101st Airborne replaces 82nd Airborne in Afstan

The latest US rotation is official:

BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. 101st Airborne Division is taking over in Afghanistan, replacing the 82nd Airborne after 15 months in the country.

Outgoing commander Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez welcomed 101st commander Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser at a handover ceremony Thursday at the main U.S. base at Bagram.

The 101st Airborne will be responsible for security in eastern Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan. The paratroopers are being deployed for 15 months.

The U.S. now has some 32,000 troops in the country, the most since the U.S.-led invasion [no such thing - MC] in 2001. That includes about 3,500 Marines sent to southern Afghanistan to train police and fight the rising insurgency there [actually 3,200; 2,200 combat Marines in the MEU will be in the south, the other 1,000 will be trainers for the Afghans, deployed where needed mainly to help the Afghan National Police].

The 101st, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was last deployed to Iraq in 2005-06.

Update: The US command will in fact be called Combined Joint Task Force-101 (CJTF-101); the 101st has the following troops in country:

...Approximately 7,200 Soldiers from the division’s headquarters, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade and 101st Sustainment Brigade are now serving in Afghanistan as part of CJTF-101...

But CJTF-101 still has an old URL--along with lots of material for the public. It's also interesting that the website's masthead highlights Operation Enduring Freedom. This description of the Task Force still applies, I'm sure:

Combined Joint Task Force-82 (CJTF-82) is a U.S.-led subordinate command of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). CJTF-82 serves as both the National Command Element for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, reporting directly to the U.S. Central Command commander, and as ISAF’s Regional Command – East...

More on the turnover, with a slide show:

...
Marching in step, paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne retired the unit's flag during a ceremony under a light rain beside the main runway at Bagram Air Field. Then 101st paratroopers unfurled their flag, officially marking the start of their 15-month tour [emphasis added]...

The top American commander in Afghanistan has requested three more brigades - about 7,500 more troops - and the Pentagon has promised that more troops will be sent next year...

"What has become clear as the insurgency has picked up steam over the last year or two is that an increasing number of forces are needed to clear and hold territory," said Seth Jones, an analyst who follows Afghanistan for the RAND Corp. "In fact, I think a significant number more are needed. I would like to see those U.S. numbers come up."..

An outgoing U.S. commander said he's seen a significant reduction in Taliban and al-Qaida operations over the last year in the six provinces he commanded along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

"I'm pretty convinced that the effect of al-Qaida as it relates to Afghanistan is being reduced," Col. Martin Schweitzer said.

Jones, the analyst, said that it appears violence has gone down in the east, where the U.S. primarily operates. But he said the south - like Helmand and Kandahar provinces - is "incredibly violent," and that the insurgency is spreading into the west and areas around the capital as well.

Schweitzer said he'd like to see the success U.S. forces have had in the east replicated in the south, where British, Canadian and Dutch troops operate but where the insurgency is thriving. Schweitzer did not single out any country for criticism but said in general forces need to stay longer than four to six months, as some nations' troops do [emphasis added]...