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Most of this week’s newsletter was written prior to the death of thirteen American service members and dozens of civilians in Afghanistan this week. In light of this tragic attack, we want to take a moment to recognize and honor the sacrifice of the eleven Marines, the Navy corpsman, and the Army soldier who gave their lives to aid the evacuation from Kabul. At the time of writing, the currently known names of the fallen are:

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20, Jackson, Wyo.
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, of Wentzville, Mo.
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Tex.
Navy Hospital Corpsman Max Soviak, of Berlin Heights, Ohio
Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Riverside County, Calif.
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, of Norco, Calif.
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, 31, of Utah
Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page, 23, of Omaha
Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss, 23, of Tennessee

Thanks to the efforts of these service members, thousands of U.S. allies were able to escape the violence in Afghanistan. These troops gave all to protect the most vulnerable in our country’s time of need, and we owe it to them to remember their efforts.

Sincerely,
The SEA STATE team

NEWS THIS WEEK

“Biden vows to finish mission despite Kabul attacks” (BBC): While readers are likely tracking the evolving situation in Afghanistan, the SEA STATE team would be remiss not to pay tribute to our teammates lost on Thursday, and offer some context for the current status of operations there. As evacuation efforts continue -- with approximately 82,300 people evacuated from Kabul since the city fell to the Taliban on 14 August, as of Thursday -- an attack occurred outside Hamid Karzai International Airport where people have gathered to wait for entrance. At least eleven Marines, one sailor, and one soldier made the ultimate sacrifice as they worked to process those potential evacuees.

• On Thursday evening, President Biden held a press conference in which he vowed to find the perpetrators of these attacks. Earlier this week, it was reported that there were credible threats from ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), a branch of ISIS in Afghanistan who claimed responsibility for the attack. The President’s speech indicated that the attacks would not prompt the U.S. to remain longer or recommit troops, but that retaliation would be delivered through a more tailored use of force. At the time of writing, the U.S. has launched a retaliatory strike in Nangarhar province.

• ISIS-K has committed a number of atrocities in Afghanistan, and is considered one of the most extreme groups in the country. They are not likely to share the same mainline objectives as the Taliban right now, especially as some of ISIS-K’s members are disaffected former Taliban who disagreed with their participation in peace talks. However, as the Taliban swept through Afghanistan earlier this month, they released prisoners to include both al-Qaeda and ISIS-K affiliates.

• The situation on the ground in Afghanistan is so fluid that between the time of this writing and the dissemination of the newsletter, there may be further critical developments. Junior officers should continue to track these developments because the drawdown from two decades of war and ongoing evacuation is likely to be dissected for the remainder of our careers. Additionally, junior officers should reflect on the lives of our lost teammates and consider how to help our sailors and Marines process Thursday’s events.

“Harris, in Vietnam, gets a dose of China’s challenge to the U.S.” (The Washington Post): Vice President Kamala Harris visited Vietnam this week, a diplomatic trip that highlighted the growing rivalry between the United States and China. Vietnam is one of the many countries that contests China’s claims in the South China Sea, and Vice President Harris noted the need “to challenge [Beijing’s] bullying and excessive maritime claims.” In light of the Vice President’s visit, Beijing sought to shift focus to Afghanistan and label the U.S. as an unreliable ally. Vice President Harris also announced a donation of 1 million coronavirus vaccines to Vietnam, to which Beijing quickly responded with a donation of 2 million vaccines. As the Biden administration seeks to refocus foreign policy attention to the Indo-Pacific, we should take note of the Vice President’s trip as yet another illustration of the U.S.’s continued tensions with China.

OPINION: “American Purpose After the Fall of Kabul” (The New Yorker): Award-winning author, Phil Klay, provides his comments on the emotional response of the American homefront after watching Kabul fall to the Taliban. Klay comments on the shift from a fever pitch of support for the war in Afghanistan after 9/11 to the current level of disinterest shown by the general American public. Klay — a Marine veteran of the Iraq war and among the preeminent observers of 21st century American militarism — writes a short, searing reflection on America’s failure in Afghanistan. How did this happen?

IN DEFENSE NEWS

“Putin launches construction of new nuclear subs and warships” (DefenseNews): Russia began the construction of new nuclear submarines and warships on Monday as part of ongoing military modernization efforts. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave orders for two nuclear submarines armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as two diesel-powered submarines and two corvettes. Stating that “a strong and sovereign Russia needs a powerful and well-balanced navy,” Putin touches on a vital aspect of great power competition: maritime strength. Recently, maritime competition is most often discussed with regard to the US-China competition, but JOs would do well to stay cognizant of Russia’s efforts to compete, such as in the Black Sea. JOs should expect increased Russian naval activity and increased run-ins with the Russian Navy, not only in the Sixth Fleet’s European area of operations, but globally.

“Marines Successfully Fire New NMESIS Anti-Ship Weapon During Live Exercise” (Breaking Defense): During the recent Large Scale Exercise 2021 (LSE), the Marine Corps live fire tested a new ground-based, anti-ship missile. The test succeeded in firing and hitting a decommissioned ship during a Sink Exercise. The successful test provides an indicator for the speed at which the Marine Corps is implementing Gen. Berger’s Commandant's Planning Guidance, which calls for expanded missile capabilities.

“With Pfizer approval, COVID-19 vaccine to become mandatory for troops” (Military Times): On Monday, the FDA announced full approval for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The Pentagon has announced that they will produce a timeline for vaccinations in the coming days, as well as guidance for commanders whose troops refuse to become vaccinated. In the last month, eight service members have died from COVID-19. Junior officers who have not received the vaccine will soon be mandated to receive the shot, and their subordinates will also face the same rules.

PODCAST EPISODE OF THE WEEK

“Home/Front: Rebels in the Valley” - Rough Translation

Have you noticed how the military’s digital resources seem to be stuck in the twentieth century -- waiting 10 minutes for a browser to load, only ever using Internet Explorer, and of course never saying yes to a “green shutdown.” For some, this is a daily inconvenience, while for others, it may dictate if they can make it home safely. Aerial refueling tankers serve aircraft with varying amounts of fuel at different altitudes. This requires both meticulous preflight planning and also precise flexibility to adjust to real time fluctuations in supply and demand. F-16 pilot Raj Shah relied on tanker scheduling during his missions over the Middle East. Years after he was out of the cockpit, he was shocked to learn that all this fuel coordination was done on a whiteboard, with people verbally passing (very important) numbers and copying them down by hand. Raj set out to improve the system with a simple coding software to save time and reduce the risk of mistakes. But this mission quickly underscored a major barrier to innovation that starts at the very top in the Pentagon.

This episode of Rough Translation’s Home/Front takes a look at the complicated relationship between Silicon Valley and the Department of Defense. It highlights some of the core inefficiencies all junior officers have come across, and tells the story of someone willing to challenge the bureaucracy to benefit all service members. Junior officers have different perspectives than senior commanders, and that can be a fantastic resource to our organization. No matter how small our division, we can use our technological literacy to make processes more efficient.

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/22/1009063340/home-front-rebels-in-the-valley

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We’ll see you next week.

This issue of SEA STATE was written and edited by Yash Khatavkar, Christian Hoffman, Morgan Krasnican, Emma Quinn, Nick Paraiso, Nate Bermel, Madison Sargeant, Mary Bishop Wade, Viraj Patel, Scotty Davids, and Jake Marx.

SEA STATE is not affiliated with the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, or the Department of Defense. All views expressed or shared in this newsletter are the authors’ own and not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. government or any military entity.