Thursday, May 31, 2007

"Peace for our time"

The Toronto Star's Thomas Walkom becomes a Neville brother:
So, forget the war on terror. Terror feeds on war. Paradoxically, the precondition for success in Afghanistan is peace. This is not a bromide but a fact.

However, peace is not easy. It requires political accommodation – not only with those of whom we approve but with those whose views we detest. This will be the hard part. The alternative is worse.
Churchill responded to Munich in the House of Commons:
Britain and France had to choose between war and dishonour. They chose dishonour. They will have war.
At some point there will have to be talks with elements of those lumped under the name "Taliban" (which is no monolithic group now). But the idea that an overall, acceptable peace settlement can be reached with the top, fanatical Islamist leadership is nuts.

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you

No names. But important recognition, just the same. BZ to the boys in the balaclavas.

Disturbing developments

I've had various people say to me that it's only a matter of time until a journalist gets killed in Afghanistan, given the fact that in so many cases they go where the soldiers do, and in many others they're travelling with their "fixer" - completely unprotected.

Well, a photographer has been killed, he just happens to have been a military photographer:

Master Corporal Darrell Jason Priede, a military Imagery Technician serving with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Regional Command (South) Headquarters at Kandahar Airfield, was killed when the helicopter in which he was a passenger went down at approximately 9 p.m. Kandahar time on 30 May, near the town of Kajaki, Helmand Province, about 95 kms northwest of Kandahar City. Master Corporal Priede was a member of the Army News Team from 3 Area Support Group, based at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick.


My condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues in Gagetown, and across the CF.

Veritas.

The circumstances surrounding MCpl Priede's death are disturbing for an additional reason: it appears that the Chinook in which he was travelling was shot down.

Initial reports said Taliban militants fired rocket-propelled grenades at the twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter, which can carry as many as 40 passengers and crew.

"Last night a little after 9 p.m. local time a Chinook helicopter went down in Helmand province near the Kajaki area," said NATO spokesperson Maj. John Thomas of the U.S. air force.

Thomas said other troops with ISAF rushed to the scene, but were attacked and had to call for air support. Dozens of Taliban fighters were killed or wounded in the battle that followed, the Afghan Defence Ministry said.

"After the crash, a unit went in to the crash scene and received small arms fire, from an ambush from the enemy," he said. "It was a hostile area where the helicopter went down, and initial indications are that enemy fire may have brought down the helicopter."


MCpl Priede had only been in the country for a month and a half, a short-notice volunteer for a slot with the British where they had specifically requested a Canadian imagery tech.

No details seem to be available about the crash at this point. I'd be interested to know if MCpl Priede was shooting stills or video in the aircraft at the time it went down, and if his equipment and imagery survived the crash.

I'd also be interested to know if the Chinook was part of a flying convoy or not, since often a number of transport helos (Chinooks, Blackhawks, etc) will be accompanied by a number of attack helos (Apaches mostly) riding shotgun. The publicly available information states that the responding patrol came under fire when they arrived in the area, which implies to me that air assets didn't suppress the enemy effectively immediately after the crash. By that, I mean that if you're an Apache crew and you see an RPG pop out and smack one of your Chinooks, you'd normally kick the living crap out of the source of that RPG immediately - long before the responding ground patrol arrived at the crash site. With that context, and not knowing what air assets were in the area at the time, I wonder why the would-be rescuers came under fire?

Disturbing developments, indeed.

Update: Roxanne Priede, about her son:

"When he called us and told us he had actually applied to go over to Afghanistan, he said he wanted to bring home the news of good stuff that was going on over there — the good things Canadians were doing over there."

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

"Don't give up your day job"

There's just a certain esprit that air force people have. US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had some advice for "The Dancing Cadet". Soyez patient with the video.

CIDA, Afstan and the Senlis Council

CIDA has responded to the Council's charges that CIDA is virtually ineffective in Afstan. I have no way to comment reasonably on either side of the argument. More here from CIDA personnel on the spot.

Afstan and the Internet: Canadians, Aussies and the Taliban/NATO winning?

1) The wired and the wonderful:
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — Rob MacGregor is a soldier who knows what to do with the business end of a rifle. He is also a digital soldier who knows his way around with a computer mouse.

Master Corporal MacGregor has just returned from what passes for the front in the war in Afghanistan. The India Company of his 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment had been in the thick of the hunt for Taliban as part of Operation Hoover.

The soldiers hiked for kilometres in the dead of night and had been involved in several gun battles throughout the long day. Near the end of the operation, MCpl. MacGregor had fallen from a roof and broken his ankle.

And less than 48 hours later, there he was in the cool of a trailer on the Kandahar Air Field checking out pictures of his sister's new baby on Facebook. It was a welcome bit of home...

Most of the 2,500 troops in southern Afghanistan have easy access to e-mail and MSN instant messaging, the exception being those at the newest forward bases. There are 50 computers with high-speed satellite connections, five of them with video cams, at the new Canada House compound on the base. There are 50 phones hooked to a satellite and each member of the military is given a phone card that allows 35 minutes of long-distance telephone calls weekly. There are 24 computers designed for the latest in video games. There's even a rudimentary wireless system for the vast number of troops who bring their own laptops.

They can book a video conference hookup. They can watch new-release DVDs in a 60-seat theatre or on their laptops. They can catch the news or latest hockey game on one of three 60-inch plasma televisions or listen to a simulcast of a Fredericton radio station.

And if all else fails to amuse they can play their own video games - soldiers were lying on their bunks with their hand-held video games at the Ma'sum Ghar forward base moments after Op Hoover ended - or slap on the earphones from their iPods...
And it's not just at Kandahar. I was listening to the Lowell Green Show on CFRA, Ottawa, this morning when he got a call from a Master Corporal, via satellite phone, at a forward operating base outside the wire. He just wanted to say "Hi" to his wife, family and friends in Ottawa. Holy mackerel.

2) The wired and the wicked:
Australia's special forces task group is now fully deployed inside Afghanistan and intent on making life uncomfortable for Taliban insurgents, defence head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston says.

But Air Chief Marshal Houston declined to give a Senate estimates committee hearing many details of their planned activities.

He said the insurgents had proved adept at use of the internet.

"We have announced the deployment of the special operations task group but I won't be saying too much about the way they conduct their operations because as we have seen, the Taliban have a great capacity for gaining information," he said.

"If we say something over here in Australia, they exploit the electronic media, particularly the internet to find out what we are saying [emphasis added].

"For reasons of operational security I don't want to say any more than our special operations people will be doing operations that will make the Taliban extremely uncomfortable."

Australia currently has some 500 troops engaged in reconstruction work in Oruzgan province of south-central Afghanistan.

With the special forces deployment, plus the deployment of a RAAF air traffic control unit and two extra army Chinook helicopters next year, Australian force numbers in Afghanistan will exceed 1,000 by early 2008 [emphasis added]...
The Taliban are certainly aware also of what is happening in Canada and, as Babbling pointed out, are using their easy reading of the Canadian mood to test our steadfastness.

3) Meanwhile, the Dutch General who formerly had our troops under his overall command in Regional Command South believes NATO is winning:
A top NATO alliance general said yesterday that Afghanistan's Taliban militia has lost its ability to control large swaths of territory, even if the hard-line Islamic movement remains strong in "small pockets" of the country.

Dutch Maj. Gen. Ton van Loon, who this month ended his tour as commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan's volatile south, said Taliban fighters had been driven out of the regions where they had sought to gain a foothold, including Kandahar city and parts of Helmand province.

"They will still be a force but they don't have the initiative we have," van Loon said in an interview with Washington Post reporters and editors.

Last year, the Taliban used suicide bombings, kidnappings and coordinated attacks to destabilize large parts of the country, including much of the south, leading many Afghans to fear that the country was slipping back under Taliban control.

After a lull in the fighting over the winter, Afghan and NATO officials had been preparing for a major Taliban offensive this spring. So far, the onslaught has failed to materialize, though the country has experienced daily clashes that have taken a heavy toll on civilians.

The U.N. human rights chief reported Monday that as many as 380 civilians had died in Afghanistan in the first four months of the year. While the Taliban has been blamed in many of those cases, U.S. and NATO firepower has also caused civilian deaths, provoking public anger and embarrassing the government of President Hamid Karzai...

A pressing question

Canada isn't the only country struggling with issues of will in conflict situations, as outlined in a recent Jane's Intelligence Review article entitled "Mission fatigue - The future of military interventionism." The article asks a pressing question:

Combined with other long-running peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions that have returned mixed results, a creeping 'mission fatigue' may be weakening support for such operations, with countries involved in multilateral interventions increasingly questioning their commitments. This has raised the question of whether interventionism is now less feasible than prior to 2003, and if isolationism is likely to become more influential in decisions concerning expeditionary warfare.


The use of force as a legitimate means of protecting one's own selfish national interests has lost currency in the West, and the idea of using military force to protect any other interests (Responsibility to Protect, anyone?) remains speculative at best. Which leaves the citizenry of Europe and North America floundering in a philosophical void: what is a military to be used for at all these days?

In Canada, we've actually rebounded somewhat from that persistent ennui in recent years, in my opinion due to our desire to feel like we're "punching above our weight" in international affairs. The slogan "the world needs more Canada" resonates with us. But our resolve is being tested - or perhaps our attention span:

Similarly, Canada has more than 2,500 troops serving in Afghanistan, but lacks critical tactical helicopter and close air support assets, and the magnitude of the effort is seriously straining the armed forces. Public support remains strong but less than certain, particularly given that 53 Canadian soldiers have been killed since 2002, including seven in two separate attacks in April. This appears to underline the insurgents' focus on killing Canadians in order to trigger the withdrawal of one of the largest and most effective NATO contingents, while potentially unravelling public support elsewhere. [Babbler's italics]


I used the word "test" intentionally, as the testing is purposeful: the insurgents in Afghanistan don't think we have the stomach to see this mission through. Personally, I'm not convinced they're wrong, although I hope to heaven they are.

Navy blues

Senator Colin Kenny sums up the Navy's problems getting any sort of public traction for its needs whatsoever, before answering his own rhetorical questions:

The ships go out. The ships come back. What was that all about? No guns or torpedoes were fired, so what were they doing out there? And those ships are expensive. They're always getting refitted. Who needs them?


They're important questions, and Canadians need to understand the answers he provides - it's big-picture stuff, but it's important context for the meatier fare he's promised in Part 2 of the opinion piece tomorrow.

Note to Denis Coderre: this is what the Defence Critic for Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition should sound like.

Update: Note also to Gordon O'Connor: when a Liberal senator is better able to articulate your department's needs in a public forum than you are, it's time to reassess your communications strategy.

Politicians never learn

Many wonder why they consistently rate somewhere above pond scum on the evolutionary scale.

Parents of slain soldier to challenge O'Connor on funeral expenses


Minister O'Connor needs to get the finger out for a change. Instead of making such declarative statements in the House, how about a "I'll get back to the member once all the correct information has been compiled" or "We have preliminary information on this situation and I will report on the complete details at 5 pm today". He owes both the House and any families affected an apology. While I believe he made the directive he claims, the failure to ensure it was carried out remains with him.

McTeague, Layton and all the rest expressing such shock and dismay can put a sock in it. Where have they been for the last several years regarding this issue? Making political hay from the situation makes them no better than the government.

Much of what I expected here is coming to pass. I wonder who arranged the press conference on the Hill for the grieving family?

Pond scum is starting to look more and more attractive these days.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The ongoing saga...

...of the Kuwait Medal of Liberation of Kuwait continues to lurch dysfunctionally towards an unsatisfying, but hopefully final, climax.

A former CF member e-mailed me to let me know about his travails applying for the medal - a medal he can't wear with his other decorations, a medal that will go in a display on his wall or a box in his attic:

Hi,

I found your post on "The Torch" dated 18 May 2007 regarding the Kuwait Medal for Liberation of Kuwait.

I was one of the people who received this award. As someone who left DND in 1994, it is important to emphasize how DIFFICULT it is to obtain this medal. Note:
  • the Kuwaiti embassy requires a copy of the CF 490 form. That form can be obtained from Library and Archives Canada, but expect a 6 - 9 month delay

  • I submitted my form and application, then was told that wasn't sufficient. No reason was given. I was told the only other evidence that would be accepted was a letter from my Commanding Officer

  • think about this for a moment: since I left DND in 1994, how I could I ever get a letter from my CO? This is impossible.

  • I asked what other evidence might be accepted and was rudely told "if you want this medal you will find a way". After several questions where I tried to determine what would be acceptable, the person I was speaking with HUNG UP THE PHONE ON ME

  • in the end, by just good luck, I got a letter from one of the officer's of PROTECTEUR. This seemed to satisfy the requirements.


Be aware that for those who have left DND, getting this medal will be very difficult. The defined criteria for getting the medal are not practical for those who have left DND.

David Cole
Ottawa, Canada.


I replied to David, and in subsequent correspondence, he had this to say:

Another observation was that at the medal awards ceremony here in Ottawa, there were about 160 medals handed out. By my estimate, there were 155 military people, and 5 civilians. Of the 5 civilians, four are currently working for DND. It appears I was the only person who made the effort to apply for this medal as someone outside" DND.

And as I have tried to describe, it took over a year and plenty of work. I think most people simply won't bother given the current process, and that is not right.


After going through our previous posts on the issue here at The Torch, I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that, unless something has changed that I'm unaware of, not one more soul will have to go through what David did to receive his medal from Kuwait.

The bad news is that that's not because they've fixed the Byzantine process to prove you qualify, it's because the deadline for application was December 31st, 2006. If you haven't applied by now, you're SOL anyhow.

What a complete charlie-foxtrot this has been from beginning to end.

Update: BBS sets me straight in the comments:

The news release from the 15th of May stated that the Embassy was extending the deadline indefinitely.

"The initial application deadline of December 31, 2006 has been extended for an undetermined period."


As I said - something about lurching towards an unsatisfying climax...

Afstan: Senlis Council, Canada and the media

Further to this post May 28, the media coverage in fact reflects what Ms. MacDonald said--but certain things receive rather less coverage (if any) than I gave them. And I think those things are vital to the Canadian public's understanding of the situation.

Ottawa Citizen. The sixth paragraph:
"Our military are doing a remarkable job in the most difficult circumstances, but our government is not doing what needs to be done in development, aid or counter-narcotics policies to be sure that we have the support of the Afghan people," said Ms. MacDonald. "Without winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, we will continue to win the battles, but we will not the war."
And buried near the end of the story:
Despite its concerns, Senlis is not calling for a Canadian withdrawal from Afghanistan. In fact, Canada should not set a timetable for leaving, but instead set clear goals for the mission and not leave until they are accomplished, said Ms. MacDonald.
The second paragraph is omitted in the Montreal Gazette version of the story.

Canadian Press. Near the end:
"Despite my concerns about our development aid and counter-narcotics policy, I firmly believe Canada should not leave and we should not fix a date on when we should go," said MacDonald, who echoed a line Harper often uses: "We must stay until we complete the job we started."

What happens in Afghanistan in the next months will have an impact on the security of Canadians for generations to come, she said.

"What need [sic] is not a fixed date to leave. What we need is a fixed list of what we have to achieve before we leave."
Putting these paragraphs near the end led to their not being included in any of the newspaper versions of the story I found, such as this one from the London Free Press.

Agence France Presse
. No mention of completing the military mission.

CBC. No mention of completing the military mission.

Toronto Star. A mix of the CP and AFP stories--no mention of completing the military mission.

Vancouver Sun. Barbara Yaffe, in an opinion piece, makes no mention of completing the military mission.

The Red and White

Thanks to Rosie Dimanno for articulating yesterday what so many of us feel but are unable to express adequately.

I came across the following not long after first reading Rosie's article. Seemed appropriate to me today.

Canadian singer Julian Austin singing his song "Red and White" in Afghanistan.






Support Our Troops

$5.00 dollars off every CD sold goes to "The Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warrior Fund". If you would like to send donations, cheque or correspondence to:

"The Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warrior Fund"
PO Box #141
Stn. Brooklin
Whitby, Ontario L1M-1B5

Inquiries Captain Wayne Johnston
Joint Task Force (Central) Headquarters Land Forces Central Area
Tel: 416-633-6200 Ext 5505 Cell: 416-275-7448
Email: Johnston.gw@forces.gc.ca

For more information, please goto http://www.woundedwarriors.ca

Cross posted to BBS and The Shadow

Canada and Darfur

For all those who advocate for Canada to withdraw from Afghanistan and commit to Darfur instead, please read this Ottawa Citizen editorial.

Contemplate, then go back and read it again.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Canada's soft underbelly in Afghanistan...

...is Canadians at home, according to Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star:
Corp. Matthew McCully, 25, became the most recent combat fatality on Friday, the 55th soldier lost since Canada deployed troops to Afghanistan in 2002.

A nation shudders.

But the angst is ours, not theirs, the soldiers who have most to fear and perhaps to doubt...Yet they've never lost heart or resolve. Which is so much more than can be said for the hand-wringing Canadian public.

[...]

The neo-Taliban insurgency has shown more vigour in the past year but this is a fight they can't win militarily. That's not their aim. The war they are waging is here, in Canada, and other coalition countries. The militants aren't stupid; they recognize the soft ground.

It would be so easy for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to cave in to opinion polls, bring the troops home earlier rather than later. Such a decision might even give this Conservative government the majority it covets.

I have no partisan politics. But Harper is to be commended for continuing to do what's morally right rather than politically expedient, amidst the sophistry that passes for informed criticism, particularly among those who conflate Afghanistan with Iraq.

...This country stands for something, which is why it has stood with Afghans, which is why Canadian soldiers recoil from the very suggestion that our troops should seek safer havens, whether in Kabul as a security force or in provinces calmer than Kandahar.

They do not want this. As hard as it may be for many Canadians to understand, combat troops thrive on soldiering. They hate being tucked in the safe sanctuary of the Kandahar Airfield. They routinely express disdain for allies that rarely venture outside the wire. It is a matter of pride and principle.

Pity that so many Canadians share neither that pride nor those principles.
Exactly. Our "moral moment". As Pogo said: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

For Valour

Bumped: I've just now received photos for our SMV awardees, so I've reposted this. Just a hint to anyone reading who may have some control over this stuff: announcing valour medals, then releasing the citations three weeks later, then providing photos over a week after that just isn't the best way to get publicity for this sort of thing. I know there are some interdepartmental issues between the GG's office and DND, so I'm not laying blame here, but releasing information in dribs and drabs isn't particularly effective. Get it sorted out, folks - the decorated soldiers deserve a better coordinated effort than this has been.

Further to my previous post, the citations are just up now:


Corporal Sean Teal, S.M.V.
Petawawa, Ontario; and Dartmouth and Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia
Star of Military Valour

On September 3, 2006, during Operation MEDUSA, the light utility vehicle driven by Corporal Teal, a member of 7 Platoon Charles Company, was hit and destroyed by enemy rocket-propelled grenade fire. Despite being wounded, Corporal Teal assessed the situation and, under heavy enemy fire, moved to report the situation and bring assistance. He then returned twice to the vehicle to provide treatment to his severely wounded comrades, including the platoon medic, and to evacuate all personnel injured or killed. His brave and professional actions saved lives and allowed the orderly withdrawal of his platoon under heavy fire.

***



Private Jess Randall Larochelle, S.M.V.
Petawawa, Ontario
Star of Military Valour

On October 14, 2006, Private Larochelle of the 1st Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group was manning an observation post when it was destroyed by an enemy rocket in Pashmul, Afghanistan. Although he was alone, severely injured, and under sustained enemy fire in his exposed position at the ruined observation post, he aggressively provided covering fire over the otherwise undefended flank of his company’s position. While two personnel were killed and three others were wounded in the initial attack, Private Larochelle’s heroic actions permitted the remainder of the company to defend their battle positions and to successfully fend off the sustained attack of more than 20 insurgents. His valiant conduct saved the lives of many members of his company.

***

Corporal Chad Gerald Chevrefils, M.M.V.
Shilo and Pine Falls, Manitoba
Medal of Military Valour

On August 19, 2006, Corporal Chevrefils, a member of Alpha Company, 1st Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, was the driver of a light armoured vehicle during an engagement with numerically superior Taliban forces in Masum Ghar. During the three‑hour firefight, he successfully maneuvered the vehicle through difficult terrain with consummate skill, enabling it to remain unscathed by enemy fire. He subsequently dismounted his vehicle under enemy fire to assist in the recovery of another light armoured vehicle. Corporal Chevrefils’ courageous and skillful actions helped to prevent the Taliban forces from outflanking the remainder of the Company and undoubtedly saved numerous lives.

***

Corporal Jason Funnell, M.M.V.
Petawawa and Kingston, Ontario
Medal of Military Valour

On September 3, 2006, during Operation MEDUSA in Afghanistan, Corporal Funnell of 7 Platoon Charles Company braved intense enemy fire to come to the assistance of his comrades trapped in a disabled vehicle in an enemy kill zone. Ignoring his personal safety by twice crossing ground covered by effective enemy fire, Corporal Funnell successfully assisted in the treatment and evacuation of his injured and killed comrades while returning effective fire. His brave and professional actions saved lives and allowed the orderly withdrawal of his platoon under heavy fire.

***

Master Corporal Sean Hubert Niefer, M.M.V.
Petawawa and Prince Edwards-Hastings, Ontario
Medal of Military Valour

Master Corporal Niefer was a member of Charles Company, 1st Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, in Rotation 2 of Operation ARCHER in Afghanistan. On September 3, 2006, while engaged in combat operations in support of Operation MEDUSA, he selflessly ordered his vehicle into the enemy kill zone to support extraction of wounded comrades trapped by an enemy ambush. He subsequently provided covering fire from a highly exposed position to facilitate their evacuation and, by doing so, saved the lives of numerous fellow soldiers. His outstanding leadership, courage and valiant action brought great credit to Canada and the Canadian Forces.

***

Private Michael Patrick O'Rourke, M.M.V.
Petawawa and Renfrew, Ontario
Medal of Military Valour

On September 3, 2006, Private O’Rourke, a member of 7 Platoon Charles Company participating in Operation MEDUSA, selflessly ignored his personal safety by braving intense enemy fire to assist in the treatment and evacuation of his comrades trapped in a disabled vehicle. Twice crossing through sustained enemy fire, Private O’Rourke returned effective fire and successfully assisted in the evacuation of the injured or killed personnel. His brave and professional actions saved lives and allowed the orderly withdrawal of his platoon under heavy fire.

***

Corporal Clinton John Orr, M.M.V.
Belleville, Ontario; and Chilliwack, British Columbia
Medal of Military Valour

Corporal Orr was a member of 23 Field Squadron, 1st Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, in Rotation 2 of Operation ARCHER in Afghanistan. On September 3, 2006, he was operating an armoured vehicle attached to 2 Troop during an assault in Pashmul. Amidst intense combat action and under direct enemy fire, he placed himself at great risk by maneuvering to recover one light armoured vehicle and only ceased his relentless attempts to extract a second one when informed that the vehicle’s crew had withdrawn to safety. His focus on the mission and his courage in the face of danger have brought great credit to the Canadian Forces and to Canada.

***

Captain Michael John Reekie, M.M.V.
Shilo, Manitoba; and Abbotsford, British Columbia
Medal of Military Valour

On August 19, 2006, while deployed with Alpha Company, 1st Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, in Masum Ghar in Afghanistan, Captain Reekie carried out valiant actions during an intense firefight with Taliban insurgents. Displaying superb judgement, he assessed the changing tactical situation and repositioned his vehicle to maximum advantage, enabling the successful interception and defeat of a numerically superior enemy force during the ensuing three-hour firefight. His outstanding initiative prevented the enemy from outflanking the position. Captain Reekie’s selfless courage and exceptional leadership undoubtedly saved the lives of numerous Alpha Company soldiers.

***

Corporal Joseph Jason Lee Ruffolo, M.M.V.
Petawawa, Ontario; and Montreal, Quebec
Medal of Military Valour

Corporal Ruffolo was deployed with Charles Company of the 1st Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group in Afghanistan. On September 3, 2006, while engaged in combat operations in the opening phase of Operation MEDUSA, a bulldozer vainly attempted to extract his light armoured vehicle and came under heavy enemy fire. Without regard for his own safety, Corporal Ruffolo placed himself in a very vulnerable position to unhook his vehicle. In a subsequent attack, he again exposed himself to enemy fire to render first aid to a casualty. His courage and professionalism under extreme duress brought great credit to the Armed Forces and to Canada.


I'll post pictures as they become available - hopefully tomorrow.

These men deserve our thanks and admiration - Bravo Zulu!

The Senlis Council: "Canada in Afghanistan"

I attended an "event" by the Council in Ottawa this morning (thanks to Babbling who gave the impetus) to mark the opening of their Ottawa office. Norine MacDonald (a Canadian), President and Founder, and Lead Field Researcher, gave a presentation based on this policy paper, "Canada in Afghanistan: Charting a New Course to Complete the Mission" and took questions. There was a major media presence including Don Martin (CanWest), Robert Fife (CTV), Murray Brewster (CP) and Julie van Dusen (CBC)--all of whom asked questions--along with some seven people from DND/CF--who stayed quiet.

I will post more tomorrow after digesting how the media coverage compares with the event I attended. The Council's news release is here; it gives a good summary of what Ms. MacDonald said (she is also testifying to the Commons' Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development on May 29). One of the Council's key messages is in this excerpt from the news release headers:
Canada must stay in Afghanistan
For the moment I will simply say this. Ms MacDonald has been in Afstan for most of the past two years, largely in Kandahar and environs. She is a most impressive person: intelligent, knowledgeable, articulate, quietly passionate and, I think, a fair-minded straight shooter. She fully supports our combat role in Afstan (though the Council is against aerial bombing). She believes the CF are doing a remarkable job in difficult circumstances but that development and aid failures are jeopardizing the military effort. The CF should stay and no departure date should be set; we must remain until the job is complete, i.e. Afstan enjoys substantial peace and growing prosperity. An unstable Afstan will affect our security for years to come. We need to provide proper funding for the CF's mission, of which Canadians should be proud. As for NATO, all members should be contributing to combat operations.

Money spent on aid and development makes the military mission more achievable and is critical to its success; if one supports funding the military effort one thus should support increased aid and development monies. And here's a real goodie: CF members in Afstan (and in Canada too one infers) should be "let off the leash" and allowed to speak freely about issues such as aid and development, and counter-narcotics and counterinsurgency policy.

Here are two of the Council's key proposals, from the news release (without my personal reactions):
The recommendations called on the Canadian government to relieve CIDA of its responsibility for development efforts in Afghanistan. CIDA would be replaced by the appointment of a Special Envoy to Afghanistan to coordinate development, aid and counter-narcotics policy, with a development and aid budget equal to the military budget [emphasis added].
Ms MacDonald was on CTV's "Canada AM" this morning, news story here. She also was interviewed on CFRA's "Madely in the Morning"--well worth a listen (she says much that I noted above).

Keep on truckin'

There's an old saw about how amateurs study tactics, while professionals study logistics. I've always thought that was a bit of a stretch, since most of the professional military personnel I know studied tactics as well, but the point is well taken: logistics are critical.

That's why I was interested to read a DND announcement a couple of weeks ago that said the CF was getting some new trucks. Big trucks. Heavily armoured trucks. Trucks designed to do the job in one of the toughest operating environments in the world: Afghanistan.

These trucks, known as the Armoured Heavy Support Vehicle System (AHSVS), will supplement the well-regarded workhorse Heavy Logistics Vehicle Wheeled (HLVW) that currently shoulder the bulk of the resupply load to our troops outside the wire in Kandahar province. The CF backgrounder gives some context to the purchase:

Logistics vehicles form the backbone of any deployed operation. History has repeatedly shown that when re-supply operations fail, armies falter. The Canadian Forces’ heavy logistics requirement is currently provided by a fleet of more than 1,200 unarmoured Heavy Logistics Vehicle Wheeled (HLVW) trucks that were procured in the late 1980s.

In the 1990s, during operations in the Balkans, the threat of small arms fire, grenades and blast mines led the Army to develop an armour protection system (APS) for the HLVW. The APS components are made of steel, ceramic and ballistic glass. These components are extremely heavy and could only be designed to defeat certain threats without seriously degrading the payload capacity and functionality of the vehicle.

The HLVW currently provides the entire heavy logistics capability to Canadian Forces (CF) operations in Afghanistan, and is equipped with the same APS that was procured for the Balkans conflict. The fleet was meant to operate primarily on paved roads, and the aging HLVW fleet is significantly challenged by the harsh conditions and challenging terrain of operations in Afghanistan.


Apparently, when the CDS visited the troops in Kandahar last summer, some of the ladies and gents doing the tough and dangerous work of resupplying our Death Techs in the field mentioned that while they loved driving the 70 HLVW's currently in theatre, crew protection wasn't its strong suit. If an improvement was possible, it would be most appreciated.

According to Major Lyna Gravel, the AHSVS project director, General Hillier took the words of the troops to heart - a good start for any equipment project, and the wheels at NDHQ began to turn.

The first set of specifications developed were actually too strict, and there wasn't a single manufacturer that could prequalify for the SOIQ - mostly because of tight delivery requirements. Eventually, three companies were able to submit proposals for a January 2007 competition that resulted in the selection of the Mercedes-Benz Actros platform as winner of an $87M contract to provide 82 trucks and attached equipment to the CF, with the option to purchase another 26. The trucks should start to be delivered to KAF this fall.

(The SFU CASR info page provides some useful background, but from what I've been told, their information on how many of the AHSVS units will be going to Kandahar is incorrect - it will be 67, with the remainder delivered to units in Canada for training purposes for now.)

The "Armoured Heavy Actros" is quite a piece of kit. I was only mildly surprised to find a South African company (Land Mobility Technologies) was partnered with DaimlerChrysler to provide armouring on the truck cabs - they seem to have carved out quite a niche for themselves in this field:

Pollard says MRAP vehicles started in South Africa. The apartheid government in South Africa waged a brutal campaign against an anti-apartheid resistance, and MRAPs were developed as a means of surviving land mines and road mines.

Dr. Vernon Joynt was one of the founders of the MRAP project in South Africa and is now considered the world's foremost expert on anti-mine technology. FPI hired Joynt a few years ago. The Pentagon now considers him so important —indeed, a potential terrorist target — that the Department of Defense asked FPI to decline media requests to interview Joynt.


The service concept for these trucks is comprehensive, one of the reasons it is operated by over fifty different militaries worldwide:

Based on its worldwide service organisation, Mercedes-Benz has developed a service concept tailored specifically to military requirements. The solution is Integrated Logistic Support (ILS). Each vehicle is serviced in accordance with a defined maintenance concept that includes training drivers, operators and maintenance personnel, delivery of the necessary tools and parts as well as the required technical documentation. Support covers everything right through to deploying service representatives locally. The system is based on an across-the-board system of information logistics from the areas of development, sales and services, taking into account the field data available and customer requirements. The result is high vehicle fleet availability coupled with optimum overall economy.


Some of the more exotic performance specs are impressive:

The "Armoured Heavy Actros" is extremely mobile even on very difficult terrain and can cope with uphill gradients up to 70% or a lateral incline up to 30%. The "Armoured Heavy Actros" will even ford water courses with a depth of 750 mm, and even up to 1200 mm with special equipment. Depending on the version, the tyre pressure can be adjusted from the cab to increase traction in desert regions and mud in particular.


Night vision screens, external cameras for tight manoeuvring, and other useful features are incorporated into the design - not as expensive toys, but to enhance protection and performance. Apparently a remote weapon system similar to the RG-31 was discussed, but not approved.

(Besides, apparently the Actros has been to Afghanistan before.)

The vehicles purchased can be divided up into four variants:

  • 25 cargo with material handling crane variant vehicles, of which 8 will be gun tractors for the M777 ultralight towed howitzer;

  • 5 recovery variant vehicles, which can be used on vehicles up to LAV-III/Stryker size;

  • 12 heavy tank transporter tractor variant vehicles, to complement the Leopard tanks now in theater;

  • 40 palletized loading system (PLS) with container handling unit variant vehicles that include 10 petroleum, oils, and lubricants variants; and 5 water variants.


Although the CF hasn't purchased it, I found one further possible variant interesting - imagine troops in an armoured box carried like any other cargo on the truck bed:

LMT has also developed a "protected personnel transporter" for Daimler-Chrysler that is mounted on Actros trucks, and resembles EADS' TransProtec "battlebox" in use by the German and Danish militaries.


(The Defence Industry Daily article states that these trucks will "replace" the 70 HLVW's currently in Kandahar, but Maj Gravel wasn't so sure they'd be brought home immediately. There has apparently been talk of using them in less exposed situations. I'd guess it's all just RUMINT at this point, and will get sorted out when necessary.)

According to Maj Gravel, a self-described trucker herself with over 8 years in the field as an army logistics officer, the troops are going to love this truck. While the HLVW will undergo a twenty year life extension - a prudent move for a good truck, when we have 1200 of them throughout the CF - this additional purchase specifically for deployed operations in a high-threat environment represents a significant upgrade in capability.

As the major said to me when we spoke, "Now I want to go to Afghanistan and command a company of these trucks myself." Here's hoping she gets her wish, as logistics personnel driving supply convoys all over southern Afghanistan will soon get theirs: a truck that not only moves their cargo quickly and reliably, but protects them from harm at the same time.

Fix it and forget it

Military considers increasing funeral coverage
By MURRAY BREWSTER

OTTAWA (CP) - The family of at least one Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan had to shoulder part of the cost of burying their son last year because the Defence Department's funeral stipend wasn't enough.

And there appear to be other cases.

The injustice has prompted the military to ask the federal Treasury Board for a formal increase in the allowance, a request that will be considered this week, The Canadian Press has learned.
Long story short, the problem has now been identified and should be rectified immediately. Further on in the article, I came across this:
Ontario Liberal MP Dan McTeague says it's unacceptable the department had to be prodded by families and now the media into taking action.

"For a Canadian hero to have given their life; it is clear we do not respect the life and properly mourn the loss of a modern day hero by short-changed on funeral expenses," he said.

"If you're going to honour the lives of those who have given so much for the freedoms of our nation, the last thing you should do is penny-pinch and navel-gaze about the cost. Soldiers have heard their country's call to action and are prepared to give everything, including their lives and back home the bean-counters seem interested in saving a few bucks"

"I think Canadians will find this fact disgusting."

As Parliament reconvenes this week, the last quote concerns me. For once, let's simply make this an issue that has been identified and quickly resolved in favour of our troops. This is not a situation that should be taken advantage of by any of the political parties. Leave the partisan rhetoric aside for a day. The last thing I want to hear is the Conservatives bellowing - see, the Liberals didn't get it done and the NDP/Liberals screeching about why the government is ignoring families in their time of need.

For all of you - just do it.

The Sitemeter logs give proof that enough staffers from all the various parties and departments visit The Torch on a regular basis.

The last time the funeral rates were adjusted was in 1990. The fact that nothing has been done regarding this issue for the next 17 years is something every politician should seriously consider before trying to use it for political advantage.

Let's look at it another way. How many times and by how much has a federal politician's wages, benefits and pensions been increased in the last 17 years versus those serving in the Canadian Forces?

Fix it and forget it. It's the right thing to do.

Cross posted to BBS

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Jack's use of the word "treacherous"

Further to BBS' post, Mr Layton in effect says give up and bug out.
Today’s casualties are a distressing reminder of the treacherous situation facing our brave soldiers in Afghanistan. I truly hope this is the end to the tragic news.
I ask for interpretations as to what "treacherous" means when used by Mr Layton.

The Liberals do not ask for an end to combat (yet).

Jack Layton on the military

NDP leader wants new approach in Afghanistan following soldier's death

Citing the rising costs - both human and financial - Layton said multibillion-dollar purchases of tanks and helicopters could have been avoided if the military was not engaged in a "search and destroy mission."

Is it really too much to ask? Is it possible that some day in Canada a member of the New Democratic Party can attain just a little more knowledge of the Canadian military than what they read in the five minute briefs created by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives?

The 2006 NDP Election Platform comes across somewhat light on military policy and plans. A search of the 52 page document reveals the following:

Military - mentioned 4 times, twice referring to the US Military
Canadian Forces - mentioned once
Troops - once
Navy - zero
Army - zero
Air Force - zero
Helicopters - zero
Search and Rescue - zero
Aircraft - zero
Ships - zero
Mobile Gun System - zero
MGS - zero
Armour - zero

... you get the picture.

Former NDP Defence Critic Bill Blaikie, commenting on then Prime Minister Paul Martin's new International Policy (19 Apr, 2005):
"Canada's military priorities must reflect the values of Canadians. That means equipping our forces to be peacekeepers and peacemakers around the world," said NDP Defence Critic Bill Blaikie.
What, pray tell, would they have CF members do all this peacekeeping and peacemaking with - sticks, stones and rubber bands?

Saturday, May 26, 2007

How to build public support for NATO in Afghanistan?

The Brits may be on to something. It's just possible the UN could do a decent job of coordinating reconstruction, development, health and education. And such a major UN role could help significantly in increasing support for involvment in Afghanistan amongst doubting Western publics. Just as long as the UN is kept clear of things military, which must continue (cloaked somewhat by the UN cover). UN involvement at the diplomatic level might be useful in dealings with Pakistan and Iran (and any steps towards talking with Taliban elements).

But I suspect that UN agencies will be pretty leery about taking on what might be a very controversial mission and that the US will hard to convince. The UK will have a major diplomatic sale to make; perhaps Canada might help?
Britain lobbied U.N. officials on Thursday with a proposal for the world body to lead a comprehensive "campaign plan" for peace in Afghanistan, where NATO-led troops are struggling against Taliban insurgents.

Defence Secretary Des Browne said the United Nations was best placed to coordinate a peace-building effort he said had until now largely fallen on military commanders.

About 40,000 foreign troops are in Afghanistan, whose Taliban rulers were overthrown by U.S.-backed forces in 2001. Some 32,000 belong to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in which Britain plays a prominent role.

But Browne told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York that the conflict could not be solved by military means alone and challenges from stamping out narcotics to policing and establishing the rule of law needed a strategic approach.

"An overarching campaign plan is required to develop all these disparate strands together. It has to be a strategic plan, not just a military plan," he said.

"The international community then needs ... to coordinate resources, ensuring coherence in what we do ... And this needs leadership. And in my view ... there is no organization better placed than the UN to take that role."

Browne said "a visible leader representing the international community" was also needed.

At present, he said, Afghan President Hamid Karzai spent at least 60 percent of his time in individual meetings with all 42 countries involved in Afghanistan. "If you want to see President Karzai you have to go and join the queue."..

Browne offered no details of how the United Nations could take control of the peace effort...

Friday, May 25, 2007

Our Heritage. Their Tradition. Our Pride



Sign the Petition. Spread the Word. Link to the Site.

May Two Four - Kandahar

From Capt Rhonda Matthews at the revived "Direct from Kandahar" blog.

Some people we're so happy after Beer Call (two per person) that they didn't even mind winning some Maple Leafs gear. :)

Capt. Rhonda Matthews is taking over the blog from Lt. Desmond James. Capt. Matthews is originally from Newfoundland but has been living in Halifax for the last eight years. She's a member of the Princess Louise Fusiliers, an Army Reserve unit in Halifax, and is a Civil-Military Co-operation Projects Officer with the Kandahar Provinical Reconstruction Team.

Happy Memorial Day weekend

Afstan: Civilian casualties and the death of Dadullah

Three interesting post by Bruce Rolston at flit:

1) Another Afghan fatality estimate

2) Afghanistan updates

3) Star on Dadullah

Babbling also thinks the Taliban may to some extent be rockin' and a-reelin': To the tune of "Barbara Ann":
Da, da, da da Dadullah

Did the Toronto Star and Canadian Press reporters attend the same dinner?

The CP story has a rather, er, political subtext:
This week’s surprise visit to Afghanistan by Prime Minister Stephen Harper was a huge boost to the Canadian soldiers working in the war-torn country, Canada’s top soldier said Thursday.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier told the Canadian Press annual dinner that Afghanistan is a tough mission for men and women in uniform who are so far from home, calling it a sometimes lonely and frightening job with high costs measured in lives.

But Hillier said any signs from home of support for the troops can result in a big boost in morale for the soldiers who put their lives on the line every day.

"Political parties notwithstanding, the prime minister of Canada visits our soldiers that is a powerful thing for all concerned," said Hillier.

"He is the actual, visible representation that this country is appreciative of what these young men and women are doing, and they are remembered and maybe, just maybe, that convinces them that the next day they can get up and do their business and accept that risk because we ask them to do it."..
Whereas this Star story's focus is on substance:
The Canadian military is undergoing a revolution in what it does and how it does it – designed to let the country take its deserved place on the world stage, Canada's top soldier says.

Canadian Forces will be deployed in large groups, under Canadian commanders, to give the country a more noticeable military presence during conflict so politicians can take a greater role in post-war discussions, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier said in a speech in Toronto last night.

"We're trying to give Canada a seat at the table, an opportunity to influence a region, a country, an event in accordance with our interests and with our values because of our (military) contribution," Hillier told reporters after his speech at the annual Canadian Press dinner...

Hillier said that for decades the military has been trying to be the public service of Canada, and that too will change.

"We are the Canadian forces and our raison d'etre is to conduct operations and at times, on your behalf, actually apply disciplined managed violence," Hillier said in his speech.

The primary role of the military is to protect Canadians at home.

And there's a renewed focus on that, he said.

The military is refining the special forces, and training and equipping them for possible counter-terrorist activities on Canadian soil, he added...
Some days you gotta like the Star. But, while the current Afstan mission clearly reflects the approach sketched by Gen. Hillier, I have no confidence that a non-Conservative government would support this view of the CF's role.

As for the CF's future, here is a pretty good column by Barbara Yaffe in the Vancouver Sun.

Update: More from Gen. Hillier, following the death (by what amounts to a land mine) of Corporal Matthew McCully:
Public's support crucial to military, Hillier says
And a good column by Rex Murphy:
Afghanistan will define this PM

What we are doing in Afstan

Col (ret'd) Alain Pelerrin replies to an editorial in the Toronto Star:
It's too early to leave

May 25, 2007 04:30 AM

Refocus Canada's Afghan mission

Editorial, May 23.

While your editorial examines the future of Afghanistan, its conclusion is at a variance to the reality of Afghanistan today: Afghans are weary of 30 years of war and want to rid their country of the Taliban. They want their country to become a better place in which to work and raise their families, and they are taking steps to achieve this aim.

Aided by the Canadian Forces and the armies of other countries, Afghan National Army troops in Kandahar province are isolating the Taliban. Since last September, the insurgents have been reduced from formed bodies of fighters to suicide bombers; Canadian troops train Afghan military and police forces to take up their role in protecting the Afghan population; and the civilian population risk their lives by supplying valuable intelligence information to coalition forces to neutralize insurgent forces. This is particularly so in the Panjwayi valley, where life is turning productive.

In Canada, we yearn for the world's respect for Canadian values, but we sometimes forget that respect goes to those who lead; and we agree with Prime Minister Stephen Harper when he declares that "you can't lead from the bleachers." We conclude that a hasty Canadian withdrawal from Afghanistan would be a victory for terrorists.

Rather than an "exit strategy," a strategy for success will win the day for Canada as well as Afghanistan – just ask our troops. They will tell you that the Canadian Forces are making a difference on the ground and that progress has been achieved in the last year. For this achievement, Canada gains respect amongst our allies.

Alain Pellerin, Executive Director, Conference of Defence Associations, Ottawa

"TODAY'S IDIOCY "

Norman Spector chooses a good one, from one of the usual suspects:
For sale: one very bad war

RMC Graduation

Nice slideshow by the Kingston Whig-Standard of the RMC graduation.



Convocation Address - Leonard Lee
Lee said the first test of their leadership would be how they choose to use their power.

He recalled the time he took blue cheese from the cafeteria and stuffed the winter gloves of a senior cadet who had used his authority in a negative way, and who, Lee said "made my life miserable."

While Lee said it might have been a childish act, the only thing he would do differently would be "get more cheese."

Lee said the second test of leadership lies in how you lead when you have no authority over those being led. The answer is the same as when you lead by authority: "Lead by example," Lee said.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Afstan: Makes sense to me

No comment (well, just a little bit of economy with the truth):
No deadline for Afghan pullout: PM
Military makes plans to stay past February 2009 as Harper tells troops 'work is not complete'

The Canadian Forces are making plans to stay in Afghanistan beyond the current February 2009 deadline approved by Parliament, the military's senior commander on the ground here said yesterday.

"Our plan right now is based on a mandate that goes till February '09. But clearly, from the military standpoint, we have looked at plans, we have looked at contingencies that go beyond that time frame," said Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant, commander of Canada's 2,500 troops in Kandahar.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his senior cabinet ministers have promised to revisit the future of the mission at a later date, but Mr. Harper has made it clear that Canada will not leave Afghanistan before its job as a NATO member is done...

Mr. Harper's refusal to submit to arbitrary deadlines for withdrawal was a clear reference to calls by the NDP and Liberal opposition to scale back the military component in favour of development work.

In Ottawa yesterday, Liberal defence critic MP Denis Coderre issued a statement complaining [say it ain't so - MC] that in the House of Commons, the prime minister and Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor "keep repeating the stock line that Canada is only committed until 2009."..
Compare the combat fatalities in Afstan with this--yet far too many people misdirect their outrage:
Medical errors in Canadian hospitals lead to 9000 - 24,000 deaths every year

"I don't need a break, I need for people to do the right thing."

Last night I arrived back in Toronto from a business trip to a remote Northern Ontario community where I was without internet access for a couple of days. There was so much I wanted to write that I wasn't sure where to begin.

Then I opened my e-mail and read another letter from the same soldier who wrote me a couple of weeks ago. And right away, I knew where to start:

Dear Mr. Brooks,

As luck would have it someone more eloquent than I has written lately, and done a much better job of illuminating the point I was struggling to make in my last e-mail to you.

I am referring to the Globe and mail's Judith Timson, who wrote an outstanding column entitled "The moral moments that tell us who we are."

Let's ignore for now that Canada's mission in Afghanistan did not motivate Judith's insightful column on the universal topic of ethical behaviour, but in the opinion of this soldier whose boots have left footprints in the talcum dust of Afghanistan, it easily could have. Inspired by recent revelations in the Air India inquiry, and less
auspiciously the Conrad Black trial, Judith Timson examines the "moral moment", which she describes as "that instant when we must settle scores with our conscience - when we are called upon to make a decision that affects others and ourselves, to save lives, or reveal how lives could have been saved." As a soldier I have been fortunate to be aware on a conscious level of when the moral moment is upon me.

Afghanistan is a place that for a few fleeting moments can make even the best soldiers long to be somewhere else. Maybe the desire hits you during a ramp ceremony, or maybe as your patrol is about to leave a secure camp or forward operating base as your mind contemplates all the ways you could go and get yourself killed that day.

Sometimes you find yourself reflecting on your career choice, find yourself wondering if dead fathers do a better job of raising their kids than unemployed ones. On a bad day you might even do the brief mental math of considering leaving the CF as fast as possible. But the moment passes, swept away by good training, or more likely a sense of duty to those around you. So you take a deep, dusty breath and you do your job, and somewhere in the T-bill of moral accounting you gain a sum in the credit column because you did a good thing, you kept a promise to people who need you.

But Timson also points out which she calls a more "cynical notion: that we spend most of our lives leading up to a moment in which we are to be morally tested - and the rest of our lives explaining why that wasn't the moment." Mr. Brooks, what if Canada's mission in Afghanistan is a collective national moral moment? What if our current elected parliament is being tested, as elected officials ought to be, on our behalf in our greatest national moral moment since the Korean War? What if the people of Afghanistan really need our help? Why do so many Canadians feel compelled to explain that this isn't "the moment", citing far-flung arguments about gas and oil and George Bush. How can their paranoid vision scrutinize such gossamer threads while ignoring the crushing despair of the Afghan people and the brutal curriculum vitae of the Taliban?

I think I am cynical enough to agree with Timson about how we spend most of our lives, and maybe I am cynical enough to agree with the Toronto Star's Rosie DiManno when she so harshly indicts us "Still, and always, it's all about us. Don't pretend that we give a damn about them." I urge all Canadians, regardless of political affiliation, to consider that perhaps President Karzai was telling the truth when he said "Your military presence is a must because without that, we would not be able to keep our country together, and your reconstruction activity is necessary because it gives us economic opportunity and employment and a better quality of life."

All this is not to say that examination of the mission should not occur. I am all for making the necessary course corrections to ensure that the mission is on the best track to success. But a full 180-degree turn taken without the support of the legitimate Government of Afghanistan and the international community is not altering course, it is failure.

The moral moment is upon us; let's not spend the rest of our history explaining why it was okay to turn our backs on the people of Afghanistan.


This soldier is soon to be posted away from the Afghan mission. But instead of being relieved to be making it out of the mix in one piece as you would expect, I find it telling that he said to me "I don't need a break, I need for people to do the right thing."

He was talking to you, Canada.

Update: From another e-mail, this one from a gentleman whose politics fall well to the left of mine:

If you think it's more important to frustrate American oil interests than to aid a country fifth from the bottom of the UN human development index, then I wonder just what kind of humanitarian you think you are?

Tim Hortons and the Troops on Facebook

For those who frequent Facebook, one of the fastest growing groups:

Tim Hortons for our Troops

15,240 members as of 5:40 am (EST) this morning.

Just a few average Canadians doing their bit to support the troops.
To: TDL Group ( Tim Hortons Head Office)

I Started a group on facebook for Tim Hortons to have a Tim Hortons for the troops day where a portion of the proceeds will go to the troops overseas, either to use at the tim hortons there, or Tim hortons coffee to be sent over to them.
2,054 signatures on the petition. Add yours today...

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The Globe and Mail's news priorities

This is top of the fold, front page, May 23:
Pugnacious Musharraf backs talks with Taliban
This is on page A19:
Karzai sings Canada's praises to visiting PM
The stinking agenda.

Afstan: A strategy that may be working

This from almost two months ago:
Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant suggested yesterday that NATO troops will have to fight smarter -- using both intelligence and development assistance -- as insurgents may well turn to tactics such as kidnapping...

"We're trying to focus on the decision-makers and either capture them or kill them."..
This today:
The Taliban's much-vaunted spring offensive has stalled apparently due to lack of organisation after dozens of middle-ranking commanders were killed by British troops in the past year, according to military sources.

The death last week of the key Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah at the hands of American special forces has harmed the Taliban's morale to the point that local commanders are having to tell their troops to "remain professional" despite the loss.

After suffering more than 1,000 dead in battles with the Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines in the last year, the Taliban retired to regroup and re-equip last winter.

A spring offensive was ordered by the Taliban leadership based in Quetta, Pakistan, and was meant to be launched in late March.

But a lack of mid-level commanders has meant that there has been little co-ordination to bring about the offensive...
Now, about that quagmire...

Afghan Development

CF CIMIC members getting the job done.


Captain Robert Wheeler of the civil-military cooperation team talks with a local villager.


Canadian troops went in a village in the Panjwayi district to assess the possibility of constructing a bridge.
Canadian troops went in a village in the Panjwayi district to assess the possibility of constructing a bridge.
KANDAHAR CITY, Afghanistan — The construction of concrete sewers in the village of Nazarin, just south of Kandahar City, is a project funded by the civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) detachment based at Camp Nathan Smith. It will help move dirty water away from the villagers' homes and increase sanitary conditions for the residents of Nazarin.

The project was designed and completed by local villagers with CMIC teams making occasional visits to check on the progress of work.

Blogging Kandahar

Western Standard writer Kevin Steel covering the PM's tour of Afghanistan:
Lots of other cool stuff happening that I can’t write about at the moment, but should be able to discuss in full later. I can say we had a couple really good briefings this morning, including one from the Provincial Reconstruction Team management. As an aside, I should mention it was critical here for the media that the Canadian ambassador, bureaucrats from CIDA, military personnel and RCMP all sat at one table, spoke on the record and took questions. Yesterday at the palace, there was a bit of a verbal tussle between the Canadian media and the Conservative politicos about getting bureaucrats (in that particular case, from CIDA) to talk on the record and take questions. It wasn’t so much that the Conservatives didn’t want the CIDA bureaucrat to talk directly to us as it was the bureaucrat herself. Today that whole issue seemed to be resolved, somewhat at least, in favour of the media and as a result with all these people going on the record and answering questions, it should make it a little easier for us journos to explain what it is Canada is actually doing around here with regards to redevelopment.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Afstan: Poles ready for action

Another story our media will ignore or barely mention:
1300 Polish soldiers stationed in Afghanistan are getting ready to officially commence their mission.

Their aim is to achieve full combat readiness at the end of May/ beginning of June which means that they will then be ready to patrol their region and face the Taliban forces if such a need arises.

According to analysts, Polish troops in Afghanistan will have to face not only risky military operations but also an increasing dislike for foreign troops manifested by local communities.

However, general Mieczyslaw Bieniek, an adviser to Afghani minister of defense in Kabul is confident their job will be done properly. Speaking for Polish Radio he reiterated that only the best and most experienced soldiers were sent to that country.

Polish troops are stationed in four bases in the southern and eastern part of Afghanistan.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Afstan: German reaction to deaths/Poll pushes the Globe's agenda

Two articles from Spiegel Online:

1) Germany Tormented by its Pacifist Streak after Afghan Attack

2) Germany Must Stay the Course in Afghanistan
Saturday's suicide attack that killed three German soldiers in Afghanistan has prompted left-wing calls for a review of Germany's entire peacekeeping mission. But most newspaper commentators say bringing the boys home would hand the Taliban a triumph.
As for "pacificism": Canadians support talks with Taliban: poll
"In a way, it's a very Canadian thing to believe that nothing can't be solved by sitting across a table and talking," Peter Donolo of The Strategic Counsel told CTV.ca on Sunday.

However, Canadians might also think the mission is a morass, with no real end point in sight, he said...
Of course the Globe and Mail sponsored the poll, along with CTV. Gotta keep pushing that agenda forward. While this part of the broader poll has not yet been covered in the Globe, I'm pretty sure it will be in the May 22 edition.

As for Mr Donolo, this is from the Milnet.ca thread on the story:
Peter Donolo leads The Strategic Counsel's strategic communications practice.

From 1993 to 1999, Peter served as Director of Communications in the Prime Minister's Office and chief communications strategist for Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his government. In that position, Peter established a strong record in developing successful communications strategies for the most important government initiatives and most contentious political and public policy issues of the past decade. In the process, he established a strong personal reputation in one of the most intense and high-pressured jobs of its kind.

Following his tenure in the PMO, Peter served for two years as Canadian Consul General to Milan...
Kind of gives one furiously to think why the Globe and CTV are hiring his services.

Update: I was wrong. The Globe (unlike CTV which is part of the same company) has not, for reasons which escape me, reported on the negotiation section of this poll.

Upperdate: Most Germans want to pull out of Afghanistan-poll
Nearly two thirds of Germans want their troops to withdraw from Afghanistan after three German peacekeeping soldiers were killed over the weekend, a poll published on Wednesday showed.

Carried out on Monday by the Forsa polling agency for weekly Stern magazine, the poll showed 63 percent of respondents believe Germany's Bundeswehr armed forces should withdraw from Afghanistan compared to 35 percent in favour of remaining...

Recent polls show Canadians are also becoming increasingly uneasy about their troops' involvement in Afghanistan.

During a visit to Afghanistan by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged countries to remain in Afghanistan until the country manages to stay on its own feet or else "terrorists" will strike again.
Uppestdate: SDA shows how Charles Adler fisked the polling firm, Strategic Council.

Development in Afstan

The Globe and Mail has one of its rare good headline moments:
'One step at a time, one village at a time'
Slowly – and not without danger – Canadians are helping ordinary Afghans rebuild their lives


CAMP NATHAN SMITH, AFGHANISTAN — Sometimes, when the Taliban aren't breathing down their necks, the guys like to tease Captain Bob Wheeler by calling him the Duke of Dand for all the largesse he gets to hand out in the district around Kandahar.

In truth, there isn't that much money – a couple of thousand dollars here and there – and his superiors aren't fond of the image of a soldier as seigneur. But, noble or not, Capt. Wheeler is an enormously influential guy in the Dand district of Kandahar province.

As the point man for Canada's civil-military reconstruction effort, it's his job to see that money for projects is spent wisely on the things that Afghans need. More important, he needs to ensure that the credit goes not to Canadians but to the people struggling to build a civil society in this war-torn country.

If all goes well, Canadian officials meet with village locals to help them identify their needs and tell them there will be aid if they organize the work themselves. Then, when the project is finished, Capt. Wheeler comes to inspect and arranges to pay the bills.

On Saturday, for example, he travelled 15 kilometres in an armed convoy from Kandahar to the dusty village of Ghanzi to close the books on eight new wells that had been dug at a cost to Canadian taxpayers of maybe $2,500.

A village leader, Mohammad Sawer, took him to most of the pumps, proudly showing the water that flowed from them. He couldn't stop smiling. Later, in another village filled with wrecked tanks from the Soviet era, Capt. Wheeler inspected the $4,000 in renovations that were being done on a mosque while a large group of residents, clearly pleased at the new carpet and fresh paint, followed in his footsteps.

“One step at a time,” the 46-year-old Newfoundlander said of his morning's work. “One village at a time.”..

...it was only after the end of Operation Medusa, the fierce offensive last autumn in Panjwai and Zhari districts, that the wheels started moving. From an almost standing start this winter, the influence of the PRT, which combines the military, civilian police, Correctional Services Canada, CIDA and the Department of Foreign Affairs, has spread in Kandahar province.

Nearly 400 projects have been planned or completed since February, more than in all of 2006. They aren't necessarily big time; the vast majority cost just a few hundred dollars. (CIDA's $5-million contribution to a polio vaccination program is an exception.) And they certainly aren't splashy...
If you have the stomach, check out the comments; but at least some are fighting back against the peaceniks.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

More problems for Afstan in Pakistan

Two major stories worth reading:

1) U.S. Pays Pakistan to Fight Terror, but Patrols Ebb
American and NATO military frustration with Pakistan’s performance in the border area is growing, say current and former senior American military officials. They said that Taliban fighters had been seen regularly crossing the border within sight of Pakistani observation posts, but that the Pakistanis often made little effort to stop them.

Pakistani and American military commanders established direct radio communications between Pakistani and American border posts about two years ago, after a series of meetings on border issues. Since then, the system has worked well on some parts of the border and poorly in others, they said.

Gen. James L. Jones, the former NATO supreme commander, said that when American or NATO forces saw Taliban fighters crossing the border and radioed nearby Pakistani posts, there sometimes was no answer. “Calls to apprehend or detain or restrict these ongoing movements, as agreed, were sometimes not answered,” General Jones said. “Sometimes radios were turned off.”..

Two American analysts and one American soldier said Pakistani security forces had fired mortars shells and rocket-propelled grenades in direct support of Taliban ground attacks on Afghan Army posts [emphasis added]. A copy of an American military report obtained by The New York Times described one of the attacks.

“Enemy supporting fires consisting of heavy machine guns and R.P.G.’s were provided by two Pakistani observation posts,” said the report, referring to rocket-propelled grenades. The grenades killed one Afghan soldier and ignited an ammunition fire that destroyed the observation post, according to the report. It concluded that “the Pakistani military actively supported the enemy assault” on the Afghan post...
2) Influx of Al Qaeda, money into Pakistan is seen: U.S. officials say the terrorist network's command base is increasingly being funded by cash coming out of Iraq.
A major CIA effort launched last year to hunt down Osama bin Laden has produced no significant leads on his whereabouts, but has helped track an alarming increase in the movement of Al Qaeda operatives and money into Pakistan's tribal territories, according to senior U.S. intelligence officials familiar with the operation.

In one of the most troubling trends, U.S. officials said that Al Qaeda's command base in Pakistan is increasingly being funded by cash coming out of Iraq, where the terrorist network's operatives are raising substantial sums from donations to the anti-American insurgency as well as kidnappings of wealthy Iraqis and other criminal activity...

The former official added that the resurgent Taliban forces in Afghanistan are "being schooled" by Al Qaeda operatives with experience fighting U.S. forces in Iraq...

Canadians mentor Afghan Army

Canadian training of Afghans to fight Taliban called 'essential'

The Afghan army has suffered from high desertion rates, as young men join, lose interest and then simply go home — but not in the formation mentored by the Canadians. It has the lowest absentee rate of any unit in the army.

Gen. Khan Mohammad, the Afghan Army commander in Kandahar province, said his soldiers are impressed by the work ethic of the Canadians, and that's rubbing off on his men.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

One town at a time

Taliban ambush: 'Get us out of here'

An eyewitness account of Afghan bravery and British bravado in response to a fierce insurgent attack
By GRAEME SMITH

That day, Capt. Shaw paid a visit to Sangin's central administration compound, where Major Jamie Nowell commands forces patrolling the town. The fighting is getting closer to the community every day, Major Nowell said, but the fact that the town itself remains friendly territory can be counted as a victory. The last district chief sent here by the government saw his home reduced to rubble, he said, but last week, a new chief was installed and appeared to be gaining acceptance. A few modest reconstruction projects have started, mostly fixing electricity systems.

"Sangin is a success story, because we cleaned out the insurgents, held it, and we're getting reconstruction back in," Major Nowell said.