Hope Persists For a Democratic Afghanistan

[Noitartst]

As I've posted, here there's reason to hope in Afghanistan; all is not lost, there, and far from it, though it's hard to see through the moment's smoky haze.

It may be exhausting, but free media persists like a weed, there, and that's to the good, as is their cranky legislature. Legislators may be seen like big babies in our society, ever grandstanding, but that's their claim to relevance, if nothing else, and it's a hallmark democratic tradition which we have birthed. The Afghan military may have partially crumpled under Taliban attack, but not totally, and not right after we left, as too many may have imagined; it may seem impertinent to see the glass half-full there currently, but still, I do; take heart.

 

[waltky]

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter Seeks Better Use of Troops in Afghanistan...

Pentagon Chief Seeks Better Use of US Forces in Afghanistan
Jul 12, 2016 — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday that the decision to give U.S. commanders more authority to work with Afghan troops and strike the Taliban will maximize the use and effectiveness of American forces in Afghanistan. Carter is in Afghanistan to meet with U.S. commanders in the wake of a pledge by NATO allies to keep troop levels stable as they battle a resilient Taliban. The U.S. currently has about 9,800 troops in Afghanistan.

Speaking during a press conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Carter also said that progress by the Afghanistan government on economic and anti-corruption reforms "is central" to the continued international support for the country. Ghani said his government is working to remove corruption and also on the economic reforms. This is Carter's second stop in a war zone in as many days, part of a weeklong trip that has underscored America's growing commitment to two wars that President Barack Obama inherited but has not been able to end. On Monday in Iraq, Carter announced that the U.S. would be sending 560 additional troops there in the coming days and weeks. In Afghanistan, Carter was scheduled to meet with Ghani and the country's chief executive officer, Abdullah Abdullah, as well as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. John W. Nicholson.

Nicholson told reporters that he will have 3,000 U.S. troops working as advisers in Afghanistan, 2,150 troops doing counterterrorism and 3,000 working in a supporting role as enablers. In addition, he said he will keep "some hundreds" of forces "over the horizon" out of the country that will be considered part of the NATO mission to advise and assist Afghan forces. Nicholson also said he is making daily use of the expanded authorities Obama granted him in June to work with Afghan forces and to conduct offensive operations against the Taliban under certain circumstances. Obama announced last week that he would keep 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan after this year, rather than cut their numbers to 5,500 as he once planned. In addition to taking part in the NATO advisory-and-assist mission, the U.S. has special operations forces in the country that conduct counterterrorism missions.

The planned force levels allow NATO allies to remain in regional hubs around Afghanistan, with Germany in the north, Italy in the west, Turkey in the capital of Kabul and the United States in the east and south. Earlier plans to consolidate forces in Kabul and Bagram were scrapped amid resurgent Taliban fighting and the growing presence of Islamic State militant, including many that simply switched allegiance from one insurgent group to another. U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the top NATO commander, told reporters at the NATO meeting that the Afghan mission is key to global security. "We know that there are al-Qaida and (Islamic State) components in Afghanistan," he said. "If we fail there we will certainly see that impact in our global counterterrorism campaign that we're executing. It will make it harder."

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NATO Leaders Extend Afghan Mission, Keep Troop Numbers Steady
Jul 09, 2016 | NATO will hold troop levels steady in Afghanistan as part of a plan to extend its mission there into 2017, but unlike some U.S. troops on the ground, allies will not return to a combat role in the war-torn country, NATO's top official said on Saturday.

At a meeting of heads of state during the second and final day of a NATO summit in Warsaw, allies also pledged to continue funding the Afghan military and police through 2020, a key priority for Washington which picks up most of the $5 billion tab. "Our message is clear, Afghanistan doesn't stand alone and we are committed for the long haul," said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters. "It is too early to provide exact (troop) numbers, but based on what has been committed in this meeting today, we can say troop level s will be about the same in 2017 as it is in 2016."

NATO's long-expected decision to extend its training and advisory campaign comes on the heels of a decision by the Obama administration to maintain higher-than-expected troop levels in the country. The U.S. will retain 8,400 troops in Afghanistan next year, instead of reducing them to 5,500 by the end of 2016, as originally planned. The moves are in response to concerns over the Afghan military's ability to manage security in the country, where the Taliban remains entrenched and on the march in some sectors despite 15 years of war. U.S. forces were recently granted more flexibility by the White House to fight alongside Afghan troops as well as conduct airstrikes, a signal that the combat mission still continues in practical terms for many American service members despite the emphasis on training and advising.

U.S. troops in Afghanistan currently serve two primary missions -- training, advising and assisting the Afghan security forces under NATO's Resolute Support mission and conducting counterterrorism operations under the unilateral Operation Freedom's Sentinel. "I think it is extremely important to understand we (NATO) ended our combat mission at the end of 2014, because over several years we have built up Afghan forces," Stoltenberg said.

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Deploying Incomplete Units to Afghanistan Hurts Readiness: General
Jul 06, 2016 | Members of Congress expressed concern Wednesday that U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan can only be maintained by deploying incomplete units -- a practice that is eroding readiness, according to an Army general.

Since 2015, U.S. Army combat aviation brigades have been deploying to the country without their aircraft maintainers, House Armed Service Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry said at a subcommittee hearing to discuss aviation readiness. "And so what do those maintainers do when they are left here in the states when their aircraft and their pilots are in Afghanistan?" Thornberry asked Lt. Gen. Kevin Mangum, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. "Sir, they are not doing a whole lot of aviation maintenance," Mangum said. "And I think your point is, as I understand it, that does not help readiness when you have important maintainers without aircraft to work on," Thornberry said. "No sir. We are building a deficit of experience and expertise in our formation as a result," Mangum said.

Instead of unit personnel, the U.S. military depends on civilian contractors to maintain the helicopters -- individuals that are not counted as part of the total number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. "Does that cost more or less than if the maintainers had been there with them?" Thornberry asked. "It costs more to have contractors," Mangum said. "We are paying around $100 million dollars this year to have contractors in Afghanistan." Thornberry's comments come as President Barack Obama once again altered his withdrawal plan for Afghanistan, announcing Wednesday that 8,400 U.S. troops would remain in the country next year rather than the 5,500 initially authorized. Currently, there are about 9,800 U.S. troops authorized for Afghanistan. Obama had earlier agreed to change his plan to begin reducing that number to 5,500 by January 2017 by keeping the 9,800 in Afghanistan through the rest of this year, as recommended by his generals.

U.S. Army Sgt. Justin Bridwell, an avionics mechanic, demonstrates the limited space inside the tail boom of a UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter.​

Leaving more American service members in the country will cost an extra $3.5 billion next year alone, a defense budget analyst estimated. Thornberry, a Republican from Texas, said, "One of the ways the troop caps are reached is like this, and it costs more and yet where does that money come from? It comes out of the readiness of all these folks and what they are trying to do." Rep. Austin Scott, a Republican from Georgia, agreed with the chairman's comments, adding that the practice of substituting civilian contractors for troops may reach a political target, but "has absolutely nothing to do with winning a war." "Some political strategist somewhere determines that it is going to be popular to say ‘we have drawn down to a certain number of troops,' so we are sending the pilots and not the maintainers when in fact we are actually paying more for the equipment to be maintained by contractors," Scott said.

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