The Torch: March 2008

Monday, March 31, 2008

Afstan: The "longest war"?; troop increase speculation update

At least this column in the Washington Post starts out with the good news:

KHOST, Afghanistan -- This former Taliban stronghold, where Osama bin Laden spent time planning the Sept. 11 attacks, has become an American success story. The Taliban is being pushed out, and a government presence is extending into previously hostile territory. At NATO headquarters in Kabul, most of Khost has been moved out of the "red" column -- at least for now.

Khost shows that, with the right combination of resources and leadership, it can be done. But Khost is not simply a good-news story. It also underscores a larger, troubling truth: The conflict in Afghanistan will be far more costly and much, much longer than Americans realize. This war, already in its seventh year, will eventually become the longest in American history, surpassing even Vietnam.

Success in Khost required some of America's best troops. Today elements of the legendary 101st Airborne Division -- the Screaming Eagles of the Battle of the Bulge -- are replacing troops from another storied unit, the 82nd Airborne, who, over 15 tough months, took Khost back [so I suppose Combined Joint Task Force - 82 will become CJTF - 101]. That success resulted from tactics developed locally by a stellar team: a courageous and honest provincial governor, Arsala Jamal, who has survived four assassination attempts; a creative American troop commander, Lt. Col. Scott Custer (yes, he is a direct descendant), who devised a more aggressive system of joint patrols with local Afghan army units; and a remarkable young Foreign Service officer, Kael Weston, who has established a direct dialogue with tribal leaders, university students, mullahs, madrassa students and even Taliban defectors.

As I saw in hours of meetings with these groups, Weston's intense hands-on process identifies problems and misunderstandings that might otherwise spiral out of control. One of these -- serious enough to attract international media coverage and public expressions of concern from Afghan President Hamid Karzai -- was the death of several women and children in two recent nighttime U.S. Special Forces actions. The tribal elders were blunt in our meeting; a white-bearded chief said, "Not even my brother can enter my house at night, but you Americans did not even knock." Gov. Jamal, his own closeness to the Americans making him even more vulnerable, was distraught. "This undermines everything we are trying to do here," he said.

Jamal and the elders understood that locally based American troops were not involved in the operations and that the targets were supposed to be an important Taliban cadre. Despite the furor, they stressed that they want the Americans to stay as long as necessary, knowing that will be a very long time; without NATO's continued presence, their government would fail. They have little confidence in the Afghan army, even though it seems to be improving, because there is as yet no indication that it can function in difficult conditions without active NATO support. Moreover, the elders, like everyone else, despise the national police -- Afghanistan's most corrupt institution. I heard firsthand accounts of blatant police shakedowns on the main roads, police destruction of agricultural produce because the officers were not paid off and direct police participation in the drug trade (which makes the police and the Taliban de facto partners).

The police are the front edge of Afghanistan's biggest problem. In conversations with more than 80 foreigners (diplomats, journalists, soldiers), Afghans in the private sector and, most important, senior members of the Karzai government, I found unanimity on only one point: The massive, officially sanctioned corruption and the drug trade are the most serious problems the country faces, and they offer the Taliban its only exploitable opportunity to gain support...

Richard Holbrooke, a former ambassador to the United Nations [he had a lot to do with Bosnia, too], writes a monthly column for The Post.

More Polish choppers for Kandahar?

Further to this post, it looks as if the Poles may offer four more aircraft to help the CF at Kanadahar:

On the eve of a crucial NATO summit, Poland appears ready to increase its offer of helicopter support for Canadian troops in Afghanistan who are awaiting the arrival of their own transports.

As many as four additional Mi-17 helicopters could be stationed at Kandahar airfield, bringing to six the number of aircraft the Polish government would put at the disposal of Canadians, defence sources told The Canadian Press.

The arrangement could be in place by this summer and last up to a year — long enough for National Defence to purchase and deploy six of its own CH-47D Chinook battlefield helicopters, said a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Polish helicopters would be made available on what’s called "a contribution basis" that would require Canada to foot the bill for their use, the sources added...

Immediately after meeting with leaders of the 26-member military alliance, Harper is scheduled to fly to Poland for two days of talks with Kaczynski’s prime minister.

Poland is eager to play a bigger role in the newly expanded NATO and has been one of the few European members to increase its troop and equipment commitments in Afghanistan.

The former East Bloc country announced in December (not quite that firm then) it was bolstering its contribution to 1,600 troops and eight helicopters in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

What's a Navy Diver doing in Afghanistan

Bomb clearers honoured
OTTAWA — Navy divers who dismantle roadside bombs and booby traps in Afghanistan have been honoured as a group.

The Navy League of Canada presented four veterans of the war with the maritime organization’s J.J. Kinley Award on Friday, which recognizes individuals and groups who make remarkable contributions.

The four divers — Lt.-Cmdr. Roland Leyte, Petty Officer 1st Class Paul Walsh, Petty Officer 2nd Class Dave Poole and Master Seaman Kevin March — have served at various times in Kandahar over the last two years.

The award recognizes all explosive clearance divers.

Ken Bowring, a spokesman for the league, said the navy’s contribution to the war sometimes gets lost and it was important to recognize the roughly 30 fleet divers who have served — or will be serving — in the war-torn region.

A glimpse at Navy Divers

Try the other foot

A special Canadian Forces Recruiting unit arrived in Windsor this week for a display at the local Devonshire Mall.

Forces seek recruits
Don Lajoie, Windsor Star
Published: Saturday, March 29, 2008

Noting that in 2007 the forces recruited 6,800 members from across Canada, Churm said it was decided to focus this year on areas where it was believed the forces have not traditionally enjoyed a high profile. He identified Windsor and Essex County as one of those areas despite the fact that 80 per cent of force members come from Southern Ontario.

LT(N) Churm needs to practice his spin a hell of a lot more if he's going to sell that piece of horse hockey.

Windsor is home to HMCS Hunter Naval Reserve Division along with the storied Essex and Kent Scottish Infantry Regiment, Windsor Regiment Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment, 21 Service Battalion Combat Service Support unit and the Windsor Military Band. For a city of just over 200,000, short of having an actual base or station, that's a lot of military profile.

The Windsor and Essex county area has always had a high participation rate in the CAF due to a number of factors, one of them being the boom and bust cycle of automotive manufacturing.

The area's unemployment rate is currently 8.9%, second only to the Saguenay region of Quebec. Of particular interest to the military would be the large pool of young skilled trades currently on layoff.

If you're trying to attract the best and brightest to join, don't start by trying to snow people. It leaves a bad impression.

Cross posted to The Shadow

Friday, March 28, 2008

Canadian Special Operations Regiment training at Camp Pendleton, California

David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen posts on his time with the trooops (internal links added by me):

CANADIAN SPEC OPS REGIMENT AT HEARTBREAK RIDGE

I've been in sunny California over the last few days as the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) puts its latest candidates through their paces. Course SOBQ 0702 started in November at CFB Petawawa and is coming to an end soon. It started with around 90 folks and expects to graduate around 40 give or take, says course instructor J.F. who is from Bas St-Laurent, Quebec. (As in the past I have been asked not to identify people by their full names for security reasons). The candidates have had a full slate of instruction in shooting, insertion, patrolling, demolition, direct action and close-quarter battle skills among other techniques.

The general sense among the candidates is that the 23-week course is extremely hard but well worth the effort.....the common comment is that it has been a long haul. The commanding officer, Lt.-Col. Jamie Hammond arrives on Friday to view a couple of days of training.

The unit has travelled to the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton at Oceanside to do its training (it's pretty hard to do most of this instruction in the snow at CFB Petawawa). The candidates are housed in Second World War- era quonset huts which, by the way, were featured in the Clint Eastwood film Heartbreak Ridge. The huts don't appear to have changed much since the war..... film buffs among the candidates can stand on the spot where Eastwood crushed "Fagetti's" sunglasses or live in the hut where Clint pummeled the "Swede" into submission.

Driving around the base you get a real sense of U.S. military might. There's a 100,000 folks on the base here......on the way to see the Canadians on a range (it took 45 minutes to reach one of the many ranges in the back 40 here), we drove past a single depot with 20 M777 howitzers (our Army has them too) and later a hundred or so Humvees, some MRAPs, etc. [Super] Cobra gunships are a pretty common sight flying the skies here as well as twin-rotor choppers, I haven't seen the flight line but I'm told it's quite an impressive array of airpower. Any ways, you get the picture.

Tankety, tankety

This really is beginning to seem ridiculous:

Canada will be forced to rely on borrowed tanks for the war in Afghanistan until 2011, a federal tendering document has revealed.

Public Works Canada recently asked the defence industry if it was interested in upgrading some of the 100 Leopard tanks it purchased second-hand from the Netherlands last fall [much more here, including the Public Works text].

The first of those refurbished, 60-tonne A6s will not be ready for service for another 3 1/2 years — just as Canadian troops begin their withdrawal from Kandahar.

The "initial delivery of 20 tanks and two recovery vehicles" is not expected until some time in 2011, said the letter of interest issued to industry on March 19.

The federal government likely won’t even issue a tender for the work until November 2009.

When the $1.3-billion tank-replacement program was announced almost a year ago by former defence minister Gordon O’Connor, the plan called for Canada to borrow 20 mine-resistant Leopards from Germany for immediate use in Afghanistan.

Those tanks arrived in theatre last summer and were to be returned once the Dutch Leopards had been purchased and upgraded to Canadian battle standards.

The loan arrangement with the Germans, which isn’t costing Canadian taxpayers anything, was expected to run until September 2009.

The fact the Dutch tanks won’t be ready by that time means the loan will likely have to be extended.

National Defence was asked to explain the reasons for the delay, but declined. All
information and interview requests are now being run through the Prime Minister’s Office [oh dear - MC]...

It was suggested last fall that some of the upgrade work might have to be done in Europe because Canadian industry isn’t capable of overhauling the iron monsters.

A defence expert said the delay can likely be traced back to the fact that few Canadian companies have the technical ability to overhaul battle tanks and the Defence Department virtually gave up the skill in the late 1990s, when it planned to phase out tanks.

"I’m not surprised it’s going to take that long to pull the upgrades together given that we no longer have the capability," said retired colonel Chris Corrigan, who spent 32 years in the armoured corps.

"That was a straight dollars-and-cents budgetary decision."

One of the companies that could be in line for the refurbishment, which was estimated in the range of $200 million, said last year that a worldwide shortage of armour plating — generated by the war in Iraq — could also contribute to delays.

Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre said he doesn’t understand why it will take until 2011 and accused the Conservative government of mismanging the program by spending the federal treasury dry in wartime.

"If the troops need equipment, they need equipment," said Coderre, who pointed to the fact the Tories recently rushed out to buy 15 retired German tanks for spare parts.

The federal government spent $120 million to buy 100 surplus Leopards from the Netherlands, the vast majority of which are older A4 models, dating from the mid-1990s. The Dutch government mothballed them at the end of the Cold War...

More here on Leopard 2 spare parts problems world-wide (h/t to Dave).

A surprising statistic

Graeme Smith's latest article was appended by an interesting set of statistics:

VICTIMS PER ATTACKER FOR SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS

BY TARGET

Against NATO forces: 1:3

Against Afghan forces: 1:3

Against government and civilian targets: 1:.2

BY TYPE OF ATTACK

Individual bomber: 1:6

Vehicle-borne: 1:4

SOURCES: VIGILANT STRATEGIC SERVICES AFGHANISTAN, UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION TO AFGHANISTAN

I wondered if I was misreading the numbers, but they were backed up in the text of the article:

A report for the United Nations in September found that, on average, more than three suicide bombers are required to inflict a single casualty on the international forces. "From a military point of view, this could be considered extreme failure," the report said.

My first reaction was to grin at the incompetence of the suicide bombers: if it takes three of them to kill one NATO or Afghan soldier, that's a pretty poor ratio. Which, it goes without saying, makes me quite happy. The enemy's incompetence is to be celebrated.

But on reflection, they can afford to sacrifice human life, much as we can afford to sacrifice equipment. It's all about what you have in abundance to fight with. We have money and machines. They have people.

And in the final analysis, if we pull out and abandon Afghanistan to them after, say, 100 fatal casualties, and they sacrificed a hundred times that, or 10,000 suicide bombers, they'll still have beaten us. Not militarily, but by having more will than we do.

I'm done chuckling at their incompetence for now. I just hope that a three-to-one ratio isn't enough to make Canada give up.

Want a job at Timmy's? The lineup starts over there...

Getting a job at Tims in Afghanistan has become a very big deal.

About 1,200 people applied every six months for 63 CFPSA positions in Kandahar, including 21 at the doughnut shop.

- Matthew Fisher, The Ottawa Citizen

That's 1,200 more people whose hands I'd like to shake one day.

Camp Picton

Current occupants include a skid factory, a hammock store, an archery club, a welding shop, a flying club and a marine shop.

A far cry from what it once was:

It was 1940 and the British were fighting for their very lives. Literally thousands of flyers needed to be trained in an extremely short period of time and the British, quite simply, lacked the necessary aerodrome space to do this. They turned for help to their allies in Canada. Prince Edward County, with its sparse population, long coastline, and the added benefit of being a continent away from prying Nazi eyes, seemed ideal for the location of an RAF Bombing and Gunnery School

Camp Picton was first used in the fall of 1938. Following the start of World War II, the area was expanded as part of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The buildings and runways were built during the summer of 1940. Construction was completed at lightning speed and by November 1940 the RCAF had moved in and were using the base for military training of commercially licensed pilots. In April 1941 the British RAF moved in and by early 1942 had taken over the base. The camp was an excellent training installation. It had several hangars, 2500 foot runways, five bombing ranges and facilities to house close to 1000 officers and airmen.

A tip of the toque to Nicholas at Quotulatiousness, where you can find more pictures like the one above.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

NATO video challenged?

Don't know about you, but these efforts seem pretty pathetic to me (via Yrys):

1) Videos 2008

2) ISAF Video Archive 2008

An earlier post.

Why a two-tiered NATO may not be such a bad thing

Robert Kaplan sees some silver in those grey Afghan clouds:

WITH NATO set to hold its annual summit next week in Bucharest, there is concern that the failure of Germany and other members to carry a larger share of the burden in Afghanistan is threatening the alliance’s future. Critics complain that it has become an unequal, two-tiered alliance, with the troops of the United States, Britain, Canada and Holland taking the combat role while Germany, Italy, Spain and other members take refuge in the safe areas, refusing to put their soldiers in danger.

It certainly isn’t fair. Yet predictions of NATO’s decline hold it to an impossible cold war standard. Then, a direct mortal threat to Central Europe in the form of Red Army divisions led to an all-for-one and one-for-all mentality. Now that the threat is more subtle and diverse, NATO’s mandate, structure and personality need to change accordingly...

Let’s face it, the threat of a Taliban comeback in Afghanistan is not of the same order as the threat Germany faced from the Soviet Union, so is it any wonder that Germany’s attitude has changed? Rather than bully the Germans into doing what they’re not very good at — counterinsurgency — in the violent south of Afghanistan, we should be grateful that they’re doing something they are good at — nation-building — in the relatively peaceful north.

The same holds for countries like Italy and Spain, whose troops are also restricted to northern Afghanistan. In the post-cold-war world, individual NATO members can’t be expected to automatically take part in missions outside the alliance’s traditional European sphere. Participation will be contingent on specific circumstances. And that will lead to an increasingly stratified alliance...

...countries like the United States and Britain will simply have to carry a heavier burden than others. But what of it? NATO has always operated as a multi-tiered organization. During the cold war, northern countries essentially ran the show while the southern ones went meekly along (except for Greece, which often protested loudly). France, in a fit of Gaullist pique, pulled out of NATO’s unified military structure in 1966, although it remains part of the alliance and took a place on the military committee in 1995.

Had there ever been a land war in Europe, American forces would have done the overwhelming amount of the fighting, so why should Afghanistan and future armed clashes be any different? NATO forces were never deployed in a war zone during the cold war, so the inequalities within the organization were masked...

For now...we must also look to expand appropriate roles for NATO members not inclined toward combat. One option is sea power. Navies make port visits, they protect sea lanes, they allow for access during humanitarian emergencies. The French, Dutch, Norwegians, Germans and Spanish have all been making serious investments in new ships, especially frigates. With the United States Navy concentrating on competition from China in the Pacific, NATO could become the primary naval force to patrol the North Atlantic and Mediterranean...

I especially like that last paragraph. The Euros have very decent navies (Italians too); giving them more maritime responsibility might also allow Canada to reduce our "blue water" (as opposed to off-shore) naval efforts, i.e. destroyers and frigates. I really do not see the need for a significant and expensive Canadian contribution to allies in distant waters. After all it's primarily the Army that our governments use for important foreign policy effects (see Somalia, Balkans, Afstan etc.). It certainly needs to be larger and to have greater budgetary investment.

But of course the Navy would scream horribly at any reduced role (look at their determined struggle to retain a submarine capabilty). And building and refitting major naval vessels in Canada is a vote-grabber that no party is ever likely to reliquish.

I await the torpedo tracks.

The Economist, for its part, has a major article on NATO, with nice charts. Note that The Netherlands' defence spending is US $11.1 billion while Canada's is US $18.5 billion. The Netherlands' population is almost exactly half Canada's 33 million. So on a per capita basis their defence budget would be US $22.2 billion. The war mongers.

Dial "T" for Taliban

Well, punch "T" these days. Looks like a bit of an own goal:

Taliban attacks on telecom towers have prompted cell phone companies to shut down service across southern Afghanistan at night, angering a quarter million customers who have no other telephones.

Even some Taliban fighters now regret the disruptions and are demanding that service be restored by the companies.

The communication blackout follows a campaign by the Taliban, which said the U.S. and NATO were using the fighters' cell phone signals to track them at night and launch pinpoint attacks.

About 10 towers have been attacked since the warning late last month — seven of them seriously — causing almost $2 million in damage, the telecom ministry said. Afghanistan's four major mobile phone companies began cutting nighttime service across the south soon after.

The speed with which the companies acted shows how little influence the government has in remote areas and how just a few attacks can cripple a basic service and a booming, profitable industry. The shutdown could also stifle international investment in the country during a time of rising violence.

But the cutoff is proving extremely unpopular among Afghan citizens. Even some Taliban fighters are asking that the towers be switched back on, said Afghanistan's telecommunications minister, A. Sangin.

That dissenting view shows how decisions made by the top-ranking Taliban leadership can have negative consequences for lower-ranking fighters in the field, the minister said...

Afghanistan's cell phone industry has seen explosive growth since towers first appeared in late 2002, Sangin said. The country now has 5.4 million cell phone users and the industry has invested more than $1 billion [emphasis added]. Sangin said he expects another $500 million in investments over the next two years.

Attacks on towers have taken place across the south, where the Taliban is most active. Companies have shut down service primarily in Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul provinces.

An official with knowledge of the situation said about 10 percent of the country's towers were being turned off at night, affecting up to 300,000 people. He spoke on condition he not be identified because he wasn't authorized to release that information.

The shutdown, Sangin noted, is causing problems both for civilians and for militants...

An earlier post by Babbling is here.

Predate: For younger readers, Hitch at his best.

Comparative fatalities in Afstan

I think my points below will not be made in our major media:

A Danish soldier was killed and another wounded in a firefight with Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said Thursday...

Including the latest death, Denmark has lost 13 soldiers in Afghanistan. Two other Danes were killed March 17 in an attack on an ISAF convoy.
More than 30 international soldiers have been killed this year, most of them in hostile action.
Denmark has about 550 troops in Helmand, where most international soliders with ISAF are British...

Denmark has a population of some 5.5 million, almost exactly one-sixth of Canada's. So on a per capita basis that would equate to 78 Canadian fatalities. In fact we have suffered 81 deaths. Just about the same amount of sacrifice.

Also on a per capita basis, the Danish force commitment would equate to 3,300 from Canada; ours actually is around 2,500 (with a couple of hundred at Camp Mirage in the Persian Gulf).

Optimism from ISAF commander

Perhaps a bit too much, but one can but hope:

International soldiers will be needed in Afghanistan until at least 2012, but troop levels could start dropping by then, the commander of coalition forces said yesterday.

Gen. Dan McNeill offered that timeline in an interview with the Citizen, as he expressed optimism that as more Afghan soldiers and police officers are competently trained, it would be fair to begin debating the merits of reducing the number of international troops here.

"I would say, at the rate the Afghan National Army is going, if the police can catch up with that rate, maybe it wouldn't take five years," he said. "But again, all I do is make my best military recommendations and leave it to the policymakers."..

Gen. McNeill pointed to the fact that Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and his top soldier, Gen. Bishmullah Khan, have urged the North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body, as well as other alliance commanders to be patient with the training of Afghan security forces.

"In a couple of press interviews, both he (Mr. Wardak) and Gen. Bishmullah Khan thought that a fully capable Afghan National Army, probably you're looking at late 2012 before that came around.

"Here's what's really important," Gen. McNeill said: "As you see increasing Afghan national security force capacity, that not only includes the army, but the police as well, I think you can reasonably have debate and ask the question: 'do we need the same size of international force here?'

"I think the answer to that is obvious: As the Afghan capacity increases, there probably is good reason that you cease to increase the international capacity and, at some point, you would actually be better served by beginning to decrease that."

The training of an 80,000-strong national army and a competent national police force of 82,000 is the key exit strategy for Canada and its allies.

The Canadian Forces -- there are about 2,500 stationed in the volatile south -- have made great gains in making the Kandahar region more secure over the last year, Gen. McNeill said, adding: "We should point out that they have a lot of help."

Polish special forces and American troops outside of NATO command [i.e. under OEF] have also played a role, he added [emphasis added]...

More on the Polish special forces, from an earlier post:

Gen. Ramms has also disclosed a part of secrecy regarding the Polish special unit GROM, which is being stationed near Kandahar. "GROM conducts regular battles with Taliban" - says general. "These soldiers search, track down and destroy the enemy. We are very pleased with them."

Plus optimism from the Afghan defence ministry:

Officials in Kabul say the Afghan National Army soon will number 70,000 combat-ready soldiers -- the strongest the force has been since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Valour

Leadership and skill. An officer at the best (I'm not singling out officers; just the first story out, see below):

In the dust, heat and danger of Afghanistan's Zhari District, Maj. David Quick of the Royal Canadian Regiment earned the medal for bravery [Star of Military Valour--only the VC is higher] he will receive from the Governor General in a ceremony today at Rideau Hall.
Maj. Quick, 34, was cited for courage under fire as he led his men in India Company against Taliban insurgents this past summer in battles in which the enemy was so close "you could hear them changing magazines," Maj. Quick said. "The ground didn't allow us to get any further back."
After being ambushed by insurgents one day last June, one of his soldiers turned around the corner of a building and stumbled on an enemy fighter just metres away and shot him dead. "You don't get any closer than that without fixing your bayonet."
Maj. Quick then instructed his artillery officer to call in airstrikes while his soldiers returned fire to hold the enemy in place.
The fight was over after F-15 fighter jets fired about 20 rockets just 20 metres from where the Canadian troops were holed up.
In situations like that, rank makes little difference, Maj. Quick said. "You're just a weapon like everybody else. You have to fight your way out."
He did plenty of that on his six-month tour in Afghanistan, preferring to lead by example rather than give orders from the rear.
That approach demonstrated to his troops that he would only lead them into situations he felt comfortable with, he said.
And it worked. Through 24 combat operations, including 16 with fighting at close quarters, with anywhere from 80 to almost 200 soldiers under his command, Maj. Quick did not lose a single Canadian soldier.
"That in itself is my greatest personal success. I'll never be able to duplicate that in my life."
Maj. Quick, based in Gagetown, N.B., will be the sole recipient of the Star of Military Valour when Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean presents 36 decorations today.
His responsibility in Afghanistan was to ensure the dangerous Zhari district west of Kandahar City was stable and secure, said his boss, Lieut.-Col. Robert Walker.
"That was his main task. Pretty daunting because, by the time summer came, the foliage was up and we were restricted in moving down a lot of those roads. There were (improvised explosive devices) in a lot of those roads," he said.
Maj. Quick learned that the hard way when his light armoured vehicle ran over a landmine in April. Though his head was exposed, he escaped with only a concussion and some inner-ear damage. The explosion blasted two wheels off the vehicle, but there were no casualties.
Over the next few months he went on to spearhead several intense combat missions -- as many as two a week -- against a Taliban threat no longer preoccupied with the poppy harvest or hampered by winter.
"Throughout, he showed exceptional courage, leading from the front. And it was because of his strength of character, his willpower, his physical fitness and his tactical acumen," Lieut.-Col. Walker said.
Maj. Quick's military life began somewhat by fluke. While in high school, he applied for pilot training at the Royal Military College, like every other kid in Trenton, he said.
His colour-blindness, however, got him rejected. While in his first year at the University of Guelph, he was approached by recruiters offering him a spot in an intensive military training program.
Having spent most of his money at a campus pub, he accepted.
Tours in Bosnia, Kosovo and Haiti then helped accustom him to the constant threat of violence he would face in Afghanistan.
"But up to that point, I wasn't killing anybody," Maj. Quick said.
And there is no substitute for the intense experience of combat in close quarters, he added.
For all of NATO's military technology, fighting in Afghanistan is not much different from the wars of previous generations.
Light-armoured vehicles are of little use in the more rugged terrain and are too dangerous on roads spiked with improvised explosive devices.
In regions teeming with Taliban fighters under the cover of dirt buildings and summer foliage, Canadian battalions travel by foot and face insurgents within a stone's throw, much like the Vietnam War, said Maj. Quick.
That shrunken battlefield also meant he would have to call in air strikes targeting his own position, he said.
"You'd mark yourself off, à la Vietnam, with red smoke, and the A-10 would kill everything around you."

The Air Force lost a good one.

The other medals:

Facing Taliban militants amid a rain of rockets may have been uncomfortable, but standing in Rideau Hall was downright nerve-racking for some Canadian soldiers who accepted bravery awards Wednesday.

Standing before Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean in their dress uniforms, under the watchful eye of Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of defence staff, wasn't the problem.

It was all the praise.

The suggestion he was a hero rattled Sgt. Gerald Killam, who received the Military Medal of Valour for leading his platoon safely out of a Taliban ambush last May.

"I have my heroes and my heroes, they don't come home," said Killam, a native of Cole Harbour, N.S., who had friends among the 81 Canadian soldiers who've given their lives in Afghanistan.

He was particularly close to a group of soldiers who served in Afghanistan in the fall of 2006, and recalled having coffee with some soldiers of the 1st Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment who ended up killed and wounded.

"I've known quite a few guys who never made it back. It's very personal and so, those are my heroes and to label me the same way, I'm not very comfortable with it, no."

Killam, who served with the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment battle group in the spring of 2007, said he appreciated the recognition and took pride that he did his job and his platoon came home safely.

Maj. Dave Quick, who accepted the country's second-highest decoration for bravery, the Star of Military Valour, was equally ill-at-ease as he shook hands with Jean and Hillier, and heard the applause of friends and family at the reception.

"I'm uncomfortable with the recognition on a personal level, but I understand what it represents professionally," said Quick, 34, who was wounded by an improvised explosive device on April 22 last year.

Despite his injuries, he rallied his troops and carried the fight to Taliban positions in Zhari district, outside of Kandahar.

Quick, a native of Burnstown, Ont., led 24 combat operations in Afghanistan and never lost a man.

"I'm very humbled, but personally it's very hard to get this recognition and attention when you know there are people who are reading the newspaper who've lost sons and daughters.

"I have a hard time with that. It's not about me - or even what we did as a team. It's about what Canada is committed to in Afghanistan."

Five Canadian soldiers, including Killam and Quick, were awarded medals of valour for their service in Afghanistan.

Another 31 service decorations - including Meritorious Service Crosses and Meritorious Service Medals - were presented separately to other soldiers, sailors and airmen.

Rideau Hall's ornate reception room left Pte. Aaron Dolmovic awestruck, but he said it was "great to see how proud everyone was of us."

Dolmovic - originally from Cottlesville, N.L. - and another soldier, Cpl. Dave Gionet, a native Pigeon Hill, N.B., provided life-saving first aid to another comrade whose vehicle had been blown up in a roadside bomb attack on April 11, 2007.

Both of them received the Medal of Military Valour.

In the same attack, Pte. Jay Renaud, originally from Tilbury, Ont., was in the Coyote reconnaissance vehicle that had been hit.

He was blown clear of the wreckage and knocked unconscious. When he regained his senses, Renaud began administering first aid to his wounded mates.

He too received the medal of valour.

"It is often in the most difficult situations that we show our true worth," said the Governor General.

"You are absolute proof of this. You have shown the world what you are made of."

Jean went further with her praise, saying history will remember the vital role they have played in bringing peace to Afghanistan.

Hillier singled out each of the valour recipients and said their names are now part of Canada's military history and will inspire future generations of soldiers.

Notice the Atlantic provinces?

MND MacKay chides Germans...

...and Spanish and Italians, for not risking more in Afstan. Pretty tough stuff from a Canadian minister--excerpts from an interview at Spiegel Online (I wonder how much coverage our media will give to this--nothing as of 1600 EDT, March 26 ):

Canada's defense minister is ratcheting up pressure on his NATO allies in Europe, saying Germany's Bundeswehr and other militaries must join the fight in hotly contested southern Afghanistan. In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, Peter MacKay argues that Germans should be doing more to stop the Taliban insurgency.

SPIEGEL: Canadian politicians have been very critical of the German decision not to send more troops into southern Afghanistan. Do you think of the Germans as quitters?

MacKay: I don't think of Germans as quitters by any stretch. Their contribution in Afghanistan is very valuable. However, our roles are different. Germany's presence there actually outnumbers Canada's. But they are based primarily in the north, near Kabul [hardly "near" Kabul, dear Peter--at Mazar, and Kunduz and Feyzabad provices, a fair distance and some mountains away--see maps here and here], while we are based in the south -- in Kandahar, where some of the heaviest fighting in Afghanistan is going on. The criticism centers around burden sharing, about that combat versus non-combatant role.

SPIEGEL: You mean: You don’t want to do the "dirty work" of fighting and dying anymore.

MacKay: I understand there are domestic challenges in Germany when it comes to troop deployment. Yet, there are also international responsibilities that we all share. Canada takes its role seriously, and we have had more than 80 casualties in Afghanistan. We are not criticizing other countries for not being there. We are simply suggesting that in a NATO mission such as this it puts a lot of pressure on a few countries if there is not the possibility to spread out the more dangerous parts of this mission. We don’t want to see a two-tiered NATO. All members have to contribute what they can.

SPIEGEL: You want more German troops in southern Afghanistan?

MacKay: Absolutely. We want more French, Spanish, Italian troops in the south, too. Just look at what countries are there or were there: The Romanians, the Estonians and the Danes [not to mention the Brits, Dutch and Aussies]. These are countries that arguably have less military capacity than Germany.

SPIEGEL: But that would be very unpopular with the German public. What case would you make to voters here?

MacKay: Germany is the beneficiary of a stable Afghanistan that is no longer an exporter of terrorism. All of us have a self-interest in containing that threat. That means ultimately: to sacrifice the lives of young men and women, as part of a broader effort that has the backing of a United Nations Security Council resolution...

Meanwhile French President Sarkozy continues his dance of the seven veils towards a combat commitment:

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he will send more troops to Afghanistan to support Nato's mission.

Mr Sarkozy, who is on a state visit to Britain, said he would make the offer at next week's Nato summit in the Romanian capital, Bucharest...

In a speech to the British parliament in London, Mr Sarkozy said defeat to Taleban insurgents was not an option.

"In Afghanistan something essential is being played out," he said.

"France has proposed a strategy [that is new] to its allies in the Atlantic alliance to enable the Afghan people and their legitimate government to build peace.

"If these proposals are accepted, during the summit in Bucharest, France will propose reinforcing its military presence. Mr Sarkozy did not say how many more troops he was proposing to send..."

Nor where: south with the Canadians or east with the Americans? From the Financial Times story at the last link:

Mr Sarkozy, who begins a state visit to London today, has come under strong diplomatic pressure from Canada to send French troops to the south of Afghanistan to help hard-pressed Canadian forces.

But it is understood France's military would prefer to go to the east, where the Nato contingent is under US command.

This would make it easier for French troops to work with their compatriots in teams mentoring the Afghan army in nearby Wardak, Logar and Kapisa provinces.

A deployment in the east would also be easier to supply from Kabul, and would free US troops to help the Canadians.

France is also considering sending back a contingent of its special forces to join the US-led mission against al-Qaeda [emphasis added]...

That's the dreaded and distasteful Operation Enduring Freedom, folks.

Update: The Toronto Star's Allan Woods finally picks up the story, March 28. Nobody else has as far as I can see.

Upperdate: Matthew Fisher really slangs the Germans in this March 31 National Post piece.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

CF Discounts

I noticed an interesting ad in the sidebar the other day, one that touted purchasing discounts on various products and services for CF members, so I decided to look into the source a bit. It turns out that CF Discounts is run by Chris Smith, a veteran who figured a clearing house for companies offering special discounts to CF members would be a great way to support our troops.

Here's part of a letter he sent to federal MP's to try to drum up support:

My name is Christopher Smith and I am writing to you in regards to a program I started in 2004 for our soldiers and veterans and thought you would be interested in due to your commitment to our soldiers.

I am a 16-year veteran of the Forces and when I took my release in 2004 I went to college to become a programmer/analyst. During this time, I thought of an idea where it would be beneficial for military members, past and present, to have a single source where they could find businesses, from anywhere in Canada, that were offering them discounts or specials as a way to show their support and appreciation.

From this idea grew CF Discounts (www.cfdiscounts.ca), the original Nation-wide listing of military discounts. I began the design of this website in 2004, started programming it in 2005 and the site went "live" in May of 2006. During this time, the site grew from a small idea to a site with over 1000 listings, in French and English, of businesses offering discounts to our soldiers and veterans. These companies are listed for free.

Sounds like a great idea. Certainly better than an ad hoc thread on Army.ca, although that's more use than nothing at all.

When I Googled around for any additional listings, I came across DND Discounts:

The www.dnddiscounts.ca website is maintained by the Canadian Forces Newspapers. All businesses listed on this website offer a discount to Department of National Defence personnel and their families and advertise in a Canadian Forces Base Newspaper or one of their specialty magazines or directories.

While I'm glad that the CFPSA is doing something along these lines, I'm not sure it's the best solution.

The problem with that approach, as I see it, is that it ties supporting the troops to your advertising budget. What if your business isn't in close enough proximity to a CF base to justify advertising in the base paper? What if all you want to do is make sure serving members understand your little business on the side of the highway is willing to cut them a bit of a break to say 'thanks for your service'?

Unfortunately, the downside of a private site like CF Discounts is that, much like The Torch, it's just a hobby - with all the limitations in time, effort, and money that can be put into making it a success.

In that vein, I wonder whether the folks at Canada Company have heard of this. Given the membership list, I'm guessing a few of them might be able to help out a bit (if you don't recognize the names, pick up a copy of Report on Business or just Google them - a lot of money and influence there). Just a thought.

Anyhow, while I don't know Chris Smith personally, I applaud his effort to show tangible appreciation to those Canadians who serve our great country in the Canadian Forces. Bravo Zulu!

Update: The MARPAC webmaster wanted to make sure any west coast readers know about the discount listing at The Lookout. Looks like a bunch of BC businesses have stepped up, and I'm glad the Navy has taken the time to make such a listing.

But, again, while this is good, it furthers my point about a national clearing-house listing instead of simply regional piecework.

Updater: And never forget that the best discount is FREE!

Via Rail is offering Canadian Forces members, veterans and National Defence employees free rail travel for the month of July in a gesture of appreciation, railway officials said Wednesday in Halifax.

"The clear intention here is for Via Rail to express on behalf of all Canadians how much we appreciate the service of men and women in uniform and our veterans and their families," Defence Minister Peter MacKay said at the announcement.

Via officials said the railway and the military have long been linked, with trains carrying 90 per cent of the First and Second World War troops to the ports and home again.

More than half a million people will be eligible for the free, unlimited travel along the railway's routes, Via said.

"The people that will be able to use this is everyone attached to the Department of Defence," said Via chairman Donald Wright. "Reservists are included and veterans are included."

The offer also includes for members of the Canadian Forces a 50 per cent discount for up to five family members.

BZ to Via Rail!

Critical reports on Afstan

Just so readers can get a full perspective:

1) Iraq seen as more stable than Afghanistan: report

2) West's botched funding risks fuelling insurgency, report finds

3) 40% of aid to Afghanistan goes to consultants: report
Pledges fall short amid staggering inefficiency, waste

Reasons why the new UN "super envoy", Kai Eide, needs to do a bang-up job. John Manley makes points along the above lines in a Globe and Mail piece:

...
We need a new and different approach to our mission in Afghanistan. In particular, there must be greater emphasis on diplomacy, reconstruction, development and building Afghan institutions of governance.

To get the needed results, we recommended that the Prime Minister personally lead a diplomatic initiative, making Canada's voice heard to a degree commensurate with our sacrifice. The objective would be not simply additional troops in Kandahar, but a comprehensive political-military plan for NATO, the UN and participating countries. Six years after the collapse of the Taliban government, we were shocked to find so little co-ordination and commonality among key participants in Afghanistan...

Somehow I don't see Mr Harper taking on that onerous and politically-risky initiative, especially given Canada's still quite limited diplomatic clout--and our unstable Parliamentary situation.

Afstan: Surely we want to avoid civilian casualties

Ain't accuracy vital? Carp, carp, carp:

Canadian army gunners in Afghanistan are now cleared to fire GPS-guided artillery shells at Taliban militants — at the cost of $150,000 a round.

The Excalibur shell could very well be the most expensive conventional ammunition ever fired by the military.

Supporters argue that the weapon, which has the ability to correct itself in flight, has pinpoint accuracy. They predict that will cut down on the mounting civilian death toll from air strikes in a war-torn region, where insurgents often hide among the population.

"It lands exactly where you want it to land," said Lt.-Col. Jim Willis, a senior officer in charge of acquiring the munitions.

"It provides more safety."

About 18 months ago, the army announced its intention to buy a handful of the experimental shells to go along with its brand new 155-millimetre M-777 howitzers.

Introducing the weapon to the army’s arsenal has been slower than expected because of concerns related to the shell’s performance in cold weather and precautions to make sure the GPS signals can’t be jammed or scrambled by insurgents.

Willis said battery guns supporting Canada’s battle group in Kandahar recently test fired the shell in the desert and the new weapon performed flawlessly. He wouldn’t say how many shells were fired...

The price tag has provided fodder for critics of the war, who’ve described the shell as overkill and noted that the cost is like firing a Ferrari...

The Defence Department spent $150,000 a round in the fall of 2006 on the first batch of shells off the production line. Willis says, as time goes on, they are expecting the cost to drop to $86,000 per shell.

Ordinary high-explosive rounds cost up to $2,000 apiece.

The Excalibur shell uses satellite signals and software to guide it to within 10 metres of its intended target, even when fired from up to 40 kilometres away. Regular shells are said to be accurate to within 50 metres...

At least the story didn't directly quote Steve Staples for "expert" reaction; but he is in fact the source of the "Ferrari" reference. Our reporters just cannot help themselves from regurgitating his pap. The most recent example I've seen:

...
Steven Staples, president of the Rideau Institute, a policy organization that has been critical of Afghan mission, holds similar views.

"The additional troops will have more political than military significance. With the 1,000 troops, French President Sarkozy scores points with U.S. President Bush [Sarkozy may also be trying to trade for a top NATO command for France - MC]], President Bush claims victory at NATO next month, and [Prime Minister] Stephen Harper can keep Canada in the war for another three years," Mr. Staples said in an e-mail yesterday.

"What is most concerning is that Canada, surrounded by [!?!--emphasis added] 1,000 additional U.S. troops, will become increasingly implicated with U.S. forces and their aggressive war-fighting approach to the conflict."

Those nasty, war-mongering, US troops who will envelop our poor CF would be, it is commonly expected, transferred from eastern Afstan to the south if new French soldiers (with pacific intent Mr Staples would seem to have us infer) go to the east rather than the south.

Babbler's update: For those who may want to read some background on the Excalibur shell and the CF's use of it, The Torch has written on the subject in the following posts:

Drop ten words and fire for effect
The shell game
The shell game, part 2
Excalibur not performing as hoped

Afstan and the fact-challenged NDP

A letter of mine in the Globe and Mail (full text subscriber only):

Feeding the NDP

MARK COLLINS

March 25, 2008

Ottawa -- In your article Tories Knew 1,000 French Troops Were Pledged Before Manley Recommended Them, MP Asserts (front page, March 24), NDP defence critic Dawn Black says "there is no way of knowing yet whether the American troops sent to Kandahar will work under NATO command or remain part of the U.S. Operation Enduring Freedom." Well, yes, there is a way.

According to an Agence France-Presse story on March 18, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit - the soldiers who have been arriving in Kandahar - will "work under the command of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force." And Marine Corps News reported on March 15 that "this deployment is in support and under the command of NATO's [ISAF]." Does that help?

The last sentence is the Globe's; this is what I wrote:

But I guess the NDP's defence spokeswoman doesn't bother to follow the media on her subject. After all, facts are irrelevant to NDP positions.

A Norman's Spectator LETTER OF THE DAY. I should have called the Marines "troops", not "soldiers". Sorry about that.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Afstan: Something the CBC documentary missed

Further to this post, a bit of "hope" that only the Montreal Gazette of the Canwest papers seems to have carried (I found the story through this Afghan media site's daily e-mail):

It still is, as Col. Donald Dixon describes it, "a very, very humble" dwelling, in one of the poorest parts of war-torn Kabul.

The first time he walked into the Mirmon orphanage in 2006, the conditions were sobering. "It was a cement, two-storey house. It was a hollowed-out building on two floors. And it was bare. There was no indoor plumbing. No kitchen facilities to speak of. The walls were cracked, and peeling. The windows were bare."

By the time his tour of duty with the Canadian Strategic Advisory Team (SAT) ended in the fall of 2007, conditions had brightened considerably.

"They were our family. We really adopted those girls," Dixon says.

So have subsequent SAT units who are continuing a uniquely Canadian volunteer legacy.

Up to 30 girls, from babies to teens live at the orphanage in the heart of this city of five million. "Their parents have died, or been killed. Or the girls were abandoned," he says.

The SAT consists of about 15 Canadian Forces soldiers and civilians who advise the Afghan government on developing effective and efficient government. But Dixon says, "it's more than just helping the government structure. It's also about helping people on the street."..

Lt.-Cmdr. Albert Wong, who began this grassroots cause on his first SAT tour to Afghanistan in 2005, said: "The thing about helping in Afghanistan is a small amount goes a long way.

"When we first went to see them in the fall of '05, it was a very chilly day, that day. I mean I had my winter coat on, my scarf and hat and gloves. It was really nice to see the girls. It was a real joy. But then we noticed in their bedrooms, which were in the basement, they had no heat. So between 15 of us, we raised enough to buy them three separate wood heaters that we had installed. They basically had one wood-burning heater for the whole house. We bought them three additional ones and fuel for the winter."

Wong said the stoves cost a total of about $250. The fuel cost about $100.

"The reason we picked them up was because it was a small orphanage for girls. The larger orphanages, other (non-government organizations) and foreign governments are looking after and helping. This one is small enough to fall below the radar," Wong says.

But he says, that commitment has to be practical and sustainable.

"So we didn't just flood them with money but we actually looked at what the needs were and bought according to the needs."..

Wong has returned to Toronto, but he says he keeps in touch with the orphanage.

"It's a team effort. I was in the first SAT rotation and what's gratifying is that each rotation subsequent to that has taken this on," he says.

"We have a track record, we have a history and when you meet the girls you just don't want to abandon them . . . I also personally believe that while the future of Afghanistan is still on the line, the only way forward is this generation of kids. And especially the girl child because if you can educate that girl child, the impact of when that child grows up and becomes a mother, is huge. When someone is educated, it's impossible to take that away from her."

Don't let the facts get in your way

"The Canadian Forces Spend Millions to Recruit and Target Your Children"

Ok, so the title is my rough translation of this blatantly ignorant article about the Canadian Cadet Movement. A (rough) English translation is available here. A snippet of the March 13th article published in Le Devoir:

A good post defending the Canadian Cadet Organization by the aptly named blogger Spitfire. DND may not wish to officially respond to such drivel, but I'm sure the millions who have benefited from Cadets in Canada might have a thing or two to say.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

"Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear"

CBC TV documentary on at 2000 EDT, March 22 (h/t to NL_engineer):

Canada has poured millions of dollars and thousands of soldiers into Afghanistan to help rebuild. But are we really making a difference to the lives of Afghans? Our cameras travel to remote and forbidden places in search of answers.

Update: Much more on the programme here, with video of the segments. See my comment for an implicit comparison with another country NATO is trying to help.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Photos of Canadians in Afstan

Quite a few here at gettyimages (Gurkhas too--h/t to tomahawk6 at Milnet.ca).

"Talking to the Taliban"/Singing to the people

A major piece of work at the Globe and Mail (mulitmedia presentation), led by their Afstan correspondent Graeme Smith. What struck me most in the first story is what little interest ordinary Taliban types seem to have in their senior leadership. So there should be opportunities for talk, ignoring the leadership, at various points. For example:

Afghanistan: New Helmand Governor Confirms Desire For Talks With Taliban

The new governor of an embattled province in southern Afghanistan has confirmed his intention to negotiate with "second- and third-tier" Taliban to achieve greater security.

Update: What an awful lot Afghans are probably talking about, ignored by our media (h/t to Fred in "Comments"):

Afghan Pop Idol winner declared

The two male finalists received over 300,000 text message votes

The grand final of Afghanistan's hit pop music talent show, Afghan Star, has taken place in Kabul.
Rafi Naabzada, 19, saw off his rival Hameed Sakhizada, 21, to win the contest at a heavily-guarded hotel.
The programme has become a sensation in Afghanistan where it is estimated that 11m viewers, or over one-third of the population, regularly tuned in.
The show received severe criticism from conservative clerics, partly because a woman reached the final three...

An earlier story:

Afghanistan's Pop Idol breaks barriers
...
Most of the contestants who've not yet been voted out are men, but there is still one woman left.
Lima Sahaar is from the southern province of Kandahar and each week she travels up to the studios in Kabul for the show with her mother.

'Now all the young generation can show their talents.'

Her hair is usually covered with a scarf, her face not. The fact that a young woman from the birthplace of the Taleban is on stage performing each week says a lot about the way Afghanistan has changed in six years.
Taking such an obvious liberal stance can be dangerous, and although she explained she had the support of her family, there are many people opposed to her.
"I'm not afraid," she told me. "Afghan people don't care about risks or dangers.
"I think all of Afghanistan is in danger, but if we worry about those dangers we can't move on and the country's not going to develop."..

Friday, March 21, 2008

A Canadian Lt.-Col. in Iraq

I'm rather amazed he was allowed to give the interview:

When Lieutenant-Colonel Darryl Mills walks through the halls of Saddam Hussein's former palace on the outskirts of Baghdad, people tend to stare at his left shoulder. The red-and-white Canadian flag he wears is a rare sight for Iraqis and U.S. soldiers alike.

He doesn't mind the odd looks. He says he's both proud of his country and of being one of the few Canadians taking part in what the U.S. Army calls Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"I feel like the pretty girl at the dance party," Col. Mills said of the stares, adding that he's chosen to wear a larger-than-standard flag to make sure everyone knows he's Canadian. "From a soldier's perspective, I wouldn't call it razzing. It's, 'Oh, I thought Canada didn't support the war.' "

Canada refused to join in when the United States, Britain and a collection of allies invaded Iraq in 2003. That Col. Mills and four other Canadian officers are serving in Baghdad under an exchange between the U.S. and Canadian militaries is little known, and little publicized by either government.

The Department of National Defence website makes no mention of Col. Mills and the other officers being deployed to Iraq.

"This is part of a worldwide system of officer exchanges with many countries, none of which are pro-actively publicized due to their routine nature," said Jay Paxton, the press secretary to Defence Minister Peter MacKay.

While a U.S. officer has taken his place with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Col. Mills has been seconded to the U.S. Third Infantry Division. Now on his second tour in Iraq, he's the deputy chief of staff for the unit responsible for the flashpoint cities of Karbala and Najaf, as well as much of south-central Iraq. His 15-month deployment ends in June...

Though his posting is primarily a desk job - he spends much of his time co-ordinating operations from the relative safety of Victory Base, one of Mr. Hussein's former palaces that has been converted into a U.S. military hub - Col. Mills experienced how dangerous Iraq can be in January of 2006, when the Humvee in which he was travelling was hit by a roadside bomb. Luckily, no one was injured...

Col. Mills has also served on the other major front of what Mr. Bush calls the "war on terror," the PPCLI being the first group of Canadian soldiers to deploy to Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2002. Like the U.S. President, he sees the two conflict zones as part of a single struggle.

"You can't look at them as separate, distinct fronts. What happens in one place will clearly affect what happens in the other place," he said, noting that Afghanistan's Taliban seem to borrow tactics that have proven effective for Iraqi insurgents. "It's all about global stability."

Col. Mills prefers to stay away from the politics of him serving in Iraq, portraying himself as just a soldier doing what his army asked him to do. His job, he says, is first and foremost to learn from the U.S. military and to take those lessons back with him to the PPCLI. Perhaps, he suggests, they'll serve the Canadian military well if he's deployed again to Afghanistan.

But he's a believer in the U.S. effort in Iraq, and an optimist about the country's future. He knows that puts him at odds with what many Canadians think about the five-year-old war.

"I try and stay away from the political position our country took," he says, choosing his words slowly and carefully. "But I have a different perspective, having been here. ... I've seen three years of the good that's been done, helping the Iraqis."

Remember this from 2003?

Opposition questions Canadians' role in Iraq
...
Lt.-Gen. Mike Jeffery told the House of Commons defence committee Tuesday that some exchange officers may be among the 120,000 American additional troops being deployed to Iraq. There are currently 31 Canadian military officers serving with U.S. forces in Iraq...

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Two birds, one stone

Any time the Canadian public gets to see front-line CF members telling their own stories in their own words and images, everyone wins: the soldier who feels their experience is valued; the CF, whose soldiers consistently show themselves to be worthy of Canadians' compassion, admiration, and respect; and the Canadian people, who get a glimpse into the world of one of their military professionals, and invariably come away knowing and liking those who defend them in uniform a little bit more than they did before.

In other words, it's the individual CF member who keeps the heady and overblown discussion of defence and security in this country real.

That's why I was pleased to see this story by Lt(N) Hayley Mooney at the CEFCOM website today: it's real.

By the time I came to Kabul, the men of the ANA were used to seeing women from the many NATO countries going in and out of the Ministry of Defence in a variety of camouflage uniforms. Women before me had paved the way so that I could enter an office, run through a meeting and lay down business plans and deadlines, while Afghan men listened attentively through their interpreters and argued points they disagreed with. Don’t get me wrong, though: this wasn’t Canada. General Eqbal Ali was known to stop in the middle of an important meeting to ask if I was eating enough and tell me that my husband would appreciate it if I tried to fatten up some more. There were still people in the hallways who would stare over their shoulders as I walked by. And I was the star of at least a dozen pictures with ANA soldiers ranging in rank from private to general who wanted to show off to their friends the foreign female soldiers who wore no veils and seemed to have no shame in bossing men around.

...

My female friends and I joked that we would go back to our hometowns and feel neglected, having gotten used to basking in the supermodel-type attention we received in some of the more remote parts of the country. Beyond the joking though, I did feel that the stir we were causing was having a positive impact. Here were capable women in uniform, working alongside the men. Our countries had deemed us worthy of the tasks we were taking on, and let us work independently, showing confidence that we could do our jobs well. In Kabul we were already well entrenched. The local men were used to working and talking to us, and in the provinces we were creating an awareness of our presence. Opening minds to new possibilities for women in the future, perhaps. To me, this was an incredible bonus to my mission. Not only was I doing a job that I considered important to development, but I was pioneering a little bit of female equality in a country where there had been so little in previous years.

I've spoken with people who have a hard time believing Canadian soldiers are as idealistic as they come across in the media. I've replied that the vast majority are every bit as idealistic as they come across: they believe in what they do. That doesn't mean that bitching isn't refined to a fine art form in barracks, or that they don't have frequent BOHICA moments, or snake-pits where it seems everyone is trying to outdo the next person with cynicism. But at the end of the day, if you pare all that good-natured posturing away from the core of it, these are incredibly dedicated men and women who do our work far from our shores.

The beauty of a story like this one is that Lt(N) Mooney isn't just changing Afghan attitudes towards females by being a strong and competent woman, she's changing Canadian attitudes towards the CF along the way.

To the folks at CEFCOM: more, please.

UN extends its own Afghan mission

I wonder how much play this will get in the Canadian media:

The U.N. Security Council unanimously agreed on Thursday [March 20] to extend the U.N. mandate in Afghanistan where NATO-led forces are struggling to overcome a surprisingly fierce Taliban insurgency.

All 15 council members voted in favor of a resolution extending the mandate for the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, known as UNAMA. It also called for what U.N. officials have described as a sharpened role for the United Nations' envoy.

The resolution referred to the council's "concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, in particular the increased violent and terrorist activities by the Taliban, al Qaeda, illegally armed groups, criminals and ... the narcotics trade."

Earlier this month, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide to take over from Germany's Tom Koenigs as the top U.N. envoy to Afghanistan.

Western diplomats on the council said Eide would have to take on a more active role than Koenigs did in coordinating international civilian and military activities and in working with the Afghan government.

Top U.N. officials have described the Taliban insurgency as surprisingly resilient and ruthless and recommended increasing coordination between the international community, aid agencies, Afghan government and NATO-led ISAF forces, and expanding U.N. activities across Afghanistan.

The resolution calls for "more coherent support by the international community to the Afghan government," an expanded U.N. presence in Afghanistan, and asks UNAMA to "strengthen the cooperation with ISAF at all levels [emphasis added]."

And I wonder if Jack Layton will notice that last sentence [see middle section at link] and reflect on the will of the international community as unanimously reflected through the UN Security Council. Or maybe he doesn't think it's a legitimate body--then what is the meaning of the UN in his world? Note also that the UNSC has the guts to call the Taliban's activities "terrorist"--unlike our media.

Update: Just noticed the following in the story; will Mr Layton cheer this seeming encouragement of contacts with the Taliban?

...[British UN Ambassador John Sawers] said Eide would also support Afghan "reconciliation efforts" with Taliban fighters aimed at convincing them to lay down their arms and accept Karzai's government.

Upperdate: The Ottawa Citizen mentions the UNSC action starting at the fourth parapgraph in this story; haven't seen any other Canadian media coverage. The text of the resolution is here. Another thing Mr Layton (and Elizabeth May) should read--especially these paragraphs:

“11. Calls upon the Afghan Government, with the assistance of the international community, including the International Security Assistance Force and Operation Enduring Freedom coalition [emphasis added], in accordance with their respective designated responsibilities as they evolve, to continue to address the threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan posed by the Taliban, Al-Qaida, illegally armed groups, criminals and those involved in the narcotics trade;
“12. Condemns in the strongest terms all attacks, including Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks, suicide attacks and abductions, targeting civilians and Afghan and international forces and their deleterious effect on the stabilization, reconstruction and development efforts in Afghanistan, and condemns further the use by the Taliban and other extremist groups of civilians as human shields [emphasis added];..
“14. Expresses its strong concern about the recruitment and use of children by Taliban forces in Afghanistan [emphasis added]...

More NATO trainers for Afstan

Get 'em where you can:

HOHENFELS, Germany — European nations are answering a U.S. call for more trainers to work with the Afghan National Army.

Gen. John Craddock, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe, told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week that more European trainers were needed.

He said the International Security Assistance Force, which is running NATO’s Afghan mission, “still has shortfalls against the minimum military requirement in some key locations and in certain key capabilities.…”

“Specifically,” he said, “a major shortcoming … is the deficit in Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams.”

He said 22 additional teams would be needed by January to keep pace with current Afghan National Army growth.

On Monday, Lt. Col. Jody Petery — who leads a team providing predeployment training for operational mentor and leadership teams at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany — said several European nations have answered the call.

“The NATO folks have done an excellent job signing up more nations. There is an agreement to add… [an OMLT predeployment training] rotation in July and four more next fiscal year,” he said.

Each rotation involves about 20 teams, each with 12 to 40 members, he said.

Some new teams will be from Hungary and Latvia, which have not previously provided teams, he said. Trainers from those nations will be partnered with U.S. troops under a program called the State Partnership for Peace, which links European armed forces with National Guard units.

“These are just the first two nations who have signed up. We expect more,” Petery said.

Hungarian Army Maj. Gen. Istvan Juhasz, who visited Hohenfels this week to observe the OMLT training, said his nation had responded to the call for more troops in Afghanistan.

Juhasz and other Hungarian soldiers watched an exercise in which a Canadian team and Afghan troops cooperated in a simulated hostage rescue [emphasis added]. Nearby, teams from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden did similar training.

Sixty to 70 troops will be added to the 260 to 270 Hungarian military personnel serving in Afghanistan, he said.

Hungary also will take on some new operations including special forces missions, security at Kabul International Airport and the OMLT work, he said.

Next year, European nations will contribute about 75 percent of the trainers in Afghanistan, up from about 50 percent this year [emphasis added], Petery said.

“If the NATO countries don’t contribute all the teams, the U.S. makes up the difference with [Embedded Tactical Trainer] teams. This increased commitment will allow ETTs to spend more time with the Afghan National Police,” he said.

The impact on security should be significant since many Afghan police units lack mentors, he said.

“If they get trainers with the Afghan police there is going to be a big increase in capability,” he said.

Via Spotlight on Military News and International Affairs.

What an amazing coincidence!

Apart from the seriousness of the security breach - that din reminiscent of a bowling alley you've been hearing all morning is the sound of heads rolling in the hallways of CANSOFCOM, or it should be - a couple of points strike me as odd from this story.

First, a cynical old hand like Pugliese must have been forcing his fingers to move over the keys as he typed this mind-boggling account of how the documents were found:

The blueprints were found March 13 by the spouse of Anthony Salloum, an analyst with the Rideau Institute, the left-leaning Ottawa think-tank. As the couple were on their way to dinner, Mr. Salloum's spouse noticed a large pile of garbage bags on the sidewalk, on top of which sat seven large rolled tubes of paper stamped with Defence Department markings.

"I thought they looked interesting, but we were headed to dinner, so I figured I'd pick one up on the way back if they were still there," said Mr. Salloum.

The blueprints were still sitting in the garbage an hour or so later, so Mr. Salloum took one of the rolls. He doesn't know what happened to the rest of the rolls.

Mr. Salloum should purchase a lottery ticket. C'mon, there's what - a million people in the metro Ottawa area - and an analyst for one of DND's fiercest critics is the one who stumbles across these papers? If that's true, then perhaps I should also rethink my earlier dismissal of the Tooth Fairy. Truth may be stranger than fiction in some cases, but this smells far more like the latter than the former to me.

Second, if you were the one, gentle reader, who happened across what were obviously sensitive documents in a pile of garbage in the street, would your first call be to a reporter for the local newspaper? Mine would be to the police. And, since I know a few people in uniform, to NDHQ. The fact that DND learned of this indiscretion from The Ottawa Citizen speaks volumes to me about the character of the Rideau Institute and its employees.

This is one hell of a security SNAFU, and now that it has happened and we can't un-ring the bell, I'm glad it has come to public light: the necessary procedural changes will be made, and the necessary asses will be chewed. But what a sorry spectacle to get there.

Reminds me of another incident where the prime focus was to embarrass the government rather than do what was in the best interests of the nation. Hmm. That must be coincidence too.

Update: From the comments:

Heads at CANSOFCOM shouldn't have to roll. They aren't responsible for document control of blueprints, spec's etc. for Base Construction projects. Want to lay blame within DND, look at Base Construction or Defense Construction Canada. In reality, the responsibility lies with Public Works, not DND...

My bad. Apologies to those unfairly called out. Of course, that just means different heads should roll.