The bulk of the roughly 4,000 additional troops headed to Afghanistan will probably be composed of thousands of paratroopers from two units — the 82nd Airborne Division and an airborne brigade from the 25th Infantry Division, according to U.S. officials.
More air support — in the form of more F-16 fighters, A-10 ground attack aircraft and additional B-52 bomber support, or a combination of all three — is also probably on the way, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that had not yet been made public. The B-52s will remain based in Qatar but will be tasked to cover Afghanistan.
Small Marine artillery detachments, composed of about 100 or so troops per unit, will be spread around the country to fill in gaps in air support, the official said.
About half of the 82nd Airborne’s 1st Brigade Combat Team is already in Afghanistan, while the rest of the unit — around 1,500 troops — is waiting to join them as a part of the troop increase. The 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division, based in Alaska, is set to relieve parts of the Army’s 1st Armored Division already in the country. To contribute to the troop increase, the 4th Brigade is likely to deploy more of its troops rather than send just enough to replace those in the 1st Armored Division. Fox News first reported the 82nd Airborne’s deployment last week.
During a recent visit to Kabul, Gen. Joseph Votel, the officer who oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, told reporters that he was hoping to get some of the new forces into the country before the end of the fighting season. While in Afghanistan’s warmer climes the fighting season usually lasts almost year-round, clashes elsewhere in the country usually taper off by the end of October.
the additional U.S. forces will allow Americans to advise Afghan troops in more locations and closer to the fighting, U.S. officials in Kabul said ahead of Trump’s announcement. With more units farther away from the country’s biggest bases, additional air support and artillery will be needed to cover those forces.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...national:homepage/card&utm_term=.1795d3959517
More air support — in the form of more F-16 fighters, A-10 ground attack aircraft and additional B-52 bomber support, or a combination of all three — is also probably on the way, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that had not yet been made public. The B-52s will remain based in Qatar but will be tasked to cover Afghanistan.
Small Marine artillery detachments, composed of about 100 or so troops per unit, will be spread around the country to fill in gaps in air support, the official said.
About half of the 82nd Airborne’s 1st Brigade Combat Team is already in Afghanistan, while the rest of the unit — around 1,500 troops — is waiting to join them as a part of the troop increase. The 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division, based in Alaska, is set to relieve parts of the Army’s 1st Armored Division already in the country. To contribute to the troop increase, the 4th Brigade is likely to deploy more of its troops rather than send just enough to replace those in the 1st Armored Division. Fox News first reported the 82nd Airborne’s deployment last week.
During a recent visit to Kabul, Gen. Joseph Votel, the officer who oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, told reporters that he was hoping to get some of the new forces into the country before the end of the fighting season. While in Afghanistan’s warmer climes the fighting season usually lasts almost year-round, clashes elsewhere in the country usually taper off by the end of October.
the additional U.S. forces will allow Americans to advise Afghan troops in more locations and closer to the fighting, U.S. officials in Kabul said ahead of Trump’s announcement. With more units farther away from the country’s biggest bases, additional air support and artillery will be needed to cover those forces.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...national:homepage/card&utm_term=.1795d3959517
