THE TASK FORCE THAT WORKS FOR TRANSITION IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Task Force Works Toward Successful Transition in Afghanistan
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2013 - With an eye toward 2014 and lessons learned from the drawdown in Iraq, a new task force in Afghanistan is working to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities that will set the Afghan government and security forces up for future success, the task force commander reported.

The NATO-Afghanistan Transformation Task Force stood up in January as part of the International Security Assistance Force staff, Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael J. Kingsley told American Forces Press Service during a telephone interview from the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Its goal, he explained, is to ensure the well-coordinated transfer or termination of hundreds of tasks being carried out by NATO or U.S. Forces Afghanistan. This includes about 20 tasks identified for transfer to ministries within the Afghan government by December 2014.

Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, who recently retired as the ISAF and U.S. Forces Afghanistan commander, recognized that the transition process in Iraq had started too late, Kingsley said. This overwhelmed both Iraqi government and U.S. interagency capacities, a problem exacerbated when failure to reach a bilateral security agreement speeded up the drawdown timetable.

"This task force was born from the lessons from Iraq," Kingsley said. "General Allen knew the importance of getting ahead of this game to understand what tasks needed to be transferred to which agency, and the need to start that process early."

Building on groundwork laid by a U.S.-headed Interagency Operational Planning Team, the NATTF includes staff from eight ISAF nations and across the interagency spectrum.

One of its first missions was to evaluate 977 tasks ISAF and U.S. forces were carrying out and identify which could be eliminated or had overlap. Based on guidance from the North Atlantic Council about what specific roles NATO will and won't play in Afghanistan in 2015 and beyond, the task force then prioritized what they deemed the 371 tasks critical for transition, Kingsley said.

It's an exercise that's never been done, he acknowledged, noting that it's laying groundwork that can be applied to future missions around the world.

Top priority through the team's paring-down process went to tasks that, if not successfully transferred, would have a negative impact on the success of the entire Afghanistan campaign, Kingsley said. This includes capabilities required for the Afghanistan government's long-term viability, many that need to be built incrementally.

"What we are dealing with is infrastructure and civil-military tasks that have a pretty large consequence to the success of this country," Kingsley said, pointing to aviation and telecommunications as examples.

Seven members of the task force team are dedicated exclusively to the transfer of airport navigational aids and control of civilian airspace and other aviation assets to Afghanistan's Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation.

It's a complex issue, Kingsley explained, involving not just the transfer of assets and infrastructure, but also the development of laws, policies and expertise to run the aviation enterprise. Another part of the equation is getting Afghanistan's three airlines, all now blacklisted by the European Union, up to safety and credibility standards for accreditation.

"All of that has to be developed by the Afghans, because right now they have almost zero capability," Kingsley said. "But aviation transition is vital, because in a landlocked country like this, it is a primary means of commerce."

Meanwhile, a U.S. team is helping the Afghans develop a fiber-optic network around Afghanistan. "The potential for their income revenue is amazing," Kingsley said. "It could reach a potential $1.5 billion per year, if we can successfully transfer that task to the Afghans."

While helping the Afghans build capacity in these and other vital areas, Kingsley acknowledged that it's not likely to be completed and fully operational by December 2014. "So the second part of what we are doing is to enable them to contract that capability to bridge the gap until they gain the capacity," he said.

The task force also is working with the Afghans to ensure a smooth transfer of tasks related to the NATO and U.S. mission in Afghanistan to build up the Afghan national security forces. This covers the gamut, Kingsley said, from medical evacuation and logistics capabilities, to the ability to conduct operations, intelligence and security and provide mobility.

Throughout the process, Kingsley called communication -- across the international community, the interagency and with Afghanistan government leaders -- a vital part of the effort. That helps lay out a timetable for what needs to be done, and when, and to identify shortfalls early on so they don't become surprises later in the drawdown process, Kingsley said.

The carefully planned process not only builds Afghan capacity, he said, but also enables Afghanistan to step up and demonstrate its sovereignty. That, he said, helps allay concern in Afghanistan and among the international community about the country's post-2014 future, he said.

"To me, the biggest challenge is ensuring that [the Afghanistan government] and the Afghans understand and are able to accomplish the tasks that we are going to transfer to them," Kingsley said. "Through this process, we want to ensure they are set up for success."

The successful transfer of civil-military tasks is the next logistical step in the strategic partnership the United States and Afghanistan are building for the future, he said.

"This is big part of building that long-term strategic partnership," Kingsley said.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA VISITS ITALY

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, holds a joint press conference with Italian Defense Minister Giampaolo di Paola in Rome, Jan. 16, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

FROM: U.S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta, in Italy, Addresses Global, Local Issues
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

ROME, Jan. 16, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Italian government officials discussed a range of issues here today, from conflict in Africa to security transition in Afghanistan to Sicilian concerns about a proposed U.S. communications facility there.

The secretary met with government officials including President Giorgio Napolitano, Prime Minister Mario Monti, Foreign Affairs minister Giulio Terzi di Sant' Agata and Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola.

Panetta and Di Paolo, the secretary said during a joint conference, "had a very productive session covering a host of bilateral issues -- Afghanistan, our shared concerns about the situation in Mali, and how to strengthen our defense trade and cooperation for the future."

The secretary noted as the son of Italian immigrants to America, he has always felt a strong connection to Italy. "But as secretary of defense, I have gained a profound new respect for Italy's significant contributions to regional and global security," he added.

Italy is a key member of the NATO alliance and the lead nation for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan's Regional Command West, Panetta said.

"In our session, Minister di Paola and I updated each other on the significant progress our forces are making in building an Afghanistan that can govern and secure itself," he said. "That progress will enable us to reach a key milestone this spring, when Afghan forces shift into the lead for security throughout the country."

The United States is very grateful to Italy for its "steadfast support" in the ISAF effort, he said.

"We will never forget the more than 50 Italians who have died carrying out the mission in Afghanistan," Panetta told the audience.

America is also grateful for Italy's "extraordinary hospitality" in hosting more than 30,000 U.S. service members, civilians and family members on U.S bases in Italy.

Panetta said Aviano Air Base, in northeast Italy; Caserme Ederle, near Vicenza; Naval Air Station Sigonella, in Sicily; and Camp Darby, in the province of Pisa, "enhance the collective security of the alliance."

The U.S. presence in Italy, he said, is "critical to our military's ability to respond to crisis, and to meet challenges in the region and beyond."

The secretary noted he will travel to Vicenza tomorrow, "to personally thank U.S. military personnel who are stationed there."

Together with their Italian military counterparts, he said, young American service members are helping to write a new chapter in the long history of friendship between the two nations.

"I know they are inspired by the same goal my Italian father always told me: we must work hard and protect those we love to build a better life for our children," Panetta said.

During a discussion today with Italian reporters and press traveling with him, the secretary responded to questions on the F-35 joint strike fighter, and on the previously mentioned communications complex in Sicily.

Panetta said the U.S. is fully committed to the fifth-generation F-35, which he called "the future in fighter aircraft."

Italy has partnered with the United States on the fighter since 1998, when the program was in its concept and development phase. Other international partners include the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, Israel and Singapore.

"We have made very good progress in the development of that plane," the secretary said.

"We believe it's a very good investment ... and we appreciate Italy's commitment and willingness to participate," he said. "We believe the F-35 is the plane of the future."

The planned communications facility in Sicily, Panetta said, is intended to provide U.S. forces with advanced defense communications capabilities. He noted Sicilian residents have expressed concerns about possible health hazards the installation may present.

"I understand the concerns of the people there," he said.

The secretary said he and Di Paola are working to address those concerns, and that studies performed to date indicate no risks to health will result from the installation.

"But I want to make sure that we do everything possible to address the concerns of those residents," he said. "They, too, have to be convinced that this is something that can be done without impacting their health or well-being."

DEFENSE SECRETARY PANETTA DISCUSSES TRASITION WITH AFGHAN PRESIDENT KARZAI

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta spoke with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the telephone yesterday, discussing the "significant progress" of American and Afghan forces as the transition process moves forward, said Pentagon Press Secretary George Little.
　
The two leaders talked about the challenges of insider attacks against coalition and Afghan forces, and Panetta thanked Karzai for his recent statements condemning such attacks, Little said in a statement.
　
"They expressed shared concern over this issue and agreed that American and Afghan officials should work even more closely together to minimize the potential for insider attacks in the future," Little said.


Panetta also encouraged Karzai to maintain ongoing rapport with Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, International Security Assistance Forces commander, in efforts to further strengthen ISAF-Afghan cooperation and counter the insider attack threat, Little said.
　
Measures to counter the threat include augmented counterintelligence, more rigorous vetting of Afghan recruits and heightened engagement with village elders, who often play a key role by vouching for Afghan security personnel, Little added.