Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Inside The Pentagon
January 3, 2008
Pg. 17
A new joint aviation facility designed to support Afghanistan military and police forces in counternarcotics operations will open its doors later this month, with the goal of reaching full operational capability by this spring, a senior defense official tells Inside the Pentagon.
Once fully operational, the facility based in Kabul will house the eight Russian-built Mi-17 helicopters provided by DOD to provide support for Afghan-led counterdrug operations in the region. Six of the eight helicopters have been delivered to Afghan forces, with the remaining two are expected by early 2008.
The rotorcraft are expected to play a vital role in providing airlift capability for the new counternarcotics offensive set to begin this spring. ITP first reported details of the upcoming offensive last November.
The joint aviation hub, according to Douglas, is the culmination of a long-term DOD effort to assist indigenous Afghan forces in combating drug trafficking in the country.
“The helicopter program in Afghanistan is something that we have been building for a long time” he said during a Dec. 17 interview.
While initially intended to bolster antidrug efforts in the country, Douglas said the benefits of the DOD helicopters to Afghan forces would go well beyond counternarcotics operations, due to the versatility of the aircraft.
“You can use it for lots of different kinds of things” ranging from offensive operations to medical evacuations to logistics, Douglas said. “What our program is intended to do is help the Afghans do all that stuff.”
The joint aviation center will also serve as the home for the Afghan National Army’s burgeoning fleet of medium-lift aircraft, DOD spokeswoman Connie LaRossa said in a Dec. 19 e-mail. Aside from the Mi-17 helicopters, the new facility will house the ANA’s two Antonov An-36 and two Antonov An-37 airlifters, she said.
While the Antonovs are expected to be replaced with C-27J Spartans by 2009, Douglas said there are no immediate plans to introduce fixed-wing aircraft into the fleet mix supporting counternarcotics efforts.
“There are other parts of the larger effort that are looking at that kind of thing, but out program for the moment is mainly the helicopter program,” he said.
However, he noted that integration of fixed-wing aircraft into ongoing antidrug efforts is not completely off the table.
“I would not rule anything out. It just depends on requirements, where this sort of [capability] would fit into the larger picture. We would not want to go off . . . procuring aircraft without being sure that it is a good fit with the rest of the effort,” Douglas said. “We have to make sure that we understand what the requirements are.”
-- Carlo Muñoz
January 3, 2008
Pg. 17
A new joint aviation facility designed to support Afghanistan military and police forces in counternarcotics operations will open its doors later this month, with the goal of reaching full operational capability by this spring, a senior defense official tells Inside the Pentagon.
Once fully operational, the facility based in Kabul will house the eight Russian-built Mi-17 helicopters provided by DOD to provide support for Afghan-led counterdrug operations in the region. Six of the eight helicopters have been delivered to Afghan forces, with the remaining two are expected by early 2008.
The rotorcraft are expected to play a vital role in providing airlift capability for the new counternarcotics offensive set to begin this spring. ITP first reported details of the upcoming offensive last November.
The joint aviation hub, according to Douglas, is the culmination of a long-term DOD effort to assist indigenous Afghan forces in combating drug trafficking in the country.
“The helicopter program in Afghanistan is something that we have been building for a long time” he said during a Dec. 17 interview.
While initially intended to bolster antidrug efforts in the country, Douglas said the benefits of the DOD helicopters to Afghan forces would go well beyond counternarcotics operations, due to the versatility of the aircraft.
“You can use it for lots of different kinds of things” ranging from offensive operations to medical evacuations to logistics, Douglas said. “What our program is intended to do is help the Afghans do all that stuff.”
The joint aviation center will also serve as the home for the Afghan National Army’s burgeoning fleet of medium-lift aircraft, DOD spokeswoman Connie LaRossa said in a Dec. 19 e-mail. Aside from the Mi-17 helicopters, the new facility will house the ANA’s two Antonov An-36 and two Antonov An-37 airlifters, she said.
While the Antonovs are expected to be replaced with C-27J Spartans by 2009, Douglas said there are no immediate plans to introduce fixed-wing aircraft into the fleet mix supporting counternarcotics efforts.
“There are other parts of the larger effort that are looking at that kind of thing, but out program for the moment is mainly the helicopter program,” he said.
However, he noted that integration of fixed-wing aircraft into ongoing antidrug efforts is not completely off the table.
“I would not rule anything out. It just depends on requirements, where this sort of [capability] would fit into the larger picture. We would not want to go off . . . procuring aircraft without being sure that it is a good fit with the rest of the effort,” Douglas said. “We have to make sure that we understand what the requirements are.”
-- Carlo Muñoz