Face of Defense: Female Advisor Heads to Afghanistan

By Marine Corps Cpl. Andrew S. Avitt

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER, TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif., Nov. 22, 2010 – Afghan soldiers are in for a surprise when they meet their new instructor, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Tricia McBride, the first female Marine assigned to advise host-nation forces in Afghanistan.

After being the first woman to graduate from the Marines’ advisor training group program, McBride, from Wilmington, Del., will deploy with a team of six to teach and evaluate Afghan military logistician instructors in Kabul, Afghanistan.

“It’s a good feeling,” McBride said. “To be the first at anything is good, but to be the first female -- especially in the Marine Corps -- is just great.”

But it’s only the beginning for McBride and the rest of her team. After the Taliban takeover in 1996, Afghan women were not allowed to attend schools or work outside of their homes, making professional interaction with women an uncomfortable situation for some Afghan men.

“The biggest challenge that I’m facing now is the reaction to me teaching a class,” McBride said, recalling the lessons she received on Afghan culture during her training here. “I have been told they’re not going to take me seriously, and they’ll just get up and walk out of the classroom.”

McBride said she and her teammates gained an understanding of Afghan language and culture during their training.

“Let’s just say I haven’t heard a lot of positive things as far as females being instructors, because the [Afghan] men do look at the women differently there,” she said. “I’m going to show them that I’m just like the rest of the guys. I’m going to show them that, although I am a woman and I might do some things a little different, we’re all brothers and sisters.

We are all here to help each other and to learn from each other,” she continued, “So, hopefully, just because I’m a woman, they won’t take that away from me.”

McBride also received courses on Afghan etiquette and common challenges that advisors face, said Capt. Ben Lawless, a supply officer, instructor and assessor with the advisor training group.

“I think they have done very well,” Lawless said of his students. “They have shown a thorough understanding of how to use an interpreter while executing a class to a host-nation force.”

McBride, he said, is a professional who can surmount any challenge she encounters.

“She’ll be able to handle it,” Lawless said.

Afghan, Coalition Forces Detain Insurgents, Find Caches

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22, 2010 – Afghan and coalition forces detained several insurgents, found weapons and uncovered drug caches during operations today in southern and eastern Afghanistan, military officials reported.

Forces detained the suspect during a combined foot patrol in Kapisa province, just north of Kabul. He is believed to be involved in a cache of rocket-propelled grenades, rifles and money recently found in the province’s Tagab district.

Additional caches were found in Helmand province’s Sangin and Marjeh districts. Bomb-making materials, including several mortar rounds, pressure plates, rifles, small-arms munitions and 120 pounds of ammonium nitrate were taken into coalition custody to be destroyed. The patrols also confiscated more than 800 pounds of marijuana and three pounds of opium.

In operations last night:

-- Combined Afghan and coalition forces in Paktiya province killed two suspected Taliban members after the two threatened them when they arrived to search a compound in the Zurmat district. One of the two armed men was Fared Gul, who is believed responsible for roadside bombs and ambushes on coalition convoys and aircraft, officials reported. The force detained several other suspects and destroyed multiple weapons caches in place.

In operations yesterday:

-- In Helmand province, combined forces captured several suspected militants, including two alleged Taliban leaders. One was detained in the Now Zad district and is believed responsible for coordinating direct- and indirect-fire attacks and roadside bombings on Afghan and coalition troops. The second man was captured in the Lashkar Gah district and allegedly is linked to a bombing cell in Kandahar.

-- In Khost province, Afghan and coalition forces in multiple operations detained numerous suspects allegedly connected to a Haqqani Network improvised explosive device cell.

-- In Kandahar province, combined forces seized nearly 1,000 pounds of opium in the Maiwand district during a vehicle interdiction operation. Multiple intelligence reports from local residents led to the operation.

In operations Nov. 20:

-- Afghan and coalition forces killed a Taliban leader in Farah province’s Bakwah district. Mullah Hafiz Janan was the district’s shadow governor and known for trafficking, training and supporting foreign fighters. Janan and an associate were shot and killed after threatening the coalition force with small-arms. Several other suspected insurgents were detained.

-- Another Taliban leader responsible for roadside bomb and small-arms attacks on coalition and Afghan troops was captured during an operation in Logar province’s Baraki Barak district. The man was detained after a coalition airstrike on his location left him and several other suspected insurgents wounded. One militant was killed during the airstrike.

-- Combined forces killed one insurgent and wounded three others during an airstrike in Baraki Barak that targeted a Taliban leader responsible for roadside bombs and other attacks on coalition forces in the region. The wounded insurgents were taken to coalition facilities for medical attention, officials said.

-- Combined forces killed numerous insurgents during a firefight in Helmand’s Sangin district. The coalition patrol was pinned down by small-arms fire and called for artillery and close-air support. Artillery fire took out the enemy positions. Coalition forces continued their patrol, but were attacked again. Aviation assets engaged the insurgent force, officials said.

-- In Helmand’s Garm Ser district, combined forces seized more than 2,200 pounds of opium during a vehicle-interdiction operation. Tips from local residents led to the operation.

Task Force Prepares for Horn of Africa Mission

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22, 2010 – Leaders preparing to deploy to Djibouti in January as the next headquarters staff at Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa just wrapped up the first phase of a new, four-part training program designed to prepare them as well as the follow-on task force for the unique, strategically important mission.

The core staff for the new headquarters spent last week with U.S. 2nd Fleet at Norfolk Naval Station, Va., where they focused on the academic, “big picture” issues associated with their upcoming deployment, Navy Cmdr. Nick Mungas, U.S. Joint Forces Command’s lead planner for the mission rehearsal exercise, told reporters today via teleconference.

Army Gen. William E. “Kip” Ward, the U.S. Africom commander and Navy Rear Adm. Brian Losey, the current task force commander, were among the presenters. They and Joint Forces Command facilitators provided a framework for the mission and the partnership relationships critical to its success, Mungas said.

Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa focuses on East Africa and Yemen, a region strategic because of its geographic location, resources, and struggles with instability, explained Navy Cdr. Tim Leonard, the current task force plans officer.

The goal is to help African nations build capability so they can promote regional security and stability, prevent conflict and protect U.S. and coalition interests.

“This is not a mission CJTF HOA can accomplish alone,” Leonard said. “We need to be part of a whole-of-government approach” that also includes State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development capabilities to deliver the “three D’s:” diplomacy, development and defense.

“This is our chance, where we can come in and we can partner up with African countries that are willing to solve their own problems,” Leonard said. “We have been able to partner with a group of countries to help them help themselves.

“It’s a perfect opportunity for us,” he said, “where it is in our interest as well as our African partners’ interest … to help them stabilize this area of the world which will, in turn, help our security interests back home.”

Based on the importance of the mission, Leonard said, it’s critical the incoming task force’s headquarters arrives in Djibouti ready to hit the ground running.

“They have to come in [on] Day One and be ready to perform, because we have to keep our effort going,” he said.

To ensure they’re ready, Joint Forces Command begins a broad training program months before the deployment that continues after the task force staffs arrive in theater.

Next month, Mungus said, task force leaders will put the lessons they’ve learned from last week’s training into practice during a computer-assisted command post exercise at Joint Forces Command’s Joint Warfighting Center in Suffolk, Va. Scenarios, based on input from current and former task force staffs, will include everything from the day-to-day nuts and bolts of making the joint task force work to higher-level planning operations at the strategic and operational level.

Leonard emphasized that the training focuses on no single country or threat scenario. “It’s more [about] teaching them a mindset that’s very unique to this environment that most haven’t seen before,” he said.

After the task force deploys, Joint Forces Command interacts regularly with the staff and sends trainers to assess which training proved relevant and what needs tweaking to better prepare future headquarters staffs, Mungus said.

Based on feedback, Joint Forces Command plans to launch a new addition to the training program. That training, to be conducted in Djibouti this spring, will be offered to the entire task force staff and build on actual on-the-ground experience, Mungus said. While the pre-deployment training focused heavily on processes, the in-theater sessions will focus on external interactions, and how to make them successful, he said.

The final training stage will take place next fall, when a Joint Forces Command staff contingent will travel to Djibouti to observe operations and assess lessons learned during the deployment. Those lessons will be incorporated into the training scenarios for the leadership of the follow-on combined task force.

Mungus compared the phased training cycle, one that Leonard described as a “learn-practice-learn cycle,” to a television cooking show.

Instead of simply showing participants a recipe or telling them how to prepare it, the approach enables them to demonstrate what they’ve learned and its outcome, he said.

“We’ll show them what the recipe is, then get them in the kitchen and let them make some cookies, and then taste them and show them how tasty they were, after the fact,” Mungus said. “And then we’ll do that over and over again for all the different parts of their engagement cycle.”

Marine Casualty

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

Sgt. Jason T. Smith, 28, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died Nov. 19 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Branch, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Marine Corps Bases Japan, Iwakuni, Japan.

For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the MCAS Iwakuni public affairs office at 011-81-0827-79-5551 or e-mail them at iwakuni.pao@usmc.mil.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn.

Staff Sgt. Loleni W. Gandy, 36, of Pago Pago, American Samoa, died Nov. 19 in Balad, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident.  He was assigned to the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa.

For more information, media should contact the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command public affairs office at 515-867-9858 or 515-285-4692, ext. 3071.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn.

Sgt. David J. Luff Jr., 29, of Hamilton, Ohio, died Nov. 21 in Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

For more information, media should contact the 25th Infantry Division public affairs office at 808-655-6361 or 808-655-6343.

Army Casualty

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

Sgt. David S. Robinson, 25, of Fort Smith, Ark., died Nov. 20 in Qalat, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related accident.  He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.

For more information, media should contact U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs at ocpa.pi@eur.army.mil or at 011-49-6221-57-3369.

UPDATE:  Nov. 23, 2010 -- Spc. Robinson was posthumously promoted to sergeant.

SEPTEMBER 11TH FAMILIES’ ASSOCIATION

The September 11th Families’ Association is honored to receive a portion of the proceeds from the V.H. Blackinton & Co. 9/11 Commemorative line. We appreciate Blackinton’s generosity and their work to honor the memory of the 343 FDNY, 23 NYPD, 37 PADP, and all the men and women who died on September 11, 2001.

Tribute WTC Visitor Center: is a project of the September 11th Families’ Association, a section 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, founded by New York City Fire Department families in November 2001 to provide information to all 9/11 families. In 2004, the September 11th Families’ Association broadened its mission to create the Tribute Center, a museum dedicated to sharing the stories of the 9/11 community—survivors, family members who lost loved ones, first responders, civilian volunteers, neighborhood residents—and providing a destination for over 500,000 visitors annually. Since opening in September 2006, the Tribute Center has welcomed almost two million visitors from every state in the United States and 134 countries. Located across from the World Trade Center Site the Tribute Center and its volunteer walking tour program connect visitors with people who directly experienced 9/11. Through “Person-to-Person” history, the Tribute Center uses the living history of September 11, 2001 to share personal stories with a historic, inspirational, and educational value.

9/11 Education: The Tribute Center is dedicated to educating students about 9/11 and the many ways individuals have used their grief to do positive things in the world. The Tribute Center’s educational materials, “September 11th: personal stories of transformation” are designed for 5-12 classrooms. The free materials are available online at http://www.tributewtc.org/programs/toolkit.html.

9/11 Community Support: The September 11th Families’ Association supports victims of terrorism through communication, representation, and peer support. Our mission is to unite the 9/11 community, present evolving issues, and share resources for long-term recovery. This is achieved through the quarterly Tribute newsletter and websites that share information and resources. The Association maintains one of the largest active databases including 4,000 immediate family members of victims who died at the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and in Shanksville, PA.

For more information about the September 11th Families’ Association, or to receive a copy the 501 (c) 3 designation letter, please contact:

Josie Chiles jchiles@tributewtc.org 212 422-3520 x125.

U.S. Tanks En Route to Southwestern Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2010 – Servicemembers in Afghanistan’s Regional Command–Southwest will receive 14 M1A1 Abrams tanks to aid in the fight against the Taliban.

The Marine Corps tanks, which pack a super-accurate 120 mm main gun, will begin to arrive in January. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are aware that the tanks are being deployed, though the transfer did not require their approval.

“This is a capability the Marine force on the ground has in their inventory so they are swapping capabilities,” Pentagon spokesman Marine Col. Dave Lapan said. “This isn’t additive to what they have.”

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard P. Mills, commander of Regional Command-Southwest which is responsible for security operations in Helmand and Nimroz provinces, requested the tanks. Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, and Marine Gen. James N. Mattis, the commander of U.S. Central Command, approved the request.

“All commanders evaluate their situations and their operations,” Lapan said. “The commander in RC-Southwest determined that tanks would be useful in the fight he has because of the increased mobility, the increased firepower, because of the optics the tanks have.”

Tanks are more accurate than artillery, mortars or aerial bombardment, Lapan said. Coalition allies have had main battle tanks in Afghanistan in the past.

The RC—Southwest region lends itself to armored operations. The area is wide open and has none of the mountainous terrain that characterizes Regional Command–East and the northern portions of Regional Command–South. Commanders in those areas are not requesting tanks, Lapan said.

The Afghan people have bad memories of tanks in action. The Soviet Union deployed thousands of T-55, T-62 and T-72 main battle tanks into Afghanistan when it invaded the country in 1979. Soviet crews used the tanks to mow down civilians and destroy whole villages. Tanks became a hated object of oppression, and to this day, people can still see burnt out hulks of old Soviet tanks rusting in various parts of Afghanistan.

“Soviet tanks were something the populace will obviously remember,” Lapan said. The local command will work with local leaders and shuras to explain to the public what’s happening, and how the tanks will be used.

Lapan emphasized that the movement of the M1A1s to Afghanistan does not represent an escalation of the conflict there.

“These things happen all the time,” he said. “We’re conducting full-spectrum combat operations today, we’ll be doing it tomorrow, we’ll be doing it next month. Until the Afghan security forces are ready to take over lead for security … we will continue to do combat operations to defeat the enemy.

“Whether we use tanks, or infantry on the ground,” Lapan continued, “these are all tactics we use to defeat the enemy.”

Final Push Needed for Iraq Success, DOD Official Says

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2010 – A final investment in the transition to a civilian-led U.S. presence in Iraq will produce enduring results and create a stabilizing force in the region, a senior defense official told legislators here yesterday.

“We are 10 yards from the goal line and need one final push,” Colin Kahl, deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

“The strategic dividends of our enormous sacrifice are within reach,” Kahl added, “as long as we take the proper steps to consolidate our hard-fought gain.”

Based on a 2008 agreement between the United States and Iraq, U.S. military forces have a Dec. 31, 2011, deadline for withdrawing from Iraq. American forces in Iraq now number fewer than 50,000 troops, down from more than 150,000 at their peak.

Today the mainly Defense Department-led military campaign is transitioning to a diplomacy-advisory-assistance effort led by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

“DOD has an excellent working relationship with the State Department and we are working together at all levels to achieve a successful transition,” Kahl said.

More than 1,100 essential activities performed by DOD in Iraq have been identified, he said, that fall under 24 categories, including intelligence, telecommunications and reconciliation efforts.

Those activities are now being transferred to the Iraqis, the State Department and its offices, U.S. Central Command, U.S. civilian agencies or multilateral or private institutions, or phased out entirely.

DOD also is providing the State Department with excess equipment and technical support and is planning for post-2011 support.

“This is a good start,” Kahl said, “but in the coming year DOD will likely have to do even more to assist the State Department to ensure a successful transition -- and we will.”

Kahl said the U.S. transition in Iraq also requires ensuring that Iraqi security forces are trained to certain essential capabilities, and creating a state-led police development program.

The massive and complex transition also includes expanding the U.S. diplomatic presence and establishing an Office of Security Cooperation, he added.

“Since January 1, 2009, the Iraqi security forces have been in the lead on security operations, a role that they have more capably embraced with each passing month,” Kahl said.

The United States provides vital support, including training, equipping, mentoring, advising and more, but Kahl said “the Iraqis are very much in charge and they simply no longer need such large numbers of U.S. forces to keep the violence in check.”

The Iraqi security forces have remained professional and independent of political pressure, Kahl said, despite eight months this year of “sometimes raucous government formation negotiations.”

Last week, he added, Iraqi leaders took a major step forward by forming a governing coalition that includes all the major Iraqi political blocs. They also agreed on a set of political reforms.

Violence will continue to challenge the political process in Iraq, Kahl said, “but as long as Iraqis stay committed to resolving their differences through the force of words rather than the force of arms, Iraq is unlikely to sink back into widespread violence.”

Continued U.S. support to the Iraqi security forces, including joint training exercises and military exchanges, will help ensure steady improvements in Iraqi capabilities even beyond 2011, he said.

Continued security assistance through the Office of Security Operation, now being established in Iraq, will help address concerns the United States shares with Iraq, Kahl said, including counterterrorism, counterproliferation, maritime security and air defense.

“As the U.S. draws down its military presence,” Kahl said, “the Iraqi government must feel that it has the foundational capabilities to defend against external threats both objectively and subjectively.”

Afghan, Coalition Force Thwarts Insurgent Attack

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2010 – A combined Afghan and coalition patrol repelled an insurgent attack while conducting a patrol in the Sar Kani district of Kunar province today.

The patrol came under attack from insurgent small-arms and indirect fire. The force positively identified multiple insurgent firing positions and returned fire with mortars and guided missiles.

When the insurgent fire continued, the coalition force called for close air support. Two fixed-wing aircraft engaged the insurgent positions with two precision-guided weapons.

Initial reports indicate 13 insurgents were killed in the engagement, with no civilian casualties.

In yesterday’s operations:

-- An International Security Assistance Force patrol came under fire by insurgents while patrolling in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province. While gaining positive identification of the insurgent firing position, the patrol noticed two Afghan civilians lying beneath a motorbike. Before returning fire, the ISAF patrol moved to assist the civilians while insurgents again opened fire. One of the Afghan civilians was found with a gunshot wound to his abdomen and subsequently died at the scene. The other one, a 2-year-old child, was seriously injured. The patrol immediately began providing medical care to the wounded child and called for medical evacuation to an ISAF medical treatment facility. “I don’t understand what the insurgents think they are gaining by shooting a 2-year-old child. These kind of terrorist acts are simply un-Islamic and are driving a wedge between the insurgents and Afghans,” said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, ISAF Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director. “Our thoughts and concerns are with the families of the innocent victims.”

-- Afghan and coalition forces destroyed multiple Taliban improvised explosive device facilities in the Khash Rod district, Nimroz province. The security forces cleared personnel from the area before calling in an airstrike to destroy the isolated compounds to ensure the facilities would not be re-utilized to store or produce IEDs.

-- Afghan and ISAF troops concluded clearing operations in the eastern Pech River Valley, Kunar province. The combined security force moved into the Watapur Valley to search for militants and weapons caches Nov 14. Reports indicate more than 40 insurgents may have been killed during the security sweep of the area. The combined force discovered weapons caches containing several mortar systems with rounds; 15 recoilless rifle rounds; more than a dozen rocket-propelled grenades; 20 anti-aircraft rounds; four fragmentary grenades; 400 rounds of AK-47 ammunition; 1,200 machine gun rounds and improvised explosive components.

Army Casualty

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

Staff Sgt. David P. Senft, 27, of Grass Valley, Calif., died Nov. 15 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident.  He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

For more information the media may contact Fort Campbell public affairs office at  270-798-3025.

Army Casualty

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

Pfc. Kyle M. Holder, 18, of Conroe, Texas, died Nov. 17 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident.  He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment (Reconnaissance and Surveillance), 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.

For more information, the media may contact the XVIII Airborne Corps public affairs office at 910-309-2843.

Army Casualty

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

Spc. Justin E. Culbreth, 26, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died Nov. 17 at Panjway district, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

For more information, please contact the Fort Campbell public affairs office at 270-798-3025.

Face of Defense: Guardsman Works to Develop Afghan Army

By Army Capt. Anthony Deiss

Task Force Rushmore

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 17, 2010 – While many South Dakotans are aware of the contributions South Dakota Army National Guard units have made in supporting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they may not know about the contributions made by individual Guardsmen who deploy and serve.

Known as individual augmentees or IAs, these Guard members have voluntarily asked for an opportunity to serve their state and nation by filling key positions in the war fight.

Having never mobilized with an activated unit, Army Col. Michael Herman of Aberdeen, S.D., said, he knew he wanted to serve in Afghanistan in some capacity. He now is helping to develop the Afghan National Army.

“I hadn’t deployed yet, and got permission to deploy by the South Dakota Guard,” said Herman, 47. “I worked through the National Guard Bureau to find an IA assignment, and they gave me a list to choose from in Afghanistan, because that’s where I wanted to serve.”

Since 2001, the South Dakota Army National Guard has mobilized more than 3,500 soldiers in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, about 50 of them in IA positions. In August 2009, Herman chose a position critical to the security climate in Afghanistan from a short list of available colonel augmentee positions.

Over the next 15 months, Herman would serve as the senior advisor and coalition commander of the Consolidated Fielding Center at Kabul Military Training Center near the Afghan capital of Kabul. The CFC develops nearly all Afghan army units for the country –- manning, equipping, training, validating, and finally deploying units into the fight.

“The role of the individual augmentee is very important. Units mobilizing are obviously very important, but IAs fill key positions,” said Herman, who is married with three children and one grandchild. “National Guard people are especially well suited for these types of assignments, because they bring a lot of unique skill sets to this type of environment or theater.”

So important is the role of the CFC in developing the security forces needed for Afghanistan, it garners the attention of the top officials from the U.S. government and military, as well as coalition partner nations. Herman has briefed former International Security Assistance Force Commander Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. James Stavridis, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, as well as numerous Congress members and foreign ambassadors.

With an ISAF goal of having 134,000 trained and fielded Afghan soldiers throughout the country by last month, Herman knew he had a big task ahead of him when he arrived in September 2009. With only about 110,000 Afghan army forces trained and deployed since the war began, Herman would lead the effort to increase its size by nearly 30,000 soldiers in just over a year –- bringing the total to about 140,000.

“I knew very little about the position when I selected it,” said Herman, a 29-year veteran of the South Dakota Guard. “But with having an extensive training background, I thought it would be the perfect fit for me training Afghan soldiers as they stand up their national army.”

Prior to mobilizing, Herman had been the professor of military science at South Dakota State University in Brookings for four years. Before that, he spent more than 13 years serving in training, personnel and administrative officer positions for the 1-147th Field Artillery Battalion and 147th Field Artillery Brigade, responsible for ensuring the manning, equipping and training of soldiers.

Herman would rely on this experience to help in developing the year-old CFC. Leading up to his arrival, the CFC was the only collective training center in Afghanistan ramping up Afghan army units.

“It was a relatively new training center. In the past, the [Afghan army] had been standing up their units in separate areas or remote locations,” Herman said. “What [ISAF and the Afghan government] found out is that they had a product that was very different from one another.”

Herman said some Afghan army corps would do very well at getting their soldiers the right equipment and training, while others were not doing as well, so coalition forces and the Afghan defense minister decided to have one location to have collective training.

While the CFC was in its infancy, the program had very few resources and personnel to properly train the numbers of soldiers. But Herman had experience taking a struggling organization and making it successful. He revamped South Dakota State’s Army ROTC program there, and it later was was selected as the most improved battalion by the Army’s Cadet Command.

With few resources and not enough personnel and training aids, Herman quickly needed to figure out how he was going to train so many forces in such a short amount of time.

“I started formulating a plan with my staff and team on what we needed to complete our mission,” he said. Herman’s team initially consisted of only 16 coalition soldiers and 10 contractors. Needing resources, training aids, additional equipment and personnel, Herman was about to tell the commander of all U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan what he needed to be successful.

“At the time, General McChrystal had come out to the CFC -– he was getting ready to visit with President Obama, and he asked some hard questions of me,” Herman said. “McChrystal asked, ‘Can you do what you are assigned to do? Can you meet the throughput capability?’ At the time we had a frank discussion, and I said, ‘Yes, if we have the right resources.’”

By November 2009, Army Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV was assigned as the NATO Training Mission Afghanistan commander and added a lot of resources for Herman and his team. Many coalition nations started contributing personnel, and by January, Herman started getting the resources he needed.

Herman’s team grew to more than 440 coalition forces –- consisting of more than 50 support teams from nations such as Great Britain, Turkey, Australia, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Jordan and Canada.

“We were only putting out one or two Afghan kandaks (battalion-sized elements of about 800 soldiers) at a time,” Herman said. “By the April/May time frame, we had seven, eight or nine kandaks going through the CFC at any given time.”

By last month, the CFC had met the quota of 134,000 Afghan soldiers fielded, but along the way, Herman and his team made a significant change in the development process: quality vs. quantity.

“We are making progress in this war. It’s night and day since I got here,” Herman said. “When I started, I had five training aids; now we have a battalions worth of aids. Less than 50 percent [of Afghan troops] could qualify with their weapons; now we are up to 90 percent. We are teaching the military decision-making process and troop-leading procedures. Now, staffs know how to plan for operations.”

Herman said the CFC is producing a better product now than it ever has before. With more training time, more training tasks and more quality training, the Afghan soldiers are better, and this translates into a better fighting force, he added.

The CFC also develops combat support units, Herman noted.

“These types of units are very critical to sustainability right now,” he said. “There are probably enough combatant commands out there to do the job, but they are having a hard time sustaining themselves. We as coalition partners are providing the sustainment operations, but we are starting to produce more of those units, so they will soon start taking over that mission.”

With the pieces falling into place –- adequate resources and personnel, quality training and the support units to sustain it all -– a picture is forming of what the Afghanistan National Army should look like, Herman said.

“We’ve produced 68 units and more than 29,000 Afghan soldiers at the CFC during my time here,” Herman said. “Our goal was 134,000; we now have 140,000. Our new goal is 171,600 by October of 2011, and we are on track to meet that.”

Herman said the Afghans he has met and worked with have been gracious and supportive of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan and in helping to build their army.

“Working with the Afghan Army leadership has been an outstanding experience and they are extremely supportive of the American and the coalition presence here,” he said. “They know that we are here spending our resources, money and soldiers to help them take over their own security, and they understand they need to stand on their own two feet.”

As Herman completes his tour and heads back to South Dakota, he leaves Afghanistan knowing he has made a difference in the war effort, and will leave with a different impression of what the individual augmentee can accomplish.

“I’m a huge fan of the IA, and I think they play an important role in this war,” he said. “For a National Guard officer to have had the position I was in is extraordinary, because of the responsibility and tasking assigned. I would encourage any Guardsman to volunteer for an IA assignment.”

Army Casualty

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

Staff Sgt. Kevin M. Pape, 30, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died Nov. 16 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

For more information, media should contact the 75th Ranger Regiment public affairs office at 706-545-4260 or 706-604-5114.

Marine Casualty

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

Staff Sgt. Javier O. Ortiz Rivera, 26, of Rochester, N.Y., died Nov. 16 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

For additional background information on this Marine, media representatives may contact the 2nd Marine Division public affairs office at 910-449-9925 or http://www.marines.mil/unit/2ndmardiv/Pages/Media/default.aspx.

Army Casualties

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

They died Nov. 14 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked their unit with small arms fire.

Killed were:

Spc. Shane H. Ahmed, 31, of Chesterfield, Mich.

Spc. Nathan E. Lillard, 26, of Knoxville, Tenn.

Spc. Scott T. Nagorski, 27, of Greenfield, Wis.

Spc. Jesse A. Snow, 25, of Fairborn, Ohio.

Pfc. Christian M. Warriner, 19, of Mills River, N.C.

They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

For more information on these soldiers, media may contact the Fort Campbell public affairs office at 270-798-3025.

Face of Defense: Soldier Carries on Predecessors’ Work

By Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell

210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Nov. 16, 2010 – An infantry squad leader from Decatur, Ill., finds inspiration from U.S. soldiers of past wars as he serves here with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 237th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack.

“I remember coming down to Fort Campbell [in Kentucky] a couple times and going to the park and seeing the big guns, and I was like, ‘Whoa,’” Army Sgt. James T. Schmidt said.

“When I think about those guys in the 101st [Airborne Division] during World War I and World War II, I mean … we have so much better equipment and technology these days,” said Schmidt after spending four nights on a remote mountaintop in the bone-chilling cold.

“It just amazes me that those guys went through the same thing we did, but with so little,” Schmidt continued. “We were sitting up on a mountain yesterday -- cold, pretty cold. But we had cold-weather gear. I was thinking about soldiers in Bastogne just sucking in the snow and the trees, not knowing when they’re going to get relieved. It must have been tough.”

It wasn’t an easy choice to join the Army, Schmidt said, but it was a calling he just couldn’t refuse.

“I was 24 and working at a gas station,” he said. “I wasn’t really doing much with my life. Joining the Army was always something I wanted to do. After years of seeing the war go on, I didn’t want to grow old and not be able to tell my grandchildren I participated in this. It would have upset me. I was feeling like I was sitting on the sidelines when our country was doing something like this.”

Shortly after joining, he deployed with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley here. He wears a memorial bracelet every day to remind himself of the nine friends from his platoon whom he lost during that deployment.

“It’s just something to remind myself of them and remind myself why I’m here,” he said. “I think that’s why I re-enlisted. I was thinking about getting out after the last deployment, but I didn’t want to give up after these guys gave it their all. They lost their lives doing something they believed in, and I think it would have tore me up the rest of my life if I would have just stopped and not come back here. … It reminds me of why I’m here.”

He said this deployment to Afghanistan has been a little different.

“I’ve been down to Forward Operating Base Joyce in 2007, and the roads have improved,” Schmidt said. “A lot more wells dug, most of the villagers have electricity, and they seem happier to have us around. There was a lot of just getting rocks chucked at us my last deployment, and I haven’t seen much of that this deployment.”

With a congenial smile and a disarming laugh, Schmidt said he tries to find the good wherever he is.

“I’m just glad to have done something,” he said. “It goes back to why I joined. I think we’re doing good things here and we’re helping the people. I hope it gets better, because there are good people here. There’s just a select few that ruin it for everybody.”

His platoon sergeant, Army Staff Sgt. Clint J. Lyons from Gibsonville, N.C., said Schmidt always tries to put the best face on things.

“He’s always got a smile on his face and tries to make the best out of all situations,” Lyons said.

Schmidt’s mettle was tested earlier this month when his squad was bogged down on a mountain with heavy enemy fire.

“When the initial contact happened, I was pinned down behind rocks,” Lyons said. “[Schmidt] was in contact and already starting to engage and giving out commands to his guys. … His knowledge really helps me out and makes things easier. I don’t have to worry about him while I’m taking care of other things.”

Throughout the firefight, Schmidt’s intuition kicked in and he made sure all his soldiers were being taken care of and doing their jobs.

“Being the noncommissioned officer on the ground, he’s that senior guy,” Lyons said. “A lot of these guys haven’t been in contact before, and it was pretty intense. Some of his guys were afraid to shoot at first, … so being that NCO, he helped them. … He was doing his thing, and he laid down some rounds himself to show them where the enemies were.”

After four and half years in the military, Schmidt said, he has decided to try to make a career out of the Army. He said he wants to do it for his wife, for his 11-year-old daughter, MacKenzie, and for his fellow soldiers who wear the Screaming Eagle patch.

Troops Follow Intelligence Leads, Detain Insurgents

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2010 – Afghan and coalition security forces followed intelligence leads and captured more than 20 insurgents yesterday in their search for Taliban and Haqqani terrorist network leadership operating in eastern and southern Afghanistan, military officials reported.

The partnered security forces detained the insurgents during three separate operations, officials said.

In the Nawah-ye Barakzai district of Helmand province, Afghan and coalition forces detained several suspected insurgents during an operation aimed at capturing a Taliban leader who recently returned from Pakistan and has been trying to provide leadership to Taliban members in the province’s Nawah district since their district leader was detained in October.

The Taliban leader is directly involved in planning attacks against Afghan and coalition security members and facilitating roadside-bomb components and reportedly has been involved in planning a large-scale attack, officials said. The combined team destroyed several weapons during the search in addition to detaining the suspected insurgents.

A partnered security force in Paktia province’s Zurmat district detained nine suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader who is linked to multiple kidnappings and murders of Afghan civilians suspected of supporting the Afghan government or having Afghan voter cards, officials said.

In Khost province’s Sabari district, partnered Afghan and coalition forces detained several suspected insurgents while searching for a senior Haqqani leader who coordinates the movement of weapons and bomb-making materials and plans attacks.

In other news from Afghanistan:

-- International Security Assistance Force officials confirmed the Nov. 14 capture of a Taliban leader operating in Paktia province’s Zurmat district.

-- Afghan and ISAF forces detained a Taliban leader and six other men in Helmand province’s Nad-e Ali district Nov. 13. The Taliban leader planned, coordinated and executed roadside-bomb attacks and also been directly involved with Taliban leaders in Pakistan in facilitating suicide-bomber attacks.

-- Afghan and ISAF forces found weapons and roadside-bomb components in seven southern and eastern Afghanistan locations over the past two days. The caches were found in Kandahar, Uruzgan and Kunar provinces, and included three 64 mm mortars, a 65 mm mortar, two 82 mm shells, three 57 mm shells, 25 rocket-propelled grenades, 11 fragmentation high-explosive rounds, 1,800 7.62 mm rounds and an anti-personnel mine. Combined forces also found 31 pressure plates, nine batteries, three blasting caps and 150 pounds of homemade explosives in Helmand province, and an Afghan army patrol found 30 directional anti-personnel mines, multiple weapons and ammunition in Kandahar province.

-- Acting on intelligence information and tips from local residents, Afghan and ISAF forces detained two men and seized a large quantity of narcotics in Nimroz province’s Chakhansur district Nov. 13. The combined force attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle that appeared to have numerous bags consistent with narcotics trafficking. As the force attempted to stop the vehicle, the occupants started shooting at them and attempted to flee. The security force returned fire, wounding one of the occupants and disabling the vehicle. After securing the site, the security force provided medical attention to the wounded man and found more than 1,800 pounds of opium, 425 pounds of crystal heroin, almost 210 pounds of brown heroin and several automatic weapons and associated ammunition in the vehicle.

-- Several Afghan civilians were killed, including a child, and several others were wounded during insurgent attacks in southern, eastern and northern Afghanistan today. A suicide bomber killed a tribal leader and wounded five Afghan civilians in Uruzgan province’s Chorah district. An insurgent-planted roadside bomb in Paktika province’s Bermal district killed an Afghan child. In Kunduz province, two Afghan civilians were killed and eight others –- including the mayor of Kunduz -- were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in the province’s Khanabad district.