I have read both of these stories below and I am in absolute disbelief that we are allowing this to happen? Protecting cell towers and telecommunications in Afghanistan should be a wartime priority. For COIN or counter-terrorism operations, this is your connection to the people, and to not protect that connection is just stupid. Who the hell is in charge, and why are they allowing the Taliban to do this?
So with that said, if today’s military strategists and war planners cannot do the job of protecting this stuff, then my suggestion is to contract it out. Private industry could totally protect each and every cell tower, and entire contract vehicles could be set up to do such a thing. You could actually set it up for world-wide telecommunications protection services (WTPS), just because cell towers and phones will be vital to the war effort in those places as well. Both the troops and civilian contractors use cell phones for operations, as well as the civilian populations for their commerce and day to day rebuilding activities of their towns and cities. To allow the Taliban or anyone to shut that down or mess with it, is just dumb.
I can’t stress enough on how important this stuff is, and I am floored that it is not a priority in the war. It’s right up there with logistics. Because more than likely, the tips that will come in and lead to the capture of high value terrorists (like Bin Laden), will come via a cellphone call or text message from a pissed off villager. You allow that to shut down and you have just effectively shot yourself in the foot.
Anyway, private industry will step up if the military doesn’t want to take this on. Hell, DoS or DoD could take charge of this…… that’s if anyone cares. –Matt
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Afghan Cell Carriers Follow Taliban Rules
by Alex Sundby
March 26, 2010
Afghanistan’s cell phone companies and the Taliban have formed a kind of detente in the southern and eastern parts of the wartorn country. The phone companies shut down their cell towers at night, preventing local residents from discreetly calling coalition military tip lines. In exchange, Taliban militants don’t target the costly cell towers with explosives.
It’s a part of day-to-day life The Wall Street Journal explores at length. The deal between the phone companies and the Taliban isn’t a secret to the Afghan government with the country’s communications minister telling the newspaper, “We understand that in some areas, unfortunately, there is no other way … We don’t have security to protect the towers.”