Along the Silk Road

From left, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry, Afghan Minister of Information and Culture Makhdoom Raheen and Minister of Mines Waheedullah Shahrani cut a ribbon at the opening ceremony of a new exhibit named “Along the Silk Road-Recent Excavations from Mes Aynak” at the Afghanistan National Museum in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 13, 2011. (DoD photo by S.K. Vemmer/Released)

Face of Defense: Soldier Improves Afghan Post

By Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Matson Task Force Red Bulls NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, March 14, 2011 - Army Sgt. Christian Kapler is a busy man. Anywhere people walk on Forward Operating Base Torkham Gate on the Afghanistan and Pakistan border, they will see something Kapler built, repaired or improved. Iowa Army National Guard Sgt. Christian Kapler talks on a cell phone with his interpreter March 5, 2011, at Forward Operating Base Torkham Gate in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Matson  "My dad would say it's genetics," said Kapler, a burly, soft-spoken infantryman from Oelwein, Iowa, with Company B, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, who serves as the base's manager. "My grandfather had a little shop and built everything he had -- his house and all. I don't know what he actually did for a job other than build things." Like his grandfather, Kapler said he enjoys working with his hands. "I was always tinkering and building things when I was a kid, going to the lumber yard and getting scrap wood and building stuff," he said. "I did handyman stuff when I was older and started going to school at a community college for architecture and contracting, but I kept getting deployed, so I never finished college. I think the unit knows building stuff is the type of thing I excel at." Torkham Gate has been home to Company B, part of the Iowa National Guard's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, since October, and the base is expanding. Kapler supervises 44 Afghan workers of various trades and abilities. He said he appreciates the work his crew does, despite what can be a challenging process of getting supplies and proper tools. He said when his team wants to get something done, they do it quickly. His company commander, Army Capt. Kevin Hrodey, from Pleasant Hill, Iowa, said he is impressed with Kapler's accomplishments. "It is amazing to look at pictures of the [base] from when we first took over operations and then walk around now and see how much it has actually changed," Hrodey said. Hrodey noted that people can see the results of Kapler's efforts everywhere they look. His projects have improved all aspects of life on the base, the captain said, from its defense to quality of life to the maintenance facility. One repair that took some innovation was Kapler's upgrade to the firing range. Before he and his crew got their hands on it, the range was a berm surrounded by sand-basket barriers, with some old, neglected targets and a few stakes in the ground that marked the distance. "We use the cardboard from water pallets as target backing," Kapler said. The older targets were fixed, and Kapler's crew installed conduit so targets could be replaced easily once they started deteriorating. He used unserviceable dining facility tables as firing benches, weapons racks, new metal distance markers, a reinforced berm and a camouflage net awning to provide shade. A 15-year veteran of the Iowa National Guard, Kapler deployed to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iraq with Company B, before deploying here. He worked construction in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before becoming a union carpenter. Between deployments, Kapler married an Oelwein, Iowa, woman, and is the proud father of three children. Kapler said he plans to start a tool-rental business when he returns to Iowa, and his wife is taking accounting classes so she can help to run the administrative side of the business.

Related Sites:  NATO International Security Assistance Force Iowa National Guard

Gates Visits Marines in Eastern Afghanistan

By Karen Parrish  American Forces Press Service FORWARD OPERATING BASE SABIT QADAM, Afghanistan, March 8, 2011 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today visited with Marines fighting here in what the secretary said was one of the most dangerous places in the world before they arrived. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates addresses U.S. Marines at Forward Operating Base Sabit Qadam in Afghanistan, March 8, 2011. The Marines are assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment. DOD photo by Cherie Cullen  On the second day of his 13th trip to Afghanistan as defense secretary, Gates flew to Sangin district in eastern Helmand province for his visit here at a base formerly known as Forward Operating Base Jackson. The base and its surrounding outposts are home to Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, whose unit symbol and call sign is "Dark Horse." "It's an honor to be here in Dark Horse country and to see for myself the dramatic turnaround that you all have brought about here in Sangin," Gates said. "Before you arrived here, the Taliban were dug in deep, and as the British before you can attest, this district was one of the most dangerous –- not just in Afghanistan, but maybe in the whole world." The secretary said in the five months since the Marines arrived, they've killed, captured or driven away most of the Taliban who used to call Sangin home. "In doing so, you've linked northern Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar provinces, a major strategic breakthrough," he said. Their success has come at a heavy price, Gates said. "Since October, the 3/5 has suffered the heaviest losses of any battalion in this 10-year-long war," he said. "Every day I monitor how you're doing, and every day you return to your [base] without a loss, I say a little prayer. I say a prayer on the other days, as well." Defense officials say 29 Marines in the battalion have been killed, and 150 others have been wounded. The battalion and its partnered Afghan forces have written, in sweat and blood, a new chapter in the Marine Corps' roll of honor, the secretary said. "I visit your wounded brothers at Bethesda," the secretary said, referring to the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland. "I write the condolence letters to the families of your fallen." Gates said he feels their hardship and their sacrifice, and those of their families. "I also relish your victories, take pride in your achievements, and take satisfaction as you strike fear into the heart of the Taliban," he added. During the question-and-answer period the secretary conducts during troop visits, a Marine captain stepped forward to thank Gates for increasing the use of surveillance balloons and other intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment at the battalion's outposts. The surveillance capability allows him to track his troops on mission, to observe patterns of behavior among the local population, and to identify insurgent activity, the captain said. "That balloon up above my forward operating base has been a game-changer for me," the captain told the secretary. "We've gone from about a dozen of those aerostats five or six months ago to ... 60 or 65 throughout the country," Gates replied. "I want to put a bunch more in. I'm just waiting on the Congress to reprogram the money so I can do it." Gates, dressed in khaki pants, a blue and white striped shirt and a baseball cap emblazoned, "Maneuver Center, Fort Benning," gave a commemorative coin and had a photo taken with every troop who'd gathered to see him. Marines paced toward him one by one, many in muddy boots and all carrying what appeared to be well-broken-in weapons. The secretary shook each one's hand, passing a coin with the handshake, then placed his other hand on each one's shoulder as they turned to face the camera. All got a pat on the shoulder from the secretary as they stepped away. Gates ended his visit with a request to the troops. "You couldn't be here if it weren't for the support of your families back home," he said. "So I hope that the next time you're in contact with them, that you will tell them how much I, personally, thank them for the contribution they make to the contribution you make. "You couldn't do this without them, and we couldn't do this without you," Gates said.

Biographies: Robert M. Gates Related Sites: Special Report: Travels With Gates  NATO International Security Assistance Force

During a memorial service

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Peter Andrysiak, commander of the 20th Engineer Battalion, delivers remarks during a memorial service on Forward Operating Base Mogensen in Afghanistan July 17, 2010, for four fallen Service members. The service was held to honor Sgt. Zachary Fisher and Spcs. Chase Stanley, Jesse Reed and Matthew Johnson. The Soldiers, who were all attached to the 20th Engineer Battalion, were killed in a roadside explosion July 14, 2010, while conducting a route clearance mission. (DoD photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jeremy L. Wood, U.S. Navy/Released)

A low cost aerial delivery system

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgts. Ryan Grubaugh and Josue Balbas move a low cost aerial delivery system (LCADS) bundle into the cargo compartment of a C-130J Hercules aircraft at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan July 16, 2010. The Airmen are both aerial porters deployed to the 451st Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron and the aircraft is assigned to the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. LCADS bundles are designed to provide supplies to remote forward operating bases in a timely, safe and cost-efficient manner. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Chad Chisholm, U.S. Air Force/Released)

Dismounted patrol in Qalat City

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Clarence Washington, a squad leader with Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul, provides security during a combined dismounted patrol in Qalat City, Afghanistan, July 18, 2010. (DoD photo by Senior Airman Nathanael Callon, U.S. Air Force/Released)

With Afghan child

U.S. Army Spc. Joshua Rojas high-fives an Afghan child in the Bagram Bazaar in Parwan, Afghanistan, June 7, 2010. (DoD photo by Sgt. Corey Idleburg, U.S. Army/Released)

Shaking hands with an elder

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Baldwin shakes hands with an elder in the village of Mirsaleh in the Logar province of Afghanistan June 6, 2010. Baldwin is assigned to the 401st Military Police (MP) Company, 720th MP Battalion, 89th MP Brigade. (DoD photo by Spc. De'Yonte Mosley, U.S. Army/Released)

Secures the area

 A member of an international security force secures the area while in pursuit of militants north of Naglham in the Kandahar district of Afghanistan June 1, 2010. (DoD photo by Pfc. Joseph Joynt, U.S. Army/Released)

Go over flight information

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. John Grahm, an HC-130P Combat King Hercules aircraft pilot, and Senior Airman Jorge Jimenez, an HC-130P airborne mission systems specialist, both deployed to the 79th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, go over flight information April 10, 2010, at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez, U.S. Air Force/Released)

Burning sensitive papers

William Northcutt, left, and U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class James Hines, both from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers – Afghanistan’s Engineering Division North, burn sensitive papers in a burn barrel at Forward Operating Base Ghazni, Afghanistan, April 4, 2010. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. JT May III, U.S. Air Force/Released)

Deputy Secretary Discusses U.S.-Australia Alliance & Cyber Security

  
U.S. officials are "very satisfied" with the contributions Australia is making in Afghanistan and will not ask the nation for more troops in the country According to a report by Jim Garamone of American Forces Press Service on Feb. 13, 2010 from Sydney Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said during an interview.

Lynn is visiting Australia to meet with government, civic and business leaders about expanding the U.S.–Australia alliance to face new threats.         Australia has 1,550 troops committed to the battle in Afghanistan – mostly in Oruzgan province in Regional Command South. The province is thought to be the birthplace of Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Australia has lost 11 service members in the fighting in Afghanistan.       Even though a surge of new troops is moving into Afghanistan, the United States has no intention of asking Australia for more forces, the deputy secretary told Annabel McGilvray of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.      He said the alliance with Australia is critical to the United States. President Barack Obama's planned visit to Australia next month points to the significance of the alliance to the United States and will serve to re-affirm America's commitment to it, the deputy secretary added. Lynn praised the adaptability of the U.S.-Australia alliance.     "We've fought together side by side in all of the major wars in the last century, and now we're fighting side by side in Afghanistan in a very different war, but a very important one," Lynn said. "One of the reasons I'm here this week is to talk about collaboration in a new area – cyber-security – where we have a common understanding of the threats and can work together to meet those threats."      Lynn noted that the Internet itself is only 20 years old, and that governments around the world still are trying to develop appropriate doctrines. In the United States, these doctrines proceed on at least three levels, he said.     "We need at the individual user level good hygiene – you just need to download all of the appropriate patches and make sure your security is up to speed," he explained. "You also need a second layer which is a string of firewalls and intrusion-detection devices. And then you need a layer that I call more active defenses, which is an ability for governments to understand and then counter the kinds of more malicious threats that might be out there against both government and critical private-sector computers."    In January, Google officials came forward about sophisticated cyber attacks aimed at the firm's source code and Gmail accounts of Chinese human-rights activists around the world. While Google officials couldn't say the Chinese government was behind the attacks, they did say other American firms were the victims of such attacks in the past.   "One of the things about that threat is people have often focused on the immediate damage that a cyber attack or intrusion might do – that it might bring down a power grid or do damage to a financial network or something like that," Lynn said. "And those are things we need to worry about. But the Google threat is much more the theft of intellectual property.   "The U.S. and Australian economies thrive on the strength of the kinds of intellectual developments our societies have made," he continued, "and we need to be able to protect those from theft on the Internet and elsewhere. That's one of the new avenues that the cyber threat poses." Governments need to collaborate against the threat, Lynn said, because the Internet knows no national boundaries, and what is a threat against Google in the United States now could be threat to international companies elsewhere within nanoseconds. "As we see the kinds of threats and develop the means to address them, we can share that warning, we can share technology, we can share approaches," Lynn said. "We need a broad set of collaborative international agreements to address the nature of that threat." The idea is moving forward. Last year, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia signed an agreement of principle on the cyber threat, and the countries are looking to expand the collaboration. The U.S.-Australian alliance began more than 100 years ago, and now it needs to move into more current areas – Afghanistan, cybersecurity and counterpiracy, Lynn said, adding that U.S. and Australian leaders must be open to new ideas and practices for the future.

Biographies: William J. Lynn III  Related Articles: Lynn Seeks Australian Cooperation in Cybersecurity  Lynn Seeks Ways to Strengthen U.S.-Australia Pact

Medical Teams Render Aid After Afghanistan Avalanches

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Richard Williams Special to American Forces Press Service BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan :  Coalition forces, volunteers and Afghan doctors are working to render medical care and assistance in the wake of a series of avalanches that struck a high pass in Afghanistan's Parwan province Feb. 8 and 9. Air Force Master Sgt. Jan Fink holds a young avalanche survivor who was medically evacuated to Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 9, 2010. Dozens of Afghans were taken to Bagram Airfield after avalanches struck a mountain pass in Parwan province. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeromy K. Cross  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The avalanches reportedly killed or injured hundreds of Afghan travelers and have cut off a major route between Kabul and northern Afghanistan. Afghan doctors and coalition members of Task Force Medical East, 82nd Airborne, 30th Medical Command and the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group, along with volunteers from here, are aiding the survivors. The initial call was received by the Task Force Medical East Tactical Operations Center at 3:28 a.m., notifying staff members of the avalanche. At the time, about 150 people were trapped with helicopter evacuation as the only means of exit, said Army 1st Sgt. Brian Fassler, from the task force. By 12:50 p.m., 60 to 70 patients were inbound to the airfield here. The hospital staff began to prepare for a possible mass casualty situation. Within 45 minutes, Craig Joint Theater Hospital here went from a 41-bed facility to a more than 100-bed facility, equipped and ready to receive patients. Hospital staff members prepared for surge operations that required a quick reaction force to implement proper security measures for the hospital and to prepare additional assistance areas for a mass influx of patients, said Air Force Capt. James McDaniel, medical readiness officer for the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group and Task Force Medical. Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne and 30th Medical Command set up a triage unit at the airfield's passenger terminal to assess care needs and to ensure the hospital wasn't flooded with a large number of minimal-care patients. Once initial assessments were made, those needing hospital care were loaded onto busses and transported to the hospital, Fassler said. Remaining patients were transported to an area where they received further assistance from coalition staff members. With a battlefield injury, the patient normally comes directly from the field to the medical facility, Fassler said. "We perform various battle drills that prepare us for these types of situations," he said. "This is unique because we are receiving patients from an event that happened seven hours ago and they will be clinically cold and some have varying phases of hypothermia and frostbite so this is a complete non-battlefield-related injury situation." The highly trained staff at the medical facility is prepared to receive as many patients as are sent, Fassler said, but the real challenge is transporting the patients from a remote location with avalanche-covered roads and no clear places to land helicopters. In addition to the Craig Hospital staff, medical and nonmedical volunteers flooded the area to assist with patient care, litter carry, security and a host of other duties. A group of Afghan medical professionals also were vital in assisting the injured, McDaniel noted. Local Afghan doctors with varying backgrounds, from internal medicine to an orthopedic surgeon, had been participating in a trauma mentorship program at the hospital and stepped in to provide care to many of the patients. "This experience is important so they can see how we prepare for medical emergencies of this magnitude," McDaniel said. The Afghan medical professionals also were valuable as interpreters and cultural liaisons to the patients, he noted. "For some of the patients coming from remote areas of Afghanistan, this may be their first and only interaction with coalition forces," the captain said. "The importance lies in the fact that we are professional and sensitive to their cultural needs. The assistance we receive from the Afghans helps to convey the respect and professionalism these people need and deserve." The response truly was a team effort, Fassler said. "We have had doctors and medics from all over the post coming to assist, and that is important because this was a Bagram Airfield-wide emergency, not just a Craig Joint Hospital issue," he said. Army Lt. Col. Joe Marsiglia, tactical operations director for Task Force Medical East, said he was impressed with the response. "I was amazed with the amount of assistance received from all of the units here, not just the medical personnel assigned to the hospital," he said. "When the call went out, we had volunteers from everywhere and were having to redirect assistance." No matter how much preparation goes into a training scenario, Marsiglia said, nothing prepares peoples for such large-scale situations. The response and support from all coalition agencies was top notch, he said. (Air Force Staff Sgt. Richard Williams serves with the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs.)

Related Sites: NATO International Security Assistance Force

Afghan Dr. Abdul Rasheed and Air Force Senior Airman Katrevious Swift talk with an avalanche survivor at Craig Joint Theater Hospital on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 9, 2010. Dozens of Afghans were taken to Bagram Airfield after avalanches struck a mountain pass in Parwan province. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeromy K. Cross