DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Female Engagement Teams

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on December 5, 2010 at 2:58 pm {one comment}

Col. Chadwick W. Clark, director, COIN Training Center Afghanistan, NTM-A/CSTC-A. Photo courtesy of NTM-A/CSTC-A.

We recently held a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable with U.S. Army Col. Chadwick W. Clark, director of the COIN Training Center – Afghanistan, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan (NTM-A) / Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A) on Tuesday, Dec. 7.

Col. Clark discussed Female Engagement Teams (FETs), and how they have been used in the past by the U.S. Marine Corps and other commands in Afghanistan to access information from the silent 50 percent of the Afghan population, i.e. the women of Afghanistan.  Additionally, Clark discussed how the CSTC-A is working to move the current FET course from Bagram and professionalize it so that it standardizes how and why FETs are used in Afghanistan.

Listen to the interview.

Read the transcript.

Read the Defense.gov story: Teams Seek Rapport With Afghan Women

Joining us on the call were Andrew Lubin, of The Military Observer; Chuck Simmins, of America’s North Shore Journal; John Doyle, of the 4GWar blog; and Gail Harris, of the Foreign Policy Association.

Bloggers Roundtable Recap: Oct. 25-29

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on October 29, 2010 at 2:32 pm {no comments}

During the week of Oct. 25-29, DoDLive held six Bloggers Roundtables. Listed below is a recap of those roundtables:

Army Bloggers Roundtable: Col. Gregory Gonzalez, program manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Tim Owings, deputy program manager, UAS and Viva Austin, Airspace Integration Product director, UAS on Monday, Oct. 25.

They discussed the advances in UAS and how they are used in military operations.

Interview audio and print transcript.
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DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Counterinsurgency Training Center

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on October 25, 2010 at 8:52 am {no comments}

Col. Chadwick W. Clark, director, COIN Training Center Afghanistan, NTM-A/CSTC-A. Photo courtesy of NTM-A/CSTC-A

We recently held a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable with Col. Chadwick W. Clark, director, COIN Training Center Afghanistan, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan, on Tuesday, Oct. 26.

Col. Clark discussed the Counterinsurgency Training Center – Afghanistan and how it enhances coalition forces, the Afghan National Security Force and other Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan agencies’ capabilities to reduce insurgent influence.

Counterinsurgency Training Center – Afghanistan is the only school training Afghan National Security Force coalition forces and civilians in the same class. There are also residential courses as well as mobile training teams. Through these courses students learn about counterinsurgency operations and stability operations/stability assistance.

Listen to the interview.

Read the transcript.

Read the Defense.gov story: “Training Brings Counterinsurgency Strategy to Afghans”

Joining us on the call was Anand Choudhuri, of Registan.

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Afghan National Police Training

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on August 31, 2010 at 12:41 pm {no comments}

Col. Chadwick W. Clark, deputy commander, CTAG-P, NTM-A/CSTC-A. Photo courtesy of NTM-A/CSTC-A

We recently held a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable with Col. Chadwick W. Clark, deputy commander, Combined Training Advisory Group – Police (CTAG-P), NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan on Wednesday, Sept. 1.

Col. Clark provided an update on the progress of Afghan National Police (ANP) training and the efforts being made in developing leaders. He also discussed the quality and quantity of the training being offered and the challenges ahead for training the ANP.

Listen to the interview.

Read the transcript.

Joining us on the call were Andrew Lubin, of the Military Observer; Chuck Simmins, of America’s North Shore Journal; Gina DiNicolo, of Military Officer Magazine; Shaun Waterman, of The Washington Times; and Anand Choudhuri, of Registan.

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Training System for ANP

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on June 28, 2010 at 11:58 am {no comments}

(Left to right) Brig. Gen. Zarifi, commander of the Regional Training Center, Kandahar and Col. Chadwick W. Clark, deputy commander for Combined Training Advisory Group Police

We recently held a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable with Col. Chadwick W. Clark, deputy commander for Combined Training Advisory Group Police (CTAG-P), on June 30.

CTAG-P trains, advises, coaches, and mentors the Afghan National Police Training establishment in order to create a doctrine, education, and training system capable of supporting the development and sustainment of a professional Afghan National Police (ANP) Force. The way we do this is by advising at the training centers, and partnering and advising at the Ministry and subordinate command level.

CTAG-P has two major challenges over the next 16 months: quantity and quality.

(more…)

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    Famed Yankees pitcher “Lefty Gomez” once remarked “I’d rather be lucky than good,” but for one Tuskegee Airman, luck and good combined to make him one of the most successful combat pilots of World War II.

    During the summer of 1944, 2nd Lt. Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester was flying the P-51 Mustang over the skies of Italy’s Po Valley providing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with cover support on their way to attack airfields in southern Germany.

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