Iraqis Help U.S. Troops Recover Helicopter

Compiled from U.S. Forces Iraq News Releases WASHINGTON :  A team of Iraqi police and U.S. forces secured and recovered a disabled U.S. helicopter today after it was forced to make a precautionary landing May 15. The team secured the landing site and repaired the aircraft before U.S. pilots flew it back to Tallil Air Base. "We would like to thank our Iraqi partners for their outstanding assistance," said Army Col. James Rainey, commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade at Contingency Operating Base Adder. "The quick response from the 6th Emergency Response Unit was instrumental in the success of the recovery operation." The aircraft was conducting its daily mission when it made a precautionary landing because of a mechanical problem, officials said. No one was injured during the landing. The incident was not combat-related and is under investigation, officials added. In other news from Iraq, Iraqi forces killed a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member during a combined operation northeast of Tikrit yesterday. Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors stopped the man's vehicle to arrest him for his alleged facilitation role in vehicle-bomb attacks on civilians in Kirkuk. He was shot and killed when he drew a pistol as the security team approached. In Mosul yesterday, Iraqi forces arrested two suspected associates of an al-Qaida in Iraq operative linked to terrorist attacks against Iraqi civilians, security forces and coalition forces during a combined operation with U.S. advisors. (Issued on : May 17, 2010)

Related Sites: U.S. Forces Iraq

Commander Discusses NATO Contributions in Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON :  The NATO allies are in Afghanistan for the long haul and have made both significant progress and significant commitments to the effort there, the alliance's supreme allied commander for Europe said here today. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force will have roughly 98,000 U.S. troops and about 43,000 allied troops by fall, Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis told the Defense Writers Group. NATO's troop contribution in Afghanistan is "significant," he said. Casualty figures, the admiral said, show that NATO has stepped up. About 1,100 U.S. servicemembers have been killed in Afghanistan, and the other coalition members have lost 650. "Per capita, Estonia has suffered the most," Stavridis said, "followed by Denmark, Great Britain, Canada and the United States." With Mongolia, Montenegro and South Korea joining the coalition, 47 nations are now working together in Afghanistan, Stavridis noted. "The allies are in this in a substantial way," he said. "Could they do more? Yes." Though the allied contribution is substantial, he said, the coalition needs more people to train the Afghan security forces. Success in Afghanistan will come, Stavridis said, when the Afghan army and police can take over the security mission. About 5,200 more trainers are needed in Afghanistan. Roughly 3,600 are on the ground now. NATO's share of the overall training mission is 1,600. "Right now, I've got on the ground or committed 1,150" trainers, the admiral said. "So, I need 450 [more]." The training mission in Afghanistan, Stavridis said, is his highest priority. As he works with NATO nations' defense chiefs to fill the shortfall, he added, U.S. soldiers will step in to bridge the training gap. The admiral thanked those soldiers for serving a 90-day tour, saying there is no more important job in Afghanistan today. The Afghan security forces are making progress, and their contributions must be factored into any plan moving forward in the country, Stavridis said. Afghanistan has about 200,000 soldiers and police today, and that number will grow to around 250,000 in the fall, he said. The forces are growing in size and capabilities, he added, while the desertion rate has gone down. And improvements in pay – both the amount and how it makes it to the soldiers and police – have been a factor in recruiting and retention. Stavridis said four factors will be essential to coalition success in Afghanistan. First among these, he said, is strategic communication. "It's effectively explaining what we're doing and why we're doing it in the capitals of the alliance and in Afghanistan," he explained. The second is the civil-military balance. Civilian aid is just as important as military force in this new world, he said. Mark Sedwill, the senior NATO civilian representative in Afghanistan, is getting the civilian effort working in tandem with the military effort, the admiral said. Third is protecting the people of Afghanistan. Stavridis echoed the sentiment expressed by ISAF Commander Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who has said, "We will not kill our way out of this." "We have got to make protecting the Afghan people the center of gravity," Stavridis said. "We've made some progress in that, but every incident [of civilian casualties] hurts us." Finally, the admiral said, training the Afghan security forces is crucial to success. Stavridis said that while much remains to be done, Afghanistan has seen overall progress, and the alliance has made a difference. "Afghanistan is often called the graveyard of empires," he said. "But we're not an empire, and the coalition has no desire to stay in the country any longer than necessary." (Issued on :May 17, 2010)

Biographies: Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis Related Sites: NATO NATO International Security Assistance Force

Close-quarters combat techniques

Members of the Jamaican Defense Force practice hand-to-hand and close-quarters combat techniques with U.S. Marines embarked aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV) 2 Swift during a Marine martial arts exchange in Jamaica May 11, 2010. The ship is deployed in support of Southern Partnership Station 2010, which is geared towards information sharing among navies, coast guards and civilian services throughout the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kim Williams, U.S. Navy/Released)

Providing security for a helicopter

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. James Herrington, first sergeant with the Parwan Provincial Reconstruction Team, provides security for a helicopter transporting Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction Arnold Fields as it departs a vegetable dehydration and packaging plant in the Parwan province of Afghanistan on May 10, 2010. The Special Inspector visited the area to assess the plant and meet with the province’s governor. DoD photo by Senior Airman Jim Araos, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Fire

U.S. Army Pvt. Jacob Dunn fires a 155 mm round from a Howitzer during a support fire mission at Forward Operating Base Boris, Afghanistan, May 1, 2010. Dunn is a cannoneer with 2nd Platoon, Alpha Battery, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment. (DoD photo by Sgt. Derec Pierson, U.S. Army/Released)

Conducting the training

U.S. Marines board a CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter on Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., May 5, 2010, prior to conducting training in night operations. The Marines, who are assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, are conducting the training as a part of the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course. (DoD photo by Cpl. Tyler W. Hill, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)

With MMG

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. John Garganera, a mechanic with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 261, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), mans an M240G medium machine gun mounted on the loading ramp of an MV-22 Osprey aircraft while preparing to land at Forward Operating Base Lashkar Gah in Helmand, Afghanistan, May 3, 2010. (DoD photo by Sgt. Jeffrey D. Anderson, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)