General John Cantwell on War in Afghanistan

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra,  where retired General John Cantwell is speaking on  Australia’s military involvement in the Gulf and Afghanistan. This is to launch his book   "Exit wounds: one man’s war on terror" (with Greg Bearup). There are around 500 people in the audience, including senior current and former military officers. General Cantwell recommended "The General's regrets: John Cantwell" (Melanie Sim with Alex Sloan, ABC Radio, 27 September, 2012 12:55PM AEST).

The book excerpts and some of the interviews have given a very depressed impression of the General, but he was a lively and entertaining speaker (he should do well on the US speaking circuit). The talk got more serious as he talked about his experience in the first gulf war, when attached to US forces.

The technique used by the US 1st Infantry Division
for the Iraqi breakthrough was to use tanks equipped dozer blades to fill in trenches, burying the enemy troops in them alive. This is a valid and lawful military tactic, but appears to have affected the General deeply. He made the point that as well as being a soldier he is a person and the experience of war takes a toll.

General Cantwell traces his "demons" to this experience and points out that any normal person would naturally be effected. Returning to Australia, the General was one of few in the ADF who had experienced combat. There was little sympathy or understanding of behaviour such as jumping at noises.

I have some understanding for this, after the Canberra 2003 Bushfires. On that day I was at the Belconnen Library when a state of emergency was declared and made my way home seeing water bombing helicopter against a sky which looked like one of the lower levels of hell. Some weeks later thinking I was fine, I went to the library but had an attack of sheer panic when the PA was used to announce the normal closing time. this may sound silly, to anyone who has not had the experience.

General Cantwell explained that he went back to Iraq, despite his condition, as he thought he could make amends for the destruction of the first gulf war. Unfortunately this coincided with more sectarian violence. The General was head of operations in a headquarters much of the time, but receiving detailed graphic reports of the causalities. The situation was made worse by the casual attitude to violence by many involved. He also described in graphic detail witnessing the effects of improvised explosive devices on the civilian population. He described the agony of having to make decisions over the allocation of resources which resulted in deaths.

After his Iraq experience the General wanted to command in Afghanistan. A professional soldier, he explained that this is what soldiers live to do. He explained that he thought he could be "tough", bury his demons and do his job. He described how Australian soldiers went out every day, in the face of casualties.

After twenty years General Cantwell was admitted to hospital to be treated for posttraumatic stress disorder and is still recovering. He explained at question time that those who operate remote pilot-less aircraft (UAVs) and other remote equipment can also be affected by the experience.

One of the privileges, perhaps obligations, of former solders is to point out the cost of war and General Cantwell does that well. However, potential enemies of Australia should not take this as weakness. He does not advocate a rushed withdrawal of Australian forces from Afghanistan and supports those who are ready to step forward to risk wounds, both physical and physiological, to defend their country.

General Cantwell received a standing ovation at the end of his talk, which I have not seen at ANU before.

Public Lecture

Exit wounds: one man’s war on terror by Major-General John Cantwell with Greg Bearup

Canberra Times / ANU Literary Event: Meet the Author Series 2012
Australia has been at war for the past twenty years and yet there has been no stand-out account from these conflicts. The Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts have constituted major Australian military involvements since the Vietnam War. In the case of Afghanistan, Australia has paid much in blood and treasure. This lecture elucidates Australia’s military involvements in the Gulf and Afghanistan from a practitioner’s perspective. Major-General John Cantwell’s book Exit Wounds is his searing story of the realities of Australia’s recent wars and the enduring scars they leave on our armed forces.
Major-General John Cantwell AO DSC retired from the Australian Army in early 2012 after a unique career spanning almost 40 years. Starting as a 17-year-old Private in 1973, he rose through the ranks in a career that included Commanding Officer of the Royal Military College at Duntroon, Commander of a brigade of around 3,000 troops, the Deputy Chief of the Army, and Head of the Force Structure Review as part of the 2009 Defence White Paper. He was also Interim Head (and later, Chief of Operations) of the Victoria Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority, coordinating all Commonwealth, State and non-government efforts to recover from the deadly Black Saturday fires in 2009.
Major-General Cantwell served in three distinct wars: combat duty in Operation Desert Storm in 1991; as the Director of Strategic Operations in the US-led coalition headquarters in Baghdad in 2006; and as the Commander of all Australian forces in Afghanistan and the wider Middle East area of operations in 2010. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his leadership in action in Afghanistan, has been made a Member of the Order of Australia and an Officer of the Order of Australia, and received the United States Legion of Merit.
Book sales and signings will follow the lecture. 

Presented by The Canberra Times and ANU Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies

Solar Street Lights in Afghanistan

US Aid reports funding the installation of solar street lights in Afghanistan ("Tirin Kot Residents Enjoy Nightlife", 17 August 2011). Each streetlight has two 60 Watt photovoltaic solar panels and a 180 Ah sealed lead acid battery. The 30 Watt LED lamp illuminates about a 25 meter around it.

Solar street lights have the advantage that each unit is independent of mains power and each other. So the lights can be installed one at a time and start working immediately. However they are expensive to purchase compared to mains powered lights. A 30 Watt Solar Street Light is about $4,000. Also the batteries require to be replaced every few years.

The power produced by the solar panels can only be used for the individual street light. Much of the time the panel will be producing surplus power which cannot be stored by the on-board battery. One way to harness this would be to install a standard 12 Volt outlet on the base of the pole, so local residents could use surplus power to charge small appliances.