In January, the Army launched a nationwide series of operations called Phantom Phoenix to pursue insurgents and purge them from Iraq. According to Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq, the division- and brigade-level operation includes “lethal and nonlethal” efforts of Coalition and Iraqi conventional forces as well as special operations forces “to exploit recent security gains and disrupt terrorist support zones and enemy command and control.”

The Army reports that increasing numbers and capabilities of Iraqi troops and growing numbers of concerned local citizens have freed up some U.S. troops in Iraq, and the Army is capitalizing on this opportunity to move into areas that have been somewhat economy-of-force zones. More than two brigades have been repositioned to pursue terrorists, and four Iraqi army divisions are working with U.S. troops.

Multi-National Division-North (MND-N), commanded by Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, is executing an offensive of Phantom Phoenix, called Iron Harvest, in the four northern provinces of Di-yala, Salahuddin, Tamim and Ninevah.

MND-N ran more than 40 different operations, most of them in combination with Iraqi security forces. Iron Harvest eliminated al Qaeda safe havens in Diyala and expanded security for its inhabitants. By the third week, the operation had found and cleared nearly 400 roadside improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 28 vehicle IEDs and 38 house-borne IEDs. One house rigged with a bomb killed six soldiers of the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, from Vilseck, Germany.

South of Baghdad, Multi-National Division-Central conducted Operation Marne Thunderbolt to clear al Qaeda havens and destroy roadside bombs and arms caches in Arab Jabour. Clearing al Qaeda is only one phase of Operation Phantom Phoenix. U.S. troops will remain in the villages to provide assistance and to discourage a resurgence of al Qaeda.

Soldiers from the 479th Engineer Battalion and the 864th Engineer Battalion, for example, are building a forward operating base in southern Arab Jabour. Commanders emphasize that two more steps are critical to the success of Phantom Phoenix.

First, Iraqi security forces must help restore law and order and, following that, concerned local citizens must maintain stability so that government can be reestablished. U.S. commanders will use seed money available to them to jump-start the economy and create jobs.

Northern Iraq’s Ninevah Province remains a problem. In late January, a bomb factory run by insurgents exploded in Mosul, the provincial capital, killing as many as 60 people and wounding some 200. The next day, a suicide bomber attacked and killed Ninevah’s most senior police chief and two officers. A few days later, a roadside bombing in Mosul killed five U.S. soldiers. Iraqi security forces will take the lead in quelling the violence in Mosul; U.S. commanders expect to provide additional firepower and forces.

In March, the U.S. military returns the western province of Anbar to Iraqi control; it plans to continue to transfer authority back to Iraq and draw down troops. One brigade has already redeployed; four more are scheduled to return by the end of July. Further reductions, according to commanders in Iraq, should be based on later assessments.


AFGHANISTAN UPDATE
Afghanistan is making slow, steady progress in security, governance and economic development, Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of Regional Command East (RC-E) and Combined Joint Task Force-82, announced in a late January Pentagon briefing. The Afghan army has increased in size and capacity and will lead nearly all military operations in eastern Afghanistan in 2008, he said, but there are still challenges.

Gen. Rodriguez said there has been a 30 percent to 40 percent improvement in security, governance and development in the 160 districts that lie in RC-E. A huge increase in road traffic and travel and an increase in local business are visible signs of progress, he said. The tactics that work in eastern Afghanistan, however, may not work in other parts of the country. “It’s a different fight and a different type of challenge in each different area,” Gen. Rodriguez said.

According to the Associated Press, more than 6,500 people—mostly insurgents—died in Afghanistan in 2007; violence rose 27 percent; and it was the deadliest year for U.S. and NATO troops since the start of the war. Gen. Dan K. McNeill, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, recently requested additional troops; NATO commanders have asked for as many as 7,500 troops, half for training. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates has long pressed NATO allies for more troops and trainers.

With Taliban attacks on the rise, growing numbers of civilian deaths and mounting discontent in Afghanistan, Secretary Gates recommended—and President Bush approved—sending 3,200 marines to Afghanistan. Beginning in March, about 2,200 marines will deploy as a maneuver force to ISAF in southern Afghanistan; another 1,000 will train Afghan security forces. The Pentagon stressed that this is an “extraordinary, one-time deployment” that will last only about seven months. With the additional troops, U.S. forces in Afghanistan will grow to about 30,000, the largest number since the overthrow of the Taliban government in 2001.

The Pentagon is working with allies and partners to produce a political strategy for Afghanistan that would place greater focus on combining military and civilian efforts, boosting economic development and building security in Afghanistan. Commanders there are compiling troop and equipment needs.

A strategy statement and military needs will be presented at a NATO summit conference in Bucharest, Romania, in April, when the United States will urge European NATO allies to commit more troops.


GEN. McKIERNAN TO COMMAND ISAF
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (NATO) and commander, U.S. European Command, have welcomed President Bush’s nomination of Gen. David D. McKiernan as the next commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

Gen. McKiernan is currently the commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army. Before assuming that post in 2005, he oversaw the allied ground attack against Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi regime as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was deputy chief of staff of U.S. Army operations in Europe and a senior officer with allied forces in Bosnia. Gen. McKiernan will succeed Gen. Dan K. McNeill, who has been commander of the ISAF since February 2007.


MEDICAL SYMPOSIUM
On March 30, a free symposium devoted to the assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) will be held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. NARSAD (formerly known as the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression), the Washington Psychiatric Society and the Uniformed Services Branch of the American Psychiatric Association are sponsoring the event.

Robert Ursano, M.D., chief of psychiatry at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and psychiatrist Col.(P) (Dr.) Loree Sutton, director of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, will speak about treatment, military research and clinical programs on PTSD and TBI. AUSA president and former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, U.S. Army retired, will provide background information on overall military administrative and policy issues. Reservations are recommended. Call 703-535-1577 or e-mail tveatch@narsad.org.


DAGGER BRIGADE MOVING
The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (2/1ID)—known as the Dagger Brigade—is relocating from Schweinfurt, Germany, to Grafenwoehr, the premier training area of U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR). “In looking across my forces,” Gen. David McKiernan, commanding general of USAREUR, said, “the Dagger Brigade is the unit that will benefit the most from being next to the training area, and I want these soldiers and their families to be able to take advantage of the new housing and facilities coming online in Grafenwoehr.”

The brigade redeployed from a 15-month tour to Iraq in late 2007. The relocation will occur in two phases; the first part of the move is occurring now to take advantage of the normal personnel assignment cycle. After redeployment, about 60 percent of a unit usually changes duty station, and starting the move immediately allowed incoming personnel to be assigned directly to Grafenwoehr.

The first Dagger Brigade units to move are: Headquarters Company, 2/1ID; 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry; 1st Battalion, 77th Armor; 504th Military Intelligence Company; 57th Signal Company; E Troop, 4th Cavalry; and two maintenance support teams from the 299th Forward Support Battalion.

The following elements will relocate to Grafenwoehr as space becomes available within the next two years: 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry; 1st Battalion, 7th Artillery; 9th Engineer Battalion; and the remainder of the 299th Forward Support Battalion.

Because of this move, the 15th Engineer Battalion, which has not yet been established, will activate in Schweinfurt in fiscal year 2008 rather than in Grafenwoehr, as was announced in September 2007. The following units are those involved: 15th Engineer Battalion Headquarters, 500th Engineer Company, 902nd Engineer Company and 534th Engineer detachment.

More than 3,700 soldiers and at least that many family members are moving from Schweinfurt to Grafenwoehr, some 100 miles to the southeast, where a housing area, schools, an exchange, a commissary, a dining facility and fitness centers have been built.


MORE SPACE-A
Spouses and children of soldiers to be deployed for 120 days or more may now travel anywhere on DoD-owned or contracted flights in space available status without their sponsors. Previously, unaccompanied family members of military personnel could travel Space-A only from an overseas location to the continental United States or within an overseas theater of operation.

There is no limit on the number of times family members can fly. Before the change, travel was restricted to one round-trip during the military sponsor’s deployment.

Family members must have a letter signed by the military sponsor’s commanding officer that verifies the soldier’s deployment. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an eligible parent or legal guardian.

As with all Space-A travel, passengers must register in advance in person, by fax, mail or e-mail at the passenger terminal from which they plan to fly. They may sign up for a flight no earlier than 10 days before the sponsor’s deployment, can begin travel on the first day of the deployment and must complete it by the last day of the deployment.

Passengers must be flexible because there are no reservations. Space-A travel is not guaranteed, and family members fly only after requirements for military cargo and higher-category passengers have been met for the specific flight. The U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command, which owns most of the passenger terminals, suggests calling the passenger terminal 30 to 60 days before travel to discuss flight schedules, availability and other details. Base operators can provide phone numbers of passenger terminals. For more information, visit www.amc.af.mil.


ARMY BDU'S OBSOLETE
The final wear-out date for the Army woodland- and desert-patterned battle dress uniforms (BDUs) is April 30 for active duty, Reserve and National Guard soldiers. The BDU was first issued in 1981, the desert version of which is often associated with the soldiers who served in Desert Storm.

The Army introduced the digital-patterned Army combat uniform, which reflected 20 improvements over the previous BDU, in June 2004. The Army is also retiring the following items of apparel on April 30: brown T-shirts, black leather combat boots, green-and-black jungle boots, woodland- and desert-camouflage caps, olive-drab-green name tapes and U.S. Army tapes, subdued olive-green shoulder-sleeve insignias, black rigger belts and web belts with open-faced black buckles. For the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, the wear-out date for these items is April 2009.

Soldiers may contin-ue to wear the black knit cap and the black micro-fleece knit cap until September 30, 2009, and cold weather woodland-camouflage field jacket until September 30, 2010.

Soldiers can save their uniforms; they are not required to turn them in, but must report for duty on May 1, 2008, in ACUs.


NATIONAL GUARD WAR VIDEO
Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, Oregon National Guard, who photographed and videotaped some of their experiences during a year-long deployment to Iraq are featured in an award-winning 90-minute documentary, “This is War: Memories of Iraq.” The National Guard battalion, which deployed for a year in the spring of 2004, patrolled Taji, northeast of Baghdad, and helped clear insurgents from the cities of Najaf and Fallujah. The battalion was involved in some of the heaviest fighting of the war; nine soldiers were killed, and dozens were wounded. The National Combat History Archive and Lucky Forward Films used the personal photographs and videos of soldiers of varying ranks to take the viewer to the front lines of the war in Iraq.

The film includes not only the sniper fire and mortar attacks of combat operations, but also the Guard’s humanitarian and community support missions. Rated R, the DVD can be purchased for $19.95 by calling 503-597-7030 or through the Lucky Forward web site—www.luckyforwardfilms.com—which states that all proceeds help support the Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund, the National Combat History Archive and the Iraq/Afghanistan Oregon Memorial Fund.