Feral Jundi

Friday, March 27, 2009

Afghanistan: Obama Unveils Strategy for Afghanistan, Pakistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,Pakistan — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 10:37 PM

Obama Unveils Strategy for Afghanistan, Pakistan

By Kent Klein 

The White House

27 March 2009

Pres. Obama, flanked by Sec. of State Clinton, Defense Sec. Gates, announces new strategy for Afghanistan, Pakistan, 27 Mar 2009

President Barack Obama has announced his plan to send about 4,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and increase diplomacy with Pakistan. He said his strategy has a clear and focused goal.

“To disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future. That is the goal that must be achieved. That is a cause that could not be more just. And to the terrorists who oppose us, my message is the same: We will defeat you,” said the president.

Mr. Obama said, for Americans, the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan is “the most dangerous place in the world,” where those who planned the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States are plotting further attacks.  

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Sunday, March 22, 2009

Pakistan: A Conversation With David Kilcullen

Filed under: Afghanistan,Pakistan — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 10:38 PM

   Dr. Kilcullen’s statement on Pakistan is just eery to read. We all know those are the stakes in Pakistan, but it just doesn’t seem to sink in with most of the west.  There is so much else going on out there, but this kind of dwarfs everything in terms of threats when you really think about it.  A Pakistan that collapses, would not be good, and would be a huge loss in this war.  

   The other thing that is interesting is that he has given numerous interviews about his thoughts on the way forward, and it seems each interview keeps presenting a more refined viewpoint.  So that is why I keep posting them, and trying to get in the right mindset for what is required for this war.  I know he lives this stuff daily, and it really helps to hear his thoughts on the matter. 

   Now on to the one area that continues to get ignored when ever he talks, and that is the role of the contracting industry in his vision of the war effort.  I mean there are more of us than US troops, yet still we get no mention as to what we need to be doing in this war to help?  Doesn’t anyone else see a problem with this? We are very much a part of the population interaction out there, and our actions do have an impact on the war.  So why we continue to be treated like the elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge is beyond me.  

   Further more, we are a resource, that if used correctly, can certainly add to the effort.  What is all this talk of diplomatic efforts, or taking care of the people?  Is a soldier with a gun, the best tool for that job, or is a civilian helping a civilian the best tool?  I tend to think that both are important to the equation out there, but we tend to fall back on using the soldier with a gun for all problem solving.  

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Podcasts: COR Interviews Bill Roggio, Editor of The Long War Journal

Filed under: Afghanistan,Pakistan,Podcasts — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:44 PM

 COR Interviews Bill Roggio, Editor of The Long War Journal.

   I thoroughly enjoyed this interview, and Bill is just a wealth of information when it comes to this war.  The Long War Journal is a highly effective ‘new media’ tool in getting the word out about this war and what we are doing right or wrong, and it was a pleasure to hear what Bill had to say.  I hope Bill comes back again.

   Some of the highlights for this show, was a quick down and dirty discussion about what is going on in Pakistan, and how important that conflict is to the rest of the war.  Jake and Bill also discussed this latest attack on the Sri Lanken Cricket Team in Pakistan.  They also discussed the latest appeasement actions of the Pakistani government in the Swat region, and how idiotic that is.

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Sunday, March 1, 2009

Publications: Tell Me Why We’re There? Enduring Interests in Afghanistan (and Pakistan) by Fick, Kilcullen, Nagl, Singh

Filed under: Afghanistan,Pakistan,Publications — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 4:01 PM

   If you care about the direction we are taking in the war, then I highly recommend reading this report.  The authors should give you a clue as to how important this thing is. If President Obama was smart, he would read this report as well, and not have some staffer spoon feed it to him. –Matt

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Tell Me Why We’re There? Enduring Interests in Afghanistan (and Pakistan)Publication Type: Policy Brief

Publication Date: 01/22/2009

Author(s): Nathaniel C. Fick, David Kilcullen, John A. Nagl, Vikram J. Singh 

January 2009 – In 2009, the Obama administration will attempt to deliver on campaign promises to change the Afghan war’s trajectory. In April, the Strasbourg NATO summit will determine the alliance’s role in shaping the future of the country and the region. By the fall, Afghans will have voted for their president for only the second time since 2001, an event which may irrevocably set the country’s course. By the end of this summer’s fighting season, the war in Afghanistan will not yet be won, but it could well be lost.

After seven years and the deaths of more than a thousand American and coalition troops, there is still no consensus on whether the future of Afghanistan matters to the United States and Europe, or on what can realistically be achieved there. Afghanistan does matter. A stable Afghanistan is necessary to defeat Al Qaeda and to further stability in South and Central Asia. Understanding the war in Afghanistan, maintaining domestic and international support for it, and prosecuting it well requires three things: a clear articulation of U.S. interests in Afghanistan, a concise definition of what the coalition seeks to achieve there, and a detailed strategy to guide the effort.

U.S. interests in Afghanistan may be summarized as “two no’s”: there must be no sanctuary for terrorists with global reach in Afghanistan, and there must be no broader regional meltdown. Securing these objectives requires helping the Afghans to build a sustainable system of governance that can adequately ensure security for the Afghan people—the “yes” upon which a successful exit strategy depends.

Read the Rest of the Paper Here

Sunday, December 7, 2008

News: More Than 160 US, NATO Vehicles Burned in Pakistan

Filed under: Afghanistan,News,Pakistan — Tags: , , — Matt @ 1:18 PM

     Pathetic.  Whomever the security company was, that was contracted to protect this depot, did a horrific job of protecting it.  When guards just stand by helplessly, and allow the attackers to come in and destroy everything, then something is severely screwed up.  That much is apparent.   You get what you pay for I guess, and we need to take a more assertive role in protecting our vital supplies out there.  

     Pakistan is doing a terrible job, Pakistani PSC’s are doing a terrible job, and 70 % of our logistics comes from Peshawar.  If we are serious about fighting the war in Afghanistan, then we need to get serious about protecting our logistics.  I say pay the money to hire competent security to protect these convoys and depots, or send the troops to protect this stuff. Or get out of the business of even dealing with Pakistan for our logistics. –Head Jundi

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More than 160 US, NATO vehicles burned in Pakistan

By RIAZ KHAN 

December 7, 2008

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Militants torched 160 vehicles, including dozens of Humvees destined for U.S. and allied forces fighting in Afghanistan, in the boldest attack so far on the critical military supply line through Pakistan.

The American military said Sunday’s raid on two transport terminals near the beleaguered Pakistani city of Peshawar would have “minimal” impact on anti-Taliban operations set to expand with the arrival of thousands more troops next year.

However, the attack feeds concern that insurgents are trying to choke the route through the famed Khyber Pass, which carries up to 70 percent of the supplies for Western forces in landlocked Afghanistan, and drive up the cost of the war.

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