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News Call U.S. Troops Likely to Remain in Afghanistan Through 2014 At a NATO summit in Lisbon, Por- istan through the end of 2014. The po- The announcement echoed what Sec- tugal, in mid-November, U.S. represen- tential end date extends President retary of Defense Robert M. Gates tatives reaffirmed the likelihood of Obama’s proposed drawdown date of stated earlier in the month. At a media American troops remaining in Afghan- summer 2011 by more than three years. roundtable in Melbourne, Australia, Secretary Gates, referring to President Obama’s original time line, told re- porters, “I hope the Taliban think [July 2011 is] an end date because it’s not, and they’re going to be very surprised come August, September, October and November, when most American forces are still there and still coming after them.” With the current emphasis on training, the expectation is that Afghan forces would be numerous and well- trained enough by the end of 2014 to take over primary security for much of the country. As security is established and Afghan forces prove competent, responsibility will be transferred to them district by district. The most res-

U.S. Army/SPC Kristina L. Gupton U.S. tive areas, those in the country’s south Above, U.S. soldiers with 2nd Platoon, 832nd Engineer Company, attached to and east, where most U.S. troops 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, conduct a security patrol in the village are fighting, will be transferred last. of Dolatshi, Afghanistan, in December. Below, SSG McCarthy Phillip (center), Ultimately, however, any drawdown Company C, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Bulldog, and would be based on conditions on the fellow soldiers patrol in a small village in the Pech River Valley in December. ground. In mid-December, there were some 100,000 U.S. troops and 50,000 coalition forces in Afghanistan. Some U.S. commanders have voiced concern over the difficulty of training Afghan troops, many of whom cannot read and are often undisciplined and unreliable in the eyes of U.S. soldiers.

Correction In the December “Sustaining Member Profile,” the description of Kearfott Corp.’s manned portable acquisition system, which is under development, should have read: “Kearfott is also currently developing a manned portable target acquisition system to enable pre- cise location (less than 10 meters) of targets at very long distances (up to 10 kilometers).” U.S. Army/SSG Mark Burrell U.S.

8 ARMY I January 2011 LTG David M. Rodriguez, commander, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command (left) greets Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates upon his arrival to Bagram Airﬁeld, Afghanistan, in December. Secretary Gates went to Afghanistan for operational updates and to thank serving troops.

gamers, educators, gaming developers and trainers launched in February and offers officially sanctioned military wargames such as Virtual BattleSpace. The downloadable software on the site —milgaming.army.mil—now includes a suite of PC-based virtual training applications and tools. Since the site’s in- ception, more than 12,000 users have logged some 10,000 hours download- DoD/MSgt. Jerry Morrison ing software and sharing scenarios, The late November killing of six men 2011 and continue through the fall. The models, terrains and videos they have assigned to 4th Brigade Combat Team, deploying headquarters units are 1st created. As they play, the gamers hone 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Cavalry Division Headquarters, Fort their own reflexes and training. by an Afghan border policeman in east- Hood, Texas, and 82nd Airborne Divi- The site is accessible to anyone with ern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province sion Headquarters, Fort Bragg, N.C. a DoD Common Access Card and al- has been seen by some as testimony not The Infantry brigade combat teams are lows people to exchange knowledge, only to the danger of working with the the 170th IBCT, Baumholder, Germany, tips and ideas on military gaming at local security forces, but also to the risk and the 172nd IBCT, Grafenwoehr and home station or while deployed. Sol- of their changing loyalties. Schweinfurt, Germany. diers have the opportunity to add their By mid-November, 2010 had already personal contributions to the forum become the bloodiest year of fighting HOA Training. In December, leaders based on their own experience. for coalition forces in Afghanistan since of the Combined Joint Task Force- The portal now includes mobile the war began. Despite media assess- Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) headquar- applications that can be used with ments of the fight there as grim, in ters staff that deploys to Djibouti this iPhones, iPads and Androids as well December, GEN David H. Petraeus month engaged in a two-week hands- as interactive language programs. remained positive. The top U.S. com- on exercise at the Joint Warfighting In addition, the expansion allows in- mander in Afghanistan told the Asso- Center complex in Suffolk, Va. The stant access to technical support, train- ciated Press, “We believe that we have training is critical for a smooth transi- ing events and online instruction. arrested the momentum that the Tal- tion. The U.S. Army Combined Arms iban achieved in recent years in many CJTF-HOA, which focuses on East Center-Training’s National Simulation areas of the country. Not all, but that Africa and Yemen, will partner with Center and the U.S. Army Program we have reversed it in some important African countries to help build their ca- Executive Office for Simulation, Train- areas, including right here, in Kabul, pabilities, thus promoting regional se- ing and Instrumentation also added which is home to one-sixth or one-fifth curity and stability. CJTF-HOA is part updates that included Virtual Battles- of the country.” of U.S. Africa Command, originally led Space 2 and Vignette Planning and by GEN William E. (Kip) Ward. Upon Rehearsal Software, a program that al- Upcoming Deployments. In Novem- confirmation, GEN Carter F. Ham will lows users to design and build their ber, DoD announced the deployment become the next commanding general. own scenarios representing asymmet- of four major units to Afghanistan. As ric aspects of conflict. Another soft- part of upcoming rotations of forces, MilGaming Portal Expands. With ware program is a 3-D simulation that two headquarters totaling about 1,600 gaming being one of its most cost- enables users to practice conducting soldiers and two Infantry brigade com- effective training methods, the Army meetings and negotiation. bat teams (IBCTs) composed of 6,800 in late November expanded its Mil- The web site will be expanded fur- personnel will begin deploying in early Gaming portal. The online forum for ther: Scheduled for release in April is

January 2011 I ARMY 9 a program for practicing battle command in counterinsurgency opera- COMMAND SERGEANTS tions. Officials are developing games MAJOR CHANGES* GENERAL that will allow soldiers to train be- yond simply first-person shooting, OFFICER such as scenarios that teach the im- CHANGES* Photo not portance of cultural impact, manner- LTG M.D. Bar- available isms and behaviors. bero from Dep. CG for Advising and Training, Fort Hood Update. Following a mili- USF-I, OND, Iraq, to Dir., JIEDDO, CSM F.A. Grippe CSM R.J. Wells tary court hearing at Fort Hood, Texas, Arlington, Va. from I Corps, JB from U.S. Army Lewis-McChord, Engineer Regi- for MAJ Nidal Hasan, the Army psy- Wash., to SEA, ment, Fort chiatrist accused of killing 13 and USCENTCOM, Leonard Wood, Fla. Mo., to U.S. wounding 32 in a shooting at the in- Army MSCoE stallation in 2009, COL James Pohl, and Fort who oversaw the proceedings, recom- Leonard Wood. mended in November that the Ameri- I JB—Joint Base; MSCoE—Maneuver Sup- can-born Muslim officer stand trial LTG H.B. LTG M. Ferriter port Center of Excellence; SEA—Senior and face the death penalty. Bromberg from from CG, MCoE Enlisted Advisor; USCENTCOM—U.S. Cent- Sr. Cmdr. for Fort and Fort Ben- ral Command. More than two dozen soldiers Bliss, Texas, to ning, Ga., to Dep. CG/CoS, Dep. CG for Ad- *Command sergeants major positions as- wounded in the November 5, 2009, FORSCOM, Fort vising and Train- signed to general officer commands. shooting at a crowded medical build- McPherson, Ga. ing, USF-I, OND. ing on the post testified, some via video link from Afghanistan or Iraq, at Brigadier Generals: R.O. Baker from Dep. those warriors in transition, but to CG (M), 1st Armored Division/Dep. CG- the Article 32 hearing that began in Oc- East, USD-C, OND, Iraq, to Dir. for Opera- other wounded soldiers. tober. COL Pohl also reviewed record- tional Plans and Jt. Force Development, The Army asked for feedback from J-7, The Jt. Staff, Washington, D.C.; S.F. ings of emergency calls and footage Donahue from CG, USA Engineer Divi- soldiers at 29 WTUs located through- that MAJ Hasan recorded on his cell sion, South Pacific, San Francisco, Calif., out the United States and Europe as to Dir., J-7, USF-I, OND; C.K. Haas from phone showing a gun-store manager Cmdr., SOCAFRICA, AFRICOM to Cmdr., well as severely wounded Army vet- demonstrating how to use a gun. The CFSOCC Forward-Afghanistan, OEF, Af- erans. According to the 1,650 respon- ghanistan; F.B. Hodges from Dep. Cmdr., defense did not present any evidence, Stability, RC-S, ISAF, NATO, Afghanistan, dents, among their most urgent needs and MAJ Hasan declined to comment. to Dir., PACC, The Jt. Staff, Washington, was having one comprehensive web D.C. COL Pohl found cause to “support site that would help users navigate the 13 specifications of premeditated mur- I AFRICOM—U.S. Africa Command; CF- benefits system and would offer acces- SOCC—Combined Forces Special Opera- der and 32 specifications of attempted tions Component Command; CoS—Chief sible and reliable resources. COL Dar- premeditated murder” and “reason- of Staff; FORSCOM—U.S. Army Forces ryl Williams, commander of WTC, said Command; ISAF—International Security able grounds to believe an aggravating Assistance Force; JIEDDO—Joint Impro- the new site is “designed to clearly out- factor exists to authorize capital pun- vised Explosive Device Defeat Organiza- line each step of the way for wounded tion; MCoE—U.S. Army Maneuver Center ishment.” The report was submitted to of Excellence; NATO—North American warriors and their families, covering COL Morgan Lamb, Special Court- Treaty Organization; OEF—Operation En- administrative processes, benefits and during Freedom; OND—Operation New Martial Convening Authority, at Fort Dawn; PACC—Pakistan/Afghanistan Co- resources.” Hood, who was also waiting for re- ordination Cell; RC-S—Regional Com- The web site, with some 30 pages of mand-South; SOCAFRICA—Special Op- sults from a mental competency and erations Command Africa; USD-C—U.S. content and images, contains informa- responsibility board assigned to evalu- Division-Center; USF-I—U.S. Forces-Iraq. tion on the Army Physical Disability ate MAJ Hasan. If COL Lamb agrees *Assignments to general officer slots an- Evaluation System, the Army Wounded with the court-martial recommenda- nounced by the General Officer Manage- Warrior Program, career and education ment Office, Department of the Army. Some tion, it will be forwarded to a com- officers are listed at the grade to which they options, and resources for families and manding general who will make the are nominated, promotable or eligible to be caregivers. It also explains the compre- frocked. The reporting dates for some offi- final decision. cers may not yet be determined. hensive transition plan for all wounded warriors, a six-part recovery and transi- Wounded Warrior Web Site. In No- tion process that includes a plan cus- vember, U.S. Army Warrior Transition needs. To be eligible for assignment to tomized by the soldier. Command (WTC) launched a new a Warrior Transition Unit (WTU), web site—www.WTC.army.mil—that wounded, ill and injured soldiers re- IED Update. The director of the Pent- is a comprehensive source of informa- quire at least six months of complex agon’s Joint Improvised Explosive tion on Army warrior care in an effort medical care. The new web site con- Device (IED) Defeat Organization, LTG to improve care and meet soldiers’ tains information helpful not only to Michael L. Oates, stated in a counter-

10 ARMY I January 2011 IED update briefing in early December Army Casualties in Afghanistan that IED attacks in Iraq have greatly de- creased while IED incidents in Afghan- The following U.S. Army soldiers were reported killed in Operation Endur- istan, where the bombs differ signifi- ing Freedom from November 1 to November 30, 2010. All names have been cantly from those used in Iraq, have released through the Department of Defense; families have been notified. increased considerably in the last year SPC Shane H. Ahmed, 31 SPC David C. Lutes, 28 and a half. SGT Edward H. Bolen, 25 SGT Jason J. McCluskey, 26 Although the number of IED at- SPC Jacob C. Carroll, 20 PFC Andrew N. Meari, 21 tacks in Afghanistan has increased CPL Jacob R. Carver, 20 SPC William K. Middleton, 26 to about 1,300 to 1,400 a month, the SPC Shannon Chihuahua, 25 SPC Scott T. Nagorski, 27 number of events is small when com- SGT Aaron B. Cruttenden, 25 SSG Kevin M. Pape, 30 pared with the monthly average of SPC Justin E. Culbreth, 26 SGT Michael F. Paranzino, 22 4,000 events at the height of the fight- SPC Jonathan M. Curtis, 24 PFC Shane M. Reifert, 23 ing in Iraq. LTG Oates pointed out, CPL Shawn D. Fannin, 32 SSG Juan L. Rivadeneira, 27 however, that IEDs in Afghanistan SSG Sean M. Flannery, 29 SPC David S. Robinson, 25 come with different challenges. They PVT Devon J. Harris, 24 SSG David P. Senft, 27 are homemade, usually based on fer- SFC Todd M. Harris, 37 SPC Jesse A. Snow, 25 tilizers such as ammonium nitrate and PFC Kyle M. Holder, 18 SPC Anthony Vargas, 27 potassium chlorate, so they have very SPC Andrew L. Hutchins, 20 PFC Christian M. Warriner, 19 low or no metallic content, making SPC Dale J. Kridlo, 33 SPC Blake D. Whipple, 21 them harder to detect. Furthermore, SPC Brett W. Land, 24 SPC James C. Young, 25 they have simple detonation systems, SPC Nathan E. Lillard, 26 as opposed to those found in Iraq that frequently had remote-control detonation capability. IEDs in Afghanistan are primarily detonated by pressure Army Casualties in Iraq plates; they are “victim operated,” killing indiscriminately—civilians as The following U.S. Army soldiers were reported killed in Operation New well as soldiers. Dawn from November 1 to November 30, 2010. All names have been re- As U.S. and other coalition forces leased through the Department of Defense; families have been notified. have surged troops into Afghanistan, SSG Loleni W. Gandy, 36 SGT David J. Luff Jr., 29 LTG Oates stated, the Taliban have “conducted their own surge,” and in the last few months there has been a significant rise not only in IEDs, but also in direct fire.

Quality of Life Awards. In December, the Army announced it is seeking sub- missions for its third annual Secretary of the Army Quality of Life Awards, which recognize individual and command efforts in improving soldier and family quality of life during 2010. The submission deadline is February 1, 2011, and the awards will be pre- sented during the 2011 Association of the United States Army Installations Symposium and Exposition to be held in San Antonio, Texas, in April. The competition is open to all Army commands, service-component commands and direct-reporting units as well as Army Reserve and Army Na- tional Guard units and personnel. For more information, visit www.acsim. “Wikileak.” army.mil/awards.html.

January 2011 I ARMY 11 U.S. Army Aviation Skies Remain Busy Above Baghdad

In the final days of Oper- ation Iraqi Freedom, U.S. soldiers at Camp Taji, Iraq, protect a grounded Apache AH-64 helicopter. U.S. Army/CW4 Daniel McClinton U.S. Above, two AH-64D Apaches from 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regi- ment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, come in for a land- ing at Camp Taji after completing a reconnaissance mission in the Army U.S. skies over Baghdad in November. Below, a U.S. Army Black Hawk pi- Below, SGT Douglas Miller, an air traffic controller serving in Iraq lot checks his aircraft’s gauges while flying over Baghdad. The pilot be- with the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, staffs the control longs to the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, tower on Camp Taji with a controller from the Iraqi army. The tower the last aviation brigade to deploy as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom is staffed 24 hours a day by controllers from the brigade, the Iraqi and the only aviation brigade supporting Operation New Dawn. army and contractors. U.S. Army/SPC Roland Hale U.S. Army/SPC Roland Hale U.S.

An MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft taxis down an airfield at Camp Taji before a surveillance mission in the Baghdad area. The Gray Eagle is the Army’s newest “eyes in the sky” and is being tested by Quick Reaction Capability 1-Reaction 1, the only unit using the aircraft in Iraq. U.S. Army/SPC Roland Hale U.S.

12 ARMY I January 2011