Oregon National Guard participates in Salute the Troops event

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120825-Z-PL933-009, a photo by oregonmildep on Flickr.

A boy looks through the sights of a Howitzer, part of the display put on by the Oregon Army National Guard at the 2012 Salute the Troops 125 race event at the Portland International Raceway, in Portland, Ore., Aug. 25-26. This is the fourth year that the Oregon Army National Guard has participated in this event. Photo by Sgt. Jason Van Mourik, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.

Oregon Airman recognized during 2012 ANG Outstanding Airmen of the Year ceremony

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2012 ANG Outstanding Airmen of the Year ceremony, a photo by The National Guard on Flickr.

Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III, the director of the Air National Guard, and Chief Master Sgt.
Christopher E. Muncy, the command chief master sergeant to the director of the ANG, present Senior Master Sgt. Luke W. Thompson, 125th Special Tactics Squadron, Oregon ANG, with the Outstanding Airman Ribbon during the 2012 ANG Outstanding Airmen of the Year awards ceremony at the Air National Guard Readiness Center, Joint Base Andrews, Md., Aug. 22.

The ANG Outstanding Airmen of the Year ceremony recognizes the ANGs six top performers for superior leadership, job performance, community involvement and personal achievements.

National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Marvin Preston.

Oregon's Soldiers put the 'boom' in 1812 Overture

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Citizen-Soldiers with the 2-218 Field Artillery, Oregon Army National Guard, demonstrate the abilities and features of their howitzers at the Oregon Symphony Waterfront Park Concert, Aug. 30, in Portland, Ore.

 

The howitzers have become a tradition at the concert, firing during the playing of Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture.

 

Photo by Sgt. Jason van Mourik, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs.

D.C. Ceremony makes Oregon Soldier senior ranking enlisted Soldier for Army National Guard

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Citizen-Soldiers from the Oregon National Guard and employees of the Oregon Military Department look on from a conference room at the Oregon Military Department in Salem, Ore., as Command Sgt. Maj. Brunk Conley moved from being Oregon’s State Command Sergeant Major to the new Command Sergeant Major of the Army National Guard during a Change of Responsibility Ceremony in Washington D.C., Sept. 26.  Conley went from being the senior ranking enlisted Soldier in the Oregon National Guard to senior ranking enlisted Soldier for the entire Army National Guard.  (Oregon Military Department Photo by Sgt. Cory Grogan)

Oregon Army National Guard Command Sergeant Major assumes highest position in the Army National Guard

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120926-A-1457S-639, a photo by oregonmildep on Flickr.

Army Lt. Gen. William E. Ingram Jr., director of the Army National Guard, ceremoniously transfers responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Burch, the ninth command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, to Command Sgt. Maj. Brunk Conley, the incoming 10th command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, during a ceremony at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington, Va., Sept. 26, 2012. (Photo by Sgt. Darron Salzer, National Guard Bureau Public Affairs)

Allen: Surge Bought Time for Afghan Forces to Grow, Mature

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By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON – The goal of thejust-completed U.S. troop surge in Afghanistan was not to defeat the Taliban,but to provide Afghan security forces the time needed to develop, the commanderof NATO forces in the country said today.
And, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allenadded, it succeeded.
Allen spoke to NBC’s Lester Holt thismorning and stressed the coalition campaign in Afghanistan has allowed Afghansoldiers and police to develop their capabilities.
The sacrifices made by coalition servicemembers have given Afghan national security forces, “the wherewithal, ultimately,to create security in this country so that governance can take root, the ruleof law can be embraced and economic opportunity and development can moveforward,” Allen said.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panettaannounced Sept. 21 that the drawdown of the 30,000 additional U.S. forcesdeployed as part of the surge was complete. From January 2010 to today,officials said, the Afghan government has added 85,000 more soldiers to theranks and 50,000 police. Seventy-seven percent of Afghan army units are ratedin the top three levels of capability, up from 52 percent in 2010, officialsadded. The gains for police -- a boost from 47 percent to 59 percent – are notas dramatic, they acknowledged, but they noted that the police had farther togo to reach that capability level.
But the threat of insider attacksremains in Afghanistan, Allen said, and it has his full attention.
“We’re going to work as … hard as wepossibly can, around the clock, to understand the problem,” he told Holt. “AndI think we've got a good grip on it now.”
Eliminating the threat will requireclose cooperation with Afghan government partners, he said. “See, the Taliban,in infiltrating the ranks of the [Afghan security forces], recognize that thisis an opportunity for them to try to split us apart,” the general said. “We’regoing to work very hard to prevent that from happening.”
Allen said he probably will recommendbringing more American troops home from Afghanistan, and that he expects tomake his recommendation to U.S. leaders before the end of the year once hisevaluations of the situation are complete.
“I’ll evaluate the nature of theinsurgency,” he said. “I’ll evaluate the progress that we have made with theAfghan national security forces. We’ll look at the operational environment wethink we’ll face in 2013. And the combination of all of those will permit me tomake a recommendation.”
The general would not speculate on thesize of any potential force reduction.

Combined Force Kills Taliban Weapons Dealer

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Froman International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 25, 2012 – AnAfghan and coalition security force killed a Taliban weapons dealer anddestroyed his cache of illegal weapons during an operation in the Omnahdistrict of Afghanistan’s Paktika province today, military officials reported.
Hizbullah, the weapons dealer, and anotherarmed insurgent maneuvered on the Afghan and coalition troops as the securityforce approached Hizbullah’s compound, officials said. The security forceengaged both armed insurgents, killing them. No civilians were harmed.
Hizbullah acquired and providedfirearms, ammunition and explosives to Taliban insurgents under his command,enabling them to conduct attacks against security forces throughout the region,officials said. He also was believed to have been attempting to acquire a heavymachine gun and additional equipment for future insurgent attacks.
A number of suspected insurgents weredetained in the operation, officials said. The security force also found anddestroyed assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, an RPG launcher,fragmentation grenades and ammunition.
Also today, a combined force arrestedthe leader of a Taliban cell and several other suspects in the Panjwai districtof Kandahar province. The arrested leader’s insurgent cell is suspected ofconducting small-arms fire and improvised explosive device attacks againstAfghan and coalition forces. He also allegedly is linked to attempts to acquireweapons -- including mortar rounds -- for future attacks. The Taliban leaderalso was believed to be involved in a plot to kidnap Afghan security officers.
In a Sept. 23 operation, anInternational Security Assistance Force patrol seized 1,150 pounds of opiumduring a drug interdiction operation in the Reg-e Khan Neshin district ofHelmand province. The ISAF patrol discovered the drugs after stopping andsearching a vehicle traveling along a known narcotics smuggling route. ISAFtroops detained the driver and destroyed the opium.

Army Casualties

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The Department of Defense announcedtoday the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
They died Sept. 26, in Pul-E Alam,Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when an insurgent wearing a suicide vestdetonated the device near their patrol. These Soldiers were assigned to the 1stSquadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team,Schweinfurt, Germany.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Orion N. Sparks, 29,of Tucson, Ariz., and
Sgt. Jonathan A. Gollnitz, 28, ofLakehurst, N.J.
For more information, please contact theU.S. Army Europe public affairs office in Heidelberg, Germany at011-49-162-271-6685.

Panetta Discusses Operations in Afghanistan

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By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON – Most Afghan and NATO troopsare now conducting normal partnered operations, Defense Secretary Leon E.Panetta announced during a news conference here today.
Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the topU.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, had ordered that all combinedoperations below the battalion level be approved by regional commandersfollowing attacks by Afghan soldiers and police that have killed 51 members ofthe coalition this year.
However, Afghan and coalition troops arenow back to conducting partnered operations as before, Panetta told Pentagonreporters. The military believes some of the insider attacks were perhapstriggered by Muslim anger over an American-made internet video that defamed theProphet Muhammad.
“I can now report to you that most ISAFunits have returned to their normal partnered operations at all levels,” saidPanetta, who was accompanied by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff.
Dempsey, just back from a visit toAfghanistan, said partnering efforts are back to the level they were before thedifficulties. Around 90 percent of all operations in the country are partnered.
Even with the insider attacks, Panettasaid the coalition and Afghan efforts are paying off. He said the Taliban werein control of large swaths of Afghanistan and were poised to take more when thecoalition surge into the country began in December 2009.
Last week, the secretary announced theend of the surge, with the departure of the last of the 33,000 troops who wereordered deployed. There are now 68,000 American service members in Afghanistan.
“[The surge] accomplished the primaryobjectives of reversing the Taliban’s momentum on the battlefield anddramatically increased the size and capability of the Afghan national securityforces,” Panetta said.
This will continue, said Dempsey, notingcoalition troops will continue to partner with Afghan soldiers and police. TheTaliban has failed to recover momentum or any territory. “Our Afghan partnersare working with us to shut down the threat of insider attacks,” the chairmansaid. “As one Afghan army commander told me, insider attacks are an affront totheir honor, at odds with their culture and their faith.”
Taliban insurgents are actively tryingto infiltrate Afghan army and police formations, Dempsey said. The insurgentgroup is also trying to turn Afghan soldiers and police against their coalitionallies.
Dempsey said coalition forces areadapting to the Taliban’s change in tactics.
“That’s what professional militariesdo,” he said. “And we are doing it in a way that ensures we continue to be ableto partner.”
The Taliban wants to break thecoalition, the general said, but the coalition’s resolve to stand with Afghanformations is strong.
Still, it will be tough going in thecountry, Panetta said. “The enemy we are dealing with … is adaptive andresilient,” the secretary said. “Their focus has shifted to carrying outhigh-profile attacks in order to undermine the new sense of security that hasbeen felt by ordinary Afghans.”
Panetta expects there will be morehigh-profile attacks like the one that struck Camp Bastion last week.
“The enemy will do whatever they can totry and break our will using this kind of tactic. That will not happen,” hesaid.
Afghan forces are the “defeat mechanism”of the insurgency, Panetta said.
“We have an enduring commitment to anAfghanistan that can secure and govern itself and that is never again a safehaven from which terrorists can attack us,” he said. “Our men and women inuniform, our fighting forces, ISAF, Afghanistan fighting forces I think havesent a strong message to the Taliban that time is not on their side.”

Combined Force Kills Multiple Insurgents

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Froman International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 28, 2012 – AnAfghan and coalition security force killed multiple armed insurgents during anoperation to arrest a senior Haqqani facilitator in the Gelan district ofGhazni province today, military officials reported.
As the security force approached theHaqqani facilitator’s suspected location, armed insurgents attacked the Afghanand coalition troops with heavy machine gun fire, officials said. The coalitiontroops returned fire, killing several armed insurgents. No civilians wereharmed in the exchange.
The sought-after Haqqani facilitator isbelieved to be directly involved in several attacks throughout the region, manyinvolving improvised explosive devices, and suicide bombers, resulting incivilian casualties, officials said.
The security force also detained twosuspects and seized multiple assault rifles, a heavy machine gun and severalexplosives, including rocket-propelled grenades, officials said. The weaponsand explosives were destroyed.
In other operations today:
-- A combined force detained a number ofsuspects during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader in the Maiwand districtof Kandahar province. The sought-after Taliban leader is suspected offacilitating the movement of weapons throughout the region and reporteddirectly to senior Taliban leaders in order to coordinate insurgent attacks.
-- A combined force detained one suspectand seized several pounds of illegal narcotics during a search for a Talibanleader in the Washer district of Helmand province. The sought-after insurgentleader is alleged to serve as a link between senior Taliban leaders and localattack cells, directing insurgent activity throughout the district.
-- A combined force arrested one Haqqaninetwork leader and detained two suspects in the Sharan district of Paktikaprovince. The arrested Haqqani leader is suspected of being directly involvedin the planning of insurgent attacks and acquiring weapons and explosives forHaqqani fighters.
-- An Afghan-led, coalition-supportedforce arrested a Haqqani explosives facilitator, detained one suspect andseized IED-making equipment in the Bak district of Khost province. The arrestedfacilitator is alleged to be directly involved in the acquisition andemplacement of improvised explosive devices and rockets for attacks againstAfghan and coalition forces.
-- A combined force arrested a number ofsuspects and seized several firearms during a search for a senior Haqqanileader in the Sayyid Karam district of Paktiya province. The sought-afterHaqqani leader is suspected of directing attacks and coordinating theacquisition of weapons and funding for insurgent activity.
-- A combined force detained a number ofsuspects and seized multiple firearms during a search for a Haqqani IED attackleader in the Sharan district of Paktika province. The sought-after Haqqanileader is believed to be directly involved in the acquisition and emplacementof IEDs for insurgent attacks.
In Sept. 27 operations:
-- An International Security AssistanceForce patrol rescued three Afghans who were being held hostage by Talibaninsurgents in the Panjwa'i district of Kandahar province. The ISAF unit, TaskForce Arrowhead, observed a number of insurgents load three men, bound andblindfolded, onto a trailer towed by a tractor. The ISAF patrol pursued andstopped the tractor, at which point the insurgents attempted to flee. TaskForce Arrowhead troops freed the hostages and detained three of their captors,who were later identified as Taliban members. ISAF learned the three captiveshad been held by the Taliban for up to six days. The freed men were released byISAF to Panjwa'i district officials.