Afghan&Military Blog

April 23, 2009 5:58 pm

Under Attack

After reading about the outstanding job of 2nd platoon, Company B, 1/26 INF in the Korangal River Valley it reminded me of some of the experiences I had working on the Afghan-Pakistan border of Paktika Province in 2006-07.

I had a joint observation post (OP) comprised from a platoon of my Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers and a platoon from the 10th MTN that was assigned to FOB Tillman.  In the early morning hours on June 20, 2006 we came under a well coordinated attack of  intense enemy machine gun and RPG  fire.  In the initial few minutes of the attack, the enemy was able to knock out our heavy weapons with well aimed fires. We quickly went through our claymores as we were soon surrounded by approximately 100 bad guys and they were too close to effectively use our artillery and air assets.  As the NY Times article discussed critical times in a battle that can lead to getting out of hand, this was that point in this battle .    

What kept the tide of this battle from totally turning against the good guy side was discipline, pure intense will, and a little bit of luck.  With the Americans using great trigger discipline and target selection, the intensity of the ANA fires (until they ran out of ammo!), and poor quality of the Taliban’s hand grenades (there were 5 that didn’t explode outside of our bunkers) we were able to hold onto this important OP that is only a few hundred meters from the Pakistan border.  This firefight lasted for over 2 hours.  We believe the bad guys had also run out of ammo and that was the reason they withdrew from this well coordinated assault.  Most of the Americans had less then 10 rounds and some with only their knives left.

Luckily the Americans only had a few scratches and just one of my ANA soldiers was wounded  (he would fully recover from his gunshot wounds to the back and hand after a few weeks) during this intense early morning firefight.  I respected our enemy before this fight but was impressed even more after this with their solid coordination of fire and maneuver tactics.  As they retreated back across the border we counted 43 enemy personnel carrying 8 bodies.  Those were the ones we could see and in that terrain, for everyone you see, there is usually 2-3 more around.  What really added insult to injury was the route the bad guys took back into Pakistan; they went directly next to a Pakistan Military post, our allies on this porous border.  They are our allies as much as I’m the next President of the United States.

Live free or die trying!

Afghan&Military Blog

April 23, 2009 3:42 pm

Warriors, GI Film Fesitval Trailer

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This trailer is very powerful. The quotes in this from America’s warriors are profound and resilient. You may need a tissue when you watch this, but it is something you need to watch.

Warriors - GI Film Festival Trailer - watch more videos

Afghan&Military Blog

April 23, 2009 7:35 am

154th Transportation Company repositioned to Afghanistan

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3d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – A transportation company here was moved from Iraq to Afghanistan on April 14, marking the second time in three weeks a 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) unit has moved directly from one combat theater to another.

The 154th Transportation Company, an active-component unit from Fort Hood, Texas, was repositioned to southern Afghanistan where it will continue its mission of transporting supplies to Coalition forces, unit leadership said.

Capt. Corinne F. McClellan, the 154th Trans. Co. commander, said the move would not change her unit's mission – only its location.

"We'll go wherever we are needed," McClellan said. "The Soldiers are ready to go."

Deployed to Iraq in January, the 159 Soldiers of the 154th Trans. Co. operated under the Fort Hood's 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. While stationed at Camp Liberty, the unit moved supplies to camps across Iraq, although most missions were in or around Baghdad.

1st Sgt. Eric A. Moree, the company's senior noncommissioned officer, said he is proud of his unit's performance thus far and believes they are "absolutely" ready to assume their mission in Afghanistan.

"We haven't lost a vehicle," Moree said. "We haven't lost a Soldier. We haven't lost any cargo. And in doing so we were able to provide the support to the warfighters that's needed."

Moree said the unit will face some challenges, however, and cited the narrow dirt roads and mountainous terrain of southern Afghanistan as two examples.

In preparation for the move, the unit trained on various tasks that could prove useful to the unit's mission, including weapons training and first-aid training. The unit conducted additional training on vehicles the company will use in Afghanistan.

The unit reorganized itself by creating a "gun truck" platoon – a special convoy security element for its mission in Afghanistan.
"They are fully prepared to execute that mission," Moree said. "They had months of extensive training prior to even coming to Iraq."

The 154th Trans. Co. drives the military's Palletized Load System, a vehicle designed with self-loading capabilities that reduces the need for forklifts and other equipment that may not be readily available in smaller military camps in southern Afghanistan.

According to current Department of Defense policy, the length of the 154th Trans. Co.'s deployment will not be affected by the unit's move.

Spc. Keith E. Stoner, a gunner with the 154th Transportation Company's newly formed gun truck platoon, waits with other unit Soldiers for his company's flight to Afghanistan at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, April 14. The 154th Trans. Co., an active-component unit from Fort Hood, Texas, is the second 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) unit in three weeks to move directly to Afghanistan from Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alex Snyder)

Soldiers of 154th Transportation Company from Fort Hood, Texas, stand in formation prior to leaving for Afghanistan at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, April 14. The 154th Trans. Co. is the second 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) unit in three weeks to move directly to Afghanistan from Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alex Snyder)

The Palletized Load System, comprised of a mover truck with integral self-loading and unloading cargo capability. PLS is a key transportation component of the Army distribution system. It can perform long-range hauling, local hauling and local unit resupply. (Courtesy U.S. Army photo)

Soldiers of the 154th Transportation Company make last-minute adjustments to their bags prior to leaving for Afghanistan at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, April 14. The 154th Trans. Co., an active-component unit from Fort Hood, Texas, is the second 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) unit in three weeks to move directly to Afghanistan from Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alex Snyder)

Soldiers of the 154th Transportation Company load onto a C-17 aircraft for their flight to Afghanistan at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, April 14. The 154th Trans. Co., an active-component unit from Fort Hood, Texas, is the second 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) unit in three weeks to move directly to Afghanistan from Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alex Snyder)

Afghan&Military Blog

April 22, 2009 7:27 pm

Navy Seals Video

GreatAmericans.com has a great video up of de-classified footage of America’s latest sweetheart, the US Navy Seals. Watch it below.

Navy Seals Footage in Iraq - watch more videos

Afghan&Military Blog

April 22, 2009 1:25 pm

Manus closed, Tajikstan opened

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http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.e08e65ebeb1fff4d5b5ca457720ed135.511&show_article=1

The United States and Tajikistan have agreed a deal on the transit of non-military cargoes for Western operations in Afghanistan, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said on Tuesday.

“Yes, it’s done,” Boucher said in response to a question about the long-expected transit deal with the ex-Soviet republic that neighbours Afghanistan.

The transit of cargoes destined to support Western troops in Afghanistan could begin as soon as one month from now, Boucher said during a visit to the Tajik capital.

Washington has been seeking new routes for supplies to Afghanistan after Kyrgyzstan announced earlier this year that it was closing a key US air base, and amid increasing stability along the main transit route through Pakistan.

Afghan&Military Blog

April 22, 2009 7:52 am

Is the new Predator C in Afghanistan?

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There are rumors that the brand-new, jet-powered, unmanned aerial vehicle, Predator C is already in the skies over Afghanistan.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/AVENGE041509.xml&headline=New%20Predator%20C%20Hints%20At%20Stealth,%20Weaponry&channel=defense

David A. Fulghum davef@aviationweek.com

Bill Sweetman william_sweetman@aviationweek.com

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has quietly rolled out its new Avenger unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) - formerly known as the Predator C - and completed its first three flights on April 4, 13 and 14.

While company officials are not calling it a stealthy aircraft, they will admit to a reduced radar signature. The 20-hour-endurance UCAV’s undeniably low-observable design offers clues about how it could be employed.

A weapons bay allows internal carriage of 500-pound bombs with GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions with GPS navigation and laser guidance kits attached. Given the aircraft’s 41-ft length - which will increase by at least two feet in the second test aircraft - the weapons bay appears to be 10-feet long.

The bay doors can be removed to allow installation of a semi-submerged, wide-area surveillance pod. The aircraft is designed to carry about 3,000 pounds of weapons and sensors. For an additional two hours of flying time, fuel tanks also can be installed in the weapons bay.

A long, featureless underside further provides an ideal location for a sensor such as an all-weather, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The wide-area surveillance system - to be provided by the U.S. Air Force - has yet to be defined. It would be carried by a specialized all-reconnaissance version of the Avenger.

The V-tail both deflects radar and shields infrared signature of the aircraft’s 4,800-pound thrust Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545B turbofan. Predator C has two all-flying tail surfaces that each have two servos for flight-control redundancy.

The hump-backed design of the aircraft offers room enough for a serpentine exhaust to prevent radar observation of the turbine. Pratt has been developing an S-shaped exhaust system that both offers protection from radar and cooling to reduce the infrared signature. The engine is expected to provide an airspeed of at least 400 knots, but company officials say envelope expansion tests may prove the speed to be “considerably greater”. The UCAV’s operational altitude would be up to 60,000 feet.

The Avenger’s 17-degree sweep, 66-ft. span wing and tail are all aligned in plan view with one or other of the leading edges. This is the same shaping discipline used on classic stealth designs like the F-22 and B-2.

The cranked trailing edge provides the aerodynamic and structural benefits of a tapered wing and helps shield the engine inlet from radar. Other design elements, from nose to tail, help avoid radar cross-section hot spots that would be caused by a curved side.

The aircraft was designed from its inception so that the wing could be folded at the point where it cranks for storage in hangars or for aircraft carrier operations. The UCAV also comes with a tailhook, which suggests that carrier-related trials are planned.

The inner section of the cranked wing is deep, providing structural strength for carrier landings and generous fuel volume while maintaining a dry, folding outer wing.

Afghan&Military Blog

April 21, 2009 4:23 pm

US Led forces destroy Taliban Anti-aircraft weapons

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/265229,coalition-destroys-anti-aircraft-weapons-8-afghan-rebels-killed.html

Kabul - US-led coalition forces destroyed two Taliban anti-aircraft weapons in southern Afghanistan, while two separate operations conducted by Afghan and international forces in the same region left eight militants dead, officials said Tuesday. Acting on intelligence information provided by local villagers, the coalition forces destroyed a ZPU-1 anti-aircraft weapon by “precision strike” in Nad Ali district of Helmand province on Tuesday morning, the US military said in a statement.

Less than 12 hours before, another ZPU-1 anti-aircraft weapon, which was mounted on the back of a pick-up truck and was ready for use against NATO aircraft, was destroyed in the same district of the province, a separate military statement said.

“The militants were seen firing the weapon in the vicinity of the local bazaar, endangering the lives of those nearby,” it said, adding, “Use of these weapons by militants in such a populated area shows their total disregard for innocent human lives.”

It is the first time that the coalition forces admitted that the militants, who are waging a seven-year-old insurgency in the country, have obtained anti-aircraft weapons.

Taliban militants claimed some two years ago that they had obtained anti-aircraft artillery and since then they have claimed to have downed dozens of NATO and coalition warplanes.

NATO and US-led coalition officials have only admitted a few times that their planes were targeted by rebels in the country, but said they were only using small arms fire or rocket propelled grenades in their attacks.

“In recent months, militants in the area have unsuccessfully attempted to use surface-to-air fire against coalition aircraft,” the statement said, adding, “The destruction of these two dangerous weapons systems in such a short period of time is a giant step toward peace and stability in the area.”

The statement did not say if there were any casualties on the Taliban side during the strikes.

Wary of sustaining casualties and lacking adequate forces on the ground, NATO forces rely heavily on the use of airpower, which sometimes results in the death of civilians.

Meanwhile, seven Taliban militants including a rebel commander were killed and one more militant was detained by joint Afghan and coalition forces in the southern province of Uruzgan on Tuesday, the Afghan interior ministry said in a statement.

The combined forces seized two machineguns during the operation that took place in Khas Uruzgan district of the province.

Separately, one more insurgent was killed and another was detained by Afghan and coalition forces in Maiwand district of southern Kandahar province, a separate US military statement said Tuesday.

Despite the presence of more than 70,000 international troops deployed from 42 countries in Afghanistan, Taliban-led attacks are on the rise.

The US government and other NATO countries have planned to send more than 25,000 combat soldiers and military advisors in the coming months to the country to contain the insurgency this year.

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