News Call U.S
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
News Call U.S. and Afghans Working ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ U.S. and Afghan forces are working tance Force Joint Command and Dep- have had the lead for security in their “shoulder to shoulder,” said LTG Cur- uty Commander of U.S. Forces–Af- country since the summer of 2010,” he tis M. Scaparrotti, commander, Interna- ghanistan, ANSF are expected to in- said. “They’re actually doing a pretty tional Security Assistance Force Joint crease to 352,000. “The goal is for good job.” Command, last month. “Together,” he Afghan forces to assume lead respon- MG David G. Perkins, commander said, “we are creating a better future sibility for security by the end of of 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Divi- for the people of Afghanistan.” 2014,” he said, “and they are already sion-North told reporters at the Penta- As the war in Afghanistan enters its on their way to meeting it.” gon in late September that most of the eleventh year, U.S. commanders there 5,000 troops of the 4th Infantry Divi- —mindful of President Obama’s an- Iraq in Transition. Some 43,000 U.S. sion would be gone by the end of Oc- nounced plan to withdraw 10,000 of the troops continued to transfer installa- tober. U.S.-trained Iraqi forces have approximately 98,000 troops there by tions to Iraqi control as the nation’s greatly weakened al Qaeda, he said, the end of the year and another 23,000 political leaders announced in October and the U.S. troops are in an “over- by September 2012—have repeatedly that they want to keep American mili- watch phase” of monitoring them. stressed the importance of working tary trainers in the country after the By early October more than 400 in- with Afghan security partners. security agreement expires on Decem- stallations had been transferred from “Our task,” said MG James L. Hug- ber 31, but that those U.S. troops will U.S. to Iraqi control. The Mobile Re- gins Jr., 82nd Airborne and comman- not be granted immunity from Iraqi distribution Property Assistance Team der of Regional Command South, “will law—legal protection the U.S. has de- traveled throughout the country to as- be to continue to build on the progress manded and that is considered stan- sist redeploying units with the tasks of our Afghan National Security Forces dard in status-of-forces agreements. necessary to record, ship, fix and track [ANSF] and coalition partners, that the According to the Associated Press, equipment. U.S. military training of Afghans can take full control of their Pentagon spokesman CPT John Kirby police officers ceased in Baghdad, and future in the lead, in their country.” said the U.S. military was reviewing contractors packed up and returned As recently as September, ANSF the statement. “We are going to make home, so some soldiers began cooking were reportedly responsible for turning sure that our troops have the legal for troops. back numerous attacks in Kandahar, protections they need,” he said. Talks Even in the absence of a new agree- Uruzgan, Zabul and Daykundi Prov- of keeping a force of 3,000 to 5,000 ment, the U.S. continues its commit- inces. In addition, the Afghan economy troops in the country for training have ment to Iraq. In early October, LTG has been on the upswing, and certain been ongoing for months as the U.S. Robert L. Caslen Jr. assumed command produce items are once again being ex- military continues to draw down. of the NATO Training Mission-Iraq ported to markets worldwide. In a televised interview, MG Jeffrey from LTG Michael Ferriter in a cere- LTG William B. Caldwell IV, com- Buchanan, spokesman for U.S. Forces- mony that also marked the transfer of mander of NATO Training Mission Iraq, said he is very optimistic about the latter’s duty as the deputy com- –Afghanistan, also weighed in with the future. “The Iraqi security forces manding general, advising and train- positive news. Addressing Pentagon re- porters in late September, LTG Cald- Deployments well reported that 8,000 volunteers have joined Afghan national army and The Pentagon has announced three deployments as part of the upcom- police forces in September, 114,000 dur- ing rotation of forces operating in Afghanistan. ing the past 23 months. In addition, The 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Joint nearly 40 percent of the 305,000 ANSF Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, a unit of approximately 3,500 sol- have participated in ongoing literacy diers, is scheduled for deployment in November. The 4th Brigade Combat programs. As training programs have Team will replace redeploying units with no increase in overall force lev- become standardized, according to els in Afghanistan. LTG Caldwell, more and more Afghans The 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base have begun replacing NATO trainers. Lewis-McChord, Wash., will deploy to Afghanistan in December. The unit According to LTG David M. Rodri- totals approximately 3,200 soldiers. guez, commander of U.S. Army Forces More than 2,800 soldiers of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th In- Command and previously comman- fantry Division, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, will deploy in January 2012. der of the International Security Assis- November 2011 I ARMY 9 Army Casualties in Afghanistan The following U.S. Army soldiers were reported killed in Operation Endur- ing Freedom from August 1 to September 30, 2011. All names have been re- leased through the Department of Defense; families have been notified. SFC Danial R. Adams, 35 SPC Patrick L. Lay II, 21 PFC Carlos A. Aparicio, 19 1LT Ivan D. Lechowich, 27 PFC Cody G. Baker, 19 SPC Jinsu Lee, 34 SGT Alexander J. Bennett, 24 1LT Damon T. Leehan, 30 SGT Rafael E. Bigai Baez, 28 PFC Rueben J. Lopez, 27 SPC Francisco J. Briseno-Alvarez Jr., 27 PFC Christophe J. Marquis, 40 CW4 David R. Carter, 47 PFC Gil I. Morales Del Valle, 21 SPC Chazray C. Clark, 24 SPC Jordan M. Morris, 23 Remembering the Fallen. The Missing in SPC Koran P. Contreras, 21 PFC Brandon S. Mullins, 21 America Project (MIAP) seeks to remem- SPC Ryan J. Cook, 29 CW2 Bryan J. Nichols, 31 ber fallen, forgotten U.S. servicemembers PFC Douglas L. Cordo, 20 PFC Alberto L. Obod Jr., 26 by locating, identifying and interring their 2LT Joe L. Cunningham, 27 SSG Kirk A. Owen, 37 unclaimed cremated remains. MIAP ac- SGT Devin J. Daniels, 22 SGT Alessandro L. Plutino, 28 complishes this task through the collabo- SGT Anthony Del Mar Peterson, 24 PFC Tony J. Potter Jr., 20 rative efforts of private, state and federal organizations. For information, please con- PFC Jesse W. Dietrich, 20 MSG Charles L. Price III, 40 tact [email protected]. SPC Mark J. Downer, 23 SGT Mycal L. Prince, 28 PFC David A. Drake, 21 SSG Daniel A. Quintana, 30 ing, and the activation of the Office of SPC Spencer C. Duncan, 21 SPC Barun Rai, 24 Security Cooperation-Iraq (OSC-I). “As SPC Robert E. Dyas, 21 CPT Waid C. Ramsey, 41 we continue to honor the security SGT Garrick L. Eppinger Jr., 25 SGT Colby L. Richmond, 28 agreement by drawing down our secu- SPC Garrett A. Fant, 21 SPC Michael C. Roberts, 23 rity forces,” said GEN Lloyd J. Austin SGT Edward J. Frank II, 26 SGT Rodolfo Rodriguez Jr., 26 III, commander of U.S. Forces-Iraq, SGT Jameel T. Freeman, 26 SPC Jakob J. Roelli, 24 “OSC-I will become the core of our en- SPC Douglas J. Green, 23 SSG Keith F. Rudd, 36 during military-to-military relation- SGT William B. GrossPaniagua, 28 SGT Timothy D. Sayne, 31 ship with Iraq over the years to come.” SPC Steven E. Gutowski, 24 PFC Brice M. Scott, 22 SGT Patrick D. Hamburger, 30 SPC Christopher J. Scott, 21 Third Army at Shaw. CSM John D. SGT Matthew A. Harmon, 29 SPC Joshua M. Seals, 21 Fourhman, Third Army, relinquished SGT Tyler N. Holtz, 22 SPC Kevin R. Shumaker, 24 responsibility to CSM Stephan Fren- SPC Christopher D. Horton, 26 1LT Timothy J. Steele, 25 nier at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., in SSG Michael W. Hosey, 27 SGT Chester G. Stoda, 32 September, the first event of its type for SGT Bret D. Isenhower, 26 SGT Andrew R. Tobin, 24 the command there. Third Army head- SPC Dennis James Jr., 21 SPC Joseph A. VanDreumel, 32 quarters moved to the Air Force base PFC Douglas J. Jeffries Jr., 20 PFC Brett E. Wood, 19 near Sumter, S.C., with the closure of SPC Dennis G. Jensen, 21 1LT Andres Zermeno, 26 Fort McPherson, Ga., mandated by 2005 Base Realignment and Closure. Third Army, which sustains U.S. World War II. That effort included the troops in the 20 nations in U.S. Central responsible drawdown from Iraq by Army Casualties in Iraq Command’s area of operation, has August 31, 2010, involving the rede- The following U.S. Army soldiers forces deployed in 12 countries at any ployment of more than 90,000 troops were reported killed in Operation given time. In addition to its new main and more than 70,000 pieces of rolling New Dawn from August 1 to command post at Shaw Air Force Base, stock in concert with the deployment September 30, 2011. All names Third Army now operates in Forward to Afghanistan of 30,000 troops and have been released through the Command Post in Kuwait, U.S. Army more than 5,000 mine resistant am- Department of Defense; families Central Support Element-Iraq and U.S.