Could drawdown in Afghanistan begin with Marines in Helmand?
March 31st, 2011 | Afghanistan Infantry Leadership MEU operations | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Members of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, cross a newly constructed bridge built by 8th Engineer Support Battalion in January. The district is one part of Afghanistan in which security has improved. (Photo by Sgt. Brandon M. Owen)
Last week during an interview with Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, the outgoing Marine commander of Regional Command-Southwest, I asked for his thoughts on something hanging over everyone’s head in Afghanistan: The planned drawdown of U.S. forces.
It was the kind of question I asked because it’s what people in my job are supposed to do, even though there’s an understanding he couldn’t answer it directly. Here were his thoughts:
That decision will be made at a level much above mine. The way I see it, there will be a thinning out, a gradual reduction of coalition forces within a given area and a gradual turnover of security and responsibility. Rather than having a band and parade out of town, I think we’ll do it as a gradual process until one day people look around and say, ‘Hey didn’t Marines used to be around here somewhere?’ Again, the number of forces will depend on a number of high-level decisions. We’re anticipating being able to take some of that dividend and being able to apply it to other places within the province, the fringes of the province, where we could use some more forces. The border jumps out at you. It’s a big issue, a big problem, and there’s a lot of terrain down there.
That measured response doesn’t exactly square with all the options reportedly being discussed at International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul and at the White House, according to a story in this morning’s Washington Post. It reports that President Obama is still eyeing a “meaningful” withdrawal in Afghanistan beginning this July, and Helmand province — better known to some as Marine-istan — is one of the regions in play.
Rajiv Chandrasekaran has more:
Two senior military officials said one set of options being developed by staff officers in Kabul involves three choices: the removal of almost no forces; the withdrawal of a few thousand support personnel, including headquarters staff, engineers and logisticians; and the pullout of a brigade’s worth of troops — about 5,000 personnel— by culling a battalion of Marines in Helmand province that was added after the surge, a contingent of soldiers training Afghan security forces and an Army infantry battalion in either the country’s east or far west.
The officers said Petraeus had not approved the list. They said they expected that a version of the support-personnel withdrawal, perhaps with some combat forces added to the mix, would be the most likely recommendation.
“Our hope is that we’ll be able to get away with no combat troops getting pulled out this summer,” one of the officers said. “But we recognize that may not be possible.”
The Pentagon is hoping to increase its flexibility by dispatching in April an equivalent-size unit to replace a 750-strong Marine battalion that arrived in Helmand in January for a three-month deployment, the officers said. Although those battalions are not part of the 30,000-troop surge, commanders may seek to count their departure as part of the July drawdown.
Those details raise plenty of questions about what’s coming.
First, how will Marine commanders in Helmand plan for the departure of Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines? The Post story doesn’t label the unit, but it certainly would appear to be the “750-strong Marine battalion” that officers mentioned. About 1,400 Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., deployed from Navy ships to Afghanistan in January, and Mills said it’s still expected they will “return home in time,” which would remove them from Afghanistan soon.
Second, will that be good enough for the White House? The MEU wasn’t a part of the initial 30,000-troop surge announced in December 2009, which included an additional 8,500 Marine forces. How long will it take until improving districts in Helmand like Garmser and Nawa are targeted for drawdowns, too?
3/2 Marines replace 1/8 in Musa Qala, Now Zad
March 30th, 2011 | Afghanistan Infantry | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Sgt. Jim Shevlin, a civil affairs Marine with 4th Civil Affairs Group, posts security while other civil affairs Marines interact with the populous of Now Zad, Afghanistan, last month. 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, has taken over for 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, as the primary unit in the area. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Clayton Vonderahe)
Last weekend, I pointed out in a lengthy story posted here that there would be a fair amount of transition for Marine units in Afghanistan in coming weeks.
One piece of that transition that already occurred is the swap from 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, in Musa Qala, Now Zad and other pieces of northern Helmand province. Both Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based units were in Afghanistan until recently, but 1/8 has been returning in waves to Lejeune all week, according to Basetrack, the social media project that covered most of 1/8′s deployment.
Musa Qala and Now Zad are both safer than they were a few years ago, when Marines nicknamed the latter district “Apocalypse Now Zad.” The Marine Corps wrestled control of the area back from the Taliban in summer 2009 during Operation Khanjar, and it has slowly progressed since.
That’s not to say that that work is complete, though. One example: The Associated Press reported this month that an airstrike was called in Musa Qala on March 4, killing 11 insurgents, including a leader of insurgent forces in Sangin.
The 1/8 deployment was notable not only for the work the Marines did, but for the Basetrack project that covered it. As Danger Room outlined in a post earlier this month, Marine officials eventually pulled the plug on it, upsetting many family members.
As coalition troops depart, an uncertain future in Lashkar Gah
March 29th, 2011 | Afghanistan Leadership | Posted by Dan Lamothe
If you check out the above video clip, you’ll see Farzana Naz, a female singer with a large following in Afghanistan. She recently performed before more than 10,000 people in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.
The concert was cited last week by Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, the outgoing Marine commander in Regional Command-Southwest, as an example of progress in the war-torn region. The event was an obvious possible target for the Taliban, but was held without any major incidents, Mills said in an exclusive interview with Marine Corps Times. Better yet, that success occurred with Afghan security forces running the show, Mills said:
They estimated the crowd at 15,000. I think it was probably 10, but regardless, it was a heck of a crowd. They were all having a good time, they had some women in the audience, young guys doing what they do at concerts – kind of goofing on each other – it was just a really positive experience. Once again, we were concerned about security and the Afghan police and army were in charge, and there were no incidents at all. It went on so well, in fact, they decided to repeat the event the following night, and there were no problems.
These are things that the insurgent wants to break up. These are things he despises, because it shows everything he is against. So, I think Lashkar Gah is in real good shape, and ready for the transition process, and I think, as you know, there are other places within the province – places like Nawa and Garmser – where the conditions are rapidly improving and getting ready.
The transition piece of Mills’ comment comes into play because Lashkar Gah has been selected to be one of the first areas of Afghanistan in which coalition troops will hand over control to Afghan forces. British troops currently oversee the area, which has been largely peaceful in recent months.
Things aren’t always smooth, however. While the concert was void of significant violence, there was a commotion because Naz, the singer, did not wear a headscarf and flashed her bare arms. Men rushed to the stage, and Afghan forces needed to keep them in check with batons raised, the BBC reported.
The story also notes that while they have improved, there are still large flaws in the Afghan police. They are still poorly supplied by their country, and smoke hashish at night, the BBC reported.
The concert in Lashkar Gah also has had ramifications. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai removed Abdul Satar Mirzakwal, Helmand province’s deputy governor, from office after tribal elders complained the performances were inappropriate, the BBC reported.
By many accounts, things have improved in Lashkar Gah. Public punishments and executions were held there only a few years ago in the same stadium in which the concert is held, for one. Mills called it “de facto transitioned” already in his interview with Marine Corps Times.
Still, it’ll be interesting to see how the transition goes. It’s just a few dozen miles from many former Taliban strongholds, including Sangin, where Marines expect to face more attacks this spring. If Lashkar Gah is considered a model community ready for transition, the next few months there bear watching for everyone concerned about events in southern Afghanistan.
Behind the Cover: Your new boots
March 29th, 2011 | Battle Rattle | Posted by James Sanborn
This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story delves into the Corps’ plans to replace your Infantry Combat Boot with the Rugged All Terrain boot. Until now, RAT boots have mostly been issued to Marines deploying to Afghanistan, but in 2012 they will become standard issue.
The RAT boot was developed after current boots proved unable to hold up to the rugged terrain and harsh conditions Marines were fighting in. With reinforced leather and stitch-down construction that better bonds the sole to the rest of the boot, the RAT boot will last longer in garrison and down range.
But while it’s billed as more durable and comfier, the switch means you will no longer be able to choose from one of the many different ICBs currently in use. All RAT boots will be produced to look and feel the same with only slight differences between the temperate- and hot-weather versions.
To learn more about your new boot, pick up this week’s Marine Corps Times. Or, subscribe here.
Nominate your Marine of the Year
March 29th, 2011 | Battle Rattle | Posted by Tony Lombardo
Marine Corps Times is looking for heroes. Not the types who make headlines for combat exploits, but the quiet, everyday heroes whose dedication, professionalism, and concern for their fellow service members and community set a standard for us all.
They are unsung heroes who lead by example — giving their time, sharing their knowledge and inspiring others — without drawing much attention to themselves.
Through April 22, we are accepting nominations for the 11th annual award from their peers, supervisors, family members and/or friends.
There are three ways to nominate — online, by mail or fax. Provide:
* Your name (nominator), address, phone number and e-mail address.
* The name, address, phone number and e-mail address of the nominee and his/her unit commander.
* An explanation of why your nominee deserves this award, in 300 words or less.
* Names and contact information for three people who can verify the nominee’s achievements that took place in 2010.
For Online submissions, go here.
* By e-mail at marine@marinecorpstimes.com.
* By fax to Marine Corps Times Marine of the Year Award at 703-642-7325.
* By mail to Marine Corps Times Marine of the Year Award, 6883 Commercial Dr., Springfield, VA 22159.
The awards presentation will take place in mid-July on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Meet Maj. Gen. John Toolan, your new Afghanistan commander
March 28th, 2011 | Afghanistan General officers Infantry Leadership | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Maj. Gen. John Toolan addresses Marines after taking over as the head of Regional Command-Southwest on Saturday. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Pomrenke)
As Marine Corps Times forecasted in a story Saturday morning, Maj. Gen. John Toolan has taken over as commander of II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) and Regional Command-Southwest. The transfer of authority from Maj. Gen. Richard Mills and I MEF (Fwd.) puts Toolan in charge of more than 20,000 Marines, primarily in volatile Helmand province.
I had the opportunity to interview Mills last week by telephone before he stepped down as commander. He was candid in offering perspective on where things have improved, but also warned that Marines will face another push from the insurgency this spring.
“He defended all of last year and he lost,” Mills said of the average insurgent fighter. “Now he’s run out of places to defend, so he’s going to have to figure out ways to counterattack. Our job is to stay one step ahead of him and figure out what that counterattack means, and how it will be accomplished. We’re prepared across the board with that, to counter him no matter what he brings.”
With Toolan taking over as the top Marine commander in Afghanistan, now seems like a good time to provide some context. Here’s five things to know about the general:
1. He’s a combat veteran: Toolan is no stranger to commanding troops in combat. In fact, he commanded Regimental Combat Team 1 as a colonel in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. As outlined in this PBS profile, he had just assumed command when four private security contractors with Blackwater were ambushed and murdered in the city on March 31, 2004. Their bodies were hung from bridges.
These comments from Toolan in the PBS interview are illuminating:
I arrived around March 22 or so, and this was 10 days before we were going to take control of the area — transfer of authority, they call it.
And when I arrived we went into Fallujah, and on our way into Fallujah we were ambushed. Rockets, RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades], small arms. They threw the whole thing at us. So we fought our way through, which is basically just to push our way through. We really didn’t stop and address the ambush, which we started doing more of later on.
But then we went in, but we were going into a meeting, a city council meeting. So when we got in there, we were there for about 20 minutes, and the security team outside was attacked — rockets, mortars. I had about five casualties at that point that I had to medevac out.
2. He was picked for the job: It’s no accident that Toolan has this command. He was selected to be the commander of 2nd Marine Division, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., and took over last July, one month before II MEF (Fwd.) headquarters was established.
3. He knows Gen. Mattis well: As commander of RC-Southwest, Toolan will be working closely with Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Afghanistan, and Gen. Jim Mattis, the head of U.S. Central Command.
At the very least, he certainly has worked with Mattis before. In April 2003, during the early stages of the Iraq war, Mattis — then commander of 1st Marine Division, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. — relieved Col. Joe Dowdy as commander of 1st Marine Regiment and installed Toolan. As pointed out in this LA Times story, Toolan was viewed at the time as ”a hard-charging commander who had been intimately involved in the division’s battle plan” and who was close to Mattis.
4. He speaks his mind: Toolan doesn’t pull punches when speaking to Marines. Here’s what he had to stay when II MEF (Fwd.) was stood up last August:
We need Marines who will put their teeth into the bad guys and not let go. No problem; our Marines will do that. But we also have to work with people. We’re going there to secure and serve the population; the people of Afghanistan are the center of gravity.
Toolan also spoke up when the Corps stopped requiring that the dress blue uniform be worn to notify families of casualties. The service ultimately decided to make the dress service alpha uniform standard for casualty notification, with dress blues allowed with approval from higher command. Toolan said casualty notification is a solemn event that deserves full honors.
5. He’s a family man: Toolan’s official biography notes that he has three children. They include Capt. Sean Toolan, who was born while the general was a company commander with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton <strike>Twentynine Palms</strike>, Calif.
UPDATE: Toolan spoke briefly during the change of command ceremony Saturday in Afghanistan. Video is posted here.
UPDATE 2: An oversight on my part: 2/7 was based at Camp Pendleton when Toolan served with the unit. It was relocated to Twentynine Palms in 1990.
MEU in Afghanistan will be ‘back home on time,’ general says
March 24th, 2011 | Afghanistan Infantry MEU operations Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Lance Cpl. Jamenson C. Burgess, of Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, provides security during a patrol in Amanollah Kariz, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Feb. 13. (Photo by Sgt. Jesse Johnson/Marine Corps)
Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, commander of Marine forces in Afghanistan, took 30 minutes out of his busy schedule yesterday morning to discuss the state of his area of operations and the progress Marines have made there.
Much of it will appear in a story in the print edition of Marine Corps Times next week, but I wanted to post one piece of news now: Marines who split off the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge in January to deploy to Afghanistan won’t likely be there much longer.
In an exclusive phone interview, Mills said BLT 3/8 is “going to keep on their timeline.”
“They’ll be back home on time, and we’ll see how we’ll go from there,” he said. “I know the other half of their MEU is busy off the coast of Libya, and I’m sure there’s work to be done in other parts of the world, so I think they’re going to be busy on their way home.”
Mills declined to discuss future operations and the timeline, but most of BLT 3/8 arrived in Afghanistan in January on what was believed to be an assignment lasting only a few months.
The general credited them with allowing combat engineers to speed up the construction of a highway, Route 611, from central Helmand province to Sangin district, the site of violent fighting in the fall. They deployed primarily to the upper Gereshk Valley, found in between Sangin and Lashkar Gah, the province’s capital.
“Their presence there in that area took a lot of pressure off those road builders and, again, disrupted the enemy in an area where he had not expected to see coalition forces,” Mills said. “It was one of his few remaining hideouts, if you will, within the province. Because of the fact that you only have them for a short period of time, we’re not in a hold phase with those troops, but we’re doing some clearance and some disruptions. But, it’s had a significant, significant impact.”
BLT 3/8 has worked heavily with Delta Company, 1st Tank Battalion, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. The rest of the MEU remains off the coast of Libya, but Lejeune’s 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit will deploy soon and could relieve the 22nd MEU.
Krulak to soccer players: “kick the crap” out of opponents
March 22nd, 2011 | General officers | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
Former Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Charles Krulak has just been named president of Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Ala., but he’s making noise across the Atlantic of another kind as he gives the players of the Aston Villa Football Club a pep talk worthy of his four stars.
In a Guardian article Tuesday, Krulak, who is a non-executive director of the Birmingham, England, soccer team, told his players on a fan forum called Villa Talk that “when my Marines put on their uniforms and the emblem of the Corps and went into battle and things got tough, they did not fight for their commander, they fought for their brothers-in-arms, the men wearing their uniform and emblem.”
He said he would expect the same of his soccer players.
“What we need now is to quit pointing fingers and everyone look at the claret and blue of our kit and the badge they are wearing and go out and kick the crap out of the next teams we play until the end of the season!”
The team is owned by American Randy Lerner, who also owns the Cleveland Browns, according to Forbes. Lerner is the son of Al Lerner, who founded credit card and banking company MBNA Corp., where Krulak worked as an executive after leaving the Corps.
As president of Birmingham-Southern, he said in published reports, he will forego his first year’s salary to show his commitment to the college’s fiscal health.
This is only the latest in a long and fruitful career for the 31st commandant of the Marine Corps, who retired in June 1999 after more than 35 years in uniform.
Aside from a successful tenure as a senior official at MBNA Europe Bank and MBNA America Bank, Krulak has also served as chairman of the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors, a presidential appointment, and he now serves as co-chairman of the founders group of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, which raised more than $150 million for the first phase of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va.
A dyed-in-the-wool warrior, Krulak served two tours of duty in Vietnam and in 1991 led Marines during Operation Desert Storm. His father, Lt. Gen. Victor Krulak served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam and was a recipient of the Navy Cross for actions in World War II.
Behind the cover: New Purple Heart policy
March 22nd, 2011 | Behind the Cover | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
If you visited Marine Corps Times online around the middle of last week, you may have seen our initial report introducing the commandant’s effort to re-evaluate how Purple Hearts are awarded to wounded Marines. In this week’s print edition, on newsstands now, we kick the can significantly farther down the road, laying out in greater detail how the plan is expected to take shape and why thousands of Marines — past and present — could soon to qualify for a medal if they suffered a concussion or other form of mild traumatic brain injury in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Are you or someone you know among them?
For many who’ve suffered a TBI, this is a passionate issue. We spoke with one Marine, wounded in an explosion in Baghdad not long after the start of combat ops there, who was never recognized for his injury, which to this day causes frustrating and embarrassing memory lapses. Another Marine, who received a Purple Heart for a TBI he sustained recently in Afghanistan, worries that expanding eligibility will make the medal too common to also award to those killed in action.
Where do you stand?
Get the complete story in this week’s Marine Corps Times. You can subscribe here.
1/23 Marines take over for 3/25 in Afghanistan
March 21st, 2011 | Afghanistan Camp Leatherneck Infantry Marjah Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Lt. Col. Lawrence J. Kaifesh, battalion commander of Ohio-based 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, speaks to Marines on March 19. (Marine Corps photo)
It’s a time of change in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Marines at Camp Leatherneck are in the midst of a transition from I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) to II MEF Fwd. The change of command from Maj. Gen. Richard Mills to Maj. Gen. John Toolan hasn’t occurred yet, but it likely will soon. First Marine Division (Fwd.), commanded by Brig. Gen. Joseph Osterman, already has stepped down in favor of 2nd MARDIV Fwd. That unit is known in Afghanistan as Task Force Leatherneck, and will be commanded for the next year by Brig. Gen. Lewis Craparotta.
The transition doesn’t end there, though. First Battalion, 23rd Marines, out of Houston, Texas, has taken over for 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, out of Brook Park, Ohio. Marines with 1/23 will handle a variety of missions, including providing security at Leatherneck, the main hub of Marine operations in southern Afghanistan, Marine officials said.
Third Battalion, 25th Marines has been spread across Helmand and Nimroz provinces, with missions in Sangin, Marjah, Delaram and other districts.