More than 1,000 Marines with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, have returned from Afghanistan to Camp Pendleton, Calif., since Friday, the culmination of their seven-month deployment in northern Helmand province. As this Marine Corps news release points out, the unit was based primarily in Musa Qala and Now Zad districts, teaming with other units as part of Regimental Combat Team 6. Other infantry units in that RCT this summer included 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., and 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., both of which photographer James J. Lee and I visited this spring…
Browsing: Charles Gurganus
The next major phase of the drawdown of Marine forces in Afghanistan is nearly complete. Thousands of Marines have returned from Helmand province in the last few weeks, leaving behind a smaller force that is focused primarily on partnered security force assistance with Afghan National Security Forces, rather than offensive operations. Marine officials declined to say how many Marines remain, but have acknowledged previously that there could be as few as 7,000 by October. The overall number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan this fall is expected to drop to 68,000, the approximate same number as when President Obama ordered a…
The top Marine commander in Afghanistan and Helmand province Gov. Mohammad Gulab Mangal briefed media at the Pentagon today, addressing the evolving mission there as Afghan forces take the lead in providing security. Many issues were addressed. Improved governance, for one. Expansion of the Afghan National Army, for another. Even the Afghan government’s plan to stir up commerce in Helmand was discussed, a wrinkle that hasn’t received much press. Two basics weren’t covered, however: How many Marines are there presently in Afghanistan, and how many will be left this fall? Both numbers are unclear, now that the U.S. is in…
The Marine Corps’ footprint in Afghanistan is changing dramatically as a drawdown in forces continues throughout the summer. The latest changes include a shift in central Helmand province in which one infantry battalion — 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. — is distributed across Marjah, Nawa, and several other districts, with Afghan forces taking a leading role. Second Battalion, 9th Marines, and 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, both out of Lejeune, left the battlefield recently and were not replaced. The Corps also has realigned all remaining infantry units to fall under Regimental Combat Team 6, out of Camp…
As noted here, Maj. Gen. John Toolan turned over the reins of Regional Command Southwest yesterday to Maj. Gen. Charles Gurganus, who will lead Marine forces in Helmand and Nimroz provinces this summer. Toolan has repeatedly praised Mohammad Gulab Mangal, Helmand’s provincial governor for his leadership. The general cited Mangal jumping to action as one reason why Helmand didn’t have the same kind of violent protests other parts of the country did after U.S. soldiers burned Qurans at Bagram Air Base last month. To thank Mangal and other top Afghan officials for their year-long partnership, Toolan held a farewell dinner…
The transition is official: Maj. Gen. Charles Gurganus took command of Marine forces in southwest Afghanistan today, becoming the commander of Regional Command Southwest. Gurganus and his headquarters element, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), will lead nearly 30,000 coalition troops over the next year. It won’t be easy: they’ll oversee a massive drawdown of forces, continued combat operations and a shift toward Afghan security forces taking a leading role. Maj. Gen. John Toolan, the outgoing commander, highlighted what to expect in this long-form Marine Corps Times story published last week.
