PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STATEMENT ON SIGNING OF AGREEMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENT 

September 30, 2014

Statement by the President on the Signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement and NATO Status of Forces Agreement in Afghanistan

Today we mark an historic day in the U.S.-Afghan partnership that will help advance our shared interests and the long-term security of Afghanistan. After nearly two years of hard work by negotiating teams on both sides, earlier today in Kabul the United States and the new Afghan Government of National Unity signed a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA). This agreement represents an invitation from the Afghan Government to strengthen the relationship we have built over the past 13 years and provides our military service members the necessary legal framework to carry out two critical missions after 2014: targeting the remnants of Al Qaeda and training, advising, and assisting Afghan National Security Forces. The signing of the BSA also reflects the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Agreement our two governments signed in May 2012.

Today, Afghan and NATO officials also signed the NATO Status of Forces Agreement, giving forces from Allied and partner countries the legal protections necessary to carry out the NATO Resolute Support mission when ISAF comes to an end later this year.

These agreements follow an historic Afghan election in which the Afghan people exercised their right to vote and ushered in the first peaceful democratic transfer of power in their nation’s history. The BSA reflects our continued commitment to support the new Afghan Unity Government, and we look forward to working with this new government to cement an enduring partnership that strengthens Afghan sovereignty, stability, unity, and prosperity, and that contributes to our shared goal of defeating Al Qaeda and its extremist affiliates.

This day was only possible because of the extraordinary service of our men and woman in uniform who continue to sacrifice  so much in Afghanistan on behalf of our security and the Afghan people. The American people are eternally grateful for their efforts.

WALES SUMMIT AND NATO'S CHANGING ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN

 FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

FACT SHEET: Wales Summit – NATO’s Changing Role in Afghanistan

NATO’s mission in Afghanistan has been the Alliance’s largest and one of its longest-running military operations, with 50 coalition countries contributing a peak of 140,000 troops over a 13-year campaign.  The United States, together with NATO Allies and partners, support a sovereign, stable, unified, and democratic Afghanistan and will continue our partnership with Afghanistan based on the principles of mutual respect and mutual accountability.  Moreover, we believe that an Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process is the surest way to end violence and ensure lasting stability for Afghanistan and the region.

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).  Since 2001, ISAF has assisted Afghan authorities in maintaining security and developing the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), per a United Nations mandate and at the request of the Afghan government.  The ISAF mission is part of the overall international effort to enable the Government of Afghanistan to exercise its authority throughout the country by providing security and stability to the Afghan people.  NATO assumed command of the ISAF mission in August 2003.

At the Lisbon Summit in 2010, Afghanistan and ISAF nations, including the United States, committed to transition full responsibility for security to the Afghan Government by the end of 2014.  Afghanistan and ISAF nations reaffirmed that commitment in 2012 at the Chicago Summit and took a step further announcing a mid-2013 milestone after which the ANSF would be in the lead for security nationwide and the ISAF role would transition from combat to support.

Since June 2013, the ANSF has been in the lead, with modest coalition support, and has exceeded most expectations.  Today, ISAF forces focus primarily on training, advising, and assisting their Afghan counterparts.  At the end of 2014, the ANSF will assume full responsibility for security and the ISAF mission will end.

Resolute Support.  At the Wales Summit, NATO Allies and partners reaffirmed their intent to conduct a non-combat train, advise, and assist mission in Afghanistan beyond 2014, known as Resolute Support, contingent upon the Afghans signing a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) and a status of forces agreement (SOFA) with NATO.  This new advisory mission would be at the security ministry and national institutional level, with advising to the ANSF at the corps level and advising to Afghan special operations forces at the tactical level.  This non-combat mission would be centered in the Kabul-Bagram area, with a regional presence in the north, west, south, and east. It would initially include approximately 12,000 troops.  Four Allied nations have agreed to serve as “framework nations” – Turkey will lead in the capital; Germany will lead in the north; Italy will lead in the west; and the United States will lead in the south and east.  NATO is prepared to commence this mission at the beginning of 2015.

For the United States’ part, President Obama announced on May 27, 2014 that the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan will end by the end of this year and, contingent upon a signed BSA and NATO SOFA, the United States would be prepared to continue “two narrow missions” in Afghanistan after 2014:  “training Afghan forces and supporting counterterrorism operations against the remnants of al-Qa’ida.”

At the beginning of 2015, we anticipate 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan with the majority participating in the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.  By the end of 2015, we would reduce that presence by roughly half, consolidating our troops in Kabul and Bagram Airfield.  By the end of 2016, our military presence would shift to a strong security assistance mission based from our embassy.  This presence would serve as the basis for sustained security cooperation with the Afghan government and continued coordination with Allies’ and partners’ efforts to advise and assist the Afghan security ministries and to continue to develop ANSF capabilities.

Financial Sustainment of the ANSF.  At the Wales Summit, NATO Allies and partners renewed their commitment to contribute significantly to the financial sustainment of the ANSF through the end of 2017 and to financially sustain the ANSF throughout the decade of transformation.  The international community has pledged nearly €1 billion annually to sustain the ANSF for 2015 through the end of 2017.  The United States has requested up to $4.1 billion in our 2015 budget, which would help sustain the ANSF surge end strength of 352,000 through 2015.  The United States expects that Afghanistan will assume an increasing portion of ANSF sustainment costs beginning with $500 million in 2015, as agreed at the Chicago Summit.  To ensure that donors can confidently commit their financial support to the ANSF over the long term, NATO Allies and partners welcomed the development of effective funding mechanisms including the strengthening of the Afghan National Army Trust Fund and the establishment of the Oversight and Coordination Body.  And finally, NATO Allies and partners look forward to working with Afghanistan to review planning for a sufficient and sustainable ANSF beyond 2015.

NATO-Afghanistan Enduring Partnership.  At the Wales Summit, NATO nations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen its enduring partnership with Afghanistan, which would serve as the foundation for longer term security cooperation between NATO and Afghanistan.

U.S. LOOKING FORWARD TO APRIL ELECTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Official Sees Hope in U.S. Willingness to Let New Afghan Leader Sign BSA
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Mar. 1, 2014 – President Barack Obama’s recent statement of willingness to let Afghanistan’s next president sign a critical bilateral security agreement may give hope to Afghans who feared NATO-mission troops would withdraw from the nation by Dec. 31, a senior U.S. military official said this week.

On the sidelines of the NATO Defense Ministerial here Feb. 26, the military official spoke on background with several U.S. reporters.

“Yesterday was the first time I’d ever heard our government say there would be a willingness to sign the BSA with another president,” the official said.
Inside Afghanistan there is concern about Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s refusal to sign the BSA and a potential U.S.-ISAF shutdown of the 2015 mission there, and great fear that the United States would not wait to deal with another administration, he observed.

“We’ll have to see what the Afghan people say,” the official said, but added that U.S. willingness to deal with a new administration after Afghanistan’s April 5 presidential elections could help relieve uncertainty among people there.
Karzai won’t be running for re-election as president because of term limits.
The senior military official said he would advertise this willingness among his Afghan counterparts and make sure they know this offers hope “that might not have been there the day before yesterday.”

The official said at the time of the interview he hadn’t seen Obama’s directive but had read news reports about the White House readout of a Feb. 25 telephone call between Obama and Karzai.

The United States requires the Afghan government’s approval of the BSA before committing troops to a post-2014 NATO train-advise-assist mission in Afghanistan called Operation Resolute Support.

The BSA, along with a separate NATO Status of Forces Agreement and agreements with non-NATO nations that contribute troops to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force mission, would give all participating nations a legal justification for the new mission that would begin Jan. 1, 2015.

On the call, Obama told Karzai that because Karzai has refused to sign the BSA, Obama directed Defense Department leaders to make sure plans are in place to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Dec. 31.

“On the other hand,” Obama said, according to the White House readout, “should we have a BSA and a willing and committed partner in the Afghan government, a limited post-2014 mission focused on training, advising and assisting Afghan forces and going after the remnants of core al-Qaida could be in the interests of the United States and Afghanistan.”

The official said his own concerns about such a delay in plans for 2015 extend first to its impact on Afghan and Afghan security force confidence, then on hedging behavior in the region, coalition cohesion and, only after those considerations, concern about the impact on the physics of the military campaign, which he says military leaders have in control.

“Clearly,” he added, “the political environment as a whole creates concern and uncertainty among the Afghan leadership and the Afghan forces. That’s one of our challenges.”

Whether a BSA agreement is signed or not, the senior U.S. military official said nothing changes for the 2014 NATO ISAF mission until July.
“Regardless of the [decision] for 2015, I would not change the plan that's in place between now and the summer,” the official said.

“In July if we still don’t have a decision … I probably would do some things that would allow us to go either way. Then, as you get to the fall, you start taking a look at whether you're going to empty the theater by the end of December or … set [up] for Resolute Support,” he explained.

The official took a piece of paper and drew a large circle with a smaller circle inside, representing the Resolute Support mission structure.

“In July I will have established the inner circle, [which] is the Resolute Support mission,” he said. “Forces that are deployed this July will [perform] the tasks in the organizational construct of Resolute Support.”

The outside concentric circle represents forces still performing residual ISAF tasks until the end of December, the official said, and gradually over that time will withdraw from the theater.

“The force that's going to deploy in July, even if there's still no [2015] decision, has been trained, organized and equipped to do the Resolute Support task,” he said.

That force, he added, is designed to provide core-level train-advise-assist mission elements.

One of the most important jobs this year for the Afghan national security force is to support the April 5 presidential elections, the senior U.S. military official said.
The Afghans want their election to be inclusive, credible and transparent, he added.

“We largely focus on the inclusivity piece,” the official noted, which includes technical and security elements. That means supporting the Afghans to make sure voters have access to the polls and public information, and providing an environment in which people can believe the vote will make a difference, the official said.

“From a technical and a security perspective I feel pretty good,” he said. “The technical piece [involves] distributing ballot material, building polling sites and assessing security. The security piece is a Ministry of Interior-led effort to ensure security at the polling places.”

The Afghans also want credibility and transparency during the election, and the official thinks these will be the most challenging goals to achieve.

“This is not my specific lane,” he said, “but we’re creating the conditions within which [credibility and transparency] can take place.”

The senior U.S. military official said none of the decisions yet to be made about 2015 affect the last year of the ISAF campaign.

“We have a mandate to do certain things, we have certain authorities, we have certain resources, and I plan on applying those until the very last day of the year,” he said. “No one has suggested that we’re not going to continue to do in 2014 what has been the plan since the [2010] Lisbon Agreement.”

The official said he’s proud of the progress made by the Afghan forces.
“If you ask me today whether the Afghan forces are capable of providing security to the Afghan people, the record speaks for itself,” he said.

But if no BSA is signed and no ISAF troops are on the ground in Afghanistan next year, he added, progress made to date “will not be sustainable.”

Four critical areas still must be addressed, he said. The first involves Afghan security institution capacity -- or MOD (Ministry of Defense) and MOI (Ministry of Interior) capacity building.

In the United States, the Defense Department has people who specialize in acquisition, planning, programming and budgeting, and other people who are experts in managing supplies and identifying requirements.
“There's a big machine in the department that allows forces in the field to be supported,” the military official said.

At the ministerial level in Afghanistan, he said, “we’re only eight or nine months into a concerted effort to develop MOD and MOI capacities. That’s one of the areas of most concern.

“So if you talk about executing a budget,” the military official continued, “the Afghans … aren't capable of executing a complete budget right now, in large part due to a lack of expertise in contracting, acquisition and those kinds of things, and the ability then to project requirements, which is a huge piece of what we do in the Department of Defense.”

In Afghanistan, he said, neither the intelligence nor the aviation enterprises will be mature by the end of 2014. And the special operations capability, he said, inextricably linked with intelligence and aviation, still needs work.
“Those four gaps would be the focus of Resolute Support,” he said.
Without the 2015 mission, he said, “I think we'll see deteriorating security conditions over time as a result of deteriorating Afghan security force capability” caused by simple things like inconsistent distribution of parts, fuel, pay and supplies.

Conditions in the region also affect what ISAF can accomplish in Afghanistan, the official said.

“Uncertainty about 2015 and beyond creates hedging behavior in the region, and all the nations there have to think about how they're going to protect their interests [if] there is no coalition presence at the end of 2014,” he added.

“My sense is that our presence has been and would be a stabilizing presence in the region, allowing some difficult issues to be worked through,” the official said, including complex relationships among Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Critical work also remains in the region involving the more than 2,000-kilometer-long porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“The enemy has sanctuary in Pakistan,” from which operates “the most virulent strain of the insurgency,” the official said.

“To achieve our end-state in the region, we need a comprehensive approach to address extremism that knows no boundaries. My recommendation is for [the United States to take] a broader regional approach,” he added.

The U.S. military recommendation for the region is in the context of a broader whole-of-government approach, the official said, to achieve the end-state the president has identified.

To be successful in Afghanistan, he added, “you have to address the challenges that are in Pakistan.”

SECRETARY HAGEL MEETS WITH DEFENSE MINISTERS FROM SPAIN, ITALY AND DENMARK

Right:  Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti on the sidelines of meetings for NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Feb. 26, 2014. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett.

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Meets With Defense Ministers of Spain, Italy, Denmark
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Feb. 27, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met here yesterday with defense ministers from Spain, Italy and Denmark on the sidelines of the two-day NATO defense ministers conference, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

Today, on the final day of the meeting, the ministers will discuss defense capacity building, cyber defense and maritime security, along with NATO’s Connected Forces Initiative, which involves improving operational collaboration with other military forces, according to NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.
Also today, the defense ministers will meet with International Security Assistance Force contributing partners and Afghanistan’s defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, she said.

During Hagel’s meeting with Spanish Defense Minister Dr. Pedro Morenes, they discussed the strength of the U.S.-Spain military relationship and opportunities to broaden the relationship bilaterally and through the NATO alliance, Kirby said.
The defense secretary thanked Morenes for Spain's hosting of U.S. ballistic missile defense-capable ships at Rota and for support Spain has provided for U.S. Marines at Moron.

Hagel also expressed appreciation for Spain's ongoing commitment to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.

Both leaders talked about security challenges in Africa, pledged to continue the dialogue and expressed interest in improving bilateral training opportunities, especially in the maritime environment, the Pentagon spokesman said.
In the secretary’s meeting with Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti, the defense leaders discussed a range of mutual security issues, including political unrest in Ukraine and ongoing operations in Afghanistan, Kirby said.

Hagel thanked Pinotti for her leadership and Italy’s strong contributions to the NATO alliance, including the ISAF mission. He also pledged to continue to seek ways to deepen the bilateral relationship with Italy.

During his meeting with Danish Defense Minister Nicolai Wammen, Hagel thanked the minister for his leadership and for helping the United States and Denmark maintain a close military-to-military relationship. The secretary expressed gratitude for Denmark's leadership and capabilities in the future transfer of chemical materials out of Syria, Kirby said. The two leaders discussed the importance of the Arctic and promised to continue consulting as both nations explore ways to deal with the challenges of climate change in that region, he added.

Hagel and Wammen also discussed regional challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, political unrest in Ukraine, and the NATO ISAF mission in Afghanistan, the Pentagon spokesman said.

SECRETARY HAGEL MAKES REMARKS ON NATO, ISAF, UKRAINE

FROM:   U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Highlights NATO Capabilities, ISAF, Ukraine
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Feb. 27, 2014 – Over two days of meetings here, discussions among NATO defense ministers focused on future alliance capabilities, the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and NATO’s defense relationship with Ukraine, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in his closing remarks here today.
Defense ministers from 18 of NATO’s 24 member nations, Ukraine’s Acting Defense Minister Oleksandr Oliynyk, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his deputy, and member-nation permanent representatives participated.

Hagel reassured allies of the continued U.S. commitment to NATO and to its global responsibilities, and he told the ministers that President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget request, which he will present to Congress next week, “preserves and protects key capabilities such as missile defense and other capabilities that we discussed today in our sessions. These capabilities underpin our commitment to European security.”

The U.S. defense strategy demands even closer partnership with European allies, he added.

“As allied nations confront fiscal pressure on both sides of the Atlantic, and as NATO transitions out of its combat mission in Afghanistan, many of us plan to field smaller military forces in the years ahead,” the secretary said, adding that with savings the U.S. military achieves through a smaller force, he intends to buy readiness, capability and combat power.

“We expect NATO allies to do the same,” Hagel said.
This is a time to set priorities, make difficult choices and reinvest in key capabilities all nations will need for the future, he said, including those that have been neglected over the past decade of war.

Ahead of September’s NATO summit in Wales, Rasmussen will focus on improving NATO’s military capabilities as a down payment on meeting shortfalls, the secretary added.

“As an alliance, we must invest in global reach, technological superiority and leading-edge capabilities like cyber and special operations,” Hagel said, adding that together NATO member countries must spend money on defense more strategically and effectively.

On Afghanistan, Hagel said, the conference offered a chance to take stock of accomplishments over 13 years.

NATO’s main objective in Afghanistan was to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and ensure that the country can never again be a safe haven for terrorists. Progress there can be measured by the growing confidence of Afghans in their national institutions and the Afghan national security forces’ leading role in securing the country, the secretary said.
“As we look beyond the end of our combat mission this year, I told ISAF ministers that the United States continues to support planning for a noncombat, NATO-led mission that would train, advise and assist Afghan forces after 2014,” he said.
“But the longer we go without a bilateral security agreement and a NATO status of forces agreement,” he added, “the more challenging it will be for the United States and other ISAF nations to support, plan and execute this post-2014 mission.”
Earlier this week, President Obama directed the U.S. military to begin contingency planning for Afghanistan that takes into account the lack of a signed agreement, Hagel said.

“We will ensure that adequate plans are in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year should the United States [decide not] to keep troops in Afghanistan after 2014,” he said.

“Today in our ISAF session,” the secretary added, “we agreed that the alliance should also begin planning for various contingencies in Afghanistan while still supporting continued planning for the Resolute Support mission” that is expected to start Jan. 1.
Hagel commended Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove and Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. for their critically important leadership of the ISAF campaign, he said, particularly Dunford’s consistent, wise and steady leadership. Dunford is the ISAF commander in Afghanistan, and Breedlove commands U.S. European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Command Europe.

Today’s final session was the NATO-Ukraine Commission, the secretary said, adding that he was pleased to welcome that nation’s participation in the ministerial conference, given the rapidly evolving political situation in Ukraine.
“Today I affirmed America’s strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and NATO defense ministers made the same declaration in a joint statement,” Hagel said.

The ministers expect other nations to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and avoid provocative actions, he added.

“That’s why I’m closely watching Russia’s military exercises along the Ukrainian border, which they announced yesterday,” Hagel said. “I expect Russia to be transparent about these activities, and I urge them not to take any steps that could be misinterpreted, or lead to miscalculation during a … time with great tension.”
The secretary said it’s important for all nations with an interest in a peaceful future for Ukraine to work together transparently to support a Ukrainian government that fulfills the aspirations of its people.

“Our session today also focused on Ukraine’s opportunities for defense reform and our ongoing military-to-military cooperation –- including Ukraine’s participation in NATO operations. And we welcomed the Ukrainian armed forces’ responsible decision to exercise restraint amidst the nation’s political turmoil,” Hagel said.
From Kandahar to Kiev, he added, 20 years ago no one could have foreseen how NATO contributes today to global security. With the United States’ strong support, Hagel said, NATO must continue to be a force for peace, prosperity and freedom in Europe and around the world.

“That is our responsibility in the 21st century,” the secretary said.

DOD REPORTS AFGHAN AIR FORCE DOING WELL

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Afghan Air Force Flourishing, ISAF Official Says
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., Sept. 19, 2013 - The mission: build an independent, self-sustaining air force from the inside out, from the ground up. The commander leading that effort calls it the most complex undertaking NATO and the U.S. Air Force have ever tackled.

Air Force Brig. Gen. John Michel leads NATO Air Training Command Afghanistan, the organization charged with training the Afghan air force. He is here this week attending an Air Force conference, and spoke to American Forces Press Service about the Afghan air capability that he maintains no longer is fledgling, but rather is flourishing.

Not only are Afghan pilots now carrying out combat, resupply and medevac missions, he said, the humanitarian capability they bring to their government is helping to legitimize their nation. In a country largely inaccessible by road, the general noted, air reach equals government reach. And Afghan aviation dates to 1919, he said.

"It's a source of national pride," Michel said. About a month ago, he said, the Afghan air force was called to respond to a flood that had left citizens stranded, "and they saved over 300 men, women and children."

The force is critical to the Afghan army as well, he said. Close air support, evacuating the wounded, and in many cases, even basic resupply are only possible in Afghanistan with aircraft, Michel noted.

The Afghan air force, he said, "is really the foundational element for legitimacy locally, nationally and internationally." For example, he said, the core of trained air traffic controllers that will grow up around the air force and ultimately transfer to the civilian world will form part of the infrastructure backbone Afghanistan will need to attract long-term foreign investment.

The air training command's staff includes some 600 people from 14 coalition nations. They work with their Afghan counterparts on Afghan bases at six locations within the country, training and advising every member of the Afghan air force, from the highest-level leaders down to the newest junior recruits.

Michel pointed out the timeline that makes 2014 the handoff year for combat operations doesn't apply to his command. The Afghan air force is on a separate timeline from the army and police forces, and is not set for full operational autonomy until 2017, he said. The NATO air training command is set to grow during that time to 1,114 military and defense contractors, plus 530 base support personnel.

Meanwhile, coalition aircrews fly alongside their Afghan counterparts during training missions, combat missions, and joint missions conducting resupply, infiltration, exfiltration, passenger movements and casualty evacuation for the Afghan army. Coalition advisors also train in all the support roles including maintenance, logistics, finance and communications. About 200 Afghan students are now in various phases of the pilot training pipeline, Michel said.

The Afghan air force is divided into three wings, located respectively in Kabul, Kandahar and Shindand, in western Afghanistan's Herat province. The command center is in Kabul, and the Shindand Air Base is the main training area. The Afghan force currently has a fleet of 92 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, with 12 more Mi-17 transport helicopters being delivered starting this month. Ultimately, the force's fleet will include 58 Mi-17s, six Mi-35 attack helicopters, 20 C-208 turboprop airliners, four C-130 transport aircraft and 20 A-29 light attack aircraft.

Michel noted the Soviet influence in Afghanistan dating to the 1920s but dominant from the 1950s to the 1990s extended to the air force, which followed the Soviet model of essentially a client force trained to fly but reliant on its patrons for equipment, maintenance, support and administration.

Command and control will be the essence of the "small, but mighty" air capability Afghanistan plans to grow to a force of 8,000, Michel said. "That was not present in the dependency model," he added. And while the model encouraged brilliant flying, it omitted "disciplined execution," the general said, "which is what makes [the U.S.] Air Force the best in the history of mankind."

Disciplined execution includes doctrine and an emphasis on safety, Michel said, which his command is training or developing in the growing Afghan force, along with English, military science and a host of other subjects and resources.

"Among those 8,000 people, there are seven specific capabilities and 60 [military occupational specialties]," he noted. The mission set for the Afghan air force rests on core capabilities of air movement, aerial fires, aerial reconnaissance, force protection, sustainment and intelligence, Michel said. That integration of capabilities is crucial to the self-sustaining force that Afghanistan needs, he said.

"The maintainer number that we're going to is sub-1,400," he said. "And then we'll have some number less than that for pilots." The A-29 "Super Takano" program aims at 30 pilots for 20 aircraft, he said, but those 30 will over time "grow out of the cockpit."

"We're growing a profession," he said. Establishing a military education network that will produce professional officers and noncommissioned officers -- Michel called the NCO corps "the secret sauce" of the U.S. military -- recruiting and marketing are all part of the mission, he said.

"Is it hard?" the general said of his mission. "Let's see; we're building it from the inside out, the ground up. The more capability we start to garner, the more they want to employ. The more they employ, the less we can train. ... And, as of a week from today, we're adding the first two of four C-130s."

As capabilities grow, so do costs and complications, Michel acknowledged. The Afghan government may choose to adjust its timeline for some capabilities as its contributors' budgets tighten, he said, and his command is prepared with a range of options to scale capability to cost as needed.

"I have 39 months from today to finish this mission," he said. "We're not building capabilities they don't need to have."

DOD SAYS CHANGES IN AFGHANISTAN HELP AFGHAN GOVERNMENT

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Societal, Security Changes Give Afghan Government Momentum
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2013 - Societal and security changes in Afghanistan have shifted momentum in the country increasingly in the government's favor, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and U.S. Army's 3rd Corps said Wednesday

Army Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley spoke to Pentagon reporters via satellite from his headquarters in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

The changes in Afghanistan have been stunning, he said. Milley, who first served in Afghanistan in 2001, said the country had no hope at that time. "If you flash forward to today, you've got a significantly ... much more positive situation on your hands," he said.

From the security standpoint, the general said, the progress has been incredible, as Afghanistan now has more than 350,000 trained and ready security personnel. These forces, "are out there fighting the fight and carrying the load every single day," he said.

"They are capable at the tactical level, every day, day in and day out, and they're proving it over and over and over again in this summer's fighting season – the first summer that they've really and legitimately been in the lead," he added.

The bottom line is the Afghan police and army has been effective in combating insurgents throughout the country, Milley said.

A few reverses took place along the way, the general said, but they were small and short-lived. Afghan security personnel are in the lead throughout the country, Milley told reporters, and are effectively protecting the vast majority of the population.

Afghan forces are planning, coordinating, synchronizing and then executing combat operations every day, Milley said. Afghans lead about 1,000 patrols a day, and just this week led 35 named operations at kandak – battalion – level or above.

U.S., NATO and partner forces do provide support – advisors, close air support, medical evacuation and logistics, Milley said.

The enemy is quantitatively and qualitatively different from the enemy he has seen in previous tours, the general said. "They go by the same names -- Haqqani, Taliban, etc. -- but their capabilities are different," he added.

Enemy tactics are aimed at Afghan forces this fighting season, he said. The enemy relies on roadside bombs, suicide bombings, intimidation and some small-arms attacks. "What they can't do is they can't build," Milley said. "They can't provide an alternative form of governance. They don't have a political agenda that's acceptable to the vast majority of the people of Afghanistan."

That, he said, is because of the societal changes that have occurred in Afghanistan since 2001.

One societal change is communications. Under the Taliban, communications were squashed, and Afghanistan had no free or independent outlets. "Today, there is a press corps here," the general said. "There are 75 TV stations. There are 175 or 180 radio stations throughout this country."

In addition to these sources, Milley said, progress is evident in the explosion of high-speed technologies and what that means to the Afghan people. Millions of Afghans have access to cellphones, high-speed Internet, text messaging and the like, said he noted. "That communication explosion in Afghanistan, in a country of 30 million, is making a difference day in and day out," he added.

Roads are a lifeline in Afghanistan, and more than 24,000 kilometers of road have been built in the nation since 2001. Air transport also has grown, with 52 international airlines now flying in to Kabul, Milley said.

This infrastructure growth is fueled – in part – by a hothouse growth in education, the general told reporters. About 10 million Afghans are enrolled in schools. The literacy rate rose from less than 10 percent in 2001 to more than 28 percent today.

This is not good if you are a member of the Taliban and affiliated groups, Milley said.

"In this country, with this explosion of information, time is on the side of the government of Afghanistan [and] the people that are supporting a progressive Afghanistan, and not on the side of the Taliban," he said.

Almost 70 percent of Afghanistan's population is under 25 years of age, Milley noted, adding that those young people soon will come into positions of significant influence and power. "And I think the days of the Taliban are going to be behind them when that educated group of young people that are in existence today -- that are learning the sciences, the math, and all the social sciences, etc. -- assume positions of responsibility."

Milley said he is optimistic about the future in Afghanistan as long as Afghan forces continue their job of providing security. "If they continue to do that next year and the year after and so on, then I think things will turn out OK in Afghanistan," he said.

READOUT OF SECRETARY HAGEL'S MEETING WITH GEORGIA'S MINISTER OF DEFENSE ALASANIA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Georgia's Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania

           Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:

           "Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Georgian Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania met today at the Pentagon.

           "Secretary Hagel acknowledged Georgia's continuing contribution to International Security Assistance Force, and thanked Minister Alasania for the sacrifices Georgia's soldiers and their families are making.

           "Secretary Hagel praised Georgia's efforts to enhance civilian oversight of the armed forces, as these actions are a strong example of democratic progress through defense reform.

           "Secretary Hagel expressed United States support for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration efforts, and highlighted its holding fair elections and continuing to consolidate democratic gains as effective measures to advance those efforts.

"The two leaders agreed to continue to broaden United States-Georgian defense cooperation."

READOUT OF SECRETARY HAGEL'S MEETING WITH AZERBAIJAN'S MINISTER OF DEFENSE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting with Azerbaijan's Minister of Defense Safar Abiyev

           Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:

           "Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with Azerbaijan's Minister of Defense Safar Abiyev today at the Pentagon.

           "Secretary Hagel praised Azerbaijan for its support to efforts in Afghanistan, to include their sustained deployment with the International Security Assistance Force. In addition, he thanked Minister Abiyev for the valuable role Azerbaijan plays in providing ground, air and sea transit access for logistical support to Afghanistan.

          "The two leaders agreed to continue to work together on issues to include North Atlantic Treaty Organization interoperability, counterterrorism, defense transformation and maritime security.

           "Secretary Hagel and Minister Abiyev also discussed the regional situation. Secretary Hagel raised the recent inauguration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and reiterated that it is imperative that Iran take quick steps to resolve the international community's deep concerns over its nuclear program.

           "Secretary Hagel recognizes Azerbaijan's role in fostering regional security and stability, and he looks forward to continuing the strategic partnership."

PROMOTING LOGISTICS INTEROPERABILITY IN PACIFIC

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
U.S.-Australia System Promotes Logistics Interoperability
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2013 - A new logistics tracking system between the United States and Australia will help to ensure faster, more coordinated responses to humanitarian crises and other contingencies while laying the foundation for closer cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region, the senior U.S. Pacific Command logistics director reported.
Pacom, through its U.S. Army Pacific component, and the Australian defense force launched the Pacific Radio Frequency Identification System in April, Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark M. McLeod reported during a telephone interview from the command headquarters at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.
The system incorporates technologies commercial retailers have come to rely on to track their goods from the manufacturer to warehouses and into buyers' hands, McLeod explained.

It also leverages capabilities NATO introduced about three years ago with the standup of a network exchange hub that promotes information sharing about supply shipments bound for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

The NATO system uses radio-frequency identification to automatically locate and track shipments through ISAF-member supply chains. Nations connected to a routing hub in Luxembourg transmit logistics data to other users, giving the entire supply chain real-time visibility on the shipments.

The Pacific Radio Frequency Identification system introduces this capability into the Pacom theater to support rotational U.S. Marine Corps forces in Darwin, Australia, and expanded military-to-military cooperation across the region, McLeod said.

The Defense Department has long used barcode technology to monitor the flow of everything from washers and nuts for a particular aircraft to armored vehicles, he explained. This gives logisticians the ability to track shipments throughout the transportation process and keep tabs on inventory stocks.

The new system takes this effort a step further. It uses radio frequency identification technology to "read" barcode information on both U.S. and Australian military equipment and supplies. Australian RFID readers recognize the barcodes affixed to U.S. shipments flowing through Australia, then automatically transmits the information to the NATO routing hub. U.S. logisticians can then monitor the flow of equipment or shipments through delivery.

"It gives everybody near-real-time access," McLeod said. "When an individual supply-line item passes along a tracking device, it is automatically read up into a database and distributed. There is literally just a matter of seconds involved in the transmission of the information to everyone's servers about where their equipment is."

The new logistics partnership saves the United States the cost of deploying and installing its own RFID systems in Australia at an estimated cost of about $560,000 over the next five years, McLeod said.

"This is a big win for U.S. and Australian forces operating in the Pacific, McLeod said. "This is 'Pacific Rebalance' in action."

With a U.S. defense strategy focused heavily on the Asia-Pacific region and expanded U.S. engagement across the theater, the system supports closer U.S.-Australian interoperability during exercises, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions and other contingencies, he said.

The system also provides a framework that could be expanded in the future to include more regional allies and partners, he said. "This is another example of how partner-nation logistics cooperation effectively and efficiently expands military reach and capability in the Asia-Pacific region," the general added.

Historically, the military has struggled with two primary obstacles to logistics-information technology: incompatible systems that made sharing difficult, and security protocols that limited what information could be shared, and with whom.

The since-dissolved U.S. Forces Command came up with an initial logistics information-sharing system about seven years ago, McLeod said. It required users from one country to email information to their partner-nation counterparts, who downloaded the file and uploaded it onto their own system.

"It was a clunky way of transmitting information, and not in real time," McLeod said. "It depended on how much manpower and how much time you had, so it wasn't an effective or efficient way of sharing information."

The United States and Australia previously attempted to share logistics information using a direct link between their systems, but got bogged down by servers that had trouble talking to each other and accreditation processes that were slow and cumbersome.

They abandoned the project in early 2011 in favor of the current one that leverages NATO capabilities.

"The system is fully operational right now," McLeod said. "It was turned on in early April, and it is up and running."

McLeod emphasized the importance of logistics information-sharing, particularly during the U.S. pivot to the Asia-Pacific region. "Knowing the times and dates when things are going to arrive empowers all the processes that we have in military logistics," he said. "Efficient and integrated international supply chains aren't just important to Wal-Mart. They are critical enablers for warfighters as well."

This capability will be particularly valuable, he said, in the event that nations need to work together to respond to a natural disaster such as the Operation Tomodachi in Japan.

"We are looking more and more toward our partners and our partner capacity to integrate with us and be more fully interoperable," he said. "This is one of those empowering enabler technologies that allow us to do that."

SENATE TOLD AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES ARE SUCCEEDING

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Afghan Forces Achieving Security Success, Official Says
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2013 - Afghan security forces are succeeding in the task of securing their people and their nation, and now the Afghan people are counting on coalition help to navigate the next transition, a senior defense official told a Senate panel today.

Dr. Peter R. Lavoy, acting assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, testified before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations about the envisaged situation in Afghanistan at the end of 2014, when the International Security Assistance Force will end its mission in the country.

"Afghanistan is going through a democratic transition that is unprecedented in that country," Lavoy told the panel, "... so the democratic impulse is very strong and we need to do everything we can to support it and provide the confidence that tomorrow will be better than today ... in Afghanistan."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai will not run in the April 2014 election, the assistant secretary said.

"The outcome of this election is not clear to anyone and we are doing ... everything we can to ensure a successful, fair, free and representative election, but there is uncertainty," he said.

Lavoy said the Afghan army and police have performed with remarkable success.

"Afghan forces now plan and conduct the overwhelming majority of combat operations and also are taking the vast majority of casualties," he said. "... Despite heavy fighting, the Afghans are holding the gains of recent years and the Taliban must come to grips with the fact that they cannot defeat the Afghan national security forces militarily."

The Afghans are encountering resistance and taking many casualties, Lavoy said -- up to 400 soldiers and police every month, he said.

"But they're standing up to that resistance. They are an increasingly professional force that is getting the job done and doing a better job each and every day," he added.

Yet, there are gaps in Afghan capabilities, he added. ISAF provides critical support and assistance, he said, but the largest gaps are at the ministerial level -- at the ministries of Defense and Interior that support the army and police.

"They need a human capital strategy," Lavoy said. "They need to manage contracts, payrolls, food, fuel, other logistics, planning, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, et cetera."

The United States is transitioning in Afghanistan, not leaving, the assistant secretary added.

"We are on track to bring the ISAF mission to a close by the end of 2014 and transition to Operation Resolute Support, a new train, advise and assist mission under a NATO umbrella," Lavoy said.

The United States also plans to conduct a narrowly focused counterterrorism mission, he said.

"The United States and Afghanistan are already negotiating a bilateral security agreement to provide the necessary framework to support the presence of U.S. forces to accomplish these missions," he said. "NATO is also preparing to negotiate such a framework with Afghanistan."

The United States has not decided on the size of the post-2014 military presence, Lavoy added, but the ultimate U.S. presence will be guided by several factors, including the following:

- Progress toward a core goal of defeating al-Qaida in the region;

- The potential for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban;

- Continued progress with the Afghan national security forces;

- Afghanistan's political transition centered on the elections in April 2014;

- The regional setting; and

- Concluding the U.S.-Afghanistan bilateral security agreement in the NATO-Afghanistan Status of Forces Agreement.

"This is a critical time for our shared effort in Afghanistan," Lavoy said. "After more than a decade of war and tremendous sacrifices by the people of the United States, our coalition partners and Afghans, we can see the prospect for peace and stability in Afghanistan."

Strategically the mission is successful with the Afghan security forces in the lead, he added, but there are questions about the future.

"Whether you talk to Americans or especially to Afghans," Lavoy observed, "there will be questions and uncertainties about what happens in the future."

U.S. GEN. AMOS SAYS MARINE TRASITION MOVING AHEAD IN HELMAND PROVINCE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Marine Transition in Helmand Ahead of Schedule, Amos Says

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 26, 2013 - Marine Corps security handoff and equipment recovery efforts in southern Afghanistan as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force are both ahead of schedule, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos said here today.


Amos told the Defense Writers Group that conditions in Helmand province, which he visited last week, are "pretty remarkable" and "dramatically different" from what they were even six months ago.

"I was there at Christmas, and I was there in February, ... and we just got back again," he said. "Even from Christmas, the focus began to [be] the advise-and-assist teams." He noted the 28- or 30-member teams drawn from across the coalition's forces worked with individual Afghan army and police kandaks, or battalions, and their headquarters.

"We brought teams in last fall, and we reorganized the structure" in Helmand from seven Marine Corps infantry battalions to two, Amos said. That demonstrates how well the Afghan army has been doing, he added -- "really well."

The advise and assist teams had been forecast for an intense effort through this year, Amos said, but "we missed the mark on that" because Afghan forces have improved more quickly than expected.

Some teams will be pulled out in the coming months, he added, and the advise-and-assist mission has gone well enough that in southern Helmand, Afghan army and police forces haven't asked for the Marines' operational help in more than a month.

"It's the same thing going up north, except the Taliban have gotten a little bit frisky trying to test the Afghan National Army in places like Sangin," he said.

Over the next year, Marine forces in Helmand will focus on advising at the corps, brigade and provincial government level, Amos said. He added the remaining two infantry battalions also will serve as a transitional "shock absorber" for Afghan forces' logistics, sustainment and training.

"This is what we would hope to happen, but we didn't think it would happen this soon," he said.

Responding to a question on how much Marine Corps equipment would remain behind after the major U.S. troop withdrawal ends in 2014, Amos said that barring any designated for handover to Afghan forces, none will. After the war in Iraq ended, he noted, the Marine Corps learned its lesson.

In Helmand, Amos said, equipment went home along with the Marines, estimating that 65 to 70 percent of Marine Corps gear already is out of the country. "We've been flying equipment out for a year and a half. ... These lots are empty. They're clean," he said.

Transition in Helmand is ahead of schedule, and nobody is running for the doors, Amos said. "We're right where we need to be," he added.

THE LOGISTICS OF THE DRAWDOWN IN AFGHANISTAN

Army Sgt. Andrew Markley, materiel redistribution yard noncommissioned officer for Forward Operating Base Sharana, signals for a rough terrain container handler to move containers at his facility. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Henry Chan

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Centcom Undertakes Massive Logistical Drawdown in Afghanistan

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
TAMPA, Fla., June 21, 2013 - Two years ago, as commander of U.S. Forces-Iraq, Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III was marching against a strict Dec. 31, 2011 deadline to complete the largest logistical drawdown since World War II.

It was a mammoth undertaking, involving troop redeployments and equipment retrogrades that had peaked at the height of coalition operations in 2007 and 2008. At that time, the United States had 165,000 service members and 505 bases in Iraq – all packed to the gills with everything from weapons systems and computers networks to bunking and dining facilities.

Austin had to reduce the force to zero, collaborating with U.S. Central Command to determine whether equipment should return to the United States or be transferred to the Iraqis or sent to Afghanistan to support the war effort there.

Centcom, in lockstep with U.S. Transportation Command and its service components, redeployed the 60,000 troops who remained in Iraq at the time and more than 1 million pieces of equipment ahead of their deadline.

Then-Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, commemorating the end of America's military mission in Iraq at a mid-December 2011 ceremony in Baghdad, praised Austin for conducting "one of the most complex logistical undertakings in U.S. military history."

"Your effort to make this day a reality is nothing short of miraculous," Panetta told Austin.
Today, as the Centcom commander, Austin is facing an even more-daunting challenge as he carries out a larger, more complex drawdown operation, in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's geography, weather and security situation and its limited transportation infrastructure present bigger obstacles than planners ever faced in Iraq, Scott Anderson, Centcom's deputy director for logistics and engineering, said during an interview at the command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base here.

Also, there's also no other combat operation to transfer the mountain of logistics to. Everything has to be transferred to the Afghans, sold to a partner nation, destroyed so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, or returned to the United States, Anderson noted.

First and foremost among the challenges is Afghanistan's landlocked location. There's no ready access to a seaport, and no Kuwait next door, providing an initial staging point for retrograde operations as it did during the Iraq drawdown.

"Kuwait was our 'catcher's mitt,'" Anderson said. "If you were to ask me how long it takes to retrograde out of Iraq, I would say as long as it takes to get across the border to Kuwait."
In contrast, there's no similar "catcher's mitt" for Afghanistan, he said. "Leaving Afghanistan, you can't just go next door to Pakistan or up into Uzbekistan and park. Once the movement begins, you have to keep moving, and the velocity continues until [the shipment] gets home to the U.S."

Outgoing shipments -- about 1,000 pieces of rolling stock and more than 2,000 cargo containers per month -- are moving primarily by air or through ground routes across Pakistan, Eastern Europe and Western Asia known as the Northern Distribution Network, Anderson reported.

When flying equipment out from Afghanistan,"multimodal transport" is the most-favored option. It involves an initial movement to one country, usually by air, then a transfer to another conveyance such as a ship for the rest of the trip.

The shortest and least-expensive ground routes out of Afghanistan pass through Pakistan to its port in Karachi. Centcom and Transcom used the "Pakistan ground lines of communication" for about 70 percent of Afghanistan-bound shipments until the Pakistan government abruptly closed them in November 2011 for seven months over a political dispute, Anderson said.

That forced the United States to make greater use of the Northern Distribution Network, an elaborate network of rail, sealift and trucking lines established in 2009, to sustain forces in Afghanistan, he said. It continues to provide about 80 percent of all sustainment operations.

With agreements in place to channel an ever-increasing amount of retrograde cargo through Pakistan, Anderson said Centcom is satisfied that it has ample capacity to support the drawdown.

But recognizing lessons learned, he said the United States wants to keep every possible exit route open to ensure no single "point of failure" can disrupt the effort. "If you lose a route, you lose capacity," he said. "So you keep your options open. That's why we look to maintain redundant routes and we want to keep those routes 'warm' by using them."

Yet for now, only about 4 percent of retrograde equipment is flowing through the Northern Distribution Network.

One reason, Anderson explained, is that the vast majority of U.S. forces now are operating in eastern Afghanistan, which is closer to Pakistan than the NDN. "The majority of our cargo simply isn't leaving the northern part of Afghanistan," he said.

To get it across Afghanistan to the NDN involves crossing the towering Hindu Kush mountain range -- a logistical challenge that becomes monumental during the winter months.

But there are other complications to making greater use of the Northern Distribution Network, particularly for many of the shipments that initially entered Afghanistan via Pakistan or by air, Anderson explained.

Some of the physical infrastructure simply can't accommodate the heavy equipment being moved. Many of the countries involved have strict rules about what kinds of equipment can and can't transit through their territory -- with particular objection to weapons systems and combat vehicles. In some cases, nations will allow these shipments to cross into their borders -- but only if the contents are covered.

"For retrograde, we have had to renegotiate agreements with all the Central Asian nations" that make up the Northern Distribution Network, Anderson said. "It may not be as viable as route as we would like, but the bottom line is, we need it."

Anderson said he's optimistic that the retrograde is on schedule to meet President Obama's directive that the current force -- about 60,000 -- reduce to 34,000 by February.

"Between now and February, we are going to have a substantial amount of cargo move," he said. Calling the February deadline "achievable," he called it an important milestone toward the Dec. 31 deadline.

Meanwhile, Centcom leaders recognize the operational requirements that continue in Afghanistan, including upcoming elections next spring.

"Some of the equipment that we would otherwise be retrograding must remain because there is an operational imperative there," Anderson said. "So in everything we do, we are working to maintain this balance between operations going on in Afghanistan -- folks who need their vehicles and equipment -- and our ability to retrograde."

Emphasizing that Centcom will continue to sustain forces on the ground throughout drawdown operations, Anderson said signs of the transition underway will become increasingly evident over time.

U.S. bases, which once numbered more than 600, are down to about 100, some closed but most now transferred to the Afghan National Security Forces. Much of the equipment is being shared as well, although strict U.S. laws dictate what kinds of equipment can be transferred to the Afghans or any other partners, Anderson noted.

There's another consideration to weigh: leaving equipment the Afghans can't maintain over the long haul does them no good. "If we know there will be challenges in maintaining what we give them, then giving them more equipment is not going to help," Anderson said.

Meanwhile, Centcom will strive to maintain the highest quality of life for U.S. forces on the ground throughout the drawdown, he said.

One seemingly small change, however, is sending a big signal of what's ahead. Rather than three hot meals each day, U.S. forces in Afghanistan are now getting Meals, Ready to Eat for their mid-day rations.

The idea, Anderson explained, is to use up what's already available in the theater, particularly when shipping it home costs more than it's worth.

"Every day, [Marine] Gen. [Joseph F.] Dunford [Jr., commander of U.S. and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan], sits down at lunch like everyone else and eats his MRE," Anderson said. "It sets a tremendous example." In a small way, he said, it sets the tone for the entire drawdown process.

"We are doing the drawdown in a balanced way, and with concern about the taxpayers' money," Anderson said. "We want to do this in the most economical, most efficient way possible, without causing excess or waste." 
 

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JUNE 24, 2013

 

U.S. soldiers patrol through Kajir Kheyl village in Afghanistan’s Khowst province, June 12, 2013. The U.S. soldiers have partnered with Afghan national security forces to establish relationships with key village elders and learn about the needs of residents. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Robert Porter

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combined Force Arrests Extremists in Wardak Province

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
 KABUL, Afghanistan, June 24, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested two extremists during a June 22 search for a Haqqani network facilitator in the Pul-e Alam district of Afghanistan's Wardak province, military officials reported.


The facilitator oversees transportation and distribution of weapons, ammunition and other supplies to extremist groups and has participated in attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces, officials said.

In a June 21 operation, a combined force in Paktia province's Gardez district wounded an extremist during a search for a Haqqani network leader who leads extremists responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in several provinces. He also oversees improvised explosive device operations and facilitates the acquisition and distribution of weapons.


In June 20 operations:
-- Afghan and coalition forces disrupted an extremist command and control point in Helmand province's Sangin district. The forces seized 33 IED pressure plates, 23 liters of homemade explosives and 10 battery packs.

-- In Ghazni province's Deh Yak district, a combined force arrested a high-level operational commander who supervised the activities of several extremist groups responsible for IED operations and the acquisition and distribution of weapons. The security force also arrested three other enemy fighters.
 

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JUNE 20, 2013



U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk medevac helicopters lift off from former Forward Operating Base Bostik and fly back to Forward Operating Base Wright in Kunar province, Afghanistan, June 5, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brittany Armstrong

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Coalition, Afghan Forces Arrest Extremists in Paktia Province

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, June 20, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested three extremists during a search for a senior Haqqani network leader in the Zurmat district of Afghanistan's Paktia province today, military officials reported.

The Haqqani leader organizes and executes attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and manages supply routes for weapons and equipment.

The security force also seized a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a grenade, six anti-personnel mines, body armor, nine assault rifle magazines and ammunition.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A combined force in Kandahar province's Panjwai district killed a Taliban leader who produced and distributed improvised explosive devices and facilitated the movement of Taliban weapons.

-- Afghan local police in Kandahar's Panjwai district neutralized four IEDs after seeing enemy fighters planting them. Working from the district's newest checkpoint, local police for the village of Pay-e Maluk have neutralized 12 IEDs over the last week in their daily patrols.

-- A combined force in Wardak province's Sayyidabad district killed two extremists during a search for a Taliban leader who controls a group responsible for attacks on Highway 1 targeting Afghan civilians and Afghan and coalition forces. He also coordinates the movement of weapons and performs intelligence and reconnaissance duties for senior Taliban leaders.

-- An Afghan provincial response company uncovered more than 800 pounds of homemade explosive materials near Wardak's Sra Kala village and arrested a suspect.

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JUNE 19, 2013

 

U.S. Army Spc. Stephen Zupp takes a defensive fighting position while training to maintain his tactical skills as a member of a quick reaction force on Jalalabad Airfield in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, June 7, 2013. Zupp, an infantryman, is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's Company C, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class John D. Brown

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combined Force in Kandahar Arrests Taliban Leader

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 19, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and another extremist in Kandahar City, the provincial capital of Afghanistan's Kandahar province, today, military officials reported.


The Taliban leader is responsible for attacks on Afghan and coalition forces, facilitates the movement of weapons in Kandahar City and the province's Shah Wali Kot district, and manages weapons caches.

The security force also seized an assault rifle in the operation.


In other Afghanistan operations today:
-- A combined force in Kandahar City arrested a Taliban facilitator who procures improvised explosive devices, weapons and ammunition and distributes them for attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces. He also manages supply routes into Kandahar province. The security force also arrested six other extremists.

-- In Helmand province's Marjah district, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader who controls groups responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also finances local Taliban cells, coordinates ammunition storage and coordinates IED movement and placement. The security force also arrested five other extremists and seized a shotgun.

-- Also in Helmand's Marjah district, a combined force arrested five extremists during a search for Taliban leader who coordinates, directs and executes attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also passes strategic guidance from senior Taliban leadership to low-level fighters and facilitates movement of IEDs and other equipment. The security force also seized an assault rifle, four magazines and ammunition.


In operations yesterday:
-- In Herat province's Shindand district, Afghan special forces soldiers killed two enemy fighters who attacked them during a patrol near a local police checkpoint.

-- Afghan special forces soldiers detained five enemy fighters in Kandahar's Maiwand district. The Afghan forces planned and executed the unilateral operation to deny the enemy a safe haven in Chesmeth village.



　

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JUNE 17, 2013

Afghan children watch as U.S. soldiers and Afghan national security forces enter their school to deliver humanitarian aid school supplies in Jalalabad City in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, May 25, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jon Heinrich 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Afghan, Coalition Forces Arrest Extremists During Search

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested two extremists during a search for a Taliban leader in the Sar-e Pul district of Afghanistan's Sar-e Pul province yesterday, military officials reported.

The Taliban leader oversees a group responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, facilitates the movement of weapons throughout northern Afghanistan and collects illegal taxes from civilians to fund extremist activities.


In June 15 Afghanistan operations:

-- A combined force in Logar province's Muhammad Aghah district killed five extremists and wounded another during a search for a senior Taliban leader who plans, enables and executes attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitates the movement of improvised explosive device materials, weapons and equipment and supplies extremists with suicide bombs.

-- In Paktia province's Sayyid Karam district, a combined force killed four extremists and wounded another during a search for a senior Haqqani network leader who commands extremist cells that attack Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitates the movement of fighters within Paktia and Khost provinces and coordinates directly with senior Taliban leadership.

-- A combined force in Logar province's Muhammad Aghah district killed two extremists during a search for a Haqqani network leader who oversees ambushes and complex attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He procures IED components, builds IEDs and trains extremists in their use. He also plans suicide IED attacks against Afghan government officials and facilitates the distribution of mines, IEDs, and weapons to extremist cells.

-- Afghan local and uniformed police found and neutralized an IED in Logar province's Baraki Barak district. The national security directorate received a tip about a possible IED and passed the information to the district police chief, who assembled a patrol that found and neutralized the IED after ensuring the safety of nearby civilians.

-- A combined force in Paktia province's Sayyid Karam district killed an extremist and wounded two others during a search for a Haqqani network leader who oversees an IED network.


In June 14 operations:

-- Afghan local police found and destroyed six IEDs in Kandahar province's Panjw'i district while patrolling around a newly established checkpoint.

-- Afghan special forces soldiers, advised by coalition forces, detained three enemy fighters in Farah province's Bala Boluk district during an operation designed to disrupt Taliban activity.

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JUNE 12, 2013

 

A U.S. Marine intravenously hydrates Cane, his military working dog, on Camp Bastion in Afghanistan's Helmand province, June 6, 2013, before conducting a clearing operation. The Marine is assigned to Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 7. Afghan national forces led the clearing operation and the Marines supported it. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kowshon Ye

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill Extremists in Wardak Province

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 12, 2013 - An combined Afghan and coalition security force killed four extremists and wounded another during a search for a senior Taliban leader in the Sayyidabad district of Afghanistan's Wardak province yesterday, military officials reported.

The senior leader controls about 70 extremist fighters responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also oversees local weapons trafficking and reports on extremist operations to higher-ranking Taliban officials.


In other Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- Afghan commandos and special forces soldiers and coalition forces killed an enemy fighter and destroyed homemade explosives and improvised explosive devices in Kandahar province's Panjwai district.

-- A senior Taliban leader was killed in Nangarhar province's Khugyani district. He facilitated the movement of enemy fighters and weapons, and he oversaw a group responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- Afghan forces wounded and arrested an insurgent who was part of a group that attacked an Afghan army patrol in Paktika province's Jani Khel district. The district police chief organized and led the counterattack.

-- A combined force in Logar province's Pul-e Alam district killed four extremists during a search for a senior Haqqani network leader who plans attacks and facilitates the movement of enemy weapons and fighters in the area.







　

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JUNE 11, 2013

 

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Mays participates in a rifle qualification range on Forward Operating Base Farah in Farah province, Afghanistan, June 8, 2013. Mays, a hospital corpsman, is assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Matthew Stroup

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combined Force Kills Extremists in Nangarhar Province

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, June 11, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed five extremists during a search for a senior Taliban leader in the Khugyani district of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province today, military officials reported.

The sought-after Taliban leader coordinates movement of weapons and fighters through the district and oversees a group responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, officials said.

The security force also destroyed a machine gun and several rocket-propelled grenades in the operation.

In Kandahar province's capital city of Kandahar today, a combined force arrested the ranking Taliban official for the province's Panjwai district. He oversees assassinations, improvised-explosive-device attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces, collects illegal taxes to finance extremist activities, and facilitates the movement of weapons.

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JUNE 10, 2013

 

U.S. soldiers conduct a meeting with key village elders in Khowst province, Afghanistan, June 02, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Robert Porter.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMET OF DEFENSE

Combined Force Kills Extremists During Search for Taliban Leader

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases
WASHINGTON, June 10, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed two extremists during a search for a senior Taliban leader in the Warduj district of Afghanistan's Badakhshan province yesterday, military officials reported.

The leader is the province's ranking Taliban official, and he coordinates and facilitates large-scale attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, including a March 13 ambush on Combat Outpost Bara Bara, which resulted in the death of 16 Afghan soldiers, officials said.

He also supports kidnapping operations and illegally taxes the civilians of Badakhshan to fund extremist activities.


In other Afghanistan operations yesterday:
-- Afghan special operations soldiers in Baghlan province's Pul-e Khumri district captured a Taliban leader who builds, stores and distributes improvised explosive devices.

-- A combined force in Kandahar province's capital of Kandahar arrested a Taliban leader who builds IEDs and oversees a group that uses them for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the provincial capital. The security force also arrested two other extremists.

-- In Paktia province's Zurmat district, a combined force arrested five extremists during a search for a Taliban leader who coordinates attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces. He also oversees kidnapping operations and directs the execution of kidnapping victims, raids local villages to extend Taliban power, and relays operational guidance from senior Taliban leadership to his fighters. The security force also seized a rifle in the operation.


In June 8 news and operations:
-- Two U.S. International Security Assistance Force service members and one U.S. civilian were shot and killed by an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform in eastern Afghanistan. ISAF and Afghan officials are continuing to assess the incident and more information will be released as appropriate.

-- A combined force in Sar-e Pul province's Sar-e Pul district killed two enemy fighters who opened fire during a search for a senior extremist leader with ties to the Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The senior leader is responsible for attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces. He facilitates the movement of IED materials, controls several Taliban groups, plans assassinations and kidnappings, and illegally taxes civilians in the area.

-- Afghan commandos killed six enemy fighters in Daykundi province's Gizab district after responding to reports from the district police chief that extremists were attacking local police checkpoints. The commandos recovered two assault rifles.

-- In Paktia province's Sayyid Karam district, a combined force arrested two extremists during a search for a senior Haqqani network leader who coordinates and executes attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and oversees distribution of weapons and equipment. He also interfaces with top Haqqani officials to communicate strategic guidance to front-line fighters. During the operation, the security force found and destroyed a stockpile of weapons and explosives.

-- A combined force in Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district arrested a Taliban leader who oversees a group responsible for attacks and assassinations targeting Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitates the movement of weapons and supplies, and he builds and plants IEDs. The security force also arrested 11 other extremists.


In June 7 operations:
-- In Balkh province's Sholgarah district, a combined force killed a Taliban facilitator who distributed weapons, equipment and ammunition to several extremist networks, and planned attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and illegally taxed and extorted money from local residents. The security force also arrested another extremist.

-- A combined force in Kunar province's Darah-ye Pech district killed an extremist and wounded another while searching for the Taliban's top military official for the province's Waygal district. He facilitates the movement of al-Qaida members in Waygal district, erecting and enforcing illegal checkpoints, kidnapping Afghan officials and leading attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In Kunar province's Watahpur district, a combined force killed three extremists while searching for a senior extremist leader who is responsible for al-Qaida training in the district. Senior al-Qaida leadership sends money, weapons, supplies and new recruits to him for instruction in terrorism operations, and he then leads them in attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces.