Afghanistan

Special Inspector General’s report says, they don’t know what happen to the guns we gave to Afghanistan…

July 29, 2014 | The Danger Zone

The United States government has delivered almost three quarters of a million weapons to Afghanistan’s army and police since 2004 but can’t track where those arms went, according to a new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, known as SIGAR.

“U.S. and Coalition–provided weapons are at risk of theft, loss, or misuse,” the report said. “We’re very concerned,” added John Sopko, the inspector general, “that weapons paid for by U.S. taxpayers could wind up in the hands of insurgents and be used to kill Americans and Afghan troops and civilians.”

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Training and equipping the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army has been central to President Obama’s Afghanistan policy. But arming the police and army has been plagued by a lack of accountability, the report says.

The weapons distributed to Afghan forces include 465,000 small arms, the report says. But that number might not be accurate, an official with SIGAR said in an interview, because the data from the Department of Defense “is not very reliable.”

On top of the problems in accounting for the guns, the auditors found that Afghan forces have been sent far more rifles, machine guns, and grenade launchers than they need in the first place. For example, Afghanistan received 83,000 excess AK-47 assault rifles.

A 2010 law required the Pentagon to set up systems to track and monitor weapons being delivered to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and two America databases were established. But the audit says those databases, known as SCIP and OVERLORD, aren’t synchronized or linked, and tens of thousands of weapons have missing or duplicated information.

Once the weapons are transferred to the custody of the Afghanistan government, accountability is even worse, the report says. For example, at one Afghanistan national police garrison, the only inventory available was a partial, handwritten list of serial numbers, the audit says.

At an Afghan Army Central Supply Depot, according to sampling the auditors did, more then a tenth of the weapons appeared to be missing. The U.S. has long had trouble accounting for weapons it has sent to Afghanistan. In 2009, the General Accounting office said a quarter million weapons had sent there, but the serial numbers of 46,000 hadn’t been written down, making them virtually untraceable.

A Pentagon spokesperson, Major Bradlee Avots, wrote in an email to BuzzFeed on Sunday, “The Afghan government is responsible for the accountability of its weapons once they are transferred to their possession, as are all receiving nations of U.S. foreign military sales.” He said that the Pentagon is reconciling information in its databases. And he said the Defense Department is trying to find a way to make sure that before it gives new guns to Afghanistan, the country does inventory checks on the guns it has already.

Iraq – Afghanistan Contractor Census, 3rd quarter (Apr – June 2014)

July 22, 2014 | OVERSEAS INTEL, The Danger Zone

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN THE USCENTCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

BACKGROUND: This report updates DoD contractor personnel numbers in theater and outlines DoD efforts to improve management of contractors accompanying U.S. forces. It covers DoD contractor personnel deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)) and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

KEY POINTS: In 3rd quarter FY 2014, USCENTCOM reported approximately 66,123 contractor personnel working for the DoD in the USCENTCOM AOR. This total reflects a decrease of approximately 12.5K from the previous quarter. A breakdown of DoD contractor personnel is provided below

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Afghanistan Summary

The distribution of contractors in Afghanistan by mission category are:

Base Support: 5,239 (10%)
Commo Support: 1,947 ( 4%)
Construction: 5,222 (10%)
Logistics/Maintenance: 17,914 (35%)
Security: 3,177 ( 6%)
Training: 1,209 ( 2%)
Translator/Interpreter: 3,920 ( 8%)
Transportation: 4,657 ( 9%)
Medical/Dental/Social Services: 253 ( 1%)
Management/Administrative: 4,323 ( 8%)
Other*: 3,628 ( 7%)
Total: 51,489

*Includes Defense Logistics Agency, Army Materiel Command, Air Force External and Systems Support contracts, Special Operations Command and INSCOM.

OEF Contractor Posture Highlights:
- In 3rd quarter FY14 there were approximately 51.5K DoD contractors in Afghanistan. The overall contractor footprint in Afghanistan decreased by 16.2% from 2nd quarter FY14.
- New US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) Fragmentary Orders directed specific contractor reductions for LOGCAP and other portfolio owners.
- There will continue to be substantial decline in the contractor population throughout the fiscal year, as a result of base closures and reduced requirements.

General Data on DoD Private Security Contractor Personnel in Afghanistan

Private security contractors (PSC) perform personal security, convoy security, and static security missions.

USCENTCOM reports, as of 3rd quarter FY 2014, the following distribution of PSCs in Afghanistan:

In Afghanistan, the mobile security functions of the APPF are being transferred to the Ministry of Interior under a convoy protection brigade. Site protection previously under APPF is also under transition. Contracting and payment protocols are still under development.

Improvements to Management and Oversight of DoD Contractors

Operational Contract Support Integration Cell (OCSIC). The USFOR-A OCSIC (formerly the OCS Drawdown Cell) was established in August 2012 with a mission to manage the programmatic drawdown of contracts, the contractor workforce and associated equipment in the Combined Joint Operations Area-Afghanistan (CJOA-A). Through the efforts of its Program Management Integration and Regional Teams, the OCSIC has influenced requirements reduction in the CJOA-A resulting in a decrease of boots on ground contractors. Lessons learned from implementation of the OCSIC are being used to inform future doctrine (JP 4-10) on the OCS Integration Cell concept.

CENTCOM Joint Theater Support Contracting Command (C-JTSCC). C-JTSCC has centralized oversight and authority to ensure all contracts executed in Afghanistan are visible and in compliance with contracting policy and procedures. In coordination with the OCSDC, C-JTSCC is evaluating local vendor capability to perform critically needed services previously provided by LOGCAP, but on a much smaller scale. This will ensure support to the warfighter continues while simultaneously reducing the number of US and other country national contractors.
JP 4-10 (Operational Contract Support). The Joint Staff J4 has updated JP 4-10 Operational Contract Supportwhich serves as the doctrine for planning, conducting, and assessing OCS integration and contractor management functions in support of joint operations. This update to OCS doctrinehas a publication date of July 2014.
Defense Standards for Security Services.

o Business and operational standards for PSCs (which were required by Section 833 of the FY2011 NDAA) are now complete and were validated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in early March 2012. The associated conformity assessment to enable third party certification was published in April 2012. A maturity model, allowing companies and contract management to assess the degree of conformity with the standard, was approved by ANSI in January 2012. Under sponsorship by DoD, the ANSI standard is now being developed as an international standard to be published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

o On May 22, 2012, DoD issued procedures, guidance and information (PGI) to the DFARS requiring compliance with the ANSI PSC standard for combat operations and other contingency operations. Standards and provision for third party certification in Section 833 of the FY 2011 NDAA will facilitate identifying technically acceptable contractors and best value. This will enable expedited contract award; mitigate risk of delay of services due to contract award protests; and mitigate risk of contractor non-performance or misconduct in critical early phases of contingency operations. Conformity assessment standards and the associated maturity model also provide valuable tools for DoD contract oversight.

o The United Kingdom has adopted the PSC ANSI standards as their national standard ensuring continuity between the key allies.

Operational Contract Support (OCS) Functional Capabilities Integration Board (FCIB).

This senior executive –level governance forum was chartered by the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology & Logistics) in March 2010 to provide strategic leadership to multiple stakeholders working to institutionalize OCS. Co-chaired by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Program Support [DASD (PS)] and Joint Staff, Vice Director J-4, the FCIB convenes quarterly (or as required)). On June 27, 2014, the USD (AT&L) approved revision of the Board’s charter to strengthen its ability to address enterprise-wide OCS issues. Key topics in 3rd quarter FY14 reviewed by the Board included:

o OCS Joint Proponent Assessment

o Deployable Civilian Requirements for Future Contingencies

o OCS Integration Cell (OCSIC) – Afghanistan Update

o OCS Knowledge Integration & Solutions (KIS) Working Group Update

Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office (JCASO). Planning, implementation, and oversight of OCS are Commander's responsibilities and are essential to establishing a strategy for managing contractors on the battlefield as part of the DoD Total Force. JCASO provides the Combatant Commands a joint enabling capability to integrate, coordinate and synchronize OCS during peacetime, contingency operations, and post-conflict operations. JCASO is an essential part of DLA's combat support agency (CSA) role to support the mission objectives of the combatant commands, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Title 10 responsibilities, as well as the Office of the Secretary of Defense for OCS policy and joint doctrine development and implementation. Examples of current JCASO engagements include:

o Deploying teams for 6-month rotations to support the OCS Integration Cell (OCSIC) and provide expertise in the drawdown efforts;

o Leading and managing the economic development initiative (i.e., local procurements) in the Central Asian States in support of the Northern Distribution Network (NDN) strategy in the USCENTCOM AOR;

o Establishing the Afghanistan Contract Transition Workgroup (ACTW) to facilitate the interagency coordination for planning and transitioning OCS from DoD to DOS; and

o Participating in joint exercises in 2014 (e.g., PANAMAX, ULCHI FREEDOM GUARDIAN) to integrate OCS in training and assess the effectiveness of OCS plans.

o Assessing the JCASO mission and organization to validate support effectiveness and alignment with DOD OCS Action Plan 2014-2017.

o Developing the way ahead for collecting and advancing OCS joint lessons learned.

o Participating in GAO interviews to share information on JCASO enabling capability relative to OCS lessons learned and OCS planning and execution in USAFRICOM.

o Developing a manpower strategy to fulfill a demand for OCS-skills at the combatant commands and Service components.

JCASO Contingency Contracting Office (CCO): The JCASO CCO provides a joint contingency contracting capability by extending and leveraging DLA’s extensive contracting capabilities while simultaneously complementing the Services’ capacities. It furthers best practices through a programmatic approach, and is expected to focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief contract support. The CCO responds to demand signals from Combatant Commands and deployed forces, such as the USCENTCOM Central Asia States (CAS) local sourcing procurement initiative and the DLA-E/A and AFRICOM initiative to help leverage existing DLA contracts and develop new contract solutions that address AFRICOM’s evolving mission.

JCASO Planners. Seventeen (17) JCASO planners are allocated among the Geographic Combatant Commands to assist the commander in identifying gaps where contractor support capability may be required. Planners integrate contractor support into operational plans and synchronize requirements with subordinate commands, the Military Departments, Defense Agencies, other USG Agencies, and coalition partners. The planners have been instrumental in integrating OCS into Combatant Command plans. Based on demonstrated need for additional OCS planning capability in USPACOM, JCASO recently established new planners at forward locations in USFK and USFJ.

SPOT Configuration Control Board (CCB). ODASD(PS), as the functional sponsor for SPOT, co-chairs a quarterly CCB. This Board evaluates proposed enhancements to SPOT and prioritizes implementation to ensure consistency within funding parameters. Membership includes participants from across the DoD OCS community, DOS, and U.S. Agency for International Development.

Operational Contract Support (OCS) Learning Framework. The Department continues to make progress on the Secretary’s and the Chairman's vision for OCS education and training. Several parallel efforts are underway to incorporate OCS into a holistic learning framework that includes education, individual and collective training, exercises, and lessons learned primarily aimed at non-acquisition personnel.
- OCS in Joint Professional Military Education (JPME). As reported, OCS has been a Chairman’s JPME Special Area of Emphasis each year since 2009. A 2012 study on OCS education and training observed a general lack of uniformity and depth in OCS content. To rectify this, Joint Staff (J4) OCS and Services Division (OCSSD) developed an OCS Curriculum Development Guide (CDG) to provide specific OCS learning objectives to help JPME faculty create and integrate effective OCS learning into all five JPME levels. Version 2.0 of the CDG, which was completed in October 2012, included authoritative reference material, was distributed to JPME institutions in December 2012. The OCS CDG incorporates distance learning through three Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) OCS courses. The Joint Staff (J4) briefed the faculty of the JPME schools on the FY2013 NDAA language requiring OCS as part of JPME in June 2013 at the Joint Faculty Education Conference. At this point, JPME faculty need time to incorporate OCS into their curricula. The Joint Staff (J4) is reviewing the Joint Combined Warfare School curriculum to make specific recommendations on OCS content needed to meet the CDG’s intent.
- Lessons Learned. The Department has submitted a comprehensive lessons learned report to the House Armed Services Committee. For tactical and operational lessons learned, the Joint Staff (J4), OCSSD, is the focal point for documenting and processing lessons through the Joint Lessons Learned Program.
- Exercises. The first ever OCS Joint Exercise (OCSJX-14) was held in January 2014 at Ft. Bliss, Texas. The exercise trained over 500 participants on the OCS tasks for Contract Support Integration, Contracting Support, and Contractor Management. The OCSJX-14 scenario was based on a complex catastrophe in the US NORTHCOM area of responsibility. The training audience included OCS staff members from USNORTHCOM, USARNORTH, US Army Expeditionary Contracting Command's 412^th Contract Support Brigade, US Air Force and Navy contracting personnel. Other key DOD stakeholders that participated were; FEMA, USACE, DLA JCASO, DASD-PS, DPAP and NGB. Planning for OCSJX-15 at USPACOM is underway, and OCSJX-16 is tentatively planned for USAFRICOM

Collective and Staff Training. The Chairman’s Joint Training Guidance Notice (CJCSN 3500.01) provides annual guidance to all DOD Components for planning, executing, and assessing joint training for three consecutive years. It includes High Interest Training Issues (HITIs) which are CJCS special-interest items that CCDRs should consider for emphasis in their training and exercise programs. OCS will be part of the Joint Logistics Enterprise HITI in this year’s notice. In December 2013, the Joint Staff (J4) released the Joint Metrics and Readiness (JMR) Guide to assist planners in integrating OCS into joint training and exercises to help ensure realistic readiness assessments for OCS and compliance with Joint Training Guidance.

Individual Training. DoD created three joint OCS courses in a computer-based training format in 2009. The three courses were “joint training certified” in 2013 and are hosted on JKO, the joint community’s web portal for providing key joint training. As of 4 September 2013, 608 personnel have completed these joint certified OCS courses. In addition to the JKO courses and Contracting Officer’s Representative training, the Joint Staff (J4) OCSSD is teaching a Joint OCS Planning and Execution Course (JOPEC) at the geographic combatant commands (GCCs) via mobile training teams (MTTs). The initial JOPEC pilot was held from 16-25 July 2013 at Fort Lee, VA, and has since been taught at every GCC, and will be taught at the National Capital Region in July 2014. This cycle will continue in FY15.
ODASD(PS), the Joint Staff J4, and Headquarters DA are working to develop a OCS multi-service course from an existing Army course at the Army Logistics University. The course roll out projection date is fourth quarter FY15.

OCS Planning. On October 18, 2012, the Joint Staff published the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Manual (CJCSM) 3130.03 Adaptive Planning and Execution (APEX) Planning Formats and Guidance. The CJCSM 3130.03 sets forth administrative instructions for joint operation plan formats. Specific to OCS planning, CJCSM 3130.03 details where OCS requirements will be identified and by whom. The Joint Staff (J4) is developing a separate manual, CJCSM 4301, OCS Planning, to assist OCS planners in developing procedures and guidance that integrate, synchronize, prioritize, and focus OCS capabilities on achieving a supported commander’s operational objectives and desired effects for various types of plans, including contingency plans.
OCS Joint Concept. JROC Memorandum 159-13, 7 October 2013, approved the OCS Joint Concept. This concept envisions that contracted support for military operations will be an interdependent capability of Joint Force 2020 (JF 2020). This concept addresses how JF 2020 can operationalize OCS to optimize contracted support capabilities of the total force partners to achieve operational effects across the range of military operations within acceptable and manageable risk levels. It builds upon ongoing efforts to institutionalize OCS in the present force and proposes a full spectrum doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, and personnel capability solution framework to deliver more responsive and accountable OCS. The OCS Joint Concept implementation tasks were incorporated into the OCS Action Plan by the FCIB in February 2014.

Army Corps of Engineers to raise Dahla Dam and provide water essential to southern Afghanistan

July 21, 2014 | OVERSEAS INTEL, The Danger Zone

Water is essential for survival, and in southern Afghanistan, survival hinges on the 250-mile-long Arghandab River and its reservoir. The reservoir was created with the 1952 completion of the United States-funded, earthen Dahla Dam. Built by the Afghans, it originally held 83 billion gallons of water, just under 1/100th the volume of Lake Mead along the U.S.’s Colorado River.

Three decades of war and neglect left the dam, and its network of irrigating canals across Kandahar province, silted and in ruins. “Water is life. This water will help everyone in the region,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Engineer Danielle Lovellette, about the project she is overseeing to increase reservoir capacity. The project is estimated to affect up to two million people, most in Kandahar province.

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Hillsides surrounding the dam are teeming with white-painted rocks, which show where deadly mines were once located and now cleared. Those clearing operations were the first step in the Corps of Engineers two-phase construction plan that will ultimately raise the dam about 25 feet, boosting reservoir holding capacity and increasing water for irrigation and consumption.

“With the clearing operations done we’ve started Phase One, which is extending the outlet tunnel and eventually building a new valve house,” said Lovellette. “These are necessary because when the dam is raised its footprint will grow, covering where these are currently located.”

When completed nearly 60 years ago, the dam helped turn the region into Afghanistan’s breadbasket, known for growing enough fruit and vegetables to not only feed the country but provide exports. Now, the intake and outlet works don’t operate correctly and sediment reduced the reservoir’s capacity by one-third to one-half, according to estimates.

Towards the end of most summers, the reservoir is depleted, leaving little for people or farmers downstream. According to Helmand and Arghandab Valley Authority, or HAVA, officials, the water supply doesn’t even reach 30 percent of irrigation canals refurbished by the Canadian International Development Agency over the past several years.

"The Canadians rehabilitated many of the irrigation canals south of Dahla Dam as part of their Arghandab Irrigation Rehabilitation Project," said Corps Kandahar Resident Office officer in charge Maj. Jeffery Ward. “Projects like those by the Canadians, those of other countries and the U.S. all interconnect. Once we complete phase two, these projects will all come together and greatly increase irrigation and drinking water in Southern Afghanistan.”

The effect should be widespread. Arghandab canal, southern Arghandab canal, Baba Wali canal and the south and north Tarnak canals carry water from the Dahla Dam reservoir. The Arghandab River divides into 55 streams and the canals divide into an additional 55 streams, irrigating lands across Afghanistan’s agricultural heartland.

HAVA officials say the dam now irrigates nearly 98,000 acres of land, but when completed, those numbers should increase to 150,000 acres. Raising the dam will also help supply Afghanistan’s second largest city, Kandahar, which has a population of about 500,000 people.

“Agricultural provides employment for the Afghans,” said Ward. “If they’re able to employ more people and produce crops for themselves and export, it allows them to have a fulfilling life. Doing this will help them feel more stable and peaceful without a need to become part of the bad element in country.”

According to Lovellette, hearing all the good things than can come from this project makes it a very feel-good project. “It definitely gives you chills,” she said. “The contractors are very passionate about it as well. It’s nice to work with people who are passionate about the project.”

The contractor’s passion goes beyond working on the dam, they are also helping Afghanistan by offering three programs for its workers. Bryan 77, a joint venture between U.S.-based Bryan Construction and Turkish-based 77 Construction, is offering local workers a literacy course and basic English and Turkish language courses. The programs are being offered to construction workers and protection staff. They are also working on providing welding, auto electric and similar vocational courses in the future.

Dahla Dam Phase 1 is on schedule for July 2015 completion and Phase 2, the actual raising of the dam, in 2017.

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Afghanistan

Special Inspector General’s report says, they don’t know what happen to the guns we gave to Afghanistan…

Iraq – Afghanistan Contractor Census, 3rd quarter (Apr – June 2014)

Army Corps of Engineers to raise Dahla Dam and provide water essential to southern Afghanistan

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