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J.P. Lawrence

J.P. Lawrence is a downrange reporter covering Afghanistan and Iraq.

Lawrence joined Stripes in 2018. He previously reported for the San Antonio Express and Albany Times Union. He has written in the U.S. and Africa for the New York Review of Books, Vice, the Intercept and the Associated Press. He served in the U.S. Army and went to Bard College and Columbia University in New York.

Email: lawrence.jp@stripes.com

The upcoming video game ''Burden of Command,'' a World War II battlefield simulator, is designed to show players the complexity of leading people into battle.<br>Courtesy of Green Tree Games.
The upcoming video game ''Burden of Command,'' a World War II battlefield simulator, is designed to show players the complexity of leading people into battle.<br>Courtesy of Green Tree Games.

Upcoming video game forces commanders to earn the trust of their troops or face defeat

In many combat-themed games, soldiers are simply a collection of polygons that do what a player commands — but the upcoming World War II battlefield simulator “Burden of Command” shows players the complexity of leading people into battle.

Afghan police in training form a defensive phalanx amid a hail of rocks as an instructor inspects them during a crowd-control drill at the Regional Police Training Center in Herat, Oct. 28, 2018. Responsibility for training police primarily belongs to Afghan mentors, with allied troops now focusing on advising at higher echelons and with Afghan special operations. J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes<br>
Afghan police in training form a defensive phalanx amid a hail of rocks as an instructor inspects them during a crowd-control drill at the Regional Police Training Center in Herat, Oct. 28, 2018. Responsibility for training police primarily belongs to Afghan mentors, with allied troops now focusing on advising at higher echelons and with Afghan special operations. J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes<br>

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Afghan police have Western training and facilities, but wonder how to maintain them

The challenges in sustaining the country’s police force, underscore some of Afghanistan’s deep dependencies on its foreign backers. Some analysts say it could take decades before the country’s defense and security forces can operate without substantial support from abroad.

A woman inspects red stigmas from a purple crocus flower for impurities Nov. 14, 2018, in Herat, as part of a process of refining saffron, sold as the most expensive spice in the world. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
A woman inspects red stigmas from a purple crocus flower for impurities Nov. 14, 2018, in Herat, as part of a process of refining saffron, sold as the most expensive spice in the world. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

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Can a company founded by Army veterans rise above a recent saffron slump?

Americans see their spice business as continuing a mission they started in the military, but its rise comes as trafficking from Iran, counterfeiting and other growing pains for Afghan farmers threaten to undo progress in the fledgling saffron trade here.

Afghan workers gather plastic bags recycled from the nearby Bagram Air Field.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Afghan workers gather plastic bags recycled from the nearby Bagram Air Field.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

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Bagram’s million-dollar trash economy: 70 tons of trash a day sorted by hand

The heaps of garbage made at the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan fuel a million-dollar economy that has curbed the use of open burn pits linked to medical issues among both locals and international troops.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to troops gathered at a Christmas event with the USO on Monday, Dec. 24, 2018, at Camp Dahlke West in Afghanistan. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to troops gathered at a Christmas event with the USO on Monday, Dec. 24, 2018, at Camp Dahlke West in Afghanistan. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Dunford addresses talk of Afghanistan pullout at holiday USO show

Army Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told local media Sunday that orders of a pullout had not yet reached the leadership here.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to troops gathered at a Christmas event with the USO on Monday, Dec. 24, 2018, at Camp Dahlke West in Afghanistan. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to troops gathered at a Christmas event with the USO on Monday, Dec. 24, 2018, at Camp Dahlke West in Afghanistan. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Dunford addresses talk of Afghanistan pullout at holiday USO show

Army Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told local media Sunday that orders of a pullout had not yet reached the leadership here.

A Special Forces soldier peers through a scope while manning Observation Post Krakken, a checkpoint overlooking a key valley in Deh Bala district in Nangarhar province in July. <br>
A Special Forces soldier peers through a scope while manning Observation Post Krakken, a checkpoint overlooking a key valley in Deh Bala district in Nangarhar province in July. <br>

Reports of US withdrawal stir Afghan fears of worsening conflict

A pullout of American troops from Afghanistan could embolden the resurgent Taliban and worsen the deteriorated security situation, several former Afghan officials said Friday in response to reports that the U.S. would remove half of its forces in the coming weeks.

Army 1st Lt. Spencer Weiss, 30, and his father Tom Weiss, 60, a Defense Department civilian, meet Dec. 15, 2018, at Tactical Base Gamberi in Afghanistan. The two both arrived in Afghanistan this year.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Army 1st Lt. Spencer Weiss, 30, and his father Tom Weiss, 60, a Defense Department civilian, meet Dec. 15, 2018, at Tactical Base Gamberi in Afghanistan. The two both arrived in Afghanistan this year.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

‘This is my father!’: Civilian dad joins his deployed son in Afghanistan

Children sometimes follow in their parent’s footsteps, but it’s not often that a father follows his son to Afghanistan.

Soldiers at Camp Dahlke West in Afghanistan lift weights Dec. 16, 2018 in a gym on base. The once sparse base had no gym as of April last year, and soldiers resorted to building gym equipment out of spare lumber. The new gym is part of a rapid expansion of the base to host the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade in 2018 and the 2nd SFAB in 2019.<br>J.p. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Soldiers at Camp Dahlke West in Afghanistan lift weights Dec. 16, 2018 in a gym on base. The once sparse base had no gym as of April last year, and soldiers resorted to building gym equipment out of spare lumber. The new gym is part of a rapid expansion of the base to host the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade in 2018 and the 2nd SFAB in 2019.<br>J.p. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

An austere base in Afghanistan rapidly expands for more US troops

At the entrance of the base cafeteria at rapidly-expanding Camp Dahlke West, 60 miles south of Kabul, is a sign stating a simple rule: if you want to eat, you’ll have to fill two sandbags.

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim speaks at the ceremony returning the Balangiga Bells to the Philippines at Villamor Air Base, Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018.<br>Courtesy U.S. Embassy in Manila
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim speaks at the ceremony returning the Balangiga Bells to the Philippines at Villamor Air Base, Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018.<br>Courtesy U.S. Embassy in Manila

US returns ‘Balangiga Bells’ to Philippines after more than a century

A C-130 transport plane landed in Manila on Tuesday morning carrying three bells taken from the Philippines a century ago during its war with America, ending a long-standing dispute between the two allies.

Men identified as Taliban fighters or sympathizers wave at a convoy of Afghan military forces during a June 2018 cease-fire in Logar province in Afghanistan. The country became the world's deadliest terrorism hot spot in 2017.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Men identified as Taliban fighters or sympathizers wave at a convoy of Afghan military forces during a June 2018 cease-fire in Logar province in Afghanistan. The country became the world's deadliest terrorism hot spot in 2017.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Afghanistan overtook Iraq as deadliest country for terrorism last year; deaths down globally

Afghanistan became the world’s deadliest terrorism hot spot in 2017, due to the escalation of the war and fewer incidents elsewhere, a new report said.