Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died June 3, in Tsamkani, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their unit was attacked by a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Killed were:
2nd Lt. Justin L. Sisson, 23, of Phoenix, Ariz., and
Spc. Robert A. Pierce, 20, of Panama, Okla.
 
For more information please contact the Fort Campbell public affairs office at 931-217-5074 or 931-220-7993.

Combined Force Kills Enemy Fighters in Kunduz Province

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 4, 2013 – A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed five enemy fighters who opened fire on them during a search for a senior Taliban leader in the Archi district of Afghanistan’s Kunduz province today, military officials reported.

The Taliban leader builds improvised explosive devices and suicide vests and has directed and coordinated attacks that have killed numerous Afghan national security force personnel, officials said.

The security force also seized a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, four RPG rounds and an assault rifle.
In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- Afghan commandos and uniformed police and coalition forces killed seven enemy fighters and wounded four others during a clearing operation in Kunduz province’s Imam Sahib district.

-- A combined force in Kandahar province’s Panjwai district killed a Taliban intelligence operative who coordinated attacks in the area. He directed ambush attacks and placement of IEDs targeting Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitated the movement of weapons and IEDs in the district.

Army Casualty

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

Pfc. Mariano M. Raymundo, 21, of Houston, Texas, died June 1, in Sharan, Afghanistan.  The incident is under investigation. 

He was assigned to the 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. 

Army Casualty

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

Spc. Kyle P. Stoeckli, 21, of Moseley, Va., died June 1, in Maiwand, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained when his unit was attacked by an improvised explosive device. 

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. 
 
For more information, media may contact the Fort Bliss public affairs office at 915-472-0287.

Army Casualty

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

Spc. Ray A. Ramirez, 20, of Sacramento, Calif., died June 1, in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained when his unit was attacked by an improvised explosive device. 

 He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.   
 
For more information, media may contact the Fort Stewart public affairs office at 912-210-9375.

Dog Handler Brings Her Values to Career

By Air Force Master Sgt. Leisa Grant
U.S. Air Forces Central

FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan, May 31, 2013 – It's 6 p.m., and Chrach, a military working dog whose name is pronounced “Crash,” is anticipating his evening meal.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Jessie Johnson practices placement training with her dog, Chrach, April 24, 2013, at Forward Operation Base Pasab, Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Miller   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

His handler has been feeding him twice daily for more than a year, since the two became a team, and she is used to this routine -- but not because she is his handler.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Jessie Johnson, a military working dog handler assigned here with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division canine unit, said she was born into an "animal house" and had all of the responsibilities of training the animals, playing with them, taking them to the vet and feeding them.

Some people have dogs for protection, for comfort or for show. But dogs and horses were an important part of their upbringing in rural Pennsylvania for Johnson and her younger sister while they were being raised by a single parent.

"I always made sure my daughters treated animals kindly and [understood] the importance of taking care of the animals," said Robin Keller, Johnson's mother, who often worked two full-time jobs so her daughters could enjoy a comfortable life. Johnson's grandparents lived nearby and were able to help out. Still, the kids had a great deal of responsibility and independence.

"At a really young age, my sister and I learned to take care of the animals and each other," Johnson said.
With this much exposure to animals, it may have seemed fitting for Johnson to become a dog handler when she joined the military. However, back then it was not a seamless process. Her love of dogs would not be enough alone, she noted -- if it were, more people would be canine handlers. Her quest involved another homegrown value she learned from her mother.

"When you start something, you should always finish it," Keller said, adding that she instilled this value in her daughters, along with the notion that there was nothing they couldn't accomplish so long as they set their minds on doing it, and doing it well from beginning to end.

The start of Johnson's canine career didn't officially take place until five years after she joined the Air Force. Because of her long-time yearning to work with a K-9 team, she made it a point to immerse herself in their world as much as she could while she worked as a security forces journeyman at the 820th Security Forces Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Ga.

She said she took the initiative to visit the kennels and introduced herself as someone interested in joining the team and willing to stay involved regularly with all aspects of caring for the dogs.

Being a part of the feeding, grooming and training for about 20 dogs was nothing new for her, she said, albeit it involved a few more paws and wagging tails then she was used to all at once. But there was one task she had to do to prove she could truly become a dog handler, she said, one that simply not all can do.
"The big part was going out and catching the dogs, putting on the ‘bite suit’ and letting them bite me, and making sure I was comfortable with that," she said.

When her unit deployed, Johnson was selected to go out on patrols with the K-9 teams. The experiences solidified her interest and determination to become a dog handler, she said.

"I got to see how [the dogs] led the troops and how everyone pretty much relied on their dogs to walk safely down a roadway," she added, recalling how amazed she was by this and that right then, she knew this was the job for her.

Soon after, she submitted an application package that included letters, documentation of volunteer hours, and she was accepted.

Johnson and Chrach often are called on as a top team for missions here, but Air Force Master Sgt. Jantzen Duran, kennel master and noncommissioned officer in charge of the canine teams here, said he knew this before they arrived.

"I attended training with [Johnson] prior to our deployment and she was by far the best handler of 13 dog teams there," he said. "She was awarded Top Dog Award not only for her actions as a handler, but also her actions as an NCO. Being deployed with mostly Army, I couldn't ask for a better NCO to represent the Air Force."

At her home station at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., Johnson’s leadership quickly noticed her strong character and capitalized on it.

"Jessie's unique personality and great attitude made her stand out amongst her peers," said Air Force Capt. Tony Short, 56th Security Forces Squadron operations officer, adding that from the beginning it was evident with a little pushing and quality training, Johnson would become one of the best handlers in the unit.

"In the first months, she was eager to learn and excelled," he said, noting that she moved through the responsibilities and roles of being a new handler to an experienced one quickly.

But whether they’re new to the job or experienced, Johnson said, handlers aren't the only ones doing the schooling.

"The dogs teach you something every day," she said. "There is never a time you can say you've taught a dog everything or that a handler knows everything. I learn every day."

With a hearty smile, Johnson said the K-9 world is like no other, and that she enjoys the challenges and the camaraderie that come with the job.

"I've never been so happy to want to go to work," she said.

Combined Force Arrests Taliban Facilitator in Balkh Province

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 31, 2013 – A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban facilitator in the Chimtal district of Afghanistan’s Balkh province yesterday, military officials reported.

The facilitator handles movement of explosives and weapons for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also collects illegal taxes from civilians to pay for weapons and controls a cell responsible for numerous attacks in the area.

In other Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A combined force in Kandahar province’s Khakrez district killed an enemy fighter during a search for a senior Taliban leader who directs and executes attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also teaches other insurgents how to make roadside bombs, distributes vests for suicide-bomb attacks, and coordinates the distribution of bombs, weapons and equipment for Taliban groups in the province.

-- In Logar province’s Khoshi district, a combined force killed an enemy fighter during a search of a Haqqani network leader who coordinates and directs attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also controls several Haqqani groups in the area and has directed assassinations of local Afghans.

-- A combined force in Paktia province’s Zurmat district wounded an enemy fighter during a search for a Haqqani network leader responsible for kidnappings for ransom and for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

Obama, Rasmussen Praise Afghan Forces, Look to Future

By Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2013 – Afghan forces are just several weeks away from taking the lead in combat operations from NATO-led forces across Afghanistan, President Barack Obama said today after meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the White House.

President Barack Obama and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen meet in the White House Oval Office, May 31, 2013. NATO photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Speaking to reporters, Obama called the imminent security transition a “new milestone,” one in which NATO’s International Security Assistance Force will shift to a training, assisting, and advising role, while U.S and alliance forces continue to draw down ahead of the end of the NATO combat mission in 2014.

“We’ve seen great progress in the Afghan national security forces. We want to continue that progress,” Obama said. “And we are now looking over the next several weeks to a new milestone … where we are transitioning to Afghan lead for combat operations.”

Declaring that “our goal is in sight,” Rasmussen noted the progress the Afghan army and police have made over the past year, in the time since NATO leaders agreed at a summit in Chicago to set the middle of 2013 as the goal for transitioning combat operations across the country. Rasmussen said the alliance now is working to establish a new training mission to continue assisting Afghan forces after the current NATO mission ends.

“It will be a very different mission, a noncombat mission with a significantly lower number of troops and trainers,” he said. “So we are determinedly moving towards our goal: an Afghanistan that can stand on its own feet.”

To that end, Obama and Rasmussen announced NATO will hold a summit next year to determine how the alliance can continue partnering with the Afghan government. Obama said the summit will not only “underscore this final chapter in our Afghan operations, but also paint a picture of a future whereby we’re partnering with the Afghan government on behalf of the Afghan people and on behalf of world security” to ensure the country does not become a base for terrorism in the future.

On other matters, Obama and Rasmussen discussed making sure Libya, where several NATO countries intervened to protect civilians from former ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, also does not become a haven for terrorists.

“I think NATO has an important role to play on that front,” Obama said, adding that he knows Rasmussen recently met with Libya’s prime minister and had discussions about how NATO could provide assistance.

Army Casualty

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

Staff Sgt. Joe A. Nunezrodriguez, 29, of Pasadena, Texas, died May 30, in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained when his vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device. 

He was assigned to the 68th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.    

For more information, media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at 719-526-4143/7525 or after normal business hours at 719-526-5500.

Special Ops Commanders Seek Intel, Data-sharing Assets

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

TAMPA, Fla., May 30, 2013 – Senior commanders recently called on the defense industry to provide technologies that give special operations forces more situational awareness, better networking and communications and more precise location and targeting capabilities.

Air Force combat controllers and Army Special Forces soldiers execute a static line jump from an Air Force MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft during Emerald Warrior 2013 at Hurlburt Field, Fla., April 26, 2013. Special operations forces commanders are advocating for technology that delivers better situational awareness, better networking and communications, and more precise location and targeting capabilities for operators undertaking challenging missions around the world. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Andy M. Kin   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Officials from across U.S. Special Operations Command, including commanders of its service components and the theater special operations commands, laid out their wish lists earlier this month at the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference.

All noted the unprecedented capabilities the defense industry has delivered to help special operations forces succeed during the past 12 years of conflict. But looking to the future -- the drawdown in Afghanistan, budget constraints and a refocus on the Asia-Pacific region and other parts of the globe beyond the Middle East and Southwest Asia – they said they will need more.

So despite budget constraints and uncertainties, efforts must continue to ensure that special operations forces have the tools they will need to succeed in missions ranging from building partner capacity to irregular warfare and counterterrorism, the commanders emphasized.

At the top of their list are improved intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets and better processes for sifting through the mountains of data streams to paint a more complete operational picture.

Socom’s current acquisition efforts are focused on equipping both manned and unmanned fixed-wing assets with ISR capabilities suitable for diverse global requirements, Navy Adm. Michael McRaven, the Socom commander, reported to Congress earlier this year.

“We will need to have an ability to continue to search large data bases to identify enemies and information that helps us understand and gives us clues into what [violent extremist] networks are doing out there,” Army Lt. Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander of Joint Special Operations Command, told the Tampa assembly.
And in support of Navy Adm. William H. McRaven’s vision of a global special operations forces network, Votel underscored the need for knowledge management and information storage and sharing technologies to support it.

“We want every advantage before we lock horns with an adversary, and that is knowing what they have available to them and then countering it with decisive action,” Navy Rear Adm. Sean A. Pybus, commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, told the assembly.

What’s needed, the commanders agreed, are more universal systems to replace those that work only on specific platforms.

“We have to have plug-and-play ISR packages that allow us to select the right tool for the right environment, and be able to work in a standardized fashion in the aircraft that we are operating across the enterprise,” Votel said.

Marine Col. Michael Sweeney, deputy commander of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, echoed the need for a single, multitiered network to consolidate what five and sometimes six sets of equipment now do. “We are increasing the burden on the force from a load perspective,” he said.

“We are system agnostic,” said Army Maj. Gen. Michael S. Repass, commander of Special Operations Command Europe. “We don’t care what it is, as long … as the communications are compatible with whatever the distribution network is.”

Army Lt. Gen. Charles T. Cleveland, commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, said the systems that have proven themselves in Afghanistan will remain critical throughout the rest of that mission and into the future.

But looking ahead, he also recognized the fine line between becoming overly dependent on technology and ensuring enough redundancy “to make sure we are not crippled if we lose something as a capability.”
Air Force Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, said he sees little decrease in future demand not only for ISR, but also for mobility and strike capability. As wartime requirements decrease, the command is evaluating its portfolio to ensure it is postured to provide what future missions will demand, he reported.

The first of up to 10 CV-22 Osprey aircraft slated to be based in Mildenhall, England, are expected to arrive next month to extend the reach of U.S. special operations forces supporting both U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command, Fiel said.

The MC-130J Commando II aircraft also is slated for the European theater, with 12 to be fielded to provide “a very much-needed capability to both Special Operations Command Africa and Special Operations Command Europe,” he added.

Naval Special Warfare Command is undergoing a similar assessment of its inventory, as its SEALs and special boat teams transition back to their traditional maritime environment, Pybus said.

A new Maritime Mobility Roadmap, approved by McRaven, calls for a family of vessels – ranging from high-end, stealth, long-range penetrating craft to a multimission craft that can launch from a variety of ships for operations in littoral waters.

But Pybus also noted the need for other hardware suited to the maritime domain: refreshed rebreathers, propulsion devices, sleds and weapons that can work both underwater and across the beach.

“There is equipment that our partners have, quite frankly, that is better than ours, because we spent the past decade fighting ashore,” he said “It is time to move forward so that our troops have the best that there is out there so they can be successful.”

While laying out their immediate and future requirements, the commanders made clear they understand the economic realities facing the entire military.

“We are going to have to do things smartly and efficiently, because we just won’t have all the things that have been available to us in the past,” Pybus said. That, he acknowledged, will mean using legacy systems to the very end of their life cycles.

“But you can accessorize them and make improvements to them to make them better,” he told the industry representatives. “And that is what we are going to be looking for from a lot of you.”