Rebuilding Afghanistan

Manic Moran

Took a drive up to a neighbouring base today. I've had a few issues with some of my subordinates I needed to deal with. (They're not under my commandright now, but I still keep an eye on them ,they'll be back in my chain when we return to the US).

It seems that the lads who had a crack at overrunning COP Keating (Well, the survivors, at least) decided to have a crack at this one. The base they attacked had a couple of 155mm howitzers, a couple of 122mm howitzers, a few 120mm mortars, and a radio. The opposition brought a mortar. And they attacked from a hillside in full view of every large-calibre gun on the FOB. I don't know if the American gunners bothered with the fire direction process, but the Afghans just fired their howitzers using the TLAR method. Much quicker.

It did not end well for the attackers. The attack was yesterday morning, patrols were radioing in body finds all day today, with some opposition identified by name.

More in a week or two, I'll see what is released through official sources. If anything. The lack of US casualties probably will mean it won't make the news.

NTM

Manic Moran

This Australian dude seems to have a handle on things.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/12/obama-us-troops-afghanistan-kilcullen

David Kilcullen, one of the world's leading authorities on counter-insurgency and an adviser to the British government as well as the US state department, said Obama's delay in reaching a decision over extra troops had been "messy". He said it not only worried US allies but created uncertainty the Taliban could exploit.

<snip>

Kilcullen expressed concern that Obama might deny McChrystal the 40,000 extra troops and split the difference between the four options, the kind of fudge common in domestic politics.

<snip>

"It feels to me that all these options are dangerously close to the middle ground and we have to consider whether the middle ground is a good place to be. The middle ground is a good place on domestic issues, but not on strategy. You either commit to D-Day and invade the continent or you get Suez. Half-measures end up with Suez. Do it or not do it."

<snip>

He said it would be irresponsible to opt for a halfway house in which extra troops were sent in but not enough to secure Afghanistan, which seemed to be the way the administration was headed. He noted that Obama, in a speech to troops in Jacksonville, Florida, a fortnight ago, had said he would never lightly put them in harm's way.

"That's not the situation we are in. As an analogy, you have a building on fire, and it's got a bunch of firemen inside. There are not enough firemen to put it out. You have to send in more or you have to leave. It is not appropriate to stand outside pontificating about not taking lightly the responsibility of sending firemen into harm's way. Either put in enough firemen to put the fire out or get out of the house. That is my analogy of where we are. Either of those approaches could potentially work."

NTM

Manic Moran

Gunbunnies had a good day yesterday. They're probably sick to death of firing illumination, they were pleased to have a spot of lobbing HE as fast as they could load it.

Opposition in one part of our AO has an objection to a road being built a few miles from them. (About ten, and over a mountain). Problem is that with the road comes government, security forces, and other problems like prosperity. So about forty of them decide to go and shoot up the road construction crew. In the ensuing firefight (It's a very well-armed road construction crew) there are a few casualties on each side, and then one of the road workers has the bright idea of calling us on his mobile 'phone.

155mm gets fifteen miles cross-country much faster than a patrol can, a number of the opposition were killed. They decided to withdraw. We await the rematch.

We also found another roadside bomb before it detonated this week. Insh'Allah, we're back ahead of the curve.

NTM

minidazzler

Manic Moran wrote: »

and then one of the road workers has the bright idea of calling us on his mobile 'phone.

NTM

Anyone else hoping this guy was Irish? It is quite an Irish thing to do TBH, Comms down "Ah, shure use your mobile"

Class Story Manic!! Thanks!

Manic Moran

We use 'em too.

They're a hell of a lot lighter than MilSpec radios, and there's a surprising amount of coverage. Of course, they're not the first choice (Not being secure), but we bring them along for emergencies.

If you need help, better to be able to call on the mobile than not be able to call at all.

NTM

Manic Moran

I realise that this is purely a factor of my Western decadence, but really, is it too much to ask for hot water in the shower? Heck, I'll even take 'tepid'

NTM

helimachoptor

Manic Moran wrote: »

I realise that this is purely a factor of my Western decadence, but really, is it too much to ask for hot water in the shower? Heck, I'll even take 'tepid'

NTM

Can you not ring some HE grenades/Shells or something underneath a big water tank for a slow burn effect

Manic Moran

Oink.

NTM

Manic Moran

In a relatively rare move for this part of the world, the opposition chucked somewhere over a ton of HME into a dump truck and decided to turn it into a suicide bomb.

In an equally rare move for this part of the world, the Afghan security services found it. It has since been dun blowed up.

NTM

concussion

I don't believe you

iceage

Manic Moran wrote: »

In an equally rare move for this part of the world, the Afghan security services found it. It has since been dun blowed up.

NTM

Nice one, it makes a nice change to hear good news coming out of Afghanistan for a change. Bloody good result. Was it ANA or ANP?

Manic Moran

No.

NTM

iceage

Did I read that all wrong MM?

Sh!t I reckon i did

Manic Moran

No.

There are about as many Multi-Letter-Agencies in Afghanistan as there are in the US.

NTM

iceage

Best I leave it at that then.;)

iceage

Hey before I forget.. An early Happy thanksgiving to Manic, and pass it on to the rest of the lads out there from us lot on Boards.ie

Manic Moran

Ta.

Gobble-Gobble.

NTM

ynotdu

US President Barack Obama is to make his long-awaited announcement on US strategy in Afghanistan next Tuesday, the White House has said. During a visit to the West Point military academy, he will reveal how many extra troops he has decided to send to fight Taliban militants.
An exit strategy is expected to be a key part of the Obama announcement.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Wednesday that the US would be out of Afghanistan within eight years.
Meanwhile Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has again rejected the idea of peace talks with Kabul.
Training plans
The BBC's Paul Adams, in Washington, says President Obama's address on Tuesday will be one of the key moments of his first year in office.
It is thought the president will commit between 30,000 and 35,000 extra US troops to the campaign - fewer than the 40,000 sought by the US commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal.

President Karzai urged the Taliban to rejoin the political process


President Obama vowed on Tuesday to "finish the job" in Afghanistan.
On Wednesday, Mr Gibbs said: "We are in year nine of our efforts in Afghanistan. We are not going to be there another eight or nine years."
He added: "Throughout this process, the president has repeatedly pushed and prodded, not simply for how we are going to get a certain number of troops in, but what is the strategy, what has to be implemented ultimately to get them out."
Mr Gibbs said speeding up the training for Afghan security forces was a key element of the exit plan.
The US currently has about 68,000 troops in Afghanistan while its Nato allies have about 42,000.
Nato chiefs are due to discuss sending more troops to Afghanistan in early December.
Meanwhile in a statement posted on a website used by the Taliban, Mullah Omar dismissed a call from President Hamid Karzai for negotiations.
"The people of Afghanistan will not agree to a negotiation which prolongs and legitimises the invader's military presence in our beloved country. Afghanistan is our home," the statement quoted Mullah Omar as saying.
President Karzai was inaugurated last week after winning a controversial election tainted by fraud.


above taken from BBC website.
other news organisastions are quoting PM Gordon Brown as saying NATO will be sending another 10,000 troops

Manic Moran

It's about time for a few more photos, I think.

NTM

Manic Moran

And a couple more.

NTM

junder

any ideas what winter is like in the helmond province?

ynotdu

Hi,ya Manic i always enjoy the pics! Hope they gave You some Irish rashers sausages and pudding for brekkie on thanksgiving day!:pac::pac::)

ynotdu

that apart from a few psychos,troops get NO pleasure from the job they have to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhYam6KRSnM

OS119

junder wrote: »

any ideas what winter is like in the helmond province?

cold. -20c-odd at night in some spots would be unremarkable, the windchill during a nice sunny day might be -30c or so...

blisteringly freezing winds everywhere, lots of snow in the mountains, and occasional snowfall in the valleys.

you'd want to be really, really wrapped up - not an inch of exposed skin and buffalo/snugpak trousers under your windproofs would be a must even when you're working.

junder

that bad? since i am infantry meaning alot of running about going to hot very quickly, do i still need to be that well wrapped up. could any body suggest warm kit to invest in for a winter tour, or just general kit to make life easier.

Just out of interest and of relervance to the thread, seen in a newspaper gorden brown is proposing the idea that british troops could start withdrawing next christmas with afghan forces taking up the slack, how realistic is this?

iceage

I think you'll find that some thermals or a decent base layers will come in handy. You should be told what you will require if your not issued it of course.

Cyclops is broadcasting do-do again i reckon. But hey we can only live in hope eh.

Manic Moran

OS119 wrote: »

cold. -20c-odd at night in some spots would be unremarkable, the windchill during a nice sunny day might be -30c or so...

blisteringly freezing winds everywhere, lots of snow in the mountains, and occasional snowfall in the valleys.

you'd want to be really, really wrapped up - not an inch of exposed skin and buffalo/snugpak trousers under your windproofs would be a must even when you're working.

Christ, I hope you're making that up. I'm heading down in that direction in a couple of weeks. We're still in shirt sleeves here. Some people are still wearing shorts.

NTM

namloc1980

I don't see what throwing an extra 30,000 troops into Afghanistan will achieve. You could throw 300,000 in there and it won't solve that place. It's a fractured country which IMO will never be one. You have Karzai and his crooks in Kabul and surrounding areas, and the Taliban and their crooks running the bulk of the rest of the country, with the US, NATO and the others running around in the middle getting nowhere. Give it up Barack, just as the Brits and Soviets found out, there is no winning in Afghanistan.

RMD

namloc1980 wrote: »

I don't see what throwing an extra 30,000 troops into Afghanistan will achieve. You could throw 300,000 in there and it won't solve that place. It's a fractured country which IMO will never be one. You have Karzai and his crooks in Kabul and surrounding areas, and the Taliban and their crooks running the bulk of the rest of the country, with the US, NATO and the others running around in the middle getting nowhere. Give it up Barack, just as the Brits and Soviets found out, there is no winning in Afghanistan.

Like your always going to have dissidents in the North, you'll always have extremists in the Middle East. Most they're going to accomplish is cutting their numbers, they'll never be able to fully get rid of them.

Manic Moran

namloc1980 wrote: »

I don't see what throwing an extra 30,000 troops into Afghanistan will achieve.

Probably because you're not here. The troops would be most welcome, at least if they're sensibly used.

NTM

Fratton Fred

Manic,

Is there a possibility that these extra troops could push the Taliban back into Pakistan and make them not only untouchable by ISAF forces, but also worsen the situation in the Swat valley?

When you say as long as they are sensibly used, how do you think that should be? as a big push to try and wipe out the Taliban, or to increase security in already held positions and slowly increase the influence that way?

Manic Moran

Is there a possibility that these extra troops could push the Taliban back into Pakistan and make them not only untouchable by ISAF forces, but also worsen the situation in the Swat valley?

I am not yet privvy to the Grand Plan, so I can't speak on that.

When you say as long as they are sensibly used, how do you think that should be? as a big push to try and wipe out the Taliban, or to increase security in already held positions and slowly increase the influence that way?

First and foremost, someone needs to ride herd on the Afghan police. We don't have the manpower right now to partner with them correctly, mentor them and make sure that they're following their own policies and procedures. Insh'Allah, a fair chunk of the inbounds will be diverted to that extent. Army needs a little help too, but nowhere near as much. They're actually surprisingly competent, just some procedural issues need sorting out.

The issue of either consolidating or continuing to push is a difficult one. The current theory is to focus on the population centres, but as long as the opposition has safe havens outside of those population centres, you still have to find a way of preventing those outside the security bubble from penetrating it and causing havoc within, so maintaining some sort of offensive posture seems to be a requirement. If I had my way, I'd do something like a split of 25% Afghan trainers, 45% hold current positions, and 30% offensive, but that's just my view from my little corner of the war.

NTM

helimachoptor

Manic, If you could choose a few different pieces of equipment to have at the disposal of them under you what would they be, anything from tanks/APCs to better beds etc

Also how are the French?

junder

For those on the ground in Afghan, as i said eariler Gorden Brown has said troops could start being withdrawn by christmas next year, How likily is this?

Manic Moran

I would dearly love to see some Scimitars and Spartans. All our mobility and firepower problems sorted. Not going to happen, of course.

PVQ-20s for all. (Hey, I can dream). Failing that, a few more PAS-13s than we currently have wouldn't be a bad thing. We're also getting a few PAS-23s soon, mind, which should help. I cannot overstate the superiority of thermal imagers over image intensifiers in an insurgency environment. (Of course, I also cannot overstate the cost: For such a small little thing, the PAS-23 goes for some $20K apiece)

More TacSat radios. We have one net for the entire Brigade.

A crapload more surveillance/SIGINT stuff. Opposition has nearly zero ComSec, and we're not taking advantage of it. (A problem the French don't have, they've got the stuff coming out their ears).

Those containerised living quarters. Something to be said for them over the wooden hut I'm currently in. Still, we're having concrete buildings built as well.

In fairness, we're actually not doing poorly at all on the soldier equipment level. The snivel gear is absolutely first-rate. We have a lot of short-range radios, one per fire team usually, though PRRs wouldn't go amiss at all. Could do with more missiles/grenades, I guess, but then someone needs to carry them.

French aren't doing too poorly, they're about to rotate out soon. Pity, really, their JTAC is quite cute. Their new restaurant that they're building is having the Grand Opening this week, so we'll be sure to swing by next week at some point.

NTM

OS119

Manic Moran wrote: »

Christ, I hope you're making that up. I'm heading down in that direction in a couple of weeks. We're still in shirt sleeves here. Some people are still wearing shorts.

NTM

sorry mate, if you're going to somewhere towards the northern end of Helmand - the mountainous bits like Musa Qala or Kajaki districts then it gets arse achingly cold from mid-december onwards. the further south you are (and therefore at lower altitudes) it gets warm(er) - but it can still be pretty windy and there'll be a distinct nip in the air, especially at night.

it seems to be a 'switch on - switch off' job, one day in t-shirts, the next in half a dozen layers freezing your balls off!


keep safe.

ejmaztec

At least the opium will be gone.

transylman

Manic Moran wrote: »

French aren't doing too poorly, they're about to rotate out soon. Pity, really, their JTAC is quite cute. Their new restaurant that they're building is having the Grand Opening this week, so we'll be sure to swing by next week at some point.

NTM

If you do make sure you use the words "Henry" and "tricheur" at some point.

Manic Moran

transylman wrote: »

If you do make sure you use the words "Henry" and "tricheur" at some point.

I have already expressed to them my disappointment.

NTM

Manic Moran

Got some photos in the mail, my sister's wedding in Greece. Nice to know that life still exists in the real world. Comparing notes with a buddy of mine, he said it's like being in a coma for a year. The rest of the world continues to move on, you're sortof out of the loop. Sounds about right, I was completely thrown by the advances in PC technology after just 18 months last time. "Why is there no AGP slot on my motherboard?"

NTM

piby

While I think the 30,000 troops aknowre needed I have to question the logic of setting a date for the first withdrawals. I understand that the whole point is a quick, sharp surge and that July 2011 is just the first phasin down ie. troops still there. But surely then in this instance if the Taliban are smart they'll simply tone down and wait for the foreign forces to leave before wreakin havoc. The point is that they know the west is eager to pull out ASAP and now they have a date!!

Victor

piby wrote: »

While I think the 30,000 troops aknowre needed I have to question the logic of setting a date for the first withdrawals.

Obama wants to be re-elected in November 2011.

Manic Moran

piby wrote: »

While I think the 30,000 troops aknowre needed I have to question the logic of setting a date for the first withdrawals. I understand that the whole point is a quick, sharp surge and that July 2011 is just the first phasin down ie. troops still there. But surely then in this instance if the Taliban are smart they'll simply tone down and wait for the foreign forces to leave before wreakin havoc. The point is that they know the west is eager to pull out ASAP and now they have a date!!

It's a bit of a balance.

On the one hand, there does need to be a little pressure placed on the Afghan forces to say 'look, you can't rely upon us for ever, you need to start picking it up a bit more.' However, the opposition can't wait for too long, as if they just sit back and do nothing whilst the people get used to peace, infrastructure and prosperity, then a certain level of 'momentum' is achieved which will make it very hard for the Taliban to regain the offence with any traction. A date for a reduction in troop numbers isn't a bad thing in itself. A date for a complete withdrawl, on the other hand, is an entirely different issue.

NTM

jakebrown

Would putting a specific date for troop reduction in itself be a good or bad thing? Telling out these things publicly seem more political than military. Like saying 'We will be landing in Normandy on 6th June' in WW2

helimachoptor

Manic, whats the most serious non combat injury suffered out there by anyone you know?

Also, do you have any pre-mission rituals that you do, i.e. taping blood type to boots, putting magazines/grenades in certain places, how many bottles of water you bring etc..

concussion

jakebrown wrote: »

Would putting a specific date for troop reduction in itself be a good or bad thing? Telling out these things publicly seem more political than military. Like saying 'We will be landing in Normandy on 6th June' in WW2

As an aside, the German High Command had a pretty good idea when the Allies were coming, based on tides and the amount of moonlight expected. What wasn't known was the exact location they would land and what their axis of advance would be.

Manic Moran

jakebrown wrote: »

Would putting a specific date for troop reduction in itself be a good or bad thing? Telling out these things publicly seem more political than military.

It is, but have a think about who the intended target is: It's not the American people, it's the Afghan government and its forces. Call it a motivator, if you will, that the level of assistance that they'll be getting in six months will not be in effect in 26 months.

Now, saying 'We will completely cease doing <blank> on this date' is another kettle of fish entirely. You have to show commitment for as long as it is necessary, or you won't get the support from the people who will have to figure out how to survive once ISAF have gone.

Manic, whats the most serious non combat injury suffered out there by anyone you know?

Death, by anyone in our sector. From anyone I know personally, we had a chap fall off a truck and damage his spine back in July. He's still in hospital, last I checked.

Also, do you have any pre-mission rituals that you do, i.e. taping blood type to boots, putting magazines/grenades in certain places, how many bottles of water you bring etc..

That's not what I'd consider a ritual as much as proper soldiering: PCCs/PCIs. (That said, the blood type thing is pointless. The aid station will type you before giving you blood, no matter what's written on your clothes or stamped on your dog tags. They might accept your ID card, if they find it.). On the more 'tradition' side, I don't go out often enough to have an established ritual. Plus, the vehicles are different. Traditions I'm used to, such as feeding the turret monster, don't apply.

NTM

namloc1980

Victor wrote: »

Obama wants to be re-elected in November 2011.

Election is in Nov. 2012. Obama knows there is no hope of a full victory in Afghanistan and he certainly knows there is no hope of sorting the entire country out in the next 18-24 months. IMO setting up a reasonably secure area around Kabul and in the west and north of the country where violence is relatively low with a stable government is about the best that Obama can hope for. Then let the Afghans set about bringing the rest of the country into some kind of order over the next 10+ years or longer with support from western military advisers etc on the ground. However the current Afghan government under Karzai doesn't exactly inspire confidence going by the recent election fiasco. History tells us that Afghanistan has been pretty much in a constant state of war, with brief intervals, for hundreds of years and it is likely to remain in such a state after western forces pull out (whenever that happens).

concussion

Feeding the turret monster = getting weapons/clothing/limbs caught when the turret rotates?

Manic Moran

That's what happens when you don't feed the turret monster. Usually it's maps, pens, that sort of thing, what you need just at that moment and time, though my Zune got a bit of a mauling.

Feeding the TM before a mission or gunnery usually involves a sacrificial offering of something like a pen before you set off. If the TM isn't feeling hungry that day, you can find the offering again that evening, and then re-offer it the next day.

NTM