A few catch-up tidbits....
...to make up for my delinquency:
1) Canada's latest fallen - two military engineers:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/can...1aUfeePNoMTinQ
- were killed by a (second) IED while securing the area following another (first) IED blast
2) How Canadian special forces are helping fight the IED fight:
http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/665009
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspo...in-afstan.html
http://milnewsca.wordpress.com/2009/...uicide-bomber/
3) Commentary on how Canadian public support for the mission could have been higher now if more politicians communicated more about the "why":
http://www.canada.com/news/History+b...370/story.html
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/674568
4) From davidbfpo's spotted blogger, BruceR (a former OMLT trainer/mentor with the Canadian Forces), some interesting insights re: why growing and deploying the ANA isn't working as planned:
http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/a...02.html#006459
http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/a...31.html#006485
http://www.snappingturtle.net/flit/a...31.html#006486
5) Canadian and US Officers' Paper on UAVs Over K'har: "The key to successful employment of the UAV is the relationships formed between UAV pilots and the ground personnel directing the aerial surveillance and strikes performed by the aircraft, articulation of priorities, and building and sharing a detailed intelligence picture."
6) My assessment (humble crystal balling, really) of the wording of the Parliamentary Motion regarding the future of Canada's mission in AFG (motion wording mentions being out of KANDAHAR by end of 2011, not out of AFGHANISTAN):
http://milnewsca.wordpress.com/2009/...r-or-afg-2011/
Officer Faces Court Martial
The latest, from this Canadian Forces news release:
Quote:
Captain Robert Semrau will face a General Court Martial in relation to the shooting death of a wounded insurgent that occurred in Afghanistan in October 2008.
Capt. Semrau was arrested on December 31, 2008, by the National Investigation Service and charged with Second Degree Murder while deployed in Afghanistan as Commander of an Operational Mentor Liaison Team. Capt. Semrau was released under conditions on January 7, 2009, by the Military Judge presiding over the custody review hearing at CFB Petawawa.
Following referral to the Canadian Forces Director of Military Prosecutions (DMP), Captain (Navy) Holly MacDougall, the original charge of Second Degree Murder, and three additional charges were brought forward or “preferred” to Court Martial.
The charges facing Capt. Semrau are:
* Second Degree Murder - contrary to Section 130 of the National Defence Act, pursuant to Section 235(1) of the Criminal Code;
* Attempt to Commit Murder (alternative to the Charge of Second Degree Murder) - contrary to Section 130 of the National Defence Act, pursuant to Section 239(1)(a.1) of the Criminal Code;
* Behaving in a Disgraceful Manner – contrary to Section 93 of the National Defence Act; and
* Negligently Performing a Military Duty - contrary to Section 124 of the National Defence Act.
The charges have been forwarded to the Court Martial Administrator who will convene a General Court Martial at the first available date and at a location to be determined.
A General Court Martial is composed of a military judge and a panel of five members. The accused is represented by a defence counsel designated by the Director of Defence Counsel Service.
The DMP considers two main issues when deciding whether to prosecute a charge at court martial:
* Is the evidence sufficient to justify the continuation of charges as laid or the preferral of other charges?
* If the evidence is sufficient, does the public interest require a prosecution to be pursued?
DMP continually reassesses these issues as new information about the case becomes available and has the discretion to bring forward, or “prefer,” the charge or any other charge based on facts disclosed by evidence in addition to, or in substitution for, the charge.
They're still in business here.
LINK.
Though US DoD is not listed, I know they use it on occasion. Classification can be a problem for many uses.
The call centre might work for some applications...
...especially considering cell phone coverage in the country (it MUST be good if the Taliban wants it shut off at night, right?).
Some of the phrases the Statement of Work calls for the machine to translate appear to deal with prisoner and patient handling situations, as well as training groups, so the call centre may not be an across-the-board solution.
Thanks Ken & David for the other links.
Conservatives shoot the messenger over torture allegations
Conservatives shoot the messenger over torture allegations
Don Martin
National Post
Posted: November 19, 2009
Quote:
OTTAWA — In an organized smackdown rarely seen in Ottawa, the government turned inward on Thursday to attack a new enemy in its Afghanistan conflict — senior Washington embassy intelligence officer Richard Colvin.
After 15 years of steadily rising through the foreign service ranks, Mr. Colvin now stands accused of being a Taliban stooge, someone so easily duped by torture complaints that he shredded his diplomatic reputation by passing along their accusations.
Mr. Colvin became fodder for such accusations the minute he told MPs that a full year of warnings about detainee torture had been ignored at the highest levels of the military and public service.
He even hinted at tentative, but unproven, connections to the government itself. That made his testimony very, very dangerous — and that’s why the Conservatives have launched a campaign to discredit Mr. Colvin.
But it faces a big problem. Every action by this government to date has only enhanced the diplomat’s credibility.
Mr. Colvin was promoted to the Washington job under a Conservative reign after 16 years of unblemished duty in hotspots like Sri Lanka, Russia, the Palestinian territories and Afghanistan. While serving in Kandahar, he was told his insights were too sensitive to be put in writing, he says. His emails have been declared off limits on national security grounds. And he’s been told to shut up on this file or risk being charged under the Canada Evidence Act.
Those actions all speak to the significance and sensitivity of his input, not the ramblings of a rogue diplomat spreading stories from his imagination.
Canada shortens kill chain in Afghanistan
I found this extremely interesting that trhe new (old) Canadian commander in Afghanistan is allowing troops latitude to do stuff like shoot bad guys:
Quote:
In a war where the enemy hides in villages, and fights mainly with homemade bombs hidden in cooking pots, water jugs, farmer’s fields and trees, it’s not often Canadian soldiers get to fight back.
Oscar Company was savouring some payback, a sweet taste they’ve been enjoying more often in recent days.
Since Brigadier-General Jon Vance returned to take command in early June, the kill chain has been cut shorter, and Canadian troops on the battlefields of eastern Panjwai district say it’s getting easier to take the fight to the insurgents.
Major Steve Brown, commander of Oscar Company, in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment battle group, called Vance “a no-nonsense kind of guy” whose personality has helped reshape battlefield operations.
The increased intensity of armed engagements with insurgents also forced change, Brown added.
“Part of that is shortening that kill chain,” said Brown, 37, of Mansfield, Ontario. “I don’t want to say that we are reducing the safeties with respect collateral damage. We’re certainly not doing that. You can’t compromise on stuff like that.
“You’ve got to protect the population. But it’s becoming easier and easier to discern enemy tactics, techniques and procedures with the ‘pattern of life’ of the locals.”
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/a...-to-shoot?bn=1
This could go in a few places so mods, feel free to move it.
This matter has taken some time...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
milnews.ca
Deliberations begin in Semrau court martial
What is the man's defence? A mercy killing of someone who was "98%" dead already?