The Afghan Transition Challenge: Where is the US Pakistan Strategy?

10/10/2012
2012-10-10 by Richard Weitz After almost a decade of fighting, American politicians are eager to reduce their military, financial, and other costly support for the Kabul government. Relations between the Barack Obama administration and Afghan President Hamid Karzai remain strained, as confirmed most recently in the testy remarks by U.S. Defense…

Afghanistan in Transition: The Danish Role

10/03/2012
10/03/2012: As 2014 approaches, the date which ISAF has earmarked to handover security responsibility to the Afghan forces, the Danes, although still involved in ground operations, are focusing more of their efforts on mentoring and training the Afghan army and police. Captain Strunge, Officer in charge of Danish Mentors, RC…

Providing Leadership in the Afghan War: In the Words of a USMC Hero

09/26/2012
2012-09-26 We have received the Command Guidance which was issued by Lt. Col. Raible during his time as CO of VMA-211. And we are reprinting it here. The words speak for themselves as to what time of man, leader and Marine he was. [caption id="attachment_45106" align="alignnone" width="198"] Landing at Camp…

The Emergence of a New European Map: France, the U.S. and the Future of Europe

07/04/2012
7/4/12: On Tuesday, June 26, 2012, the Hudson Institute hosted a lunchtime talk of former senior military officers and civilian national security policy makers to discuss security developments in Europe and Afghanistan. Among the guests were Lieutenant General (retired) Jean-Patrick Gaviard, French civilian strategists Olivier Zajec and Murielle Delaporte, and…

With the French Forces In Afghanistan: At Crucial Point of Transition

06/26/2012
06/26/12: Second Line of Defense’s Murielle Delaporte recently spent ten days with the French forces in Afghanistan on the ground.   We interviewed her today by phone, just after her return to Paris.  She returned on the same plane with the dead and wounded from the Taliban terrorist attack in Kapisa.…

Sierra Nevada Sues the USAF: Super Tucano Showing Up in Afghanistan?

06/12/2012
6/12/12: By Ed Timperlake In the same week that Second Line of Defense’s own Murielle Delaporte returned from Afghanistan with the dead and wounded from a recent Taliban terrorist attack on the French forces, a lawsuit was filed against the Secretary of the US Air Force. https://www.sldinfo.com/with-the-french-forces-in-afghanistan-at-crucial-point-of-transition/ How are these…

2nd MAW Forward: The Role of Airpower in the Afghan Operation

04/16/2012
April 16, 2012 During the visit to 2nd Marine Corps Air Wing in early March 2012, Second Line of Defense had an opportunity to sit down with General Walters to discuss his recent experience in Afghanistan. As commander of air operations for 2nd MAW (Forward), Walters had an opportunity to…