin Base

A small Afghan National Army outpost in Helmand province was overrun by the Taliban on late Friday night. Fourteen ANA Soldiers were killed and several are missing. With the departure of the U.S. Marines and British troops observers have been predicting an uptick in violence in Helmand province. Read more in "Taliban Overrun an Afghan Army Base", The New York Times, November 29, 2014.

India Provides Soil Research Service

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), in collaboration with agricultural universities in Afghanistan, is providing soil research and training to improve agriculture. Part of this service is the use of a soil testing device (a digital meter) that checks the fertility of the soil for better fertilizer recommendations. Read more here in Sify News (November 29, 2014).

National Seminar - Ten Years of Constitution

The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) has posted a video (2 hours November 29, 2014) of a National Seminar entitled "Ten Years of Constitution". (Not in English).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir7sIEoP3ss

Pomegranates Not Poppies

An entrepreneur from the United Kingdom is on a mission to replace poppy cultivation with pomegranates. It appears that his program is having some success in Kandahar and has attracted the backing of some influential personalities. He has set up a charity called Plant for Peace. Read more in a news report (November 29, 2014) in Scotland Now.

Video - "Crafting Afghanistan's Future"

During the civil war and Taliban regime, art in Afghanistan was non-existent. But thanks to the work of Turquoise Mountain, there is a new generation of young Afghan artists, like Storai and Saida, who are working hard to bring the traditional schools of craft back to Afghanistan as it moves forward. Watch "Crafting Afghanistan's Future", NATO TV, November 25, 2014 (2 mins).

Afghan Daily News Snippets

On November 29, 2014 the Taliban attacked the office of an organization that provides aid and services in Afghanistan. The attack took place near the Afghan parliament. ~~The organization, PATH, operates around the world. www.path.org.~~ IT APPEARS THAT THE ORGANIZATION IS "PARNERSHIP IN ACADEMICS & DEVELOPMENT (PAD)". Initial reports indicate that hostages were taken but then the CRU conducted an assault and rescued them. The Taliban claimed that it was a Christianity center and also used for intelligence gathering with many Australians attending a meeting. It was the 11th attack in Kabul in just two weeks. Read more in a news report by The Washington Post (November 29, 2014). See also a news report by Stars and Stripes.

The Mail Online (UK) has posted an article (28 Nov 14) about how Afghan interpreters have been left to the mercy of the Taliban. The news is that the Taliban are targeting interpreters who worked with US forces and that the interpreters live in constant fear of attack. Although a few have been fortunate to be able to get visas to immigrate to the U.S. many more have been denied visas for apparently trivial reasons.

President Ghani appears to be taking a different approach with his countries foreign policy by maintaining relations with international and regional players. Regional politics in South Asia and in greater Asia is complex and this article tries to explain some of it. Read more in "Signs of change in Afghanistan's foreign policy", DW.de, November 29, 2014.

A news report details the death of a British special forces officer, a member of the Special Boat Service (SBS), in a raid against the Taliban in December 2013. Read more in "Special Forces soldier died in perilous raid on Taliban haven", The Telegraph, November 27, 2014.

A correspondent with time in Afghanistan writes a discouraging piece on the prospects of success for Afghanistan. He provides a long detailed explanation of all that is wrong with Afghanistan and why the future seems dim. Read "So long, good luck", The Economist, November 29, 2014.

Thanksgiving in Afghanistan is a bitter sweet time of the year for Americans. (I know having spent 7 Thanksgivings away from my family in the past 12 years in places like Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan). The break from the routine and the good meal served up by the dining facilities is a welcome event; but realizing your not with your family is a letdown. However, the military does try to make it a good day for all. Read how TAAC-S and the 1st Cav spent their Thanksgiving (DVIDS, November 28, 2014).

Kabul has seen a dramatic increase in attacks in 2014. Read more in a Stars and Stripes report (November 27, 2014) entitled "2 attacks in Kabul target foreigners".

The United States, despite overwhelming odds against success, is continuing its efforts to reduce the narcotics trade in Afghanistan. CACI International has been awarded a $62 million contract to support counter narco-terrorism for U.S. Central Command to include work to be done in Afghanistan. Read a press release by CACI (November 25, 2014) for more information.

Afghanistan's music culture is slowly taking shape. Read more in "Afghan band: We use love songs to make a statement", The Times of India, November 29, 2014.

Radio Free Europe has posted an article about Rula Ghani and her very open support of women's rights in Afghanistan. See "Afghanistan's First Lady Seeks to Blaze New Trail" (November 28, 2014).

The RAND Corporation recently conducted a survey and published a paper that reveals basic training 2014 to be much easier than training in earlier years. Apparently this trend is across all three services; although the report acknowledges that basic training for the Air Force was "always easy". Read more in "Survey: Basic Training Now Easier Than When You Were There", Duffel Blog, November, 28, 2014.

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Saturday, November 29, 2014

Afghan High Peace Council

Most counterinsurgencies do not end with a military victory by the insurgents or the counter-insurgents. The majority of insurgencies end with a political settlement. With this in mind many observers push for a political accommodation with the Taliban; but thus far the Taliban have been difficult to negotiate with. In addition, the High Peace Council, the Afghan organization charged with reintegration and reconciliation with the Taliban has been hampered by meddling from Karzai and ill-informed efforts of the United States. Amir Ramin is a member of the Afghan High Peace Council and the deputy chief executive officer of the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program. He has wrote an online article about the purpose of the High Peace Council, some of the problems plaguing progress in the peace talks, the confusion associated with the function and roles of the High Peace Council, the interference by Karzai with the peace process, and some recommendations for the future. Read more in "Forging Policy for Peace After Karzai", The South Asia Channel - Foreign Policy, November 21, 2104.

Paper - Lessons Learned on Advising

Lt. Col. Remi Hajjar of the U.S. Army has published an article entitled "What Lessons Did We Learn (or Re-Learn) about Military Advising After 9/11?", Military Review, November-December 2014, pages 63-75. Hajjar is an academy professor at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point). His paper takes a look at the history of the U.S. military advising mission, recounts relevant lessons from the Korean and Vietnam Wars to the present, provides several major advisory lessons learned or re-learned since 9/11, lists conditions that characterize the U.S. military advising mission, defining military advisory success, and he provides a conclusion and recommendations for future advisory missions.

http://www.afghanwarnews.info/documents/LL-MilAdvisingMilRev20141231.pdf

"Fly to Advise"

CPT Katherine Zamperini inspects
xray machine at FOB Gamberi
(photo SSG Houston)

The draw down of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to 9,800 by the end of December 2014 forced ISAF to make some difficult decisions on force structure and the overall mission. The two primary missions for the U.S. and ISAF in Resolute Support will be Security Force Assistance and counter-terrorism. Unfortunately, the planners at IJC and ISAF decided to leave two Afghan National Army corps uncovered - the 203rd in the southeast and the 215th in the southwest - citing manpower, medical, force protection, and support constraints. Both of these corps are in very conflict ridden areas. But according to ISAF the corps are still being covered by advisors - from a distance. For instance, the 203rd Corps is being 'advised' - but only through occasional visits by advisors (once a month?) and contact through email and cellphone. The ISAF Security Force Assistance Guide refers to this as either "Level 2" or "Level 3" advising. Some advisors are referring to this type of advising as "fly to advise". Read about how a medical doctor "flies to advise" her medical counterpart in the 203rd Corps in "Brave Rifles medical officer ensures Afghan medical facilities are sustainable", DVIDS, November 27, 2014.

Video - "Female Food Entrepreneur"

The NATO channel has published a video about a woman from Herat that started her food business in a mud hut but now sells in numerous market places. The female entrepreneur spent the last nine years building up a successful business. Watch "The Female Food Entrepreneur", NATO TV, November 24, 2014.

Kabul Under Attack

The Taliban have forgotten that the fighting season is over. By this time of year they should be looking at making their way to the sanctuaries provided by Pakistan. Instead they seem to be hanging around the Kabul area and increasing the rate of attacks in Kabul. The number of attacks in Kabul in 2014 is double the number of attacks in 2013. The phrase "Kabubble" used to mean safety and security for the many foreign military and expats working in Kabul. But now it appears those days are over. Read more in "Afghanistan's heavily guarded capital no longer immune from violence", Stars and Stripes, November 28, 2014.

Paper - Foreign Culture and Train, Advise FSF

The United States is conducting train, advise, and assist missions in areas of the world where foreign cultures are sometimes perplexing and will complicate the mission. In many of these locations the private sector and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) have experience that DoD should learn from and adapt into its training and education programs. This paper presents some of those lessons gained in the non-security development sector that could be useful in future training and advising missions for foreign security forces. Read "Foreign Culture and its Effect on US Department of Defense Efforts to Train and Advise Foreign Security Forces", Small Wars Journal, November 26, 2014.

Book - "Knife Fights"

John A. Nagl is getting a lot of reviews of his book "Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice". Read one more review by Rosa Brooks in The Washington Post.

Bob Work Visits Afghanistan

Deputy Defense Security Bob Work traveled to Afghanistan to visit U.S. service members during the Thanksgiving holiday. Read more in "Deputy Secretary Visits Deployed Troops in Afghanistan", DoD News, November 28, 2014.

Paper - "The Taliban in 2024"

Micheal Semple has provide us with his assessment of the future of the Taliban in a recent article posted in Stability: International Journal of Security & Development, November 18, 2014. An abstract of the paper, "The Taliban in 2024", is provided below:

"Reacting to corruption and oppression in the Kandahar of 1994, the Taliban is seen as working with Sunni clerics to foster a shariat movement for advancing economic justice and (corporal) punishment. Before long, the organization began substantially rewarding joiners, arming for jihad, and resisting international forces in Afghanistan. Now, with less foreign resources to fight the Taliban, the Kabul central government has unfinished business with its still-robust challengers. In the face of recent modernization in sectors such as education and media, the author details three plausible scenarios for the Taliban to maintain its core shariat mission. One scenario is for the Taliban to re-secure (through continued force) its initial goal, viz., overall state power to promote and enforce shariat across urban as well as rural areas. Another possibility projects Afghanistan as operating a dualist system of separate zones, one for the Taliban's ‘liberated territory,’ the other for the rest of Afghanistan as governed by Kabul. Achieving scenario three would be formidable: it posits that Taliban leaders may be persuaded that their armed jihad has run its course and can profitably be disconnected from the Middle East's broader Islamic conflict. Conceivably, then, through accommodations with a shariat-accepting Kabul government, Taliban might be able to win buy-in for peace from its own military and its own fighting priests with their strong ties to Afghan communities in Pakistan."

Afghan Senate Approves BSA and SOFA

The upper house (Senate) of the Afghan parliament has approved the bilateral security agreement with the United States and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with NATO. Only 7 lawmakers out of a total of 102 voted against the approval. Read more in "Afghan Senate Approves Security Agreements with U.S., NATO", Radio Free Europe, November 29, 2014. The NATO Secretary General seemed happy with the news - see a press release dated November 27, 2014.

Daily News Snippets on Afghanistan

A veteran, Kyle Dykstra, speaks out about those commentators, observers, and critics who say the war in Afghanistan is lost. He argues it is too soon to determine if the war was won or lost; more time is needed to see the end result. Read more in "Don't Tell Me We Lost the War in Afghanistan", Task and Purpose, November 24, 2014.

A former rule of law advisor in Afghanistan, Jade Wu, has penned an article that says the Afghan judicial system is a glimmer of hope in the midst of a lot of bad news coming out of Afghanistan. I don't think she is looking at the same judicial system I have looked at the past four years I have been in Afghanistan. Read more in "In Afghanistan, What Counts?", Small Wars Journal, November 26, 2014.

Some news reports say that the British embassy in Kabul was bombed causing casualties. Others are reporting that a British convoy was attacked. See The Guardian for more info. See also Voice of America.

Is it possible to find good governance in Afghanistan? If you look hard enough it is there . . . occasionally. But the bottom line is the Afghans have yet to form a cabinet. Read more in The New York Times here.

The Guardian asks what will happen when the ISAF combat troops depart and the international funding levels go down.

A German newspaper writes about the expansion of the Resolute Support mission for the United States from just training to support of the Afghan National Security Forces.

The European Council on Foreign Relations posted an article entitled "China Moves Into Afghanistan".

The Institute of War & Peace Reporting has a posting entitled "Afghans See Corruption as Enduring Legacy".

The editor of the TomDispatch.com, Tom Engelhardt, writes a discouraging piece of how little we have accomplished in the past 13 years in Afghanistan and Iraq. If you haven't gotten your daily dose of "woe is us" and "did we ever screw up" then I suggest "Russians Invade Afghanistan (Again!)", The Huffington Post Blog, November 25, 2014.

Camp Bastion was attacked by the Taliban causing the deaths of 6 ANA soldiers. Read more in Military Times. The Brits just recently departed Camp Bastion.

According to the Afghanistan Analysts Network only ten "foreigners" are being detained at the U.S. run Bagram detention center. View report here.

Rula Ghani has been in the news ever since her husband was elected President. Read more in "Afghanistan's First Lady Seeks to Blaze New Trail", Gandhara Blog, November 29, 2014.

End of the fighting season? Not so much; at least somebody forgot to tell the Taliban that they should be heading over the mountain passes into Pakistan to rest up and refit in their sanctuaries (courtesy of the Pakistan intelligence service). Read more in "In Afghanistan, War Now Knows No Season", The New York Times, November 28, 2014.

The TAPI pipeline may finally be getting some traction. Read "TAPI Pipeline Finally sees Some Momentum", The Diplomat, November 27, 2014.

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Friday, November 28, 2014

Kilcullen - Muddling Through to 2024?

David Kilcullen, a renowned expert on counterinsurgency and no stranger to Afghanistan has published a paper (6 pages) about the future of Afghanistan over the next ten years - out to 2024. An abstract from the paper is found below.

"This paper highlights trends in Afghan security and development, including
capacities of Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgencies, national forces’ casualty and
desertion rates, and citizen rage spurred by abusive authorities, profiteering elites and ethnic leaders. In coming years, the unity central government may fall apart. As in Pakistan, U.S. targeted killings by drones and raids within Afghanistan may prove counter-productive, radicalizing civilians. While little is certain, a modest degree of successful stability and reconstruction may be achieved by 2024 – most large cities and many small towns may be controlled by the Kabul government, official corruption may decline, and conceivably the country may integrate into a regional economy shared with Iran, Russia, China, and India."

Kilcullen, D 2014 "Afghanistan in 2024: Muddling Through?", Stability: International Journal of Security & Development, 3(1): 37, pp. 1-6., November 20, 2014.
www.stabilityjournal.org/article/view/sta.ej/

Video - Kate Clark Comments on Ghani

Observers have noted that President Ghani has not wasted much time in asserting himself as the new President of Afghanistan. Kate Clark of the Afghanistan Analyst Network is interviewed by NATO TV about Ghani and the challenges that lie ahead. She comments on the formation of the cabinet, Ghani's practice of conducting unannounced visits to prisons, hospitals, and police stations, his recent visit to Pakistan to open up relations, and his quick action on the Kabul Bank corruption case. Several Afghans on the streets of Kabul are also interviewed. Watch President Fosters Hope with Strong Start, posted on YouTube, November 26, 2014, (4 mins).

Inequality in Afghanistan

Insurgencies have root causes and in Afghanistan these root causes are easy to identify. One of the biggest is the vast divide between the "haves" and "have nots". There are many ways of classifying the "haves" and "have nots" but one of the easiest is to use the urban and rural labels. Read more in "The Price of Inequality: The Dangerous Rural-Urban Divide in Afghansitan - Analysis", Eurasia Review, November 26, 2104. The author is Tamin Asey - a fellow at the Asia Society and a Fulbright scholar at Columbia University. He was also a former Government of Afghanistan official and taught at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF).

Paper - Aviation and COIN in Afghanistan

The adapting of conventional aviation units to fight in a counterinsurgency environment is complex. Some aviation units are successful in this transition while others fail or do not contribute as much as they could have to the COIN effort. One aviation battalion that thinks it did it right is the Air Assault Battalion of the Third Infantry Division. In 2010 this battalion was ordered to deploy as part of the Third Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) to Afghanistan. The unit conducted a re-organization of personnel and equipment to prepare for the deployment. Officially named Task Force (TF) Brawler, the unit adapted its mind-set from a conventional, lethal, offensive approach to one required by the counterinsurgency environment of Afghanistan. the task force deployed to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shank in Regional Command East supporting the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team that operated in Logar and Wardak provinces. Read a paper describing the train-up and deployment of TF Brawler to Afghanistan by the battalion commander, Colonel Robert T. Ault, in "Adapting Army Aviation for Irregular Warfare: Developing Leadership and Trust in a COIN Fight", Small Wars Journal, November 25, 2014.

Got a Tidbit of Info Not Yet Reported?

Afghan Daily News

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Paper - Women and Leadership in Afghanistan

Aarya Nijat of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) has published a report (policy note) about women and leadership in Afghanistan. The paper analyses the dilemma of women in a quest to provide answers to questions about the future of women as well as provide policy recommendations. The paper is entitled The Dilemma of Women and Leadership in Afghanistan: Lessons and Recommendations, AREU, November 2014.

Analysis - Kabul Guesthouse Attacks

Edinburgh International (EI), a security firm based in the United Kingdom, has posted an extensive security analysis of the Kabul area for those contractors, ex-patriots, and NGO types that are living in guesthouses or on contractor compounds. There has been a recent uptick in Taliban attacks in Kabul in the fall of 2014 and many of these attacks are against the foreigners working in the Kabul area. The analysis provided by EI reviews the guest house attacks that have taken place for the purpose of developing common insurgent tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and best practice mitigation and control measures. The documents provide key findings, background of insurgent attacks, data on frequency of attacks, locations of attacks, trend analysis, and case studies.

http://insidetrack.edinburghint.com/kabul-security-analysis/

Book - "Why We Lost"

Jeff Schogol, a staff writer for the Military Times, offers us his review of the book by retired Army Lt. Gen. Daniel Bolger, entitled Why We Lost: A General's Inside Account of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Bolger argues that the U.S. lost the wars because it stayed in place after its initial victories in 2001 (Afghanistan) and 2003 (Iraq). Schogol says not many solutions are offered and a better title might be "What Went Wrong". Read Schogol's book review in "Why We Lost: offers few answers on Iraq and Afghanistan (November 20, 2014).

Strategic Education in 300 Words

The folks at the War Council Blog are contending that they can educate a person in strategy in one hour or 300 words. See "Zero to Clausewitz in 60 Minutes: Your Complete 300 Word Strategic Education", November 22, 2014. Also see the actual guide.

Video - "War on the B-Huts"

As the Coalition forces in Afghanistan withdraw the number of housing units needed become less and less. The B-huts on Bagram Air Field at one time stretched for miles along Disney (the main road on BAF). The Resolute Support footprint will be very much reduced in 2015. Wooden buildings provide little protection to incoming rocket attacks and BAF has seen its share of that (although not nearly as much as FOB Shank used to get). See a video about the destruction of B-huts on Bagram Air Field (BAF) in "Bagram: the war on wood", NATO (YouTube), November 24, 2014.

French RAID Unit Trains ANP

A unit of the French RAID has been training and advising elements of the Afghan National Police (ANP). RAID is short for Recherche Assistance Intervention Dissuasion - learn more about RAID on Wikipedia. Read about the training efforts of RAID with the ANP in "As casualties soar, Afghan police taught how to stay alive", Mail Online, November 26, 2014.

New - Coyote Brown Combat Boot

Next year the Army will be wearing a darker, coyote-brown version of the combat boot. The boot will be worn with the new Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) uniform. T-shirts and belts will be in a darker "tan 499 color". Read more in "Army Selects Coyote Brown Combat Boot", KIT UP! Military.com, November 20, 2014.

More Afghan War News Snippets

A firm in Massachusetts had been contracted to make Afghan Uniform Police jackets. The firm, Sterlingwear of Boston, Inc. was awarded almost $7 million in the contract.

An article in Cicero Magazine (November 25, 2014) informs us about several new online forums where military ideas and issues are presented and discussed. Read "The Long Gray Online".

Once again Pakistan has condemned a drone attack against members of "the good Taliban". The recent UAV strike was carried out by CIA-operated drones (either a Predator or Reaper) in North Wazirstan. The drone attack was most likely against the Haqqani Network - an insurgent / terrorist group supported by the Pakistan intelligence agency. Read more in "Pakistan condemns drone strike that targeted 'good Taliban' and foreign fighters", The Long War Journal, November 26, 2014.

There have been many attempts to introduce or buttress a cash crop that Afghan farmers could grow that would replace the lucrative poppy harvest. One of the latest is the onion. Read more in "The social life of the onion: the informal regulation of the onion market in Nangarhar, Afghanistan", Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium, November 25, 2014.

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has introduced the Lapis Lazuli Corridor initiative to increase economic and trade transit routes through neighboring countries. Read more in an online post by the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce & Industries (ACCI) on November 25, 2104.

The International Crisis Group has published a report entitled Afghanistan's Political Transition. The document, dated October 16, 2014, provides a background to the "National Unity Government" and offers recommendations to Afghanistan and the international donors funding the Afghan government.

Reuters reports that the U.S, will leave more troops in Afghanistan than first planned.

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is completing construction of a $25.5 million military base facility in Kunduz, Afghanistan in support of 2nd Brigade 209th ANA Corps. The new base integrates modern building codes with local culture functionality (Arab toilets and no AC?) providing a sustainable facility for ANA facility engineers to maintain. (DVIDS, November 26, 2014).

A writer, Nasurullah Brohi, provides us his thoughts on the relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan in "Rethinking a Progressive Democratic Afghanistan - Oped", Eurasia Review, November 25, 2014.

The Duffel Blog provides us with news of an amusement park in Kabul that recently opened providing Kabul residents with a diversion from the daily doom and gloom of war. Read "Afghan Amusement Park Lasts Almost 13 Hours", (Nov 26, 2014).

Know Something We Should Know?

Afghan Daily News

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Paper - "Human Dimension White Paper"

The United States Army Combined Arms Center (CAC) has recently published The Human Dimension White Paper: A Framework for Optimizing Human Performance, (9 October 2014). The Army has recognized that the nature of warfare has changed dramatically over the past few decades. While the Army must be prepared to fight the large conflicts where large nation-state armies clash on the battlefield and the industrial and technological prowess of a nation comes to bear; it also must be ready for the asymmetric, hybrid, insurgent and political warfare environment as well. The paper sets the stage for the revision and upgrade of Army education and training at the individual, unit, and institutional levels.

"To answer the challenge of this new paradigm, the Army must invest in its most valuable resource, its people. Our challenge is to optimize the performance of every Soldier and civilian through innovation and investment in education, training, professionalism, leader development, holistic health and total fitness, talent acquisition and precision talent management of our human capital".

The intent of the white paper is to operationalize the Army human dimension concepts described in the Army Operating Concept (TRADOC Pam 525-3-1). The paper lists the "ways" to do this a) establish cognitive dominance, b) execute realistic training, and c) drive institutional agility. The "means" are described as a), education, b) training, c) professional and leader development, d) talent acquisition and management, e) holistic health and fitness, and f) research and experimentation.

You can access the paper on the website of the Combined Arms Center at the link below:
The Human Dimension White Paper

More on Suicide Bombing in Paktika Province

The tragic suicide bombing of the volleyball tournament in Yahya Khel district, Paktika province killed over 61 people. In addition, the Afghan government is taking some heat from members of the district for not providing enough security to the district. Threats were made by villagers to support the Taliban to Abdullah Abdullah, the country's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) when he visited the district to meet with villagers to offer condolences. The district had formed a unit of the Afghan Local Police three years ago and pushed the Taliban from the district. The suicide bombing was seen as retaliation against the district population for supporting the ALP and staging a local uprising against the Taliban;. Several members of the ALP were killed in the attack. Read more in "As Bombing Toll Rises, Afghan Villagers Direct Anger at Government", The New York Times, November 24, 2014.

Expectations of SAARC Summit

Many critics say that the yearly South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) being held this week in Nepal does not really accomplish much. President Ghani of Afghanistan is attending along with heads of state from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Bhutan. Read an analysis on the problems facing SAARC and its future in "Ahead of SAARC Summit, Subdued Expectations", Voice of America, November 24, 2014.

OXFAM - Women Frozen Out of Peace Process

According to OXFAM International Afghan women continue to be excluded from the peace negotiations and formal talks about the country's future. Unless this trend is reversed peace will be unsustainable. OXFAM has released a new report called "Behind Closed Doors" that states women are frozen out of the process. The report looks back over the timeline of past peace negotiations. There is worry that the US and its allies will disengage from the peace process - lessening the leverage on the Afghan government to advance women's rights. The report provides some recommendations to advance the cause of women in general and to accelerate the peace process. One recommendation is the participation of women on the High Peace Council. Read "Behind Closed Doors", OXFAM, November 2014.

Obama is Now Seeing Clearly on Afghanistan

National Review Online has come out with an online article praising President Obama's recent decision to extend combat operations in Afghanistan - saying that " . . . he is learning from his errors and is ignoring his deluded advisers." Read "Obama's Signs of Courage on Afghanistan" (November 24, 2014).

Army University (AU)

The Army is attempting to reform its educational system by introducing the Army University (AU). This new approach to education is ". . . an attempt by the Army leadership to build an education enterprise that brings all schools from basic training to the staff college under single management". Read more in "Achieving Strategic Excellence in Army University", War on the Rocks, November 24, 2014. Commentary by Robert H. Scales - a retired Army major general and former commander of the U.S. Army War College.

Wolesi Jirga Votes Yes on BSA

The Wolesi Jirga (lower house of Afghan parliament) voted its approval of the Bilateral Security Agreement and the NATO SOFA. The Afghan Senate (upper house of the Afghan parliament) still has yet to give its approval; although it is expected. While the votes are there (parliament approval) there are still significant factions within parliament and the Afghan government that oppose the continued presence of the United States military and its Coalition partners. Read more in a new analysis by the Afghanistan Analysts Network (November 24, 2014).

Ghani and the Afghan Chaos

The new president of Afghanistan, President Ghani, has an impossible job ahead of him. On the basis of his first months in office as president there is hope that he can do the job. Read more on this topic in "Ashraf Ghani against the chaos", The Economist, November 22, 2014.

Daily News Snippets (Nov 26, 2014)

Mark Thompson writes about the the War on Terror in "The Long, Hard Slog Continues", Time.com, November 23, 2014.

If you are looking for a job in Kabul, Afghanistan the U.S. State Department is hiring for positions at the Embassy. Some jobs available include supply supervisor, administrative clerk, residence manager, regional security technician, bodyguard, facilities, protocol, security investigator.
http://kabul.usembassy.gov/jobs.html

Reuters is reporting that the target of the bombing in Paktika province was a local police commander - Bawar Khan. There were about 500 people watching the volleyball match where the bombing occurred. (Reuters, November 24, 2014).

A neat video showing a night-time parachute jump from a C-130 (?) by members of the 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. A USASOC PAO video uploaded onto YouTube on November 24, 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFk1TaP8UMI

Read the ISAF Joint Command news release on the two ISAF casualties from a November 24, 2014 enemy attack.

Georgia. The nation of Georgia has been a consistent and reliable ally in Afghanistan. It has also worked very closely with NATO in other areas as well. Georgia may well be on the road to NATO membership - which will certainly cause tension with Russia. Read more in "Georgia Promised Eventual NATO Admission", Silk Road Reporters, November 24, 2014.

Insurgencies throughout the ages have been started over a number of issues - many of them religious. a recent essay by Jason Klocek expounds upon this theme in "Rethinking the Role of Religion in Counterinsurgency", Cicero Magazine, November 24, 2104.

1st Brigade Combat Team returns from Afghanistan. Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment served as the Theater Reserve Force in Afghanistan for 9 months. (Fayetteville Observer, November 24, 2014).

The new SECDEF will not be confirmed in 2014 - Senate members seem to think that it is 'logistically impossible'. (Defense News, November 24, 2014). NBC News reports that Hagel's Predecessors resented the White House micromanagement. The Washington Post reports that the White House is looking for a stronger hand to manage difficult problems. Max Boot provides an analysis of a possible national security shakeup (with the news of Hagel's departure). (Commentary Magazine, November 24, 2014). Hagel's successor should be named shortly (the Senate will hold confirmation hearings).

China. Teshu Singh, a senior research officer for the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), has penned an article entitled "China's Endgame in Afghanistan - Analysis", Eurasia Review, November 24, 2014.

The Navy's Sexual Assault Prevention & Response (SAPR) Task Force has decided to temporarily halt (allowing time for a re-write) the production of a training video that would feature the actor and comedian Bill Cosby. See "Navy Quietly Scuttles Bill Cosby Sexual Assault Prevention Video", Duffel Blog, November 25, 2014.

Night Raids. Ankit Panda writes in The Diplomat about the return of night raids - a controversial tool in the fight against insurgents in Afghanistan. This should increase the operational flexibility of NSOCC-A in the conduct of special operations (CT) in 2015 and beyond. A commentator on Afghanistan, Gary Owen, writes "Afghanistan Never Really Banned Night Raids in the First Place", Vice News, November 24, 2014. See also "Report: Afghanistan lifts ban on night raids", Stars and Stripes, November 24, 2014.

On Monday a White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, quibbled with reporters on the shift in the Afghanistan mission. A few days earlier the press was alive with reports that Obama had signed a "secret order" authorizing the use of combat troops and close air support to assist the ANSF if needed; extending this type of operation for yet another year (2015). Earnest maintained that there is no change - other than what was planned in the transition from OEF to Resolute Support (SFA and limited CT). I watched the news conference on C-SPAN - he had most of the audience perplexed with his response. He is a smooth talker but like most White House spokesmen - lacks credibility. Read more in "Role of U.S. Troops in Afghanistan to Shift to Training: White House", The New York Times, November 24, 2014.

The U.S. Army has published an updated Army Regulation 525-93, Army Deployment and Redeployment, November 12, 2014.
www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r525_93.pdf

The U.S. Army has published ATP 3-07.31, Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Peace Operations, 1 November 2014.
https://armypubs.us.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_d/pdf/atp3_07x31.pdf

A State Department DIPNOTE entitled "Advancing the Rule of Law Provides Protection for Women and Girls in Afghanistan", November 24, 2014.

The Air Force is worried about the job stresses suffered by intelligence analysts working with drones and other ISR assets. Read "Leaders monitor burnout among intel analysts", Air Force Times, November 22, 2014.

Geospatial intelligence webcast. To gain some clarity on the value of geospatial intelligence watch a webcast provided by C4ISR Networks (November 19, 2014).

Abdullah Abdullah, the new (sort of elected) Chief Operating Officer for Afghanistan, says that forming a cabinet will take more time. See "No Discordance with Ghani, New Cabinet Soon: Abdullah", Tolo News, November 15, 2014.

The Navy SEALs are getting quite a lot of press recently about the mission that killed Osama bin Laden. Unfortunately it is in the form of unauthorized "tell all" books where individuals on the mission go public. In an attempt to get out in front of the news cycle and have the media concentrate on the issues and stories that the SEAL command want aired in public they have formed a new elite SEAL unit. Read more in "Navy Forms Elite New SEAL Team to Write Best-Selling Tell-All Books", The Onion, November 7, 2014.

UK Royal Air Force personnel have now departed Kandahar Air Base ending British operations there. (Airforce-technology.com, November 25, 2014).

Melanne Verveer, the Executive Director for the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, has penned a piece in The Huffington Post (25 Nov 14) entitled "Moving the Needle Forward on Women's Rights in Afghanistan". A conference was just held days ago in Norway called the Oslo Symposium on Advancing Women's Rights and Empowerment in Afghanistan. The article talks about the conference and the importance of women's rights in Afghanistan.

What Will Out-of-Work Intel Analysts Do? Now that the war in Iraq ended in 2011 (sort of) and the Afghan war is coming to a rapid close there are a lot of young intelligence analysts out there looking for work. You know the type - contractors on the FOBs working at the brigade headquarters tucked away in the S-2 or on the even bigger FOBs working in the RC J-2 shops. Young, scruffy looking (jeans, sweatshirts, running shoes, long hair, beards) kids that had four years in the Army, got out as a SP4, who are now enjoying the ability to not salute officers or listen to SGMs, and are now making the big bucks as a contractor. They knew where the secret parties were and talked to each other in hushed tones about who just got a "resupply" delivered. Well the future does not look too bleak for them. The global geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) market is expecting to expand dramatically. Read more in "GEOINT market to reach $9.7 billion in 10 years", C4ISR, November 25, 2014.

What Will Out-of-Work Drone Operators Do? The future for these folks looks promising. Read "Get a Drone Degree, Make $100,000", AOL Jobs, November 25, 2014.