Rao bulletin 1 August 2017 html edition
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- What would happen if the United States totally disengaged from Afghanistan Navy Capt. William Salvin, spokesman for the U.S. military in Afghanistan
- Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban
- Davood Moradian, director of the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies
- Hashemi Nezhad, political analyst, researcher and writer
- Hameedullah Tokhi, lawmaker from restive, southern Zabul province
- Ahmad Shah, 57, taxi driver
- USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) Update 02 ► Preliminary Findings
- Remembering the seven USS Fitzgerald sailors
- USS John Finn (DDG-113) ► C ommissioned 15 JUL 2017
Afghanistan War ► What Would Happen If U.S. Pulled Out The United States' longest war doesn't look like it will end anytime soon. Sixteen years have passed. Nearly 2,400 U.S. troops have died. More than $700 billion has been spent. But talk of “winning” is scarce.The goal now seems more akin to “not losing.” The Taliban is present in nearly half the country's districts, and the group regularly attacks Kabul and provincial capitals. A fledgling Islamic State affiliate is proving hard to eliminate in the mountainous east. The popularity of the American mission here has eroded into cynicism as the war grinds on. Afghan civilians and security forces are dying in record numbers — and more than 600 civilians were killed by NATO or government-aligned forces last year. Casualties among Afghan security forces soared by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to U.S. government watchdog SIGAR. Perpetual conflict and lack of opportunity are driving thousands of Afghan youths to either flee the country or join militant groups. Discontent with the government and the revival of ethnic rivalries are threatening to plunge the country into political chaos, or worse. Regional powers such as Iran, Pakistan and Russia advance their own strategic interests in Afghanistan, often at the cost of American objectives. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and President Trump's national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, are leading a White House review of Afghanistan policy. The United States currently has around 8,800 troops here, down from a high of more than 100,000 in 2011. The debate has been intensely fractious within the administration, with Trump particularly skeptical of his advisers' plan for a modest troop increase and a multiyear commitment to the war — essentially par for the course. Given the way the war is going, many Americans may be wondering why their government is still in Afghanistan at all. With that in mind, The Washington Post's Kabul bureau asked a variety of people here — from the Taliban's spokesman to provincial politicians to taxi drivers to the press officer for the U.S. military — this question: What would happen if the United States totally disengaged from Afghanistan? Navy Capt. William Salvin, spokesman for the U.S. military in Afghanistan If the U.S. and NATO were to leave Afghanistan, it will leave a void that would be exploited by the 20 terrorist and violent extremist organizations that are based in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region. That is a higher concentration of terror groups than anyplace in the world. Those groups would seek to both destabilize Afghanistan and organize and launch attacks against the U.S. and the West. Those terror groups would also work to destabilize the legitimate government of Afghanistan that is fighting to bring peace and stability to the country. Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban It will be cause of salvage for both Afghans and America, if Americans withdraw and put an end to the occupation. It will prevent further loss of its manpower and economy and lead in ending America's longest war in history and decline of America's prestige globally. From the other side, this will be a means of salvage for us Afghans, too; the war will possibly end here, Afghans will unite and will create a sound Islamic establishment. Therefore, if America's occupation comes to an end, it means that the problem between the two nations will end, too. Davood Moradian, director of the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies Disengagement would result in the partition of the country into regions akin to “Somalia” and “Somaliland.” The Pashtun heartland will resemble the former and the central, northern and western regions the latter. In this scenario, Pakistan revives its strategic depth by creating a “Grand Waziristan,” comprising of Pashtun-dominated border regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Russia will consolidate its reign over Central Asian states. Should Afghan and regional players fail to manage this scenario, then the Pashtun heartland will revert to an Islamist, Sunni, Pashtun caliphate where attacks on the West could be launched. Hashemi Nezhad, political analyst, researcher and writer Afghanistan relies on foreign aid entirely. If the United States pulls out of the country, the government will collapse and inter-factional political and military conflicts will ruin all the achievements the country attained since 2001. Hameedullah Tokhi, lawmaker from restive, southern Zabul province The U.S. military presence in Afghanistan has earned the government here enmity of the entire region such as Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Central Asia, who all support the Taliban now. We do not want the U.S. to remain forever in Afghanistan and defend us, but to leave in a responsible manner, without any fallout. Premature disengagement or departure will mean 100 percent failure of the United States not only in Afghanistan, but globally. It will be forced to end its military missions across the world and will mean a defeat similar to the one the former Soviet Union faced not only in Afghanistan, but in the world stage. The Soviet Union disintegrated after the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Ahmad Shah, 57, taxi driver If Trump chooses to pull the troops out of Afghanistan, the likely scenario will be another big war involving factional leaders, backed by our neighbors. It will be a disaster for us and also for the United States. Leaving without winning the war certainly means defeat. It will damage America's prestige in the world. [Source: Washington Post | Max Bearak | July 26, 2017 ++] *********************** USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) Update 02 ► Preliminary Findings Preliminary findings in the investigation into the collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a Philippine cargo ship off the coast of Japan in June suggest the accident was caused by multiple errors by the Fitzgerald's crew and a failure to take action in the minutes leading to the collision, according to two defense officials. "They did nothing until the last second," one official said. "A slew of things went wrong." A second official said the crash "will wind up being our (the US Navy's) fault." The collision between the Fitzgerald, a guided-missile destroyer, and the ACX Crystal on 17 JUN claimed the lives of seven US sailors. It took place 56 nautical miles off the coast of Honshu, Japan, in an area heavily traveled by commercial shipping. The initial findings are just the first stage in what is expected to be a lengthy inquiry. Both officials said the initial investigation found that the Fitzgerald crew failed to understand and acknowledge the cargo ship was approaching and failed to take any action necessary to avoid the collision. It's also not clear if the crew ever called the commanding officer to come to the bridge. The officials say investigators are also looking at the possibility that the ship was traveling at a higher speed than expected to reach a location it was due to arrive at the next day. The preliminary findings will now be reviewed by the 7th Fleet commander, Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, even as the investigation continues and they are likely to lead to recommendations about potential punishment. The ongoing investigation is known inside the Navy as a "dual purpose" review, meaning it is both fact finding and will address the accountability of various service members. In addition to the US Navy, the US Coast Guard and Japanese naval and maritime authorities are all conducting investigations. The Navy issued a statement from Rear Admiral Dawn Cutler, US Navy chief of information, responding to CNN's reporting on Friday: "We are in the early stages of the investigation process to develop a comprehensive picture of what caused the collision and do not have any definitive information to release at this time. It is premature to speculate on causation or any other issues. Once we have a detailed understanding of the facts and circumstances, we will share those findings with the Fitzgerald families, our congressional oversight committees and the general public." The two ships collided on the Fitzgerald's starboard side directly next to the berthing area, where sailors sleep. The impact ripped the Fitzgerald open and caused water to pour in. Top Navy officials have said since the beginning that the catastrophe could have been even worse, with the possibility the ship potentially could have sunk with the crew on board. "Heroic efforts prevented the flooding from catastrophically spreading which could have caused the ship to founder or sink," Aucoin said at a press conference the day after the collision. 
Remembering the seven USS Fitzgerald sailors Photos released by the Navy show extensive damage below the water line on the starboard side where the ship was hit. "The ship suffered severe damage rapidly flooding three large compartments that included one machine room and two berthing areas for 116 crew," Aucoin said. "The commanding officer's cabin was also directly hit, trapping the CO inside." The ship's commander, Bryce Benson, was so badly injured that once freed he had to be medevaced off the ship by the Japanese Coast Guard. [Source: CNN Pentagon Correspondent | Barbara Starr | July 21, 2017 ++] *********************** USS John Finn (DDG-113) ► Commissioned 15 JUL 2017 Just over 75 years ago, John Finn manned a machine gun for two hours firing at Japanese planes strafing him and attacking Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay on Oahu. On the other side of the island a fleet of aircraft laid waste to Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor during the Dec. 7, 1941, attack. On the windward side the island, planes ravaged Finn’s body with almost two dozen wounds. A Marine Corps chief aviation ordnanceman, Finn was awarded the first Medal of Honor of World War II. He survived the attack and his wounds, living to the ripe age of 100 when he died in 2010. 
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