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Old 12-22-2011, 12:01   #76
Richard
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SSDD...

And so it goes...

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Old 12-23-2011, 06:54   #77
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Besides the fact that we don't have enough sof to train that many troops, you also have these factors: for large conventional units, given an overt presence, most of the time IMHO conventional troops can train them better- its their job- sf normally doesn't maneuver larger than a squad formation. The other issue is our mission: we train irregular forces or forces in politically sensitive areas- I.e., places you want a low signature in. Just because FID is a core mission doesn't mean we are the best in every situation, nor that we should be used even if we were. If the mission can be completed relatively well by conventional troops, then I say by all means, they SHOULD do it.

The issues in Afghanistan go well beyond the ana.
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Old 12-23-2011, 10:28   #78
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Originally Posted by MtnGoat View Post
I say other nightmare in Afghanistan is the mangagement of Linguist. Local Terp (LNL) and U.S. hire Linguist. The bases for companies taking over the mangagement of Terps was due, from what I was told, to Embezzlement of funds from or of U.S Military Terp mangagers.

So if a Terp at a local U.S. Firebase. SOF or Conventional was making $800.00 to $1500.00 a month and then had a U.S. military mangager take his and every other terps pay. Say 8 terps.. if one terp made $1500.00.. Well now the U.S. Companies that manage terps now make $3000 to $5000 per Terp, but only pay a terp $650 to $940 a month. While the U.S. military Point Of Contact (POC) acts as a manager for the company fill out time sheet and pay invoices for the company to then charge the US GOVT for there management fees.

I could go on.. but I think you see the ONE MORE nightmare here.
I had no idea funds were screwed up this badly. Let me explain how easy I had it in SOG with funds as it should work in Afghan. I picked up the company pay each month from the S-1. I had 4 terps. The Chief terp, who is in NC, made $430 in 68!He was my highest paid Indig. Next was the second senior most terp who was paid about $340 in P's. Then the other two made about the same as my yard platoon leaders ($240 or so). Heck, the SCU riflemen made $200 a month while viet 2LT's made $25 plus all they could steal.

What you explained is why we are being stolen from and; I think we may well be creating a lot of our own headaches. SF officers should pay the locals. All these contractors competing for local terps if that is true- appears to be a real factor for further corruption.
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Old 12-24-2011, 08:30   #79
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We are sent Terps from these US Companies here in Afghanistan providing a service with people (Locals) that are not from the area we are working in. All Local National Terps must spend one year on a firebase before they can work close to home. Just as in this Lost in Translation Video, The terp does know the local Pashto or really Waziri language of the pashtun tribes along the AF/PK board areas.


Yes bailaviborita Afghanistan is WAY MORE MESSED up then any ANA unit, soldiers, ETC.
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Old 12-24-2011, 11:06   #80
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Originally Posted by MtnGoat View Post
I say other nightmare in Afghanistan is the mangagement of Linguist. Local Terp (LNL) and U.S. hire Linguist. The bases for companies taking over the mangagement of Terps was due, from what I was told, to Embezzlement of funds from or of U.S Military Terp mangagers.

So if a Terp at a local U.S. Firebase. SOF or Conventional was making $800.00 to $1500.00 a month and then had a U.S. military mangager take his and every other terps pay. Say 8 terps.. if one terp made $1500.00.. Well now the U.S. Companies that manage terps now make $3000 to $5000 per Terp, but only pay a terp $650 to $940 a month. While the U.S. military Point Of Contact (POC) acts as a manager for the company fill out time sheet and pay invoices for the company to then charge the US GOVT for there management fees.

I could go on.. But I think you see the ONE MORE nightmare here.
The TS//SI cleared terps that we use are actually paid alot more than that (to the tune of $250K with bonuses, haz duty pay, etc.). I still don't understand why the USG hasn't been pumping out Pashto, Farsi, Dari linguists from DLI like we did in the days of the "Turbo Serbo" classes (I'm a product of that myself).

I strongly suspect that 12 weeks of Pashto training will not have the same effect as 12 weeks of Serb!
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Old 12-25-2011, 00:33   #81
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Originally Posted by lindy View Post
The TS//SI cleared terps that we use are actually paid alot more than that (to the tune of $250K with bonuses, haz duty pay, etc.). I still don't understand why the USG hasn't been pumping out Pashto, Farsi, Dari linguists from DLI like we did in the days of the "Turbo Serbo" classes (I'm a product of that myself).

I strongly suspect that 12 weeks of Pashto training will not have the same effect as 12 weeks of Serb!
Yeah right.. Groups are teaching it but with Ranges, BS reasons from soldiers and no Command influence or BIG PUSH SF guy really don't care about langauge training due to us having so many LNL terps.

If Group Commander would tell every SF Tab that you will take a DLPT or OPI once you come back from OEF or "Back in the Day" OIF. Things would be different IMHO. When a Group Command (Grp CDR or CSM) does come down to "check on training" at the langauge school. When Tm SGT send a guy to the CLP training just to get rid of them or for their personal time; to fix themseleves or family life. All great, but if that the reason for it??

Yes terps get paid a ton for what they do. Locals don't and just like those Cat 1,2,3s they may know the language or the may not know it. The ones that just came to the U.S.A and then come back as a Cat 1 and do it for 3 to 5 years and than come back as Cat2 are tens better than the Linguist that grow up in the US and been gone for 10 plus years. We have some that IMHO don;t really know their mother langauge. I have one that for the longest time kept writting North and South wrong.

Some are great and some should never have been terps..

bit off topic tho
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Old 05-07-2012, 21:08   #82
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Originally Posted by kgoerz View Post
First stop calling it a country. It has no Government and no borders. Is just a region with a bunch of different tribes living with in it's space. Astan will never have stability. Just let the bad guys take over. Then every five years we go in and kill a bunch of them.
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Old 09-13-2012, 16:41   #83
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A bit of a Thread BUMP

As ISAF does it transition in next coming years, just thought I bump this thread. I like to bring up some points to this Nightmare we call Afghanistan.

I too won’t call Afghanistan a Country either kgoerz, because it isn’t. It is an area made up by may different areas, controlled by different people and tribes. Sadly this is the root of its problems, Ethic divide within Afghanistan. Taliban built on this in the mid 1990’s. The non-pashtuns never have worked for or be under control of the Taliban. Even King Mohammed Zahir Shah said that he ruled under the shadow of power due to the tribe difference. He did at least make a constitution which turned Afghanistan into a modern democratic state by introducing free elections, a Parliament, civil rights, women's rights and education systems. But this tribe ethic divide has made Afghanistan a land that for over 2000 years has never been under external control. This is why the Taliban had been able to take over with outsider influences. The issues today are the way the Taliban has started a divide within its ranks. It runs under its Taliban ideologically but it is divide on about 3 to 4 fronts, the South and East divide with the elements within Pakistan, in the East the control fighting between Haqqani Network (HQN), and the Hizb-I Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), then the ISI involvement.

GIRoA has no money to run itself. With the elite/ ruling class running everything and taking every bit of money poured into the country through foreign governments. Everything that has been set up within Afghanistan has been a failure. DoS and the military had a plan for nation building. The issue between DoS or DoD and other nations is that when Senior military leader failures occur when the civilian leaders and military commanders become disconnected. This happen on so many levels, for each RC and sector, each time a new commander came in to command they never followed the plan set up. The base line plan or changed everything up for there own plan. Not flowing a plan caused many issues within Afghanistan. Then you have the issue with JOBs in Afghanistan. With ISAF and NATO pulling out Afghanistan’s economy will face a sharp shock after international troops withdraw in 2014, removing the one factor that provided investors and businesses with a measure of confidence for Afghanistan economic infrastructure development. But even with a secure economic infrastructure Afghanistan still suffers from massive institutional corruption, which means that much of the tens of billions of foreign investment that have flowed into the country has been squandered by the ruling class. Once 2014 rolls around this ruling class will be flying out by the dozen to Dubai, Middle East, and the EU. I bet next year this will start happening. US and EU should follow the AID development plan that China has, they don’t provide large amounts of “cash” they go in with Chinese Companies and build with locals the aid projects. So they are in control of the cash and then have that nice Civil platform.

Pakistan and its impact on Afghanistan development. This is something that has been an issue since the start of time. Pakistan has never wanted a successful Afghanistan. This has been from the two British control periods to the 1947 creation, to the Soviet period and the backing of the mujahideen through the ISI and PAK Army, then with ISI backing of the Taliban. The Pakistan and its Military/ISI has been stirring up problems within Afghanistan for many years. Pakistan has so many internal problems and does look inward, but with its military controlling class always pointing outwards. Pakistan has two of four providence with a insurgency problem. The Military/ISI “made” the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) inadvertently through the creation of Islamic fundamentalist militants groups to fight in the Indian-administered Kashmir, a territory claimed and disputed by Pakistan. The TTP “pulled” together an alliance of about five militant groups in Pakistan formed in 2007 to unify groups fighting against the Pakistani military in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistani military/ISI “turned” on their insurgent groups in a confrontation in July 2007 between Islamic fundamentalist militants and the Government of Pakistan in an operation against the Lal Masjid ("Red Mosque") and the Jamia Hafsa madrasah complex in Islamabad, Pakistan. Then you have the long running Balochistan conflict which is an ongoing conflict between Baloch nationalists and the Government of Pakistan over Balochistan. Baloch nationalists ideals have changed over the years, but this is a insurgency that Pakistan Military has to deal with.
So has the chickens come home to roost?

Afghan Army. Now here is a beast of burden. With GIRoA having no money to run itself and with the elite/ ruling class running everything and taking every bit of money poured into the country will leave the ANA in the hands of Taliban. Under current NATO plans the ANSF are supposed to take over responsibility for security of Afghanistan by the middle of 2013 and all ISAF troops will be withdrawn from combat operations by the end of 2014. Afghanistan’s future will be jeopardized with Taliban returning to control of the country when foreign troops are pulled out. The main issue with ANA is that NATO/ISAF never built an Officer Corps. The Soviet did do something close to this during its time in Afghanistan. Most Officers were tied to their Afghanistan communist parties. Soviet rebuilt the Afghan Army 3 or 4 times. With the Enlisted ranks they will be tied back to their tribal links. This will lead to ANA going back to the same problems the Soviets Army splintered between the government in Kabul and the various warring factions between “warlord” Commanders. Left behind will be military aid in the form of DoS development and DoD training teams to the different ANA commands.

Afghan neighbors don’t want U.S. presence in Afghanistan. Most of the neighbors of Afghanistan don’t want a U.S. military presence within Afghanistan after 2014. Like I said Pakistan has never wanted a successful Afghanistan, Iran pushes aid into the western Afghanistan and the Shi'a areas. All the northern countries are spilt in were they are in support of Afghanistan. India is likely the main supporter of a successful Afghanistan. Even with an America and Afghanistan signing a strategic pact which would allow thousands of United States troops to remain in the country until at least 2024. The Russians have complained that any talks of U.S. Military troop presence in Afghanistan after 2014 violates international understandings. The main one including one made in a joint statement by President Obama and President Dmitri A. Medvedev on supporting a neutral status for Afghanistan. So as Conventional Troops are pulled out and Afghan forces would still need support from US fighter aircraft, helicopters and USSOF elements left behind to support the ANA. So if no neighbors want U.S. around what will change? How will this affect the insurgences of the Taliban and their control or take cover of Afghanistan. Will the Taliban become part of the new Government; remember that 2014 is an election year for Afghanistan too.

Wake up ..wake up your having an NIGHTMARE!!
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Old 09-18-2012, 18:44   #84
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something for reading pleasure

Hey here is a interesting article on the political situation. If you your reading this look atty the bottom to read all of the paper. There is a link at the bottom.

http://security.newamerica.net/publi...th_the_taliban

The Battle for Afghanistan: Negotiations with the Taliban History and Prospects for the Future

May 23, 2011 | New America Foundation

The debate about “reconciliation” between Taliban insurgents and the Afghan government started moving again in 2010. What remains unclear is whether a process of reconciliation has already commenced and meaningful contacts with the insurgents have been established. Substantive talks, however, are clearly not yet underway.

What was really new in these developments in Afghanistan in the last year? For the first time, the Kabul government affirmed that there were contacts with Taliban leaders. At the same time, it played them down as unsubstantial and without results. Without doubt, contacts between the Karzai government and individual insurgents exist, but they have not been systematized and there is still no comprehensive strategy for going forward on talks or even negotiations on reconciliation.

Second, NATO confirmed that it has facilitated these talks technically and by implicitly giving security guarantees for interlocutors. At the same, the new U.S. strategy, including a kill-and-capture program targeting Taliban commanders, does not point toward reconciliation; rather, it has given the upper hand to Taliban hardliners who oppose any talks. This could lead to the ascent of a younger, more radicalized generation of Taliban commanders to replace those killed, who were better known and might have included some inclined toward a political solution.

Third, a High Peace Council with 70 members has been established by the Afghan government as the sole body authorized to pursue reconciliation. Because President Hamid Karzai nominated its members, however, it is seen as a governmental body that will not be able to conduct meaningful negotiations because the Taliban, and many Afghans do not consider it a neutral party.

The fourth new point is that Pakistani authorities have dropped their line of denying all support for and control over the Taliban. For the first time they admitted openly that they are able to ‘deliver’ Taliban leaders for talks. The arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy to Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, was a statement of intent: talks with the Afghan Taliban are possible, but not without a key Pakistani role. At the same time, new research asserted that while the Taliban accept Pakistani support, many of their commanders nevertheless do not

appreciate Pakistani influence on Afghan politics. [i]
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History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over."

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Intelligence failures are failures of command [just] as operations failures are command failures.”
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Old 10-05-2012, 15:25   #85
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U.S.-Taliban Peace Deal Unlikely in Afghanistan

I thought I just add this here since this is turned into a reoccuring Nightmare..

Richard as you say.. And so it goes...

U.S.-Taliban Peace Deal Unlikely in Afghanistan

By Matt Vasilogambros

October 2, 2012 | 6:46 a.m.

NATO chief says coalition troops could come home earlier than 2014 because of insider attacks.

The U.S. is abandoning hope for a peace agreement with the Taliban, The New York Times reports, as NATO’s top leader told a British newspaper that the coalition is considering a quicker withdrawal of Western troops.

Once a key part of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, commanders on the ground and officials in Washington doubt the U.S. and the Taliban can have substantive peace talks, The Times reported.

Instead, the U.S. will work to secure a peace between the Taliban and the Afghan government, a deal that will eventually require approval from Pakistan. Substantive talks with the Taliban, officials told The Times, will most likely only happen after the withdrawal of American forces in 2014.

“It’s a very resilient enemy, and I’m not going to tell you it’s not,” a senior coalition officer told The Times. “It will be a constant battle, and it will be for years.”

Meanwhile, as so-called "green-on-blue" attacks, in which Afghan security forces have turned their weapons on their NATO counterparts, have increased this year, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Monday that Western troops may withdrawal from Afghanistan sooner the 2014 deadline, the U.K.’s Guardian reports.

Quote:
From now until the end of 2014 you may see adaptation of our presence,” he told the Guardian. “Our troops can redeploy, take on other tasks, or even withdraw, or we can reduce the number of foreign troops. From now until the end of 2014 we will see announcements of re-deployments, withdrawals or drawdown … If the security situation allows, I would not exclude the possibility that in certain areas you could accelerate the process.
This really looking bad for the USA and NATO IMNSHO. People will start saying or point to the issues of this being another vietnam or something in those shoes.

IMO.. FWIW the underlining problems with Afghanistan has been and will always be Pakistan. I'm not just talking about the ISI, Pakistan and it's Military and their so called leaders. Pakistan National direction(s) and their fears with Afghanistan and India partnership. Pakistan in on the brink of sectarian war and we will be there just as fast as we are heading to Iran.
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