Rodriguez: Afghans Rise Above Taliban’s Desperation

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2011 – Sensational, high-visibility attacks on Afghan government officials and security forces represent a desperate enemy strategy to intimidate the Afghan people and shake the trust and confidence they are developing for their leaders and institutions, a top commander in Afghanistan said today.

Army Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and deputy commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, told a Center for a New American Security forum he expects this spate of attacks to continue.

“The Taliban cannot expect to regain territory,” he said via videoconference from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., where he is helping to train the Army’s 1st Corps leadership and European Reaction Corps for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

“So right now they are attempting to degrade the trust the coalition and Afghans have in each other through insider attacks, as well as to intimidate the people in hopes of making them believe that their government cannot protect them,” he said.

“But so far, the partnership remains strong,” Rodriguez continued. “And in many places, the people aren’t buying the fact that the government cannot protect them.”

One of the best indications, he said, is how quickly people return to normal daily activities after each attack.

Rodriguez reported that the death of Osama bin Laden has had no impact on the ground in Afghanistan and emphasized that the mission remains the same: to deny al-Qaida sanctuary and prevent the Taliban from retaking Afghanistan.

“Our progress in achieving our objectives and making Afghanistan a place inhospitable to terrorists is indisputable,” he said. “But it remains fragile and reversible.”

Rodriguez expressed confidence in the strategy designed to build on this progress that focuses on “critical terrain” within Afghanistan. This involves committing most manpower and other resources to key population, economic and transportation centers he called particularly critical to Afghanistan’s long-term stability.

“We are largely able to focus the majority of our coalition and international efforts where we need them and when we need them,” he said. “And when we do this, our resources are sufficient. And I can’t overemphasize what a big idea that has been to our effort.”

Rodriguez lauded successes in developing Afghan security forces -- now numbering more than 284,000 -- ahead of schedule. “There is no doubt they can and will fight,” he said. “And their operational effectiveness in destroying the enemy and protecting their people grows daily.”

The general said he believes the goal of getting Afghan security forces into the lead throughout Afghanistan by the end of 2014 is achievable. At the platoon and company level, they’re “enormously capable of conducting operations with little assistance,” he said. So the coalition focus is on building headquarters capacity, he explained, and eventually leaving in place “only the critical enablers” such as medical evacuation and access to joint effects and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets.

In the meantime, Rodriguez said, he regularly emphasizes to his field commanders the need to continually challenge their Afghan counterparts.

“We have got to push our Afghan partners to start leading more and more,” he said. “We have to start taking more risks in this regard and having more trust in them.”

Rodriguez expressed similar confidence in Afghan leaders, who he said are increasingly stepping up to lead their people, and the expansion of the government’s presence across Afghanistan in a way that holds key terrain once it has been cleared. He underscored the importance of district governments, which he called the “first line of assistance for the villagers” against what is essentially a rural insurgency.

Unlike in the past -- where development was less targeted and often didn’t result in security gains, and the same ground had to be cleared over and over again -- the “key terrain” construct helps to ensure gains made stick, he said.

“Now we are much better off,” he said. “We spend the bulk of our military effort on degrading or destroying insurgent infrastructure, to include the leadership, but we also ensure that the planning for local security and good governance begins early enough to be inserted and follow on as soon as the conditions allow.”

This plan, Rodriguez said, is based on recognition that absent a sweeping political settlement, “the best chance of stabilizing Afghanistan is to mobilize the people to demand the fulfillment of their modest requirements.”

The Afghan people, their government and their security forces all working together toward a common purpose “will squeeze out enough of the enemies of the Afghan people to build sufficient stability for Afghanistan in the future,” the general said. Except for a reliable flow of funding from the Afghan capital of Kabul to fund operating costs and provide basic services, Rodriguez said, most of those requirements must be fulfilled at the local levels.

Rodriguez expressed hope that strategy under way will ensure sufficient security across Afghanistan, but recognized that “operational and tactical successes will take us only so far, given the time constraints we believe we will be under.”

He laid out plans to build ever-expanding security zones, particularly in key areas to the south and east, through 2014. But by the end of that year, Rodriguez said, the security pockets are expected to extend to all the areas the Afghans and coalition believe will create the stability needed to stabilize the entire country.

In the meantime, Rodriguez cited progress toward that goal, particularly during last year’s focus in the Central Helmand River Valley, once the insurgency’s stronghold, and in current operations in Kandahar province. In addition, Kabul, home to one-fifth of the population, is one of the safest regions of the country.

Similar gains are being realized in the east, but Rodriguez recognized that this area is expected to be “the toughest part of the tough neighborhood that will be Afghanistan for a long time.”

Despite “truly incredible” operations under way in Regional Command East, with “pretty remarkable” results, “we have a way to go in the east,” he acknowledged. “And nowhere will the Afghan security forces be challenged more,” the general added.

Looking to the future, Rodriguez said his greatest concern is to preserve these gains as the United States begins its drawdown in Afghanistan.

“I am concerned about a drawdown that is not totally aligned with growing Afghan capabilities, or is so rapid that the army and police make mistakes or temporarily leave gaps that, while not critical in and of themselves, make the people’s shaky confidence waver and their survival instincts rise to the forefront,” he said. “If this happens, the Taliban can regain their foothold among a fearful population.”

Rodriguez also expressed concern about support for the insurgency that continues to flow mostly from the ungoverned areas of Pakistan, as well as the parochial interests of some of the formal and informal leaders around Afghanistan.

“This is unacceptable,” he said. “And the Afghans, together with the coalition, have to start addressing these challenges more effectively.”

Standing up to that challenge requires what Rodriguez said has yet to be achieved: striking the proper balance between respecting Afghan sovereignty and demanding that Afghanistan adheres to the non-negotiable responsibilities that come with that sovereignty.

This includes stopping leaders “who steal money, opportunity and respect from the Afghan citizens,” he said. It also requires demanding that the Afghan government stop those formal and informal power brokers who are directly harming U.S. and Afghan forces, he added.

Looking to the future and troop drawdown in Afghanistan, Rodriguez emphasized that the coalition “will not chase transition.”

“There is no faster way to dilute our efforts that we have worked so hard to focus on for the last several years and undo all we have accomplished [than] just to chase transition,” he said. “We are going to … execute a plan that the Afghans have developed with us, and the natural outcome of that will be transition.”

Rodriguez called for a strategic agreement by 2014 that paves the way for the U.S.-Afghan relationship from one of wartime expedient footing to normalization. Doing so, he said, will offer assurances of long-term commitment, not just to the Afghan people, but also to the enemy.

DOD Works Toward Successful Transition in Iraq

By Elaine Sanchez

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2011 – The recent Middle East turmoil underscores the importance of an active U.S. engagement in Iraq and a “shoring up” of relations with key regional partners, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East said yesterday.

“[The Defense Department] strongly believes we must remain focused on Iraq in order to advance our broader regional objectives of peace, prosperity and security,” Colin Kahl told the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Middle East and South Asia subcommittee.

In his opening remarks, Kahl provided an assessment of the security situation in Iraq as the United States transitions from a military- to civilian-led effort there, and the importance of establishing the groundwork for a long-term partnership with the nation.

While terrorist and militia attacks continue to pose a threat, Kahl acknowledged, the underlying security situation in Iraq remains strong. With Iraqi security forces leading the way, attack levels have remained near their lowest levels of the entire war over the past two years.

“This is particularly remarkable, considering that the Iraqi security forces have assumed primary responsibility for security for the entire country,” he said, “and our U.S. force numbers have declined from roughly 144,000 -- when the Obama administration came into office in January of 2009 -- to roughly 47,000 today.”

Since they took the security lead Jan. 1, 2009, Iraqi security forces have “more capably embraced” their role with each passing month, Kahl noted, a role further cemented Sept. 1, 2010, as Operation Iraqi Freedom became Operation New Dawn, reducing troop numbers and signifying the end of the combat mission there.

The combat mission’s end did not, however, signify the end of U.S. support. The United States continues to support Iraqi forces through training, equipping, mentoring and advising, Kahl said.

However, “we need to be clear that the Iraqis are very much in charge, and they simply no longer need such large numbers of U.S. forces to help them keep the violence in check,” Kahl said.

Kahl acknowledged an ongoing threat from terrorist and militia groups, citing two deadly attacks in May. A series of car bombs mid-month targeting Iraqi policemen killed more than two dozen people, and another series of attacks by al-Qaida in Iraq later that month left 14 dead and dozens wounded.

“Iraq still faces dangerous and determined enemies,” he said, “but it is important to emphasize that these enemies do not have the support of the Iraqi people, and these attacks have not sparked a return to widespread insurgency or communal civil war.”

Beyond efforts to build Iraqi security forces and draw down forces there, the Defense Department and other agencies also are undertaking “unprecedented levels of coordination and planning” for the transition, he said. In particular, DOD is working closely with the State Department to achieve a successful transition, he added, citing several examples.

The Defense Department embedded a staff officer within the transition team to serve as a liaison and work day-to-day issues with the State Department, Kahl said. Also, he added, the Defense and State departments have established a steering group to review status and progress in areas such as supply chain, equipment, contracting, medical, facilities and construction, information technology, security and aviation.

To quickly respond to equipment requests, a combined equipping board was established in January to feed recommendations for equipment sourcing to senior leaders.

Finally, the Defense and State departments established a team in each of the remaining locations in Iraq to assess and address issues that may arise after these sites transition, Kahl said.

“As one would expect with a transition of this scope and complexity, challenges exist,” he said, “but rest assured that DOD is doing everything it can to help the State Department achieve success.”

Challenges aside, the nation’s ongoing engagement in Iraq remains vital, Kahl noted.

“We are now at the point where the strategic dividends of our tremendous sacrifices and huge investments in Iraq are within reach, as long as we take the proper steps to consolidate them,” he said. “A long-term strategic partnership with Iraq based on mutual interests and mutual respect continues to present many advantages.”

Combined Force Captures al-Qaida Operative

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 2, 2011 – A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured an al-Qaida facilitator and two associates in the Nahr-e Shahi district of Afghanistan’s Balkh province yesterday, military officials reported.

The Pakistan-based attack planner is a close associate of senior al-Qaida insurgents, officials said, and is believed to have been with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 2001.

In other operations in Afghanistan yesterday:

-- Based on intelligence tips, a combined force detained numerous suspected insurgents in the city of Mazar-e Sharif in Balkh province while searching for a Taliban leader who coordinates and conducts bombing attacks against Afghan government officials and security forces.

-- A combined force acting on intelligence information captured a Taliban leader who directs about 45 enemy fighters and one of his associates in Kandahar province’s Panjwai district.

-- An International Security Assistance Force patrol found and destroyed 99 pounds of marijuana in Kandahar’s Panjwai district.

-- In Khost province’s Sabari district, a combined force captured a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator and two of his associates. The facilitator is responsible for transport of homemade bombs targeting Afghan and coalition forces. The security force found and confiscated an assault rifle with ammunition and a chest rack.

-- In Logar province’s Baraki Barak district, an Afghan-led combined force detained two suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader responsible for planning attacks targeting Afghan forces and moving weapons and ammunition to other insurgents.

-- An Afghan-led combined force in Ghazni province’s Gelan district detained numerous suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader who plans bombing attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces along Highway 1 in Zabul province’s Shah Joy district.

-- A combined force in Nuristan province’s Do Ab district found and confiscated six rocket-propelled grenade rounds, 200 7.62 mm machine-gun rounds, an 82 mm mortar base plate and an assault rifle magazine.

Face of Defense: Service Comes Naturally for Squad Leader

By Army Spc. William A. Joeckel

U.S. Division Center

BAGHDAD, June 2, 2011 – Army Sgt. Marcus Chatman, a U.S. Division Center distribution squad leader with the 1st Infantry Division’s Company F, 1st “Vanguard” Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, has consistently lived a life of service to the United States in one way or another.

From serving in the Marine Corps, being a police officer in his hometown of Detroit, to deploying twice with the Vanguard Battalion to Iraq, Chatman has worked a variety of jobs that have not always been the safest. However, he is determined to continue his service to his country.

“I have always been employed in a job that had an ‘us versus them’ mentality,” he said. “I never had what civilians call a ‘normal’ job.”

Chatman joined the Marines in 1992 as a maintenance management specialist and served at El Toro, Calif., for three years. His first deployment came in 1994 during Operation Vigilant Warrior to Saudi Arabia. He left the Marine Corps in 1999 and returned to Detroit.

In 2000, Chatman joined the Detroit Police Department and, due to his military background, was assigned to one of the most unruly precincts in the city.

“They put me in the worst precinct on the midnight shift because I was a Marine,” he said. “My first form of combat happened in the city of Detroit, not while in the military. All I had was my pistol and my partner. I didn’t have air support, protection or a team to back me up like I do today in the Army.”

Chatman left the police department after three years because he missed being a Marine. He returned to the Corps in the same job he previously held.

After another four years as a Marine, Chatman returned to the Detroit Police Department, then joined the Army after a year in his old precinct.

“I had a friend who always talked about the Army, so I gave it a shot,” he said. “I have never been scared to do what I wanted to do. If I wasn’t working somewhere that I liked, I’d change it.”

Enlisting as a motor transport operator at the age of 36, Chatman was sent to Company F of the Vanguard Battalion in November 2008. He was then deployed to Iraq in 2009 with the unit, and was awarded the Combat Action Badge when a rocket-propelled grenade was launched at his vehicle.

Chatman is now serving in his second deployment to Iraq with the Vanguards as a squad leader in the ammunition section. He said he enjoys being a member of the unit because he doesn’t feel held back from being an effective leader.

“This unit is the first and only Army unit that I’ve been to,” he said. “The leadership in this unit is so squared away and hardcore, I benefit from being a part of this team.”

His soldiers have great respect for him. Army Cpl. Lonnie Worley, a petroleum supply specialist with Company F and a Seneca, S.C., native, said Chatman is hard to describe.

“Sergeant Chatman has stories for everything,” Worley said. “He’s very competitive, in that he wants his squad to be the best at what they do.”

Army Pfc. Christopher Rivera, a member of Chatman’s squad and a Waipahu, Hawaii, native, said working with Chatman makes it pleasurable to come to work, due to his sense of humor and his dedication to his soldiers.

“He always keeps us going through our days with his funny sense of humor, but also keeps pushing us to be the best we can be,” Rivera said.

Chatman attributes his success in being a leader to his unusual life experience.

“Being an older [noncommissioned officer] makes it is easy to communicate — I have seen a lot of stuff,” he said. “It is important to find your soldiers’ motivation and then exploit that to help them maximize their potential. Troops will follow you if you are willing to break a sweat with them.”

Chatman has been serving in the military for one-third of his life, and plans to continue his career in the Army.

“I figure that I’ll be working until I’m 100 anyways,” he said. “You have to love what you are doing or you won’t be an effective leader.”

NATO to Build on Lessons of Afghanistan for Future

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2011 – A week after NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen made a firsthand assessment of progress in transferring increased security responsibility to Afghan security forces, the alliance’s supreme allied commander for transformation is focused on building on lessons learned in Afghanistan for the future.

Rasmussen visited Afghanistan last week to reaffirm NATO’s long-term commitment as seven sections of the country, including the city of Herat in western Afghanistan, prepare to transition to Afghan security responsibility July 1. Speaking during an online video blog, Rasmussen called the city “an example of how Afghanistan can start progress toward Afghan leadership.”

Lauding progress made during meetings that included International Security Assistance Force Commander Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Senior Civilian Representative for Afghanistan Simon Gass, Rasmussen made clear during a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai that NATO won’t turn its back on Afghanistan.

“Those who threaten Afghanistan’s future should be under no illusion,” he said. “NATO is and remains committed to Afghanistan."

Meanwhile, operating at the only U.S.-based NATO command, in Norfolk, Va., French air force Gen. Stephane Abrial, NATO’s supreme allied commander for transformation, emphasized the importance of building on lessons learned by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

“My hope is that we do not lose the lessons we have identified and learned in Afghanistan,” he said. “We need to keep them to prepare the troops for the future, and also to continue developing the know-how [and] the capabilities we need for this type of warfare.”

But Abrial emphasized that NATO forces can’t concentrate only on those lessons, thinking that “the last war we have fought is the same as the future war we are going to be facing.”

“We need to keep an open mind,” he said, keeping prepared to address the full spectrum of challenges from conventional to nonconventional warfare. That concept needs to guide the way the alliance prepares, organizes and equips for the future, he said.

“We need … to make sure that for the future, we can be ready for anything,” Abrial continued. “Who knows what is going to happen tomorrow? … Will there be another crisis somewhere else? Will we be asked to intervene somewhere, and in which form, which fashion?”

What applied to Afghanistan may not apply elsewhere, he warned.

“We cannot say, ‘OK, whatever happens, we will do a new Afghanistan again. No way,” Abrial said. “So don’t forget the important lessons – but don’t concentrate [only] on this type of environment.”

Abrial called the flexibility provided by NATO’s new strategic concept key to ensuring the alliance remains relevant as it faces the future.

“To make sure that we can face any kind of challenge that will arise in the next 10 years, flexibility is absolutely paramount,” he said. “We have to make sure the concept will not be made obsolete when we encounter the first strategic surprise. And if you look at history, military history is just a string of strategic surprises.”

Surprises in the future are certain, Abrial asserted. “The challenge is that we can face the surprise, and be ready to solve the crisis we will face,” he added.

Abrial shared Rasmussen’s commitment to seeing the mission through in Afghanistan, calling it a demonstration of NATO’s unity. As the security transition takes place there, Abrial said, he believes the forces freed up could be reinvested somewhere else, possibly as trainers.

“So my vision is that NATO is on the right track, and that the nations will continue to … make this transition possible, together,” he said.

(This is the third article in a series about how the Defense Department and the military services, as well as NATO, plan to maintain combat effectiveness and readiness as the current operational tempo begins to decline.)

Winter Gains Position Coalition Forces for July Transition

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2011 – Significant gains during winter fighting have wrested key areas from the Taliban and set the stage for July’s transition of the first provinces and district centers to Afghan control, an International Security Assistance Force official said today.

Australian army Maj. Gen. Michael Krause, ISAF Joint Command’s deputy chief of staff, briefed reporters at the Pentagon live via digital video conference from the command’s headquarters in Kabul.

The Joint Command is responsible for operations throughout Afghanistan. Krause serves as senior plans officer with Army Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander of ISAF Joint Command.

They’re on track for the first group of coalition troops to transition by about the end of July, Krause said.

“And while there is a bit of work to be done,” he added, “there's also a bit of actual excitement on behalf of the Afghans, and they're almost ready. We're confident it's going to work.”

The first transition “will put about 22 percent of the population, including the capital, Kabul, under Afghan control,” Krause said.

One area that will transition is Lashkar Gah, the general said, which is in the middle of a key area in central Helmand that combined forces cleared over the winter and that Afghan security forces now hold and secure.

Krause said other transition areas include Mehtar Lam near Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif, Herat and the Bamiyan province.

Kabul and centers of Taliban movement in Kandahar are among the gains made this winter, the general said. “It is our operational objective to retain that area this year,” he added.

“We know the Taliban want it back, and we’re going to continue working hard to hold it,” Krause said. “We believe that by retaining that key area of Kandahar and central Helmand, we’ll have an operational-level effect and it will represent a significant achievement.”

Despite recent incidents and losses -- including Kandahar provincial police chief Khan Mohammad Mujahid and northern Afghanistan police chief Gen. Mohammed Daud Daud -- Krause said he has confidence and hope for the mission.

“We have to see the complete picture,” the general said. “We have to take a longer-term view. And we look for indicators that have an enduring effect.”

From that perspective, Krause said, “we feel that we have made real progress. While it's always reversible and is fragile, the momentum is such to suggest to us that what we have can be made enduring and can be made robust.”

Today, the general said, coalition forces are living through insurgency attempts to reverse that momentum.

“We've seen suicide attacks in the center of Kabul, in Kandahar, in Herat and Takhar,” he said, that have killed civilians, Afghan officials, Afghan soldiers, and police and coalition troops.

“They've grabbed a lot of headlines, but they've grabbed nothing of operational significance,” Krause added.

“The combined team retains the operationally significant populated areas it started the year with,” the general said. “We are solidifying and hardening the gains, and we're expanding in many areas.”

Importantly, he added, “we've seen no weakening or doubt in the minds of the Afghan people. They are amazingly resilient. They've filled the positions of those who were killed and they continue to reject the Taliban.”

An increased number of tip-offs about weapons caches is a sign of growing confidence in coalition forces by local Afghans, Krause noted.

During winter operations in the Sangin area, near Musa Qaleh and the Kajaki Dam area in Regional Command Southwest, and in the northern parts of Kandahar toward Arghandab, coalition forces found traditional caching areas and, Krause said, “took a lot of weapons and explosives off the battlefield, far more than we'd seen previously.”

“The really important thing for us was not only taking it off the battlefield,” the general added, “but the fact that the vast majority were actually handed in or tipped off to us by the locals.”

Every day the combined team retains the key areas of Kabul, Kandahar and central Helmand, Krause said, the Afghan army and police get a little stronger and a little more proficient. “Local leaders get better, and opportunities for development emerge and start to flourish, and that all leads to a stable Afghanistan,” he added.

The coalition temporary surge of 40,000 troops has created a permanent Afghan surge of 80,000 troops, the general said.

“I work with them daily, and I'm impressed by their courage. I'm impressed with their growing professionalism and indeed their capability,” he said. “They do get better every day.”

Live from Iraq: Iron Hawks ready to fly home

By Lt. Col. Marty Pond

Commander, 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment, Wisconsin Army National Guard

By Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs

The seasons are changing, and summer is just over the horizon. May has brought flowers to Wisconsin and the mighty 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment — the Punishers — of the Maryland Army National Guard to Iraq. And as folks back home complete spring cleaning and prepare for summer, the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment — Iron Hawks — is preparing to return to Wisconsin, and Michigan, Indiana and Washington D.C.

The Punishers on the ground here in Iraq, conducting the relief in place (RIP) process which allows them to assume the mission we have held the past several months. They are a fantastic group of Soldiers, and we have welcomed them as brothers in arms with the same professional enthusiasm we have faced every challenge over the past year.

Your Soldiers have performed above expectations throughout the past year. They have earned and received the 2010 Army Aviation Association of America’s John J. Stanko award as the best helicopter unit in the Army National Guard. That is a rightful recognition of their excellence, but it hardly scratches the surface of their many accomplishments.

The strength of this battalion is the unmatched performance of our companies. Each company has set a new standard of performance, and raised the bar of expectations for every other unit to follow. Every company has grown stronger and lived up to the motto of the 1st Infantry Division (the unit we supported in Iraq) — “No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great.” Our men and women developed new ways to meet the challenges and never failed a mission.

The strength behind our companies is our Soldiers. Each Soldier was essential in the success of our mission as they found the internal fortitude to overcome the challenges of this deployment, and to support each other during a very demanding, but ultimately satisfying, year.

Our Soldiers share an uncommon bond. Only one percent of the U.S. population have served in the military — your Soldier has paid for membership in a unique group of volunteers. Their service has been recognized with medals and awards, but also with something less tangible yet more rewarding — for the rest of their lives, they belong to a brotherhood of arms, a brotherhood forged by great sacrifice. This is a bond that can never be broken. Your Soldier has paid the price and earned this right.

Without your support — the families and friends of our Soldiers — none of this would have been possible. Our nation, the U.S. Army, the National Guard organizations of Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Washington, D.C., our battalion and I owe you a debt of gratitude we can never repay. You have also, with your sacrifices and your support, earned entry into an elite group of Americans.

Thank you for your support over the many long months. I look forward to seeing you when our Soldiers return home. And thanks as well to the men and women of the 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment for taking the mission and moving forward.

Seabees Take to the Night to Beat the Afghan Heat

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class(SCW) Christopher Carson

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (NNS) -- The Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 have started to work at night May 27 in order to eliminate heat injuries associated with the high heat of Afghanistan during summer days.

NMCB 3 has been deployed to Afghanistan since October and the Seabees have endured the harsh cold of the winter and now the brutal summer heat, reaching temperatures greater than 100 F.

The direct sunlight itself is not the only danger, it also heats up metal tools and materials.

"The metal building we are working on gets hot under the sun and increases heat casualty risk," said Chief Builder (SCW) Benjamin Campbell, the battalion safety officer.

Campbell also said that in this environment, skin contact with metal tools or material could result in burns and the high temperatures and direct sunlight also increase the risk of dehydration, heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

The night projects include a 90 foot by 40 foot metal building called a K-span that is being built to house tools and materials in the battalion supply yard. The battalion is also remodeling a building that will serve as the new medical office and treatment spaces. At these projects the Seabees use an outdoor flood light known as a light plant for night time illumination.

Structural projects are not the only items being worked during the cooler night conditions. Alfa Company handles heavy equipment operations and maintenance and have been working during night to repair their equipment, as well as complete routine preventative maintenance.

"Working at nights makes it easier to keep going at a steady pace," said Construction Mechanic 3rd Class (SCW) Bobby Brown. "Since we have been working nights repair and maintenance completion for equipment has increased."

The battalion communication shop has also placed and buried more than 3000 feet of fiber optic cable in order to improve the computer-network performance throughout the camp. Placing the cable at night has not only helped beat the heat but it also made it easier to work with less foot and vehicle traffic in the way.

NMCB 3 is an expeditionary element of U.S. Naval Forces providing construction, engineering and security services in support of national strategy, Naval power projection, humanitarian assistance and contingency operations.

Regional Support Links Commands in Afghanistan

By Ian Graham

Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2011 – Members of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force are working hard toward helping Afghanistan become a self-reliant nation by 2014.

And that mission involves the training of Afghan security forces, as well as killing and arresting insurgents, said a senior U.S. Army officer posted in Afghanistan.

Army Col. Howard Arey, chief of staff for NATO Training Mission Afghanistan’s deputy commander for regional support, yesterday spoke during a “DOD Live” bloggers roundtable about how ISAF officials coordinate and integrate the NATO training mission with regional commands and Afghan security forces.

They do three things, he said: “They integrate, they build, and they sustain.”

Arey said integration comes into play primarily in training. Regional support commanders make sure training sites are well-run and well-led so NATO trainers can provide the best training for future Afghan soldiers and police.

“We've got over 60 training sites and trainers -- and we have a capacity of over 30,000 a month of what we can train in the Afghan National Army and police,” he said. “And that happens all over the country of Afghanistan.”

The colonel said regional commands also provide the security necessary for major construction projects carried out by U.S. Army and Air Force engineers. Regional commands also build their own tactical infrastructure.

“I'm talking about police substations and combat outposts and forward operating bases,” Arey said. “Each of these [regional] commanders has an organic engineer cell that's out on the ground every day, building the tactical infrastructure so that the Afghan National Army and police can get down to where the fight is at.”

Sustainment comes in a variety of ways, Arey said. Providing support for troops on the ground, assisting with Afghan security force operations and continued integration with other forces in the country is a job that won’t stop until NATO’s mission there is complete, he added.

Embedding troops with newly trained Afghan units is one way regional commands help to sustain Afghanistan, the colonel said.

Going into the future, sustainment will become an Afghan matter, but for now, Arey said, the training command’s regional support function is there to help.

“We've still got some growing to do [to meet Afghan forces’ recruiting goals], and we'll continue to do that both in the army and the police, but we are very much looking forward to the next stage -- what happens when you get to steady state,” the colonel said.

“The training doesn't just stop,” he added. “Just like in the United States military, soldiers will leave the military and they'll have to be replaced. There will always be this continuous need for training and regenerating the force.”

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Richard C. Emmons III, 22, of North Granby, Conn., died May, 31, in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with a rocket propelled grenade.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.

For more information the media may contact the Fort Drum Public Affairs Office at 315-772-8286.

Afghan-led Forces Nab Insurgent Facilitator

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2011 – An Afghan-led combined security force captured an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan facilitator along with several of his associates yesterday evening during a security operation in the Mazar-e Sharif district of Afghanistan’s Balkh province, military officials reported.

The facilitator assisted with the May 28 attack against the Takhar provincial governor’s palace that killed and wounded Afghan government officials and Afghan civilians, including the Afghan National Police commander, and the provincial chief of police. Recent reports indicate that the facilitator had been in direct contact with Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leaders in Pakistan, providing them with specific reports on the damage effects of the May 28 blast.

The combined Afghan and coalition force was able to locate the facilitator at a compound in Mazar-e Sharif. Afghan members of the force assaulted the compound where they found the facilitator along with several associates. He identified himself to the security force and was immediately taken into custody.

The security force was able to identify several other individuals with suspected links to the facilitator. All men were detained and taken for further processing. No shots were fired.

In other operations yesterday:

-- A combined Afghan and coalition security force detained more than 10 suspected insurgents yesterday during an overnight security operation targeting a Taliban leader in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province. The leader has participated in attacks against Afghan security forces. Additionally, he facilitates lethal aid for Taliban fighters in the district. Afghan members of the force interviewed several individuals about the leader’s location. Based on the information provided, the force was able to detain more than 10 individuals with suspected ties to local Taliban activities. The force completed the search without the use of force and it protected the women and children.

-- Several suspected insurgents were killed yesterday by coalition forces after they were observed drying homemade explosive chemicals and filling containers with the materials in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province. Coalition air assets fired upon the insurgents, resulting in several insurgents being killed.

-- A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Haqqani network leader yesterday during a security operation in the Khost district of Khost province. The leader coordinated homemade bomb emplacements and direct attacks targeting the Afghan National Army. He also acquired weapons for fellow insurgents. The Afghan-led security force tracked the leader to a compound in the district. As they arrived at the targeted compound, an Afghan member of the force called out to the residents in the compound, asking them to exit the buildings peacefully. The force secured the safety of the civilians and searched the compound. The force was able to identify the insurgent leader during questioning and he was taken into custody. The operation concluded with no shots fired and no civilians harmed.

-- In Paktika province’s Bermal district yesterday, a combined Afghan and coalition security force detained one suspected insurgent. The Afghan-led force conducted the clearance operation to disrupt Taliban and Haqqani network activity in the district. This area is known for fighter facilitation and insurgent training. The force searched the targeted village looking for insurgent activity. They cleared several buildings and conducted interviews with residents. They were able to detain one individual with suspected ties to insurgent activity. They also confiscated several small-arms weapons while searching the area. No shots were fired and no civilians were harmed during the operation.

Bagram Hospital Provides Care to All Who Need It

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, June 1, 2011 – The announcement over the hospital intercom blared the news: more casualties were arriving, many that the staff knew would need near-heroic measures to survive.

The Staff Sgt. Heathe N. Craig Joint Theater Hospital, one of the largest and best-equipped trauma facilities in Afghanistan, was preparing during that day last month for its next round of incoming patients.

It had been a busy day in what has shaped up to be a busy year for the hospital, Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Guillermo Tellez, the hospital commander, acknowledged.

Thirteen trauma patients already had arrived from throughout the Regional Command East area of Afghanistan. The operating rooms were bustling, tending to the needs of troops suffering the results of improvised explosive devices, gunshots and other battlefield wounds.

One soldier, suffering severe stomach wounds, had just lost his squad leader in an attack. “It’s tough hearing their stories,” said Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Vik Bebarta, the emergency room director. “But we take care of them, and try to help them realize that they can relax now, because they are in good hands.”

The night’s casualties were the latest of more than 2,300 trauma patients treated at the hospital during the first three months of 2011 alone, more than a quarter of them suffering the most severe “Level 1” traumas.

Walking through the hospital corridors, Tellez paused outside the room of a 12-year-old Afghan girl under his care. “Soldiers were walking along a trail and they found her,” suffering a traumatic head injury, he explained. “She had just been left there, so they brought her in, and we are taking care of her.”

Continuing the walk, Tellez strolled past another bed in another section of the hospital. The patient was hooked up to all kinds of medical equipment -- breathing tubes, intravenous feeding tubes, the works. His chances of survival, Tellez said, were slim. Unlike the other patients, this one had a patch over his eyes. A military police soldier sat next to him as night set in at the hospital.

This patient was a detainee, Tellez explained. He was picked up during an operation and brought to the hospital to receive the same level of care provided to every wounded U.S. and coalition service member and every Afghan security force member or civilian brought to the facility.

Caring for the enemy “can be hard,” he acknowledged.

“We know he may have been involved in hurting our own,” he added. No other country in the world adheres so closely to that ethical standard, Tellez said.

“Only in America,” he said. “It is truly what makes us special. We care for all.”

Wounded Soldier to Receive Medal of Honor

Army News Service

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2011 – An Army Ranger who lost his right hand and suffered shrapnel wounds after throwing an armed grenade away from his fellow soldiers will be the second living Medal of Honor recipient from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On July 12, President Barack Obama will present the nation’s highest award for battlefield gallantry to Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry for his actions during May 26, 2008, combat operations against an armed enemy in Afghanistan’s Paktia province.

Petry now serves as part of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Fort Benning, Ga.

"It's very humbling to know that the guys thought that much of me and my actions that day to nominate me for that," said Petry, on learning he had been nominated for the medal.

At the time of his actions in Afghanistan, Petry was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. His actions came as part of a rare daylight raid to capture a high-value target.

Petry was to locate himself with the platoon headquarters in the targeted building once it was secured. Once there, he was to serve as the senior noncommissioned officer at the site for the remainder of the operation.

Recognizing one of the assault squads needed help clearing their assigned building, Petry relayed to the platoon leader that he was moving to that squad to provide additional supervision and guidance. Once the residential portion of the building had been cleared, Petry took a fellow member of the assault squad, Pfc. Lucas Robinson, to clear the outer courtyard. Petry knew that area had not been cleared during the initial clearance.

Petry and Robinson, both Rangers, moved into an area of the compound that contained at least three enemy fighters who were prepared to engage friendly forces from opposite ends of the outer courtyard.

As the two soldiers entered the courtyard, to their front was an opening, followed by a chicken coop. As they crossed the open area, an enemy insurgent fired on them. Petry was wounded by one round, which went through both of his legs. Robinson was also hit in his side plate by a separate round.

While wounded and under enemy fire, Petry led Robinson to the cover of the chicken coop as the enemy fighters continued to fire at them.

As the senior soldier, Petry assessed the situation. He reported that contact was made and that two wounded Rangers were in the courtyard of the primary target building. Upon hearing the report, Sgt. Daniel Higgins, a team leader, moved to the outer courtyard.

As Higgins was moving to Petry and Robinson's position, Petry threw a thermobaric grenade near the enemy position. Shortly after that grenade exploded and created a lull in the enemy fire, Higgins arrived at the chicken coop and was assessing his comrades’ wounds when an insurgent threw a grenade over the chicken coop at the three Rangers. The grenade landed about 10 yards from the soldiers, knocking them to the ground and wounding Higgins and Robinson.

Shortly after the grenade exploded, Staff Sgt. James Roberts and Spc. Christopher Gathercole entered the courtyard and moved toward the chicken coop.

With three soldiers taking cover in the chicken coop, an enemy fighter threw another grenade at them. This time, the grenade landed just a few feet from Higgins and Robinson. Recognizing the threat that the enemy grenade posed to his fellow Rangers, Petry -- despite his own wounds and with complete disregard for his personal safety -- consciously and deliberately risked his life to move to and secure the live enemy grenade and throw it away from his fellow Rangers, according to battlefield reports.

As Petry released the grenade in the direction of the enemy, preventing the serious injury or death of Higgins and Robinson, it detonated and amputated his right hand.

Petry assessed his wound and placed a tourniquet on his right arm. He then reported that he was still in contact with the enemy and that he had been wounded again.

After the blast that amputated Petry's hand, Roberts began to engage the enemy behind the chicken coop with small-arms fire and a grenade. His actions suppressed the insurgents behind the chicken coop. Shortly after, another enemy fighter on the east end of the courtyard began firing, fatally wounding Gathercole.

Higgins and Robinson returned fire and killed the enemy.

Moments later, Sgt. 1st Class Jerod Staidle, the platoon sergeant, and Spc. Gary Depriest, the platoon medic, arrived in the outer courtyard. After directing Depriest to treat Gathercole, Staidle moved to Petry's position. Staidle and Higgins then assisted Petry as he moved to the casualty collection point.

Higgins later wrote in a statement, "If not for Staff Sergeant Petry's actions, we would have been seriously wounded or killed."

Petry is the ninth servicemember to have been named a recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. All but Petry and Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta were awarded the honor posthumously.

Army Spc. Ross A. McGinnis, Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor and Marine Corps Cpl. Jason L. Dunham all received the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq. Giunta, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Miller, Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti and Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy were awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan.

Petry currently serves as a liaison officer for the U.S. Special Operations Command Care Coalition Northwest Region, and provides oversight to wounded warriors, ill and injured servicemembers and their families.

He enlisted in the Army from his hometown of Santa Fe, N.M., in September 1999. After completion of One Station Unit Training, the Basic Airborne Course and the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program -- all at Fort Benning -- he was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.

Petry has served as a grenadier, squad automatic rifleman, fire team leader, squad leader, operations sergeant and weapons squad leader. He has deployed eight times, with two tours to Iraq and six tours to Afghanistan.

Petry and his wife, Ashley, have four children: Brittany, Austin, Reagan and Landon.

Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died May 29, in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.  They were assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Killed were:

Capt. Joseph W. Schultz, 36, of Port Angeles, Wash.

Staff Sgt. Martin R. Apolinar, 28, of Glendale, Ariz.

Sgt. Aaron J. Blasjo, 25, of Riverside, Calif.

For more information the media may contact the U.S. Army Special Forces Command at 910-432-6005.