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Dunford was scheduled to meet with coalition leaders and forces as well as Afghan officials, according to his spokesman US Navy Capt. Greg Hicks.

His trip also comes as the US is deciding whether to deploy thousands more troops to help bolster local forces as they battle the Taliban and ISIS' local branch.

While Secretary of Defense James Mattis told Congress earlier this month that a new strategy for Afghanistan and the wider region, to include Pakistan, should be formulated by "mid-July," President Donald Trump has already given Mattis the authority to make decisions about how many US troops are deployed to Afghanistan without first having to get formal agreement from the White House.

The Pentagon and White House have been reviewing an option to send 3,000 to 5,000 additional US troops to help train and advise Afghan forces.

Mattis has said that these additional American military advisers will allow coalition forces to more effectively support Afghan troops on the battlefield while also helping to provide close air support that he said would give government troops a major advantage over the insurgents.

Defense officials have said that the number of advisers currently in Afghanistan is insufficient to support Afghan units on the front lines, and that coalition troops are largely relegated to advising at divisional headquarters.

It is possible that a decision on additional US forces could be made prior to an overall change in strategy in order to bolster the Afghan military as it faces an uptick in battles typically associated with the summer "fighting season" in Afghanistan.

But other officials have said that a decision on troops will be tied to the Pentagon's ongoing broader military strategic review which is focused on both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

There are currently about 8,400 US troops devoted to Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan, which encompasses both US counter terrorism forces to fight ISIS and the Taliban as well as a separate effort to train, advise and assist Afghan forces.

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America's top military officer arrives in Afghanistan as US weighs strategy shift - CNN

The high point of Information Systems Technician 1st Class (IW/EXW) Justin Sullivans Navy career was a four-year tour with Navy Special Warfare Group Twos mobile communication team, deploying alongside the elite SEALs all over the world including Afghanistan, where he served two combat tours at remote operating bases.

I started out in the Navy as a four-year guy, Sullivan told Navy Times.Truthfully, being from Wyoming, there wasnt a whole lot out there and part of the reason I joined was to get out of the state and see the world, he said.

My plan was to go to college, but I couldnt afford it. Then my school had a National Guard recruiter come in and he was talking about free college in the military and that got me thinking that I wanted to serve my country and get my degree, so I joined the Navy.

But along the way, something changed for the now-10-year sailor from Gillette, Wyoming.

I was fortunate to have a senior chief at my first command who had already done a tour in mobile communications for special warfare and he thought I might like it, too,Sullivansaid. Once I got there, the type of training, the type of people in that community and the deployments that was my light bulb moment I realized this is what I want to do with my life and now Im committed to this.

Sullivan was selected among hundreds of nominees to be this year's Navy Times Service Member of the Year.

It helps that he excels at his job, too, having earned one Army Commendation Medal, three Navy Achievement Medals and two Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medals. His other awards include the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Good Conduct Medals, and Overseas Service and Sea Service Deployment ribbons.

During his first deployment to Afghanistan in 2012,Sullivandirected five combat operations as a radio operator, including three medical evacuations from remote outposts. It was his expertise that was credited with saving the lives of two Afghan soldiers, which helped strengthen ties with locals.

His skill and courage ensured his command maintained 100 percent uninterrupted communications. He was also responsible for three tactical computer communications systems which connected to devices supporting 45 special warfare operators.

On a subsequent deployment, he stepped outside of his comfort zone while helping a team of Navy Seabees.

We were out in the middle of nowhere, no barracks or places to sleep, Sullivan said.

We were only supposed to be out there a month, setting up a new headquarters unit and had deployed with a bunch of Seabees who were there to do the construction for the base.

But his team couldnt set up communications networks until the buildings were up, so he and his fellow sailors decided to pitch in with the Seabees to help speed things along.

We were waiting for the building to happen so myself and some other ITs, decided we would just go out and help the Seabees, he said. I got a lot of knowledge from that. I learned how to frame houses, put roofs on buildings and how to run electrical, as well as how to fuel and maintain generators.

In the end, Sullivan was involved with building and equipping five barracks, recovering 400 fuel barrels from air drops and managing over $200,000 in food stores.

I was a junior sailor and a bit immature when I arrived there, he said. But that command definitely turned me into something else a better person and a better sailor.

By Navy standards, his career has been a bit backwards, as most young sailors head to ships first and then do tours elsewhere as their careers allowed. Sullivan, though, started out with overseas shore duty in the busy 6th Fleet in Europe, working in communications in Naples, Italy.

Sullivan was a swimmer in high school, and though he says he wasnt good enough to win a college scholarship, the sport provided him with a means to mentor, something he spends a lot time doing.

During his first tour in Naples, Sullivan was awarded his first Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for volunteering over 1,400 hours coaching the Naples Tiger Sharks Swim Team. The amount of time he spends volunteering has only increased since then, and while stationed at Naval Special Warfare Group Two in Little Creek, Virginia, he was awarded another volunteer medal.

At his current command, Information Warfare Training Command, Corry Station, his day job is as an instructor, developing the next generation of information systems sailors for the fleet. But off duty, he's also busy, spendingnearly 380 hours volunteering as a teacher, mentor and safety observer with the Naval Sea Cadets Corps, a Navy-related organization that teaches teenagers, ages 13 to 17, about the Navy, leadership and community service.

For his continued efforts in his community, Sullivan has garnered two President's Volunteer Service Awards one bronze and one silver and has been given the Navy Leagues Outstanding Service Member Award.

Sullivan is currently eligible for promotion to chief petty officer, and his records will be reviewed in July to see if he'll step into the chiefs mess. Hes also weighing the idea of becoming a limited duty officer and heading to the wardroom.

For now, his focus is on where hell go next as his three-years of shore duty comes to an end. Soon, he'll be underway on sea duty for the first time.

Having never stepped on a Navy vessel yet, Im ready for this next challenge. Im geared more towards destroyers and cruisers theyre more operational, the crews are smaller and as someone on my level, I want that experience and that leadership opportunity, he said.

The Navy wants well-rounded sailors thats been drummed in my head by mentors all through the past 10 years. By and large, those who have done tours at different types of commands are the most successful in their careers.

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Navy Times' Sailor of the Year is an Afghanistan vet and an all-star volunteer - NavyTimes.com

Indias PM Narendra Modi says the rising instability in Afghanistan was a cause for concern for both India and the U.S.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S President Donald Trump on Monday agreed to continue strengthening coordination for ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan as they expressed concern over rising instability in the war-torn country.

According to India Today, Trump thanked the Indian people for their "contributions to the effort in Afghanistan, and for joining us (the U.S) in applying new sanctions against the North Korean regime."

Modi and Trump also reportedly held in depth discussions on a number of issues affecting the region, including Afghanistan.

India Today reported Modi as having said the rising instability in Afghanistan due to terrorism is a cause of mutual concern for both India and the U.S.

"India and the U.S have played a crucial role in the redevelopment of Afghanistan and its security. We will have close coordination, consultation and communication to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan," Modi said.

Modi stated that the U.S and India had been struck by the evils of terrorism and extremism.

Both U.S and India have been struck by the evils of terrorism. We discussed the problems arising due to terrorism and radicalization. Fight against terrorism and their safe havens is an important part of our cooperation, Modi said.

The security partnership between the U.S and India is incredibly important. Both our nations have been struck by the evils of terrorism and we are both determined to destroy terrorist organizations and the radical ideology that drives them. We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism, Trump said.

On the defense front, Modi said:Peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region is our focus.

He also stressed that both nations growing security and defense co-operation was very important. He pointed out that increasing instability in Afghanistan was a cause of concern and said India were in close consultations, communication and coordination with the U.S in this regard.

Read the rest here:
India, US Agree To Strengthen Ties For Peace In Afghanistan - TOLOnews

In brief

People often ask me what its like to be a woman in the army. The answer is that Ive got no idea because Ive always been in the army ever since leaving university. Im proud to be a woman in the army.

Commanding a regiment is something that I have aspired to throughout my career and I feel incredibly privileged to be in this role. Its a 24-7 job, but I love it.

Ive been deployed to Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and travelled across the world in my career.

In my first job in 2000, aged 22, I was in charge of a troop of 30 all male soldiers in Germany. Women werent allowed into the Royal Engineers as soldiers until 1998, so there werent many women at that time.

I became an Adjutant, which is effectively a staff officer to the Commanding Officer. Then in 2005, I was deployed to Iraq for six months, where I was working all hours of the day, often through until midnight.

I really enjoyed my time in Iraq. There was a threat out there but its what we spent so long training for.

I met my husband in the army and we have two girls together who are aged eight and 10. I took a year maternity leave to have my first child and then went back to work. I felt ready to go back. My husband worked full-time as well but we had good childcare and always shared the pick-ups and drop-offs between us.

We bought a house in a place fairly near to a lot of military bases just before we had our first daughter and lived there for 10 years.

We were lucky you only find out where you are going to get posted at the end of your two years in each job so you cant really make a 10-year plan. But we were able to work close enough to home to be able to share the childcare.

My husband had transferred from the regular army to the reserve to give us a bit more flexibility Lt Col Katie Hislop

In 2013, I was deployed to Afghanistan. Professionally, going to Afghanistan was brilliant. At that stage, I was commanding a squadron of 120 people and we were exceptionally busy providing force protection across the whole of Helmand Province.

Leaving my children for five months was one of the hardest things Ive ever done. My husband had transferred from the regular army to the reserve to give us a bit more flexibility so that he could have more time with the children while I was away.

From a professional perspective, this was probably the most challenging and rewarding thing that somebody commanding a squadron could do. My husband and I decided we were happy for me to deploy. It was something I really wanted to do professionally and I think doing a job I love sets an amazing example to my children.

Men and women can return from deployments to find their children feel they dont know them Lt ColKatie Hislop

Our role in Afghanistan was to provide infrastructure support to all of the bases operating across Helmand. We also had to make sure the bases were well defended from Taliban attacks.

There is a period of adjustment when you arrive home after a deployment. You suddenly walk back into family life and it can take some time to get back to normal.

For some parents of very, very young children, some men and women can return from deployments to find their children feel they dont know them. We have a great welfare centre most regiments do who give advice on reintegrating with partners and children.

My family and I now live on the camp I work at in Catterick, in North Yorkshire.

Moving to the camp wasmore of a change for my children as they had to move to a different school. Thats something military children go through at least every two years in terms of finding a new school and making new friends.

Our girls have adapted very well to life on the camp. But if you continue to move around, the army will subsidise some of your boarding fees for keeping children in the same school.

There are quite a few couples who are parents and both in the military. Some are serving in the same area, some not, and all are juggling work and children between them.

For the last six months, Ive been training to be deployed to South Sudan in July, as part of the United Nations mission out there. Ill be in charge of a task force of 400.

I was expecting to go to South Sudan that is one of the reasons I asked for this job Lt Col Katie Hislop

Our role out there will be to help build more accommodation blocks, better roads and better security in order that the United Nations military can then protect the civilians in South Sudan who are in desperate need of protection and food.

I was expecting to go to South Sudan that is one of the reasons I asked for this job. Its a hugely interesting deployment and somewhere I have never been to before. Working with the UN means we will learn so much from the other nations who have been there for years.

I want women to know that it is genuinely possible to have a career in the army and a family. There are lots of options as to where you can be posted and the timings of where you could work that mean you really can have both.

However, its very important to make sure you have a network of support around you because it would be impossible for one person who is in the military to also have to do every single school run.

I feel really proud to be in the army, especially after recent events across the world. I think that we are valued and everywhere I go, particularly in the UK, people are always really positive when they find out what I do.

As told to Heather Saul

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I'm an army commanding officer, I've been to Afghanistan and Iraq and I've had two children - iNews

So the Narendra Modi-Donald Trump joint statement has been read and the nuances and body language debated in the media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's much-awaited US visit is now behind us, and different factions are claiming victory or defeat.

Representational image. AP

Afghanistan and terrorism were among the many issues touched upon by both sides, particularly the Indian delegation. The joint statement also, much to the pleasure of both sides, delivered a stinging rebuke to Pakistan. The statement told Pakistan to refrain from hosting terrorists, which appeared to elevate Indias diplomatic position on terrorism vis--vis Kashmir.

However, even as Modi and Trump were breaking bread, another notable event took place closer to home.

On 26 June, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang announced that Beijing would conduct shuttle diplomacy between Afghanistan and Pakistan. This was the result of foreign minister Wang Yi visiting both countries.

The announcement included several interesting points, including a mechanism to manage crises that stressed intelligence and operational cooperation and a mechanism to set up the meetings of Chinese, Afghanistan and Pakistan foreign ministers, presumably to enable this shuttling to take place.

The statement also backed the Quadrilateral Coordination Group made up of China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States with the specific intention of bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table and into the peace process. Further flying the peace flag, the statement called for a revival of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) contact group with Afghanistan, presumably to include Russian interests.

That China is the reigning SCO power is a separate issue. As an added palliative to Afghanistan, the statement also backed The Kabul Process, President's Ashraf Ghani's pet project. On one level, Beijing is simply acknowledging the confusing mix of powers that have influence in Afghanistan and have a role to play.

Russia, which has been in and out of Afghanistan, had been, for years, cooperating with the United States in eliminating Al-Qaeda leaders. However, since 2015 there has been a sea change. Russian presidential envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov reportedly stated that Russia and the Afghan Talibans interests objectively coincide due to the formation of the Islamic State.

Since then, Russian officials have admitted to meeting with Taliban leaders while Afghan intelligence officials have been quoted as saying that such meetings occurred in Moscow and Tajikistan. The Russians also reportedly frequently visit Kunduz province which abuts Tajikistan, a strong Russian ally. Still others allege that some of these meetings have taken place in Iran.

Whatever the truth, the fact remains: Russian president Vladimir Putin has held four multinational meetings on Afghanistan. This showcases that Russia is once again a major player in Afghanistan and has positioned itself directly against US interests.

Why Russia is negotiating with the Taliban is not entirely clear. It could be alarmed by the Islamic State's growing influence in Afghanistan it calls itself the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) which it sees, correctly, as a threat. The Islamic State in Syria, with its several hundred Chechens and Uzbeks, has Moscow squarely in its sights.

Recently, there have been reports of the Islamic State expanding its presence in the north Afghanistan, towards Jowzian. Meanwhile, according to Al Jazeera's Afghan sources, "thousands" of Islamic State cadres have moved to Afghanistan. While some movement cannot be ruled out, there has been no indication that the group has more than 3,000 cadres. And this was before the US bombed their Nangarhar base using the Mother Of All Bombs.

So a Russian finger in the Afghan pie is probably the precursor to a large Russian fist making its presence felt in its old sphere of influence. But given Russias continuing economic woes its GDP is below India's it is unlikely to be able to sustain its Afghanistan venture.

Analysts are already predicting the advent of a New Cold War as Russia and US continue to be at loggerheads, exacerbated after the proxy bombing in Syria. In Afghanistan, the New Cold War has seen the United States eschewing Russian equipment while rearming the Afghan National Army.

Russian interference is also likely to smoothen the way for the US-China cooperation, at least on this issue. Although China's links to the Taliban go back to the 90s, it has no Cold War lineage in this theatre of war. It does, however have an economic interest. Afghanistan lies smack dab in the way of the Dragon's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

While China may not be the lynchpin that some claim, Afghanistans importance is apparent from rising Chinese economic aid, which, despite being small change relative to the size of BRI, has been quickly ramped up from a few million dollars to a pledge of more than $300 million. The now standard housing projects are apparent in Kabul, while about 3,000 Afghans have been sent to Beijing for training.

Most importantly, it announced the first train linking Hairatan in northern Afghanistan to China. While China used the existing rail links of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, it nonetheless counts as an achievement. Beijing has also, for the first time, offered Afghanistan security assistance and there have been talks of patrolling the Pamir area together.

China has also offered to provide $85 million for a mountain brigade for Badakshan. The Dragon could do far more for Afghanistan and it is this promise and "persuasion" that it is expected to exert on Pakistan that attracted the attention of the Kabul presidential palace.

On the other side is long time player Iran, which remains suspicious not just of the United States which retains facilities on the Afghan-Iran border but also of the Saudis, who have long had an active hand in Kabul while simultaneously engaging with Pakistan. Taliban heads such as Motasem Agha Jan traveled to Riyadh at least thrice a year to collect funds for the terrorists' coffers.

While the Saudis denied that they provided such funds, a leaked 2014 telegram from former secretary of state Hilary Clinton stated that this funding was fallout of the fight between the Saudis and Qatar for influence in the Sunni world. Given the ongoing Gulf diplomatic crisis, this is an action replay of the worst kind. Saudi Arabia has long resented the role that Qatar played in hosting the Taliban office and its role in negotiations.

Meanwhile, Iran, which once lined up with Russia and India against the Taliban, did a spectacular somersault by hosting Taliban leaders including its then chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour who was later killed in a US drone strike and has been using its considerable clout with the Taliban to expand its influence. With the Obama administrations policy up in smoke, Tehran is hardly likely to cooperate with the US in reigning in the Taliban.

So at what price our position on Afghanistan and more importantly, Pakistan the central spider in the web?

With Iran and Russia finding common ground with China, it would seem that India has already been edged out from influence in Afghanistan. This particularly when the US is also encouraging Afghanistan and Pakistan to cooperate in areas very similar to what China has set.

However, Indias position has never been wishing away geography. Afghanistan and Pakistan are neighbours. They have to sink or swim together. That we would rather see Islamabad sink into its own terrorist swamp is a separate issue.

At the moment, we are seen by Afghans as a country that has been loyal to Kabul through good times and bad.Most of all, our aid, which must be ramped up, is being channelled for stability. Hopefully, it will push connectivity in the future. That counts for something.Especially since US drone strikes continue to hit Pakistani territory, killing a Haqqani commander or two.

The author is former director of the National Security Council Secretariat

See more here:
Mission Afghanistan: As China engages in 'shuttle' diplomacy and US-Russia renew rivalry, India must ramp up aid - Firstpost