On Patrol

Marine Lance Corporal Cody Varnell watches from a hill during a security patrol with Afghan Border Police on January 30, 2012, in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Marine Corps photo by Corporal Reece Lodder

The average person would find service men and women performing plenty of unexpected jobs if they just strolled onto a military base. You can add snow sculpting to that list.

In what has become an annual cultural exchange, an American military team participated for the 28^th time last week in the Sapporo Snow Festival on the island of Hokkaido, Japan.

But according to Stars and Stripes, this year’s trip was especially poignant because of prior events:

This year was different, however, as some of the sailors involved carried with them the emotions and fellowship of having participated in relief operations after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that devastated northern Japan.

As the six-sailor delegation finished their bust reprisal of the Navy’s iconic “Lone Sailor” statue, which is located at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Christopher “Billy” Knox said they decided to make a last-minute addition to the meticulously planned work of art.

Read more about their trip—and see photos of the snow sculptures—in Creating ice sculpture stirs emotions in US military team.

In other news around the military:

• The Army announced over the weekend that Brigadier General Terence J. Hildner died in Afghanistan on Friday. Hildner, 49, is the highest-ranking member of the U.S. military to die in the Afghanistan War. His death is under investigation, though it’s believed to be due to natural causes.
  
  
• ESPN chatted with a pair of service men who happen to be Giants fans about their experience watching their team win the Super Bowl from Schweinfurt, Germany.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta suggested Wednesday that coalition forces would shift combat responsibility to Afghan forces by mid-2013, nearly 1½ years earlier than expected.

The chatter—which developed during this week’s NATO meeting in Brussels—came one day after a leaked report suggested Taliban fighters feel they’re in good position to re-take the country once coalition forces leave. The Associated Press reported Thursday that coalition officials are concerned over the depth of Taliban infiltration into Afghanistan’s security forces, which have expanded in preparation for the eventual handover of responsibility.

The coalition still plans on staying in Afghanistan through the end of 2014. But instead of being first to every fight, it will become an advise-and-assist partner to the Afghan military, much like it did with Iraq’s armed forces.

More on Afghanistan:

• Time’s Battleland blog says Panetta’s announcement makes sense, considering the path the U.S. took in exiting Iraq.
  
  
• An editorial in The Guardian criticizes coalition reassurances of progress in the fight against the Taliban, pointing to this week’s leaked report suggesting members of the group feel they could retake Afghanistan when the coalition leaves.

• Afghan troops attacked coalition troops 45 times since May 2007, according to testimony at a Wednesday hearing before the House Armed Services Committee.

Army First Lieutenant George Rousson, right, calls his soldiers back to their vehicles after combat engineers investigated and cleared an area of interest January 19, 2012, during a mission in eastern Afghanistan. Army photo by Sergeant Victor Everhart

Air Force Captain Brandon Lavalley breaks right on a final approach over northern Las Vegas on January 25, 2012, during an exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Air Force photo by Master Sergeant Benjamin Bloker

One day after the annual U.S. intelligence threat assessment declared al-Qaeda is weakening, news of a report from Afghanistan has surfaced saying Taliban fighters would have a reasonable chance at retaking the country once coalition forces depart for good.

A NATO spokesman confirmed the existence of a document, but said it was “a compilation of Taliban detainee opinions,” according to Reuters.

News of the document comes at a particularly bad time, as news reports have indicated coalition forces are working toward setting terms of peace negotiations with the Taliban.

According to the Washington Post, the report also says Pakistan intelligence is still giving aid to the Taliban.

Read more in Taliban “poised to retake Afghanistan” after NATO.

Soldiers assigned to the Army Silent Drill Team perform January 29, 2012, at Aloha Stadium during the 2012 National Football League Pro Bowl halftime show in Honolulu, Hawaii. Air Force photo by Technical Sergeant Michael Holzworth

The annual United States threat assessment report released Tuesday says al-Qaeda is weakening, but cyber security threats and Iran’s nuclear aspirations are creating growing security issues.

“The United States no longer faces - as in the Cold War - one dominant threat,” Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in prepared testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, according to CNN.

The report paints Iran as a destabilizing influence in the Mideast. The intelligence community believes Iran will do all it can to block continued progress between the U.S. and Afghan governments.

There are also suggestions in the report that Iran, Russia and China are all potential threats when it comes to American cyber security.

Read more in Intel report cites strides, threats.

In other news around the military:

• First Lady Michelle Obama is stumping for an expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act to make the law protect caregivers of military personnel.

• Army Lieutenant General (Retired) William G. Boykin will no longer be on the speakers list at West Point’s National Prayer breakfast after protests over his previous remarks about Muslims.

The litany of troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, along with new rules on Vietnam-era injuries, left the Department of Veterans Affairs with 853,831 unresolved cases heading into last weekend.

The volume is staggering. The VA says its processed nearly 1 million claims in the last year, but that another 1.3 million people have filed claims in that time period.

The VA expects thousands more claims to be filed over Iraq and Afghanistan, but has been set back by nearly 200,000 new cases involving Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam brought under new rules that make it easier to file.

Read more in VA struggling with disability backlog.

In other news around the military:

• The New York Times reports the State Department is operating unarmed drones in Iraq to help protect U.S. Embassies and American personnel.

• It appears there’s trouble brewing in Egypt, as the American diplomatic mission there has begun sheltering non-governmental employees for the first time amid concerns over Cairo’s crackdown on pro-democracy groups.

Air Force maintainers remove snow from a C-17 Globemaster III on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on January 12, 2012. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Cynthia Spalding

• The holiday season is over, but Wreaths Across America needs your help one more time. They’ll be picking up the thousands of wreaths they laid at Arlington National Cemetery tomorrow morning. Volunteers should meet at 8:30 a.m. at the McClellan Gate Arch near Section 12 of the cemetery.

• After finding it odd that there weren’t celebrations to mark the end of the Iraq War, two friends started a campaign that will culminate with this Saturday’s parade in St. Louis. Follow the link to read their story.

• And finally, Navy’s men’s basketball team looks to break a 13-game losing streak Saturday night when it hosts Bucknell at 7 p.m.

The former Marine who shot at the Pentagon, Marine Corps museum and two military buildings in Virginia pleaded guilty to three counts Thursday in a deal that calls for him to serve 25 years in prison. But his motive still isn’t clear.

Yonathan Melaku — who admitted to shooting at the Pentagon on October 19, 2010 — was arrested on June 17 with a backpack containing bomb-making material near Arlington National Cemetery.

According to The Washington Post, prosecutors said Melaku was on a campaign of “fear and terror,” pointing to video tapes of the man shouting “Allahu Akbar!” and the extremist writings they found in his backpack the day of his arrest. But Melaku’s lawyer says he does not know of any motive for the crimes, and told the Post that he wonders if the former Marine is suffering with psychological problems. No one was injured in any of the incidents.

Read more in Motive of shooter who targeted military sites is unclear.

Air Force Staff Sergeant Jonathan Hill, left, directs villagers to his Mi-17 helicopter in Shewa village in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province on January 24, 2012. Air Force photo by Master Sergeant Shane A. Cuomo

Details of the Pentagon’s restructuring plan surfaced Thursday morning, showing the Department of Defense wants to focus more on drones and special-operations activities.

The plans—which Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was to discuss Thursday—will boost America’s drone fleet by 30 percent, according to Fox News. The organization also reported a planned increase in special-operations bases around the world.

“What we really want is to see the Army adopt the mentality of special forces,” a military officer told Fox News on condition of anonymity.

The DOD wants to boost these capabilities while simultaneously cutting eight Army brigades—roughly 80,000 soldiers—from the ranks.

Read more in New Pentagon plan focuses on drones, special ops, cuts traditional forces.

Also, The Associated Press takes a look at the political angle Panetta has to take when discussing the cuts amid the run-up to November’s elections.

Army Sergeant Ramon Cortez takes a knee while providing security detail during a combat patrol in Khost province, Afghanistan, on January 25, 2012. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Jason Epperson