Security News 20170702

Afghan Special Security Force (ASSF) - Photo by Lt Cmdr Kathryn Gray, RS HQs, June 26, 2017

Helmand Leadership Change. The police chief of Helmand province - General Kentooz - was removed after being in the job for a year. He was previously removed as head of the major crime task force at the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Many of the senior leaders of the MoI and MoD who are removed for cause (corruption, ineffectiveness, ineptness, etc.) are simply moved on to other positions until the Resolute Support HQs folks monitoring (supposedly) Afghan leadership catch on. Kentooz will, once again, resurface someplace else within the security ministries. The commander of the 215th ANA Corps was removed about a year ago - wonder where he is now working?

Advisor Training in Kabul. The Security Force Assistance (SFA) framework utilized by Resolute Support Headquarters to conduct the 'Train, Advise, and Assist' mission in Afghanistan is complicated and comprehensive. Those officers and NCOs who are designated to serve in key or high-level advisor roles may find themselves undergoing "Key Leader Training" at Camp RS prior to their Afghan deployment. This four-day training event ensures they are knowledgeable of the Afghan training mission. Read more in "Resolute Support trains its people, improving advisor training", DVIDS, June 26, 2017.

A Wasteful War. The U.S. has spent millions and millions of dollars supporting a corrupt government and inept military in Afghanistan. There seems to be no end to the wasteful practices of the U.S. military and the corruption of the Afghan government and its security institutions. Read more in "War and waste: Cautionary tales as U.S. ponders Afghan boost", PBS Newshour, June 25, 2017.

RS Cdr Visits AAF. General John Nicholson, commander of Resolute Support, visited facilities of the Afghan Air Force. (DVIDS, June 23, 2017).

NATO to Support ANDSF 4-Year Roadmap. The MoD is quite happy with NATO's decision to send more advisors to Afghanistan. It seems NATO is firmly behind (if not the author?) of the MoD's 4-year Roadmap to professionalize the ANA. Some big changes in store. The Afghan Air Force will increase in size, the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command will double in size, and the Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP) will be transferred from the MoI to the MoD. Read "NATO's Support Crucial for MoD's Four-Year Plan: Waziri", Tolo News, July 1, 2017.

ALP Volunteers. Apparently working in the Afghan Local Police (ALP) is a good deal. In late June more than 700 Afghan citizens in Nangarhar attempted to join the police unit but there were not quite that many positions available. Some of those turned away from the ALP were picked up for service in an 'ad hoc' private militia force funded by the National Directorate of Security (NDS). Read more in "Resounding Afghan Pride in Nangarhar", DVIDS, June 27, 2017.

Failure of ANDSF. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are not quite up to the job of defeating the Taliban and other insurgents. In fact, the Afghan government controls less territory in 2017 than it did in 2016 - currently estimated at 60%. Read more in "Decoding Afghan Security Forces' Failures", The Diplomat, June 23, 2017.

Report: Lessons Learned from Stabilization Initiatives in Afghanistan. RAND Corporation, 2017. 44-page document provides a systematic review of existing research.
www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WR1191.html

UK's SAS and SBS to Afghanistan. A recent news report indicates the the UK is uplifting its total number of personnel assigned to Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan. Read "SAS and SBS sent to help Afghan Army", The Times, June 29, 2017.

Gen Dunford Visits Afghanistan. The U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman, General Joe Dunford, made an unannounced visit to discuss the future strategy for Afghanistan and the game plan for a likely U.S. troop increase. (Gandhara, June 26, 2017).

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