War On ISIL:Marines Send EA-6B Prowler to Turkey;US Steps Up Involvement in Iraq

The US Marine Corps has deployed a legacy aircraft,the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler,to Incirlik Air Base,Turkey to support electronic attack requirements in the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve,according to US European Command.The Prowlers are from Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point,North Carolina.They will stay at Incirlik for operations over Syria through the end of September on a mission to protect OIR aircraft and ground forces by intercepting and jamming communications.EUCOM characterised the Prowler,in service since 1971,as a force multiplier continuing to do what it has done for 45 years:support warfighters flying in the air and fighting on the ground by giving them the electronic communications dominance to ensure a decisive win.*
MTEWS4 supports the Marine Air-Ground Task Force by conducting airborne Electronic Warfare,day or night,under all weather conditions during Expeditionary,Joint or Combined Operations.Their EA-6Bs have 5 tactical jamming pods;electronic surveillance systems;radar-seeking HARM missiles;non-kinetic fire systems that leave electronic equipment disabled but intact;and countermeasures that mask the approach of our nearby ground-attack aircraft.*
These aircraft will be retired from service in 2019 and the Squadron will be deactivated in 2017 as the Marines move to the MAGTF-EW,a multi-platform concept involving deploying the ALQ-231 Intrepid Tiger (IT-II) airborne EW pods in several Marine Corps aviation platforms such as the AV-8B Harrier II jump jets and F/A-18 Hornet combat aircraft,as well as the UH-1Y Venom helicopter;and various unmanned aerial vehicles.The Marines will also be using ground-based EW nodes;and cyber capabilities to provide commanders with an organic and persistent EW capability for every MAGTF,large or small,spokesperson Captain Sarah Burns told IHS Jane's.*
At the same time,President Barack Obama has authorised an increase in the US troop level in Iraq from 3870 to 4087.The new troops,along with 8 Apache attack helicopters,will assist Iraqi Security Forces with the Battle of Mosul,an ISIL stronghold in the north of the country.Mostly US Army Green Beret Special Operations Forces,the troops will move out of headquarters and into the brigade and battalion levels as advisors and trainers closer to the front lines;security forces to protect the advisors;and Apache maintainers.The US will also send additional HIMARS artillery rocket systems to Iraq;and 415 million dollars to assist the Kurdish Peshmerga forces.*
Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Afghan War:The Latest Order of Battle

Now more than ever,the US should not waver on Afghanistan,General John Campbell,US Army,outgoing commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan,told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week at the Capitol.The situation is more dynamic.As of last week,of 407 district centres,8 of them,or 2%,are under insurgent control;another 18,or 4%,are under insurgent influence.Often these district centres are in remote or sparsely populated areas that security forces are not able to access very often in force.Additionally,at any given time,there may be up to 94 district centres,or 23%,that we view as at risk.*
The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces have proven resilient,developing into a modern security force.The foundation has been laid.The ANDSF fought for the very survival of their country and held firm;however,the Afghan shortfall will persist beyond 2016.Capability gaps still exist in the fixed and rotary winged aviation;combined arms operations;intelligence collection,dissemination and maintenance;and close-air support.At least 70% of the problems result from poor leadership.ANDSF have not consolidated significant gains of their own;nor defeated the insurgency across Afghanistan.Suffice it to say,the performance this year was uneven.Ultimately,Afghanistan has not achieved an enduring level of security and stability that justifies a reduction of our support in 2016,GEN Campbell concluded in his testimony to the SASC in Washington.*
According to President Barack Obama's plan,the US troop level in Afghanistan is to remain at 9800 for most of 2016;then be decreased to 5500.Most of the 5500 would be for the counterterrorism mission,rather than the train,advise and assist mission.NATO countries have expressed their intention to continue participating in the alliance's Resolute Support Mission there for the remainder of this year.

Busy Monday:General Dunford,President Obama Address National Security Challenges

To be more effective against ISIL,we need better HUMINT and vetting of Syrian opposition groups,Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford,USMC,told the Center for a New American Security in Washington,DC on 14 December.We're going to focus on getting after ISIL's military capabilities,control of terrain and ability to export operations,while being very mindful of the complex situation that we're in.A number of things on the ground are developing positive opportunities.Moving forward,we're looking to increase the tempo and the opportunities for our partners.*
We continue to face enduring challenges of extremism in South Asia as well.The continued threat of al-Qaida requires us to keep counterterror partners for some time to come.The Ghani administration in Afghanistan is fully supportive of what we're doing.I think we have common objectives,but this summer highlighted that the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces have a ways to go.A critical part is the continuing commitment of the international community.The Warsaw Summmit in July is to reinforce commitment to the Afghan campaign,both financially and militarily,through 2020.*
It isn't just ISIL;we have a number of challenges from states as well.Russia has made significant investments in its military capabilities.They introduced new ballistic missiles and submarines this year.
We closely watch China's military capabilities and behaviour in the South China Sea.They have a large conventional capability,a growing navy and increasingly sophisticated air force.In the South China Sea,China is destabilising right now.As Admiral Harris of US Pacific Command said,The Great Wall of Sand is being developed by China in the South China Sea,referring to China's rapid island-building effort in the disputed waters.
North Korea is developing its ballistic missile and cyber capability.*
Earlier in the day,GEN Dunford stood with President Barack Obama when he spoke at the Pentagon,where the President had made a rare visit to get a briefing on the anti-ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve and meet with his National Security Council.Mr.Obama pointed out that the US and its armed forces are:
1.hunting down and taking out ISIL leaders;
2.training and equipping indigenous anti-ISIL ground forces in Iraq and Syria;
3.stopping ISIL's recruiting,financing and propaganda;and
4.negotiating an end to the Syrian civil war.
The President said he had ordered new actions with more firepower into the anti-ISIL campaign this fall,even before the ISIL attacks on Paris and the ISIL-inspired San Bernardino attack.More Special Operations Forces actions are well underway.
ISIL is dug in in urban areas and use human shields to protect themselves,so we have to be smart.We are routing ISIL out with nearly 7,000 airstrikes to date.We're taking out ISIL leaders and commanders one-by-one.If we haven't gotten you yet,you are next,the President warned.We're going out after ISIL from downtown Raqqa,Syria to Libya.In many places,they've lost the freedom to manoeuver.Since this summer,ISIL has not mounted a single successful offensive operation and has lost territory in both Iraq and Syria.In Iraq alone,ISIL has lost 40% of its territory in populated areas;while in Syria,it has lost thousands of square miles.
Immediately following his presentation,Mr.Obama sent Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to the Middle East to meet with coalition partners and secure more contributions to Operation Inherent Resolve.

Special Report:Russia's Massive Airstrike on ISIL

More than two dozen Russian Backfire,Bear and Blackjack bombers launched from a base in Southern Russia Tuesday night and released air-launched cruise missiles that struck the ISIL capital of Raqqa,Syria.According to Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel Steve Warren,US Army,at the same time,a multi-ship formation of Russian warships in the Caspian Sea fired sea-launched cruise missiles at the same location.The missiles flew through Iraqi airspace and it was also the first time Russia had struck targets in Raqqa,COL Warren added.Russia notified the US beforehand,but didn't share its target set.The US neither cooperated nor coordinated with Russia on this strike;nor are there currently any plans to do so in the future,according to COL Warren.There is daily communication with Russia,but only to test the communications link.Right now,I see no indication they hit anything in our target set,the OIR spokesman told reporters via teleconference.*
A Russian spokesman said that the strike hit 14 important ISIL targets,including command posts that coordinate ISIL activities in Idlib and Aleppo Provinces,as well as munitions and supply depots in Northwest Syria.The Russian General Staff has developed a new plan for the air campaign involving the deployment of 25 strategic bombers,including eight Su-24 Fullback attack jets;four Su-27 Flanker fighter jets;plus the variable-sweep wing Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-22m Backfire jet bombers and the prop Bear bombers.The Bear and Blackjack bombers carry at least 20 tonnes of weaponry.All of the aforementioned bombers have a range of thousands of miles.*
At the G20 summit in Antalya,Turkey last weekend,US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to strike more ISIL targets with Russian airpower.Previously,Russia had primarily been going after opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Afghan War:Ongoing Need For Counter-Terrorism Requires Indefinite US,NATO Involvement

I will not allow Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven to attack Americans,said President Barack Obama,his closely cropped hair looking grayer than ever,at a White House briefing announcing that US troops-and very likely NATO forces-will remain in that nation at least into 2017 and the next presidency.For Mr.Obama,the altered course was nothing less than letting go of his cherished and long-stated goal of bringing all but 1,000 US troops home from the 14-year-long conflict by the end of 2016.Now,the current number of 9800 must stay on for most of next year,and 5500 on into 2017,so long as conditions on the ground permit the drawdown to continue.These troops will be posted to three bases:Bagram Air Base in Kabul;Jalalabad in the East (which ISIL desires to make its capital);and Kandahar.These bases will give us presence and reach,and are a key piece of the counter-terrorist strategy.The troops will have the same twofold mission:training and assisting Afghan forces;and supporting the counter-terrorist mission against al-Qaida remnants.*
Note:it's being reported that special forces have just carried out a big raid on an al-Qaida training camp inside Afghanistan.*
Afghan forces have continued to step up.They are fighting bravely and tenaciously.They continue to hold most urban areas;at the same time,they are still not as strong as they need to be in such areas as intelligence,logistics,aviation and command and control.*
This year,25 Americans,both military and civilian,have been killed in the war,the President noted.We understood the Taliban would try to exploit our withdrawal.More al-Qaida have come in,and we're beginning to see ISIL.As your Commander-in-Chief,I believe this mission is vital to our national security interests in preventing terrorist attacks against the US and our people.Given what's at stake,I am firmly convinced we should make this extra effort.After so many years of war,Afghnistan will not be a perfect place.There will continue to be contested areas.If we were to fail,it would endanger the security of us all.This modest but meaningful extension of our presence can make a difference.This is not the first time those adjustments have been made;it probably won't be the last,the President admitted.*
Al-Qaida networks or other networks that might harm us;force protection;the ability of our embassy to operate effectively:those things all factor into this decision.We're going to continue to make adjustments;and we will continue to evaluate this-and so will the next president.We're going to be a steady partner for them,President Barack Obama promised.*
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said he has already started contacting US allies to encourage their participation in the new plan.For his part,NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised President Obama for deciding to extend a substantial US military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2016.
Update:German Chancellor Angela Merkel has strongly welcomed President Barack Obama's decision to keep a significant number of US troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016,hailing it as a strong signal by the United States.The German Defence Ministry in turn announced that Germany would also keep the same number of troops in Afghanistan for the time being,saying the understanding always was that the Allies would leave Afghanistan together.

Taliban Still Striving To Conquer Kunduz,Despite an Overnight Setback - launch new offensive in Badakhsan Province

Heavy fighting for control of Kunduz,Afghanistan continued overnight Wednesday,with Afghan National Defence and Security Forces retaking the city centre,assisted by their NATO advisors.Combat operations continued on Thursday,however,with the Taliban reportedly still controlling certain government buildings outside the city centre.NATO troops were photographed in Kunduz during the day Thursday riding in the back of a truck.It isn't known if the NATO forces got into anymore firefights with the Taliban as they did Wednesday morning near the airport,but heavy US airstrikes were reported overnight by Kunduz residents.At least five US airstrikes have been carried out in support of the ANDSF.*
Some city residents witnessed a Taliban counterattack on Thursday,as the militants rode into town in stolen vehicles wearing ANDSF uniforms.These jihadists in disguise were said to have pushed at least some of the Afghan troops back to the city's outskirts.
The Taliban looted banks and commandeered several military and civilian vehicles and weapons when they seized Kunduz early Monday,so could conceivably sustain their mission for some time.*
The importance of this battle is underscored by NATO's firm,swift response,sending special forces to the front lines and even engaging the enemy in ground combat as needed,as well as providing close air support.The whole scenario being played out in Kunduz calls into question President Barack Obama's plan to withdraw almost all US troops by the end of 2016.Afghanistan Chief Executive Dr.Abdullah Abdullah told Reuters that,as far as I understand,the views of those US Army generals and officers on the ground in Afghanistan,as well as our own security and military leadership,is that maintaining a level of force beyond 2016 is necessary.
Update:By Friday morning,ANDSF were going house to house in Kunduz,seeking Taliban holdouts who are using civilians as human shields.One resident reported that other militants were firing at people indiscriminately from tall buildings.Overall,the city was back under Afghan control with scattered pockets of resistance remaining and residents still sheltering in their homes.
The NATO contingent of US,British,German and Dutch troops are based at the airport just outside the city with the ANDSF,should any further help be needed.
The Taliban are being accused by Amnesty International and the Afghan government of having committed war crimes during their Kunduz occupation,including rape,torture and extrajudicial execution.The Islamist extremists were targeting women in particular,enlisting young boys to help them find residents on their hit list.
Meanwhile,the Taliban have expanded their offensive in the North by swarming Warduj district in Badakhsan Province.The militants overwhelmed multiple checkpoints in district villages,achieving supremacy by the end of day Friday,with the police headquarters falling at about 6 pm local time.
The district borders Tajikistan,Pakistan and China.

Nature Note:Canadian Author Supports More Wilderness in ANWR

President Barack Obama is seeking to expand wilderness protection in ANWR,the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,making it off-limits to oil drilling.According to Canadian author Edward Struzik,whose book "Future Arctic" has just been published,it's the same old story.The difference now is,we may be coming to the end of frontier oil and gas.The costs of drilling have risen dramatically,and the reserves just aren't big enough.Obama has taken an insurance policy for the future,to preserve the caribou and subsistence resource,Mr.Struzik told talk show host Diane Rehm.
ANWR is thought to hold at least 10 billion barrels of oil,but it's the cost and risk of getting that oil out.We should take the more cautious approach and protect caribou.I think this is a prudent decision by the President.It's a visionary thing.He's the first Western leader to acknowledge the Arctic is changing and we need to do something about it.The important fact is,the Coastal Plain of ANWR is an important calving ground for the caribou.Restrictions placed on hunters and no development whatsoever on the Coastal Plain-these factors have resulted in the rebound of the Porcupine caribou herd.
There's a great state interest here.If we could learn from the past,the state should have put something in the bank.Nobody seems to learn the lesson that you've got to have an insurance policy.Alaska has motored on as if oil will always sustain their economy.Prudhoe Bay is drying up.In Canada,the Alberta government is now in serious trouble.They're thinking about cutting back on education and health care-and maybe even instituting a sales tax.
Expanded wilderness designation-such would secure the future fate of polar bears,caribou and the food supply of native Alaskans,Mr.Struzik insisted.*
The status of ANWR has been debated since the Reagan administration.Now the Interior Department's Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the refuge is in a 30 day public review period,at the end of which a Record of Decision will be issued and implementation of the Plan can begin.Besides setting aside three new wilderness areas in ANWR,the Plan calls for placing two of the refuge's rivers in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers program.The Plan is bitterly opposed by many Alaskans,who feel slighted by the federal government.They do not have the votes in Congress to stop the wilderness protection from taking effect,however-at least until and unless the political landscape in Washington changes even more than it already has.

The Hagel Resignation-Will It Affect Military Operations?

President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel,the first man to rise from the enlisted ranks of the US Army to the top job at the Pentagon,held several private meetings over the past month,but still couldn't see eye to eye.So the President and Hagel agreed to part ways,and the President started searching for his fourth Pentagon chief in six years.Hagel had been preceded by Bob Gates and Leon Panetta.*
Some observers described Hagel as seeming disengaged at national security meetings.
Perhaps the President needed a fall guy after the Democrats' dismal mid-term election results,losing control of the US Senate,others speculated,and the soft spoken Hagel fit the bill.Believe me,he was up to the job,Hagel's former Senate colleague and fellow Vietnam veteran Senator John McCain,R-Arizona,remarked upon hearing the news.It was the job he was given,where he was never brought into that tight circle inside the White House that makes all the decisions,which has put us into the incredible debacle that we're in today throughout the world,McCain continued.*
For instance,Hagel wrote a letter to National Security Adviser Susan Rice in which he was critical of the administration's Syria policy,according to The New York Times.Hagel was also said to differ with the President over Mr.Obama's plan to close the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay,Cuba.And the White House was consternated when Hagel contradicted the President's view that the ISIL militants were a junior varsity squad,when Hagel described ISIL as an imminent threat to everything America stands for.We must prepare for everything,Hagel said.The only way is to take a steely-eyed look at it.*
The resignation really doesn't affect the way the Pentagon views the world,said Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy,spokesman for the Department of Defense.We're going to keep going after ISIL.We're going to move to a train,advise and assist mission in Afghanistan,and will continue to reassure our European allies in the face of Russian agression.Winning is a daily thing that we look at.We are definitely succeeding.We are taking back ground.We constantly assess that,every single day.We're not making any big muscle moves.We think we've got it about right here,RADM Kirby insisted.*
Several service members expressed surprise about the resignation,however,and felt Mr.Hagel wasn't to blame for troop cutbacks and efforts to trim military benefits.That problem rested squarely with Congress.

NATO Wales Summit Considers Multiple Security Threats-ISIL,Russia,Afghanistan

Among the topics being discussed at the NATO Summit in Wales on Thursday and Friday are the Islamic State terrorist organisation;Russia's invasion of Ukraine;and the alliance's drawdown in Afghanistan.President Barack Obama;UK Prime Minister David Cameron;and other western leaders are in attendance,including special guest Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.*
According to General Jack Keane,former Vice Chief of Staff,US Army,the Pentagon has put together a comprehensive campaign plan for combating ISIL.This is not containment,GEN Keane said.It's going to take a combination of brute force and ideology.This is going to take at least 50 years.
Military action matters.The US and a coalition should launch an interdiction campaign.I'm absolutely convinced that their assumption is that the US will not attack Syria.What we should be driven by is what this movement portends for our vital interests in the Middle East and our homeland.Our goal should be to degrade and destroy ISIL so that it is no longer a threat.*
Two hundred US troops have been sent to Ukraine to conduct small unit tactics training.At least 1,000 Russian troops have moved in en masse near Donetsk and on the road to Mariupol.There are actually as many as 4,000 of them,a rebel source confided.
A Russian counteroffensive in Donetsk and Luhansk has been launched thirty miles inside Ukraine,with very heavy fighting in two areas to the south of these cities.Separatist forces were backed by Russian troops,and dozens of civilians were killed.In Mariupol,there was another offensive with Russian tanks.*
In Afghanistan,NATO stands ready to provide a post-2014 train,advise and assist mission.The problem is,the Afghans have not so far been able to form a government following the disputed presidential election results.A government is needed to sign an an agreement with NATO allowing such a post-2014 force to operate in the country.

Special Intelligence Briefing:DNI

Iran has not decided to build a nuclear weapon,said Lieutenant General James R. Clapper,Jr.,US Air Force retired,Director of National Intelligence.That would be decided solely by the Supreme Leader,Ayatollah Khamenei.We would only have a brief forewarning,General Clapper told the Senate Armed Forces Committee April 18.
Pakistan views India as their preeminent threat.They have lost thousands of troops in pursuit of militants,whose presence in Pakistan hasn't changed basically.
The Defense Intelligence Agency has a higher degree of confidence that North Korea can weaponise a missile than the rest of the intelligence community.We do not know if that would work.
I saw how little the DIA was devoting to terrorism when I was its director in the 1990s.I fear I've seen this movie before.
The Iranians are developing two systems that could have intercontinental capability.The sanctions on Iran are having a huge impact on their economy,but have not yet changed their policy.
In Sudan,a very high proportion of the population is young,unemployed males,susceptible to jihadism.This is also true in other African countries.
The sequestration is certainly consuming us,the capability.We collectively are gonna have to correct what people expect of the intelligence community,because it is not gonna be the same.
We won't know what we've missed until something blows up,as Senator Angus King(I-Maine) put it.
We are facing more threats now than at any time in the past fifty years,General Clapper believes.
General Clapper,72,served in the US Air Force from 1963-95 in various military intelligence capacities.The Vietnam veteran went on to head the Defense Intelligence Agency from 1992-95;and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from 2001-05.He was Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence from 2007-10,when President Barack Obama appointed him Director of National Intelligence,the nation's senior intelligence official.
General Clapper was decorated with the Legion of Merit(3);the Bronze Star(2);the Air Medal(2);and the National Intelligence Defense Service Medal.He is also an Officer of the Order of Australia(Honorary).

USCGC Healy Prepares For Summer Patrol

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy(WAGB-20)is in a standard maintenance period at its Seattle,Washington homeport.The Healy is America's only operational polar icebreaker.The Polar Star(WAGB-10)is being reactivated at Vigor Shipyard in Seattle for service in 2013.
Polar Sea(WAGB-11)had an engine failure and is slated for decommissioning.President Barack Obama included initial funding for a replacement icebreaker in his 2013 budget request.
The Healy is mainly used for scientific research with its five labs.It can accommodate up to 50 scientists,along with 85 crew.Cruising at 12 knots,it has a maximum speed of 17 knots and can continuously break 4.5 feet of ice.The Healy became operational in 2000.
As a Coast Guard Cutter,the Healy can also perform other missions,such as logistics;search and rescue;ship escort;environmental protection;and enforcement of laws and treaties in the Polar Regions.Indeed,this past January the Healy escorted the Russian fuel tanker Renda through the Bering Sea ice to deliver urgently needed fuel to Nome,Alaska.Nome had missed its November fuel delivery because of inclement weather and may not have had enough fuel to get through the winter.
That was an unplanned mission.The Healy was to have headed home for Christmas on 17 December.Instead,it completed the escort mission on 29 January.It had left homeport on 27 May,and arrived back on 5 February.
Captain Beverly A. Havlik is Commanding Officer of USCGC Healy.

Operation New Dawn Concludes As Colors Return From Iraq

The colors of U.S. Forces Iraq-the unit's flags-arrived home on Tuesday,carried by the last troops to return from Operation New Dawn,General Lloyd J. Austin III,U.S. Army,commander,and his staff.The soldiers flew to Joint Base Andrews,Maryland,where they were greeted by President Barack Obama;Vice President Joe Biden;Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey,U.S. Army;and Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter,as well as the returning soldiers' families.
In a brief address to mark the occasion,General Austin,who is incidentally one of the highest ranking African Americans in the U.S. Army,declared that U.S. Forces Iraq has accomplished its mission.I am proud to safely return our colors to the United States of America.They have safely been passed from commander to commander.
A significant number of our troops answered the call after 9-11.Many of them have re-enlisted.What our troops achieved is truly remarkable.They removed a brutal dictator and gave the Iraqi people their freedom.
Success in Iraq cannot be soley defined as a military effort.Thank you to all of our State Department comrades who are here with us today.
The general went on to thank our Gold Star families-those who lost family members in the war-for their sacrifice,and also the great American public for their care packages and letters-often sent to soldiers they didn't even know.It was a big boost to morale.
Finally,the general thanked our military men and women who served in Iraq.I am truly humbled by your many sacrifices.Thank you for a job extremely well done,General Austin said emphatically.
Genral Austin goes on to be Vice Chief of Staff,U.S. Army.The colors will eventually be put on display.
Members of all five branches of the U.S. military served in the Iraq War:Army,Marine Corps,Navy,Air Force and Coast Guard.

Defense Secretary Warns Iran

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued a warning to Iran and others not to miscalculate over the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.For Iran and anybody else who has any other ideas,let me make clear that the United States maintains 40,000 troops in that region;23,000 in Kuwait,and numbers of others in countries throughout that region,Mr.Panetta stated while on an Asian trip last week.
Almost all U.S. forces will be withdrawn out of Iraq by 31 December on orders by President Obama.The only exceptions will be a small cadre of U.S. Marines who guard the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad-the largest U.S. Embassy in the world-as well as a small number to help with arms transactions with Iraq.
As well as maintaining those U.S. troops currently stationed in the Persian Gulf region outside of Iraq,the Pentagon is reportedly considering transferring some of the soldiers now in Iraq to neighboring Kuwait,The New York Times ascertained.The U.S. Navy may also keep more warships in the region.A Pentagon spokesman said they're going through a range of options and no decisions have been made.
The vacuum created by U.S. withdrawal from Iraq is a growing concern for America's Sunni Muslim Persian Gulf allies,who are wary of more Iranian Shiite Muslim influence in the region.

President Receives Afghan War Dead

President Barack Obama received the remains of 30 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan and their 8 Afghan colleagues at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Tuesday.Media were barred from the solemn transfer ceremony,which was described by eyewitnesses as deeply moving.The President comforted the bereaved family and military members.
Among the fallen were 22 U.S. Navy SEAL commandos;5 U.S. Army Chinook helicopter crew;and 3 U.S. Air Force personnel.The helicopter was downed by rocket-propelled grenade fire in Wardak Province of East Central Afghanistan.Chinooks are considered the flying bus among the helicopters.In service since 1958,the Boeing choppers are known to be vulnerable during their take-offs and landings,when their guns are of limited use.They are quite respected as high altitude aircraft,however-an important consideration in the mountainous environment of Afghanistan.
The SEALs were coming to the aid of a U.S. Army Ranger unit that was pursuing a Taliban militant leader when it came under heavy fire.
The militants are very familiar with the Chinook helicopters.They lay down a barrage of rpg or .51 caliber machine gun fire to try to bring them down.This time,they succeeded.
The loss of the SEALs is most prominent in their home communities of Coronado,California and Oceana,Virginia.
Wardak Province is considered a high security risk.Militants have been recruiting there and asserting control in recent years,roaming freely at night.It is largely a rural area,with most residents engaged in agriculture to some extent.
Update:On Wednesday,General John Allen,USMC,commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan,said ground forces,acting on local intelligence reports,located 2 Taliban militants in a wooded area,one of them the militant who fired the rpg that downed the Chinook,and called in an F-16 airstrike to prevent their leaving the country.The militants were killed,but the Taliban leader originally sought by U.S. Army Rangers has not been found.

Leon Panetta's Brisk Entrance

Leon Panetta was sworn in as the new Defense Secretary on 1 July.The former Member of Congress had been serving as CIA Director.Mr.Panetta will be replaced at CIA by General David Petraeus,U.S. Army,who currently commands the International Security Assistance Force,or ISAF,in Afghanistan.
Mr.Panetta,73,is known for his outspoken manner,in contrast to the quieter ways of his predecessor,the esteemed Robert Gates,who received the Medal of Freedom,the nation's highest civilian honor,from President Barack Obama when he recently retired.
Mr.Panetta laughingly puts his demeanor down to being Italian.One thing is certain:the troops he serves,the world leaders he meets and the adversaries he warns will have no doubt about their standing with the United States and its new Pentagon chief.He wasted no time in addressing all three with his prompt journey to Iraq and Afghanistan.
While Mr.Panetta was traveling,Admiral Michael Mullen,outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,was meeting with the Chinese brass in an effort to restore relations with the People's Liberation Army,as China's military is known.Tensions over North Korea's behavior,Taiwan's defences and the status of the South China Sea have in recent years cast a chill over exchanges between the two strongest armed forces,which had been halted altogether for most of 2010.

Intellectual Marine To Head CENTCOM

Marine Lieutenant General John Allen has been chosen to replace General David Petraeus as commander,U.S. Central Command.General Petraeus is slated to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency.Lt.Gen.Allen is currently deputy commander of CENTCOM.As commander,he will lead coalition forces in the Afghan War.
Lt.Gen.Allen taught political science at the U.S. Naval Academy.He earned three master's degrees himself.In 2006,the general became a deputy commander in Anbar province,Iraq,and distinguished himself as a skilled political operative there.He persuaded Sunni Muslim leaders in the region to reject al Qaida in Iraq and align themselves with the Iraqi government.
Described as quiet and unassuming,Lt.Gen.Allen cultivated relations with the tribes and sheikhs of Iraq,based on his study of the nation's history.He is regarded as one of the architects of their tribal movement called the Awakening,which transformed Anbar province from tempest to tranquility,and into a template for other Iraqi provinces.
As deputy commander of CENTCOM,the general has become respected in the region,and has been deeply involved in planning and executing Afghan War strategy,according to President Barack Obama,who nominated him for the commander's post recently.Lt.Gen.Allen doesn't believe the war can be won without diplomacy such as he practiced earlier in Iraq.

Advisor Sees Afghan Progress

Erin M. Simpson,a member of an international counterinsurgency advisory and assistance team who teaches at the Marine Corps University in Quantico,Virginia,says it is too early to tell if President Obama's surge policy has worked in Afghanistan.Less than half the troops have arrived,she points out.Most of those who have are U.S. Marines in Helmand Province.After tough combat in Marjah,there are initial,fragile signs of progress.Marjah has shifted from being totally under Taliban control to an ever-increasing Afghan government presence.There are now 20 Afghan government officials working in Marjah on getting basic services to the people.
The Marines have also moved into the hold and build phase in other Helmand towns,such as Nawa and Garmsir.Many government and tribal leaders have returned to these places as the Marines pacify them.There is a change in momentum now in Helmand,and the challenge is to keep it going.The Afghan government must help farmers plant winter wheat instead of opium,which is used as a funding source by the Taliban militants.
The Taliban can't win militarily,Mr.Simpson maintains.It can only win by displacing the Kabul government.This early stage of the surge is about governance.That must be the focus,in Mr.Simpson's view.
Three U.S. Marines died in Helmand Province from Friday through Monday,10 May.The investigation into the casualties is still underway.

Marjah A Continuing Struggle

Although Marjah in Southern Afghanistan was successfully cleared of militants by U.S. Marines two months ago,political progress has been slow to non-existent.The Afghan government isn't winning the people over with sufficient aid.In consequence,the people haven't bonded with the Marines on patrol,who are seen as backing the government.Tips have not been forthcoming to the Marines.In general,NATO officials have expressed some disappointment with the atmospherics in the area of 80,000 inhabitants.
With the much larger Kandahar operation slated to commence in June,the Marjah situation is causing worries that President Barack Obama's goal of a quick end to the American presence in Afghanistan will not be met,to the consternation of a war-weary American public and U.S. Congress.Kandahar has about a million residents.U.S. special forces and their Afghan allies are already preparing the way for the June offensive,which has been widely telegraphed.Over 70 militants have been rounded up,and lawless areas in the outskirts are being secured.Some 11,200 NATO troops are expected to partner with Afghan forces in the battle for the Taliban militant heartland.
NATO Commander General Stanley McChrystal,U.S. Army,has been pulling forces out of remote areas of little importance to concentrate on the more populous centers,such as Marjah and Kandahar,that hold the key to Afghanistan's future.

Navy Assets

As of November 2009,the U.S. Navy had a battle force of 285 ships and more than 3700 aircraft.According to Admiral Gary Roughead,Chief of Naval Operations,it needs a minimum of 313 ships to meet national security requirements.There were 328,466 active duty personnel and 6,432 mobilized Reserves.The Department of the Navy had 194,562 civilian workers.Raymond E. Mabus,Secretary of the Navy,represents the Commander in Chief,President Barack H. Obama,at the Department.

Warships Strike Training Camps

The government of Yemen allowed U.S. Navy warships to fire missiles at suspected al-Qaida training camps last Thursday.A person familiar with the situation said President Barack Obama issued the order for the strikes in the north of the country.The Yemeni authorities said they had attacked al-Qaida training camps in the south the same day,killing 34 militants.Locals disputed the account,saying more than 60 were killed,mostly innocent civilians.There were no training camps there,these people say.It was an area close to a road and an army base.
The U.S. has been concerned about Yemen since al-Qaida attacked the USS Cole(DDG67) there in 2000,killing 17 U.S. service members.Al-Qaida fighters from the Iraq and Afghan wars are believed to find refuge among disillusioned tribes,especially in northeast Yemen,which borders U.S. ally Saudi Arabia.Al-Qaida militants have been crossing into Saudi Arabia to conduct raids,attempting to assassinate the Saudi deputy interior minister on one occasion earlier in the year.