Pushback?

[Martin Kaminer]

Seems a bit jargony for an official DoD dispatch, no?  I have
encountered that term only in corporate rather than military
discourse, perhaps it refers to a new type of "Politik mit anderen
Mitteln"?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: American Forces Press Service <afps at subscriptions.dod.mil>
Date: Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 11:16 AM
Subject: U.S. Supports Pushback Against Lord's Resistance Army
To: martin.kaminer at gmail.com


U.S. Supports Pushback Against Lord's Resistance Army
04/25/2012 10:22 AM CDT

U.S. Supports Pushback Against Lord's Resistance Army

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2012 - The United States is part of a successful
effort to help counter the Lord's Resistance Army in Central Africa, but a
four-pillared approach to neutralizing the terrorist group must continue,
senior defense, diplomatic and aid officials told senators here yesterday.

That approach, officials explained, includes increasing protection for
civilians in LRA-affected areas, apprehending and removing Joseph Kony and
other LRA leaders, disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating remaining LRA
fighters, and sustaining humanitarian relief to affected areas.

Amanda J. Dory, deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for African affairs,
joined Donald Yamamoto, principal deputy assistant Secretary of State for
African affairs, and Earl Gast, U.S. Agency for International Development
assistant administrator for Africa, in testimony before the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee's African Affairs Subcommittee yesterday.

The LRA is composed mostly of kidnapped children forced to conduct Kony's
terrorist tactics over the past 20 years, administration officials have
said. Tens of thousands of people have been murdered and as many as 1.8
million have been displaced by the LRA, they said.

President Barack Obama announced April 23 that a U.S. military
advise-and-assist mission to Central Africa, begun in October, will remain
in place with periodic review.

"Our advisers will continue their efforts to bring this madman to justice
and to save lives," the president said in announcing the mission's
extension.

The 100-member U.S. team of trainers is working to help nations affected by
the LRA to "help realize a future where no African child is stolen from
their family and no girl is raped and no boy is turned into a child
soldier," Obama said.

Dory described U.S. contributions to the effort, which include training
local forces and assisting in intelligence and logistics coordination.

"The militaries of Uganda, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, in collaboration with the African Union,
continue to pursue the LRA and seek to protect local populations," she said.
"They are leading this effort."

U.S. advisors in Uganda synchronize and oversee the department's counter-LRA
efforts and coordinate with Ugandan forces, she said, while other U.S.
service members work in field locations with forces from Uganda, the Central
African Republic and South Sudan.

"U.S. advisors have helped to set up operations fusion centers to enable
daily coordination, information sharing and tactical coordination," she
said. "[They] are also integrating local civilian leaders into the work of
the partner forces to improve the effectiveness of the civil-military
relations."

Yamamoto said the State Department's role in the counter-LRA mission largely
involves multinational coordination.

"We are coordinating closely with the United Nations peacekeeping missions
in the region, especially to promote civilian protection," he said. "We have
encouraged the U.N. to scale up its efforts when possible. We are also
working very closely with the African Union to increase its efforts to
address the LRA."

Gast said USAID has worked in Africa since the late 1980s to help
communities build security, to reintegrate children formerly abducted by the
LRA, and to strengthen economic development in affected areas.

"As the conflict first began to exact severe economic losses, cause mass
displacement and weaken governance in Northern Uganda, USAID focused on
providing lifesaving assistance to those affected by the conflict," Gast
said. "When the LRA was finally driven out of Northern Uganda, our programs
shifted from relief to recovery and then to longer-term development, which
is taking place now."

Dory noted the LRA operates in a remote and rugged zone that includes parts
of several countries. U.S. forces have effectively only been in the area
since December and January, she said, but they have seen results from their
efforts.

"We believe the U.S. military advisors have established a good foundation
and made initial progress, especially considering the complexity of the
operating environment, the number of partners involved and the remoteness of
the operational areas," Dory said. "We will continue to monitor the
situation closely with our interagency partners to ensure our support is
having the intended impact."


Biographies:
Amanda J. Dory

Related Articles:
Obama Announces Strategy to Counter Atrocities


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