Search Results for: "Bagram Afghan"
Military Seeks $1.3 Billion For Projects in Afghanistan
Relevance Score: 4.398 2009-10-18 11:13:57
While the Obama administration weighs whether to send additional troops to Afghanistan, the U.S. military is spending billions of dollars on construction projects to ensure the country's infrastructure can support American and coalition personnel in 2010 and years beyond. The military has already spent roughly $2.7 billion on construction over the past three fiscal years. Now, if its request is approved as part of the fiscal 2010 defense appropriations bill, it would spend another $1.3 billion on more than 100 projects at 40 sites across the country, according to a Senate report on the legislation. At the main U.S. base in Afghanistan, Bagram, the military is planning to build a $30 million passenger terminal and adjacent cargo facility to handle the flow of troops, many of whom arrive at the base north of Kabul before moving onto other sites. Under the proposed schedule, those facilities will not be completed until late 2010 and go into operation early in 2011, according to military sources. Officials say such projects are absolutely essential given the inadequate and dilapidated nature of the existing infrastructure. Bagram is far from the only U.S. base being upgraded. The military is also spending hundreds of millions of dollars constructing facilities for the Afghan army and police. The U.S.-led coalition recently announced the opening of a $68 million, U.S.-financed forward operating base near Farah, in the western part of the country bordering on Iran. The base will house 2,000 Afghan soldiers and an American mentoring team. Such bases can take a long time to build. The original solicitation for contractors on the Farah garrison project was dated Dec. 29, 2007. A proposal for an additional phase was offered in March 2008, and 18 months later, almost two years after it was first solicited, the garrison at Farah was opened. Col. Thomas E. O'Donovan, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District, told reporters last March that his multibillion-dollar construction program is providing "underpinnings" for efforts at establishing security and stability across Afghanistan.
Military Alone Is Not An Appropriate Solution To Afghan Problem.
Relevance Score: 4.042 2009-08-06 02:57:36
The new Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Wednesday ruled out the military alone as solution to Afghan imbroglio. "We have to realize that there is no military solution solely to the situation in Afghanistan and we need a broader perspective and comprehensive approach," NATO's top man told a joint press conference with President Hamid Karzai here. He further stressed that military efforts, hand in hand with a strong commitment from the international community to reconstruction in Afghanistan, is crucial for having solution. Meanwhile, NATO's chief said that peace talks would be held with "those who lay down their arms." He also ststed that more than 40 countries are present in Afghanistan and "I can assure you to remain in Afghanistan as long as needed." This is the first visit of Rasmussen to Afghanistan as NATO chief since assuming office on Aug. 1. The former Danish Prime Minister over the rebuilding of Afghan national security forces said that the alliance would continue to train Afghan army and Afghan police until they take charge of the security of their country from the international troops.
Afghan Militants Boast Deadlier Bombs
Relevance Score: 3.196 2010-02-17 23:19:56
Afghan militants now have the ability to detonate roadside bombs from as far as two-thirds of a mile away using new technology impervious to military signal jammers, according to England's Sky News. The news station gained access to underground bomb-manufacturing cells and saw "a stockpile of bombs, primed and ready for use, whilst peace talks with the Taliban-led insurgency remain in their infancy." Afghanistan The new, advanced bombs are triggered by devices similar to those that scan radio frequencies, a change from the use of cell phones to activate the bombs, the station informed. An Afghan commander told the news station that this development makes the bombs more accurate and no longer susceptible to military jamming equipment, which is used to disable cell phones. A commander who gave the name Kamran to the news station informed: "The bombs are very cheap. They only cost about $100, but they are very effective. And we can use the scanner again and again." Sky admitted it was difficult to verify the militants' claims but reported the "mentality and attitude of the bomb-makers do not suggest an insurgency on the brink of collapse."
2nd Afghanistan Aviation and Defense Summit in March 25 and 26, 2010
Relevance Score: 2.957 2010-01-28 11:37:13
2nd Afghanistan Aviation and Defense Summit is the event where you will get to aid in the recovery process of Afghanistan and to help in the effective implementation of the country’s development programs. Afghanistan, a promising country that could connect the East and West Asia, has been hit by numerous setbacks as security across the country deteriorated in the face of insurgents’ advances. Who Will You Meet The important people who you will meet at the conference include: High-ranking military commanders from Afghanistan Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior Officials from internationa governmentl security and defense agencies Senior industry executives from defense companies Prime contractors for Afghan projects Senior directors Government advisors Exclusive One-to-One Meetings with Afghan officials and panel presenters will provide you with insights and analysis of the current challenges facing Afghanistan’s aviation, security and defense. This early, we have received attendance confirmation from speakers and delegates coming from the United States and member countries of North Atlantic Treaty Organization. What Will Be Discussed Under one roof and for two straight days, speakers and delegates will discuss the strategic challenges in Afghanistan, how to win Afghans’ hearts and minds, as well as building security and stability across the nation. Key topics in the summit include: Afghan Security & Regional Stability Strategic Challenges in Defense and Aviation Building Stability and National Reconciliation Border Control Challenges Counter-Narcotics, Terrorism and Insurgency Rebuilding Afghanistan: Winning Afghan Hearts and Minds Managing Alliances and Partnerships
Rescue For Injured Troops At Bagram.
Relevance Score: 2.844 2009-07-07 00:31:25
Members of the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation flight at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, load injured soldiers onto a Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 III Globemaster. THE SKIES BETWEEN AFGHANISTAN AND GERMANY -- The cost of freedom was on display July 4 at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, as more than a dozen wounded Coalition troops were evacuated with a Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 III Globemaster bound for Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany. The patients were supposed to fly with a 916th Air Refueling Wing KC-135R Stratotanker. But when severe weather forced the cancellation of its mission, Air Mobility Command officials rerouted the Jackson-based aircraft to make sure those men and women made it to topnotch medical care as quickly as possible. During the Vietnam War, it might have taken as many as 45 days to get those injured in combat to the kind of care they now get within 72 hours of their injury. And for Capt. Rob Grones, one of the pilots aboard that flight, being a part of that effort touches his heart. "Any aeromedical evacuation mission is pretty rewarding -- but especially today, on the 4th of July," he said. "I mean, these guys are out there putting their lives on the line. So, it's pretty tough to see sometimes, but it's all for a good cause." A chaplain from Fort Bragg, N.C., was among those in need of care. His knee was in "pretty bad shape," said Capt. Christine Jones, a member of the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight who flown with the patients from Bagram to Germany. But he wasn't thinking about the pain as that C-17 made its way from the desert to the Free World. He was thinking about those he left behind on the front lines. "I guess the hardest thing is having to leave my troops. I'm pretty disappointed," the chaplain said, choking up. "It's possible I could end up going home, but even if I do, I'm hoping I'll be able to come back to finish the tour." Some of the other patients on that flight were in worse shape -- suffering from gunshot wounds and injuries associated with Improvised Explosive Device blasts. Ms. Jones feels their pain during every mission she is a part of. "Sometimes it's pretty heartbreaking," she said. "I mean, you've got guys with both their legs blown off and you're just trying to keep them stabilized long enough to get them to Germany alive." Evacuation crews are successful in that mission more than 90 percent of the time, officials informed. Yet, "most people don't know this exists -- that you can do this in an airplane," Ms. Jones said. Medical teams are able to provide care for the duration of the long flight to Germany thanks to the transformation that takes place hours before the aircraft takes off from Bagram. By the time airmen are done loading the equipment on board, the inside of the plane -- whether a Strato-tanker or Globemaster -- resembles a fully-functioning Emergency Room, complete with advanced life support equipment, medication, cardiac drugs, ventilators, oxygen tanks, bandages and more. That young chaplain appreciates the warmth of the medics who stood by his side during the flight. But he would much rather have been back in the desert fighting, so that one day, Afghans, too, would have an Independence Day. "I just felt like it was the right thing to do. I just wanted to serve my country -- serve my family," he said. "Now, who knows? I hope I can go back, but they haven't told me yet. "They need me out there. I have guys who need me," he added, choking up again before laying his head back onto the pillow placed there by one of the medics shortly after takeoff. "This isn't the way it's supposed to be. I'm supposed to be with my men." After landing at Rammstein, the aircraft was met by another medical team, members of the 435th Aerospace Medicine Squadron. And within days, they will be on their way to the Landstuhl Medical Center, an American military hospital located just out the Ramstein gates -- and then, likely, back home to recover among family. Just don't tell that chaplain he probably won't go back to the desert. "I have to," he said. "I just have to."
Report Card Shows Improvements In Afghan Training.
Relevance Score: 2.822 2009-07-15 02:29:14
Lt Col Gabriel informed the Afghan forces' development won't happen overnight. (Defence Force: Corporal Hamish Paterson ) The first Australian training team to be sent to Afghanistan has wrapped up its mission there and AM has been given the first progress report on the readiness of the Afghan troops. They are still years away from being able to run complicated operations on their own, but the man who led the mission says they have made significant progress. After eight months in command of the Australian training team Lieutenant Colonel Shane Gabriel is in Canberra briefing his superiors on the progress of the Afghan soldier in what is officially known as the Second Battalion, 4th Brigade, 205 Hero Corp. Lt Col Gabriel says the battalion has made significant progress. "When we assumed that task back in October, the Second Battalion was at relatively early stages of its development and here we were at the end of an eight-month period conducting fairly complex mentored company-level operations [with] the Afghan battalion," he said. "I think that's a good measure of success." The skills of Afghan troops are measured by what the military calls "capability milestones". The Second Battalion started off down at capability milestone four. It has progressed up to level three - which means that, while it is, "partially able to conduct primary missions" it is still "reliant on" outside help. It has to make it all the way up to level one, when it will usually be able to work on its own, before the Australians can leave. Lt Col Gabriel says this means there is a lot of work to do. "It is a very large step, because what we're talking about here is now the overall objective which is having a fully independent Afghan national army," he said. "That's also in the context of the fact we are in the middle of a very difficult fight with a very dangerous insurgency. "So we're talking all of those factors together; that takes time." 'No timetable' He says it is hard to say exactly how long the mission will take. "I wouldn't like to put a timetable on it, I don't think it's reasonable to put a line in the sand. There's a lot of work to be done but it's very pleasing progress," he said. "Think about it in our own context. It takes a long time to develop people within our own army, to develop specialist positions and leadership roles. "So here we are with another country's army assisting them with that development. "I think we need to be patient and understand that these things don't happen overnight." A new mentoring team has been in Afghanistan for a few weeks now, continuing the work Lt Col Gabriel started. The extra team announced by the Federal Government in April is about to go in to start training another Afghan battalion devoted to combat support, which involves skills like firing artillery. But the overall enterprise is beset by manpower shortages and uncertainty. The Dutch battle group which is in charge of the province is still planning to pull out next year. Troop shortage A third of the Afghan combat troops who were supposed to be deployed in Uruzgan province were sent into neighbouring Helmand province more than a year ago. But they still have not been replaced by the Afghan Ministry of Defence. Lt Col Gabriel says there is always a need for more soldiers. 'It's a fact of life I suppose, that in a counter insurgency the great mass you have means that you can help to dominate a greater area of the province," he said. "So if you have more Afghan soldiers you can obviously do more." Lt Col Gabriel claims the troops he worked with were devastated by the loss of four Australian troops during his tour of duty. But he says they can be proud they have continued on the commitment they made. "The loss of any of our soldiers of course is a difficult thing to deal with at the time," he said. "It's a tragedy of course for us but of course for the families. "I remember particularly our loss of Corporal Matthew Hopkins from our battle group, which hit us all very hard, but importantly we went back out there and continued our mission in exactly the way that Corporal Hopkins would have expected his mates to do. "I think that is the key of our commitment, is that we understand how important our role, our commitment is to this coalition in Afghanistan and we're going to make sure that we are successful."
DoD Announces Units for Upcoming Afghanistan Rotation
Relevance Score: 2.513 2009-07-15 17:52:38
The Department of Defense announced today the deployment of two units to Afghanistan. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Ky., and the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy, have been alerted to replace forces currently deployed in Afghanistan, in order to maintain the capabilities of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, will deploy with approximately 3,800 troops to Afghanistan in late fall 2009. The 173rd Brigade Combat Team, with approximately 3,700 troops, will deploy to Afghanistan in the winter of 2009-2010. Both units will conduct the full spectrum of combat operations. The United States continues to be NATO-ISAF’s largest troop contributor, and remains committed to leading the offensive in counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, training and equipping the Afghan national security forces and assisting with reconstruction. Force levels in Afghanistan are conditions-based and will be determined in consultation with the Afghan government and NATO.
Afghan Telecom and Roshan Informed About The Signing Of The Agreement To Utilize National Optical Fiber Backbone Ring Network In Afghanistan.
Relevance Score: 2.439 2009-07-07 00:43:51
Afghan Telecom and Roshan Informed About The Signing Of The Agreement To Utilize National Optical Fiber Backbone Ring Network In Afghanistan. Afghan Telecom (AT) Afghanistan's first long distance domestic private leased circuit (DPLC) and international private leased circuit (IPLC) provider through Optical Fiber Cable (OFC), informed about a contract with Roshan to sell the transmission capacity of its National OFC Backbone Ring Network. The OFC, manufactured by AT, will complement Roshan's existing infrastructure, enabling Roshan to ensure the redundancy of its network and deliver additional capacity for its growing number of subscribers. AT and Roshan intend to expand the areas of their partnership in the coming months as the OFC is extended throughout Afghanistan and connected to any part of the world through its international connectivity to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and AT commenced the construction of the OFC Backbone Project in April 2007. When completed, the OFC will revolutionize telecommunications services in Afghanistan, bringing high speed and high capacity telephony, internet and video services to cover 68 cities in 17 provinces of the country. The OFC project will not only upgrade telecommunications infrastructure in Afghanistan with provision of world class high speed voice and Internet services to rural areas, but will also generate significant direct and indirect employment in the country. "This is an important milestone for the development of Afghanistan and the telecommunications industry. We are extremely pleased that Roshan is the first GSM operator to be entering into a commercial partnership with Afghan Telecom for fiber capacity," said His Excellency Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communications and Information Technology. Roshan is the first GSM operator in Afghanistan to utilize the OFC. The OFC will enable Roshan to better serve its growing subscriber base, which today includes 3.5 million subscribers across Afghanistan's 34 provinces. AT under its social obligation will ensure that OFC capacity and bandwidth is also available to other companies and organizations operating in Afghanistan. "We declared our interest in, and support for, the OFC project over four years ago and we are proud to be able to express our long term commitment to Afghanistan by being Afghan Telecom's first major anchor tenant. We believe that this project can have a significant impact on the information and telecommunications sector in Afghanistan, ensuring the availability of competitively priced capacity and infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the industry. We look forward to strengthening our relationship and cooperation with AT in the years to come," said Karim Khoja, chief executive officer, Roshan.
Critical Failures In Planning, Resourcing the Afghan and Iraq Wars
Relevance Score: 2.407 2009-08-13 09:34:52
The United States is now losing the war in Afghanistan, and is failing to consolidate its victory in Iraq. Reversing this situation requires changes in strategy, but it also requires significant additional resources. It may be tempting for the Obama Administration and the Congress to deny this reality, but any failure to provide the additional funds and forces needed to win, and to correct seven years of under-resourcing the Afghan conflict, may well lead to eventual defeat. The challenges involved are described in detail in a new analysis by Erin K. Fitzgerald and Anthony H. Cordesman for the Burke Chair at CSIS. This paper is entitled Resourcing for Defeat: The Critical Failures In Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Resourcing the Afghan and Iraq Wars. It documents a major grand strategic failure on the part of the United States. Effective war fighting requires effective planning, and this is especially true of resources. The United States, however, failed to develop meaningful long-term strategies and plans for the Iraq and Afghan Wars, and failed to translate them into budgets and well-defined requests for resources. It dealt with both wars by budgeting for each year in an annual increment and without tying its resource requests to a coherent campaign plan for warfighting or armed national building. It never developed a consistent or credible long-term funding profile for war fighting, nor did it properly manage either conflict. The Bush Administration failed to develop a meaningful long-term strategy or plan for the Iraq and Afghan Wars, while also failing to properly resource its wars and produce sound budgets. For the past eight budgets, the Department of Defense requested emergency supplemental or “bridge” funding outside of the regular defense budget. This dual-track budget process created numerous problems in terms of ensuring the effective planning and resourcing of the wars, and ensuring suitable Congressional and media review. Moreover, DOD consistently sought funding for programs that do not meet the reasonable test for a war-related emergency. In essence, the Department treated the supplemental and baseline budgets as fungible, compromising the integrity of the normal budgeting process. The Burke Chair has prepared an overview of the current estimates of the cost of the war to date, and of possible future costs. While it surveys budget requests made by the Department of Defense (DOD), it relies heavily on work by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Congressional Research Service (CRS), and General Accountability Office (GAO). Although there are problems in the available data and many different ways to estimate costs, the analysis shows that war costs of $915 billion have been covered by supplemental emergency appropriations, with $687 billion going to the Iraq War and $228 billion going to Afghanistan.
Military locations in Afghanistan supported by TS2 Satellite Provider
Relevance Score: 2.297 2008-06-01 11:48:22
TS2 was among the first telecommunications operators in the satellite technology in the territory of Iraq and Afghanistan and as such we have enjoyed a successful cooperation with the US Department of Defense, DoD contractors, Contracting Officers and U.S. Military Personnel from Afghanistan. Airfields Bagram Air base Chagcharan Chapman Airfield Bamian / Bamiyan Fayzabad / Faizabad Herat Jalalabad Kabul International Kandahar / Qandahar Khowst Mazar-e Sharif, AF Meymanah / Maimana Pul-i-Kandahar, AF Rhino FOB Shindand Air base Taloqan / Talulqan US Army Camps Kabul Compound Gardez Compound Camp Albert Camp Bagram Camp Barber Camp Black Horse Camp Blackjack Camp Bastion Camp Bulldog Camp Civilian Camp Cunningham Camp Dogan Camp Eggers Camp Gecko Camp Gibraltar Camp Hadrian Camp Holland Camp Harriman Camp Invicta Camp Julien Camp Kabul Camp Kandahar Camp Kearney Camp Lightning Camp Leatherneck Camp Marmal Camp Morehead Camp Nathan Smith Camp Phoenix Camp Rhino Camp Salerno Camp Souter Camp Spann Camp Tombstone Camp Vianini Camp Warehouse Camp Wilson Camp Wright FOB's FOB ABAD FOB Asadabad FOB Bermel FOB Blessing FOB Bostick FOB Cobra FOB Delhi FOB Dwyer FOB Fenty FOB Freia FOB Gereshk FOB Ghazni FOB Indianhead FOB Keating FOB Lagman FOB Lonestar FOB Lwara FOB Martello FOB Maimaneh FOB Mehtar Lam FOB Mizan FOB Naray FOB Orgun-e FOB Payne FOB Qalat FOB Rhino FOB Ripley FOB Salerno FOB Scorpion FOB Shank FOB Sharana FOB Sweeney FOB Tillman FOB Terrett FOB Thunder FOB Tiger FOB Zormat Fire Bases Fire Base Anaconda Fire Base Asadabad Fire Base California Fire Base Cobra Strike Fire Base Cobra Fire Base Gardez Fire Base Lagman Fire Base Maholic Fire Base Nixon Fire Base Orgun-E Fire Base Oulet Fire Base Phoenix Fire Base Shkin Fire Base Waza Khwa Fire Base Wilderness Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) PRT Asadabad - ISAF US PRT Baglan - ISAF PRT Bagram - ISAF US PRT Bamian (Bamyan) ISAF NZ PRT Chaghcharan - ISAF Lithuania PRT Farah - ISAF US PRT Feyzabad - ISAF Germany PRT Gardez - ISAF US PRT Ghazni - ISAFUS PRT Herat - ISAF Italy PRT Jalalabad - ISAF US PRT Kabul PRT Khandahar - ISAF Canada PRT Khowst / Khost - ISAF US PRT Konduz - ISAF Germany PRT Lashkar-Gah - ISAF UK PRT Mazar-E-Sharif - ISAF Sweden PRT Mehtar Lam - ISAF US PRT Meymaneh - ISAF Norway PRT Nurestan - ISAF US PRT Parwan – ROK/US PRT Panjshir - ISAF US PRT Pol-E-Khomri - ISAF Netherlands PRT Qalat - ISAF US PRT Qala-e-Naw - ISAF Spain PRT Sharana - ISAF US PRT Tarin Kowt - ISAF Netherlands/Australia PRT Wardak - ISAF Turkey