Thursday,Apr 24 2008, 05:16:51 PMCoalition, Iraqi Forces Kill, Detain Terrorists

American Forces Press Service

April 21, 2008 - Coalition forces battling al-Qaida terrorists and Iranian-trained "special group" criminals killed 23 terrorists and detained 42 others during multiple engagements and missions across Iraq between April 18 and 21.  "Iraqi security and coalition force soldiers are targeting criminals who violate the Iraqi rule of law," said U.S. Army Col. Allen Batschelet, chief of staff for Multinational Division Baghdad.

"Coalition soldiers are not targeting any political group or organization, but rather working with the [Iraqi security forces] targeting criminals who are engaged in violent acts or about to commit a violent act," Batschelet emphasized.

"It is the Iranian-supported special group criminals who are the primary reason the people of Baghdad are suffering. They are responsible for continued [improvised-explosive-device] attacks and firefights that are causing innocent civilian deaths," he said.

During two operations in Mosul, coalition forces captured an alleged al-Qaida leader and a suspected associate today. The missions were based on information gathered in an April 3 raid. The alleged al-Qaida leader is believed to oversee attack operations.

In separate operations yesterday, Multinational Force Baghdad soldiers took part in a series of engagements with terrorists and special group criminals.

-- At 4 a.m., soldiers assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment's 7th Squadron detained two men carrying illegal weapons and bomb-making materials in the East Rashid district.

-- At 6:40 a.m., soldiers assigned to the 21st Infantry Regiment's 1st Battalion spotted five individuals emplacing an improvised explosive device in the Adhamiyah district. The soldiers engaged the terrorists, and during the engagement, the IED detonated, killing three terrorists and wounding another.

-- At 8 a.m., the 21st Infantry Regiment's 1st Battalion engaged and killed seven terrorists carrying three PKC machines guns, three AK-47 rifles, and a rocket–propelled-grenade launcher. A Stryker element supporting the mission killed two more criminals carrying AK-47s on a nearby rooftop.

-- At 3:30 p.m., a coalition force observation post in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood was fired upon by three special group criminals. U.S. soldiers returned fire killing one and wounding the other two.

-- At about 4 p.m., soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team discovered a substantial weapons cache containing 14 blocks of high explosives in the Zubaida area of Baghdad's Rashid district.

-- At 4: 45 p.m., following a rocket attack, an unmanned aerial vehicle positively identified five special group criminals loading a vehicle with rocket rails in Sadr City. The UAV followed the vehicle to a house and engaged the criminals as they were unloading the vehicle, firing one Hellfire missile, destroying the vehicle and rockets rails, and killing the two criminals.

-- At 10:20 p.m., soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team killed three criminals with a missile fired from an unmanned aerial vehicle after they were positively identified carrying weapons at a cache site in eastern Baghdad.

In other operations yesterday, coalition forces also captured a suspected Iranian-trained special groups commander and three other suspected criminals in the Kadamiyah district of Baghdad. Coalition forces also killed four terrorists and detained four suspects in an operation north of Baqouba that targeted individuals believed to be housing foreign terrorists in the area.

"We are not initiating these engagements," U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a 4th Infantry Division member and a spokesman for Multinational Division-Baghdad, said of the April 20 actions. "Coalition forces will continue to defend ourselves against criminals who ignore the Iraqi rule of law."

In earlier operations, tips from local citizens netted three weapons caches in operations in Hakara and Basra on April 18 and 19.

-- Based on a tip, Iraqi army and U.S. from Multinational Division Center found a weapons cache during a combat patrol in Hakara on April 19.

-- Also acting on a tip, Iraqi army soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 36th Brigade, 9th Division, working with Multinational Division Southeast forces discovered a weapons cache in two vehicles during Operation Charge of the Knights in the Quibla district of Basra on April 19.

-- A tip from another local citizen led Multinational Division Center soldiers from 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), to a weapons cache near the Abu Eid bridge April 18.

In other operations April 18:

-- Coalitio forces detained four suspected terrorists during operations targeting alleged associates of al-Qaida leaders southwest of Samarra and in southern Baghdad.

-- In southern Baghdad, coalition forces secured a building and detained a suspect allegedly involved in procuring bomb-making materials, including components for suicide vests.

-- In Beiji, coalition forces coordinated three operations targeting individuals believed to conspire with an al-Qaida leader known for coordinating bombing attacks. One suspect who attempted to evade the ground force was injured in the operation and taken to a military medical facility. Coalition forces captured two wanted men and detained 12 additional suspected terrorists.

-- During two operations in Mosul, coalition forces killed three and detained seven suspected terrorists, including one who was believed to have hidden a senior terrorist leader in his house. The targeted individual allegedly conducted attacks against Iraqi security and coalition forces and was involved in killings in Baghdad.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq and Multintional Force Iraq news releases.)

Thursday,Apr 24 2008, 05:35:31 AMGates Forms Task Force to Promote Intelligence, Su

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

April 21, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates established a new task force last week to ensure the Defense Department is doing everything possible to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets to support warfighters, he announced today.  Gates told officers at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., he created  the task force to give the ISR issue the same level emphasis that another task force he established has put on mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles.

"My concern is that our services are still not moving aggressively in wartime to provide resources needed now on the battlefield," the secretary said during a speech to Air War College students. "While we have doubled this capability in recent months, it is still not good enough."

Gates expressed frustration at the pace of progress, slowed by people "stuck in old ways of doing business" who make instituting change "like pulling teeth."

The new task force will move the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance issue to the front burner as it explores "more innovative and bold ways to help those whose lives are on the line," he said.

Getting more ISR support to deployed forces "may require rethinking long-standing service assumptions and priorities about which missions require certified pilots and which do not," Gates said.

"For those missions that still require manned missions, we need to think hard about whether we have the right platforms," he said. Particularly in environments where the United States and its partners have total control of the skies, "low-cost, low-tech alternatives" may provide the basic reconnaissance and close-air support needed, he said.

Gates recalled the introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles in the 1990s, when he was director of central intelligence. "The introduction of UAVs around this time meant far less risk and far more versatile means of gathering data, and other nations like Israel set about using them," he said. "In 1992, however, the Air Force would not co-fund with CIA a vehicle without a pilot."

As he called today for out-of-the-box thinking about how the military can operate in the most sensible, affordable way, Gates said it's time to recognize the role unmanned aerial vehicles play in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions -- and how much more they can contribute.

"Unmanned systems cost much less and offer greater loiter time than their manned counterparts, making them ideal for many of today's tasks," he said.

He noted a 25-fold increase since 2001, with 5,000 now in the military inventory. "But in my view, we can do -- and we should do -- more to meet the needs of men and women fighting in the current conflicts while their outcome may still be in doubt."

Brad Berkson, director of program, analysis and evaluation, will chair the new task force and provide regular updates to Gates beginning early next month, said Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.

Other task force members include representatives of the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, the Joint Staff, the military services, the comptroller, and other Defense Department components.

Thursday,Apr 24 2008, 01:54:12 AMAmerica Supports You: Organization Hires Heroes

By Jamie Findlater

Special to American Forces Press Service

April 18, 2008 - Returning from combat in Iraq or Afghanistan with a disability certainly brings with it a number of challenges, but for one soldier, a great aid to his successful recovery was the easy transition he made into the civilian job market.  Justin Callahan enlisted in the U.S Army as a combat engineer when he was 18. When he was 21, he deployed to Afghanistan, where he led a squad of 8 men squad leader. During a routine patrol, Justin was hit by an IED and suffered a left leg amputation below the knee.

During his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, Justin was approached by Bayne Tippins, a businessman who offered him a job as soon as his health returned.

Callahan inspired Tippins to found Hire Heroes USA, an non-profit organization dedicated to helping disabled veterans to find the right fit in the civilian job market. Hire Heroes USA is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that connects individuals, non-profit groups and companies who want to support U.S. military men and women.

"Hire Heroes USA was designed to give other wounded servicemembers like myself the opportunity that I was fortunate to have right out of the hospital," Callahan said during an interview on America Supports You Live BlogTalkRadio. He and Tippins discussed the organization's success during the interview.

Callahan explained that the biggest challenge for many wounded warriors is getting their confidence reestablished after a tragic event.

"It's really to pick them up and point them in the right direction, helping them to re-establish the confidence they've lost going through something traumatic...and the direction to move forward," he said.

Part of re-establishing this confidence is understanding how the skills developed in the military apply to the civilian job market. One skill, Callahan mentioned, is leadership.

"A non-commissioned officer is responsible for 6 to 8 soldiers operating under very stressful situations...they are taught the hard things by the military."

Callahan talked about his day-to-day experience working with countless organizations that see great value in employing those with military experience. Employers notice military experience and benefit from an incredibly motivated group of individuals, Callahan explained.

"These men and women are so motivated to get into a good job that has a steady salary where they have the opportunity to advance."

Now the challenge for Callahan and Tippins is reaching out to the many veterans who might need assistance and do not realize how to best market their skills to a new audience. Callahan explained that the organization places everyone from sales reps to IT professionals, and from security personnel to project managers.

"A lot of servicemembers don't know what's out there. They are used to doing a certain job in the military, and when they get in the civilian world they do not always know how to apply and transfer the skills they have learned making them noticeable to employers," Callahan said.

One example of many such skills is the ability to handle logistics, Tippins said.

"Getting men and troops and supplies from point A to point B is an incredibly transferable skill," he said.

Tippins also said learning new skills easily is a common attribute of veterans.

"They are extremely trainable," he said. "The acquisition of the new skills within a new position comes easily because of their experience in the military."

Tippins explained that the mission Hire Heroes USA is to reach out to candidates, identify their strong qualities and let them know that there are jobs available for them.

"Some servicemembers just need to understand that company XYZ has a need for you.... Hire Heroes USA is designed to be a bridge to get out in front of organizations that are anxious to hire them," Tippins said. "We want to help them adjust to becoming a great member of society that they have already defended so bravely."

Thursday,Apr 24 2008, 12:48:48 AMAfghan Army Making Progress; Police Force Needs Wo

By Gerry J. Gilmore

American Forces Press Service

April 18, 2008 - Afghanistan's growing army is starting to take the lead in battles against Taliban insurgents, but the country's constabulary still requires work, the U.S. commander in charge of training and equipping those forces said today.  The pace of Afghan Army development has been "quite remarkable in terms of their ability to field a force," said Army Maj. Gen. Robert W. Cone, chief of Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan.

In addition, Afghan soldiers have been taking the lead in most of the major operations against the enemy over the past three months, Cone told Pentagon reporters from his base in Kabul during a satellite news conference.

"This is critically important, because the Afghans learn by doing and when they're out in front it reinforces the classroom learning that they've had on staff planning and anticipating and synchronization," he explained.

Cone took command of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan on July 16, 2007. Based on Camp Eggers in Kabul, the command's mission is to train, equip and advise the Afghan Army and national police force.

The Afghan Army now has about 63,000 soldiers on duty and in training, Cone reported, with a projected force-growth to about 76,000 troops by the end of this year. The Afghan Army's end strength is expected to reach 80,000 soldiers in 2009, he said.

Today, the Afghan Army has fielded 12 of 14 authorized brigades and 33 infantry battalions, Cone said. Last month, the Afghans certified one of their infantry battalions as trained and ready to conduct independent operations.

"This is a positive milestone for this relatively young Army, and it says something about the leadership of this specific unit and the commitment of the Afghan National Army and of its leaders," he said.

The Afghan Army didn't have any commando battalions at this time last year. Today, however, the Afghans have trained and stood up four commando units that are the equivalent of the U.S. Army's elite Ranger light-infantry units. A fifth Afghan commando battalion is slated to come on line this summer, he said.

Cone praised the fighting spirit of Afghanistan's soldiers.

"I would tell you that the Afghan fighter is in my view a top-ranked individual; this is a martial people, they are very good at fighting at the individual level," he said. Afghan troop leaders, he noted, are being taught how to incorporate command-and-control, communications as well as military logistics systems.

Meanwhile, Afghan troops are very happy with ongoing deliveries of M-16 rifles and armored Humvee trucks to replace old or obsolete equipment, he observed.

"We are very optimistic, as we look at this summer that we will close all of their equipment shortages," Cone said, in time for anticipated increased confrontation with Taliban insurgents with the coming of warmer weather.

Hwever, training Afghanistan's police remains a work in progress, Cone acknowledged, citing past resource priorities including the availability of trainers.

"The shortfall in trainers has specifically affected the police training program ... we can only cover down on about 30 percent of the police districts in Afghanistan," Cone explained. The shortage of trainers, he said, has prolonged the development and reform of the police.

"To date, we have been able to meet the requirements for the Afghan National Army. That was our first priority and that has been covered by a combination of U.S. and NATO trainers," Cone noted. "But, the police program is clearly where the shortfall is felt most."

The Focused District Development program that was launched in October targets deficiencies in police conduct and performance, he said.

"This strategy is aimed at reforming the way that policing is done at the district and community levels," he explained. Seven police districts have completed the program's eight weeks' of formal police training and those officers have returned to duty under the mentorship of U.S. trainers.

Cone's organization is working with the Afghan Ministry of Interior to train up the police. The goal, he said, is to reform 52 of the more than 300 Afghan police districts by the end of 2008. He estimated it will take about five years to complete the program.

"It is important to note that the police are the 'face' of government to the Afghan people and for so long that face has been associated with corruption and unprofessionalism," Cone observed.

"Focused District Development is the first real, major step in breaking this cycle of corruption and (to) provide Afghans a professional, well-led and well-trained police force," he said.

Wednesday,Apr 23 2008, 10:27:44 PMBush: U.S. Will Maintain Troop Levels in Korea

By John J. Kruzel

American Forces Press Service

April 20, 2008 - The United States will keep its current number of troops -- roughly 28,000 -- deployed to the Republic of Korea, President Bush said yesterday.  During a joint news conference with his South Korean counterpart President Lee Myung-Bak, Bush said the two leaders constantly assess the need for U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula, and both agree on the necessity of maintaining present levels there.

"We reached an agreement to maintain the current U.S. troop level on the peninsula. This is a mutual agreement that benefits both our nations and will strengthen our alliance," Bush told reporters at Camp David.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-Hee will coordinate the implementation of U.S. forces, the president said.

On this first-ever visit by a Korean head of state to the presidential retreat, Bush thanked Lee for South Korea's military commitment in the Middle East.

"We're also thankful for the Koreans' contributions to young democracies, whether it be Afghanistan or Iraq or Lebanon," Bush said. "And we want to thank you and your people, Mr. President, for those sacrifices."

During closed-door talks before the news conference, the leaders also discussed South Korea's request to upgrade its foreign military sales status. The Foreign Military Sales program is the government-to-government method for selling U.S. defense equipment, services and training, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency Web site.

"Korea has asked to upgrade its foreign military sales status with the United States and to have the same access to U.S. military technologies as NATO and other key allies, and I strongly support this request and have instructed Secretaries Rice and Gates to work with the Congress to get this done," Bush said, referring to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The U.S. and South Korea are working alongside China, Russia and Japan to press the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, Bush said. These six-party talks have resulted in North Korea beginning to disable plutonium production facilities at Yongbyon, Bush added.

"And now North Korea must fulfill its other obligations: provide a full declaration of its nuclear programs and proliferation activities in a verifiable way," the president said.

President Lee said South Korea and the U.S. do not "harbor hostile intent" towards North Korea, but rather seek to promote multilateral dialogue.

"I'm very happy with the results of today's meeting, and we will work very closely together to see the complete dismantlement of the nuclear weapons program of North Korea, and we will work closely within the six-party talks framework," Lee said.