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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

<br>Justice Department/Facebook
<br>Justice Department/Facebook

Man who tried to sell anti-aircraft missiles to Hezbollah, Iraq gets 30 years in prison

An arms dealer who tried to buy anti-aircraft missiles and sell them to clients in the Middle East was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison, the Justice Department said.

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Irene Mason talks with an Afghan soldier on Camp Julien, Afghanistan, in 2009. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program launched by the Defense Department in September 2009 to develop a cadre of experts in the countries, including their languages and cultures, is set to end in 2020.<br>Matthew Chlosta/U.S. Army
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Irene Mason talks with an Afghan soldier on Camp Julien, Afghanistan, in 2009. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program launched by the Defense Department in September 2009 to develop a cadre of experts in the countries, including their languages and cultures, is set to end in 2020.<br>Matthew Chlosta/U.S. Army

A decadelong program to ‘turn the tide’ in Afghanistan is ending, long after military shifted its focus

A 10-year military program aimed at creating cultural experts in Central Asia will shut down next year, ending what some Afghanistan veterans said was a once-promising effort that fell victim to shifting Pentagon priorities and leadership changes.

The Army is developing a new ration that uses vacuum-microwave technology to shrink items. Items under development from the Close Combat Assault Ration at the Pentagon May 24, 2018 include a root vegetable bar, Korean barbeque stir-fry package, spinach quiche, cheddar cheese bar, banana and French toast.<br>Gary Sheftick/U.S. Army
The Army is developing a new ration that uses vacuum-microwave technology to shrink items. Items under development from the Close Combat Assault Ration at the Pentagon May 24, 2018 include a root vegetable bar, Korean barbeque stir-fry package, spinach quiche, cheddar cheese bar, banana and French toast.<br>Gary Sheftick/U.S. Army

The incredible shrinking MRE: New tech zaps rations into a third their normal size

Soldiers of the future may be eating bacon and egg breakfasts via tiny food bars. “A complete meal in a bar, that’s my goal,” said Tom Yang, senior food technologist at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center.

Nabiullah, 28, and his family grieve the death of daughter Feroza, 8, who died in a bombing in Kabul on July 1, 2019. The complex attack claimed by the Taliban killed 10 and injured about 100, official sources said.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Nabiullah, 28, and his family grieve the death of daughter Feroza, 8, who died in a bombing in Kabul on July 1, 2019. The complex attack claimed by the Taliban killed 10 and injured about 100, official sources said.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

‘May God disgrace them’: Families grieve after Taliban strike kills children

Ahmad Faisal, 12, was one of many Afghans coping with the aftermath of a Monday bombing, which the Taliban said targeted a nearby Afghan military logistics depot but left dozens of civilians wounded and killed at least 10 people, including an 8-year-old girl named Feroza.

Wounded people receive treatment in a hospital after a powerful bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 1, 2019. A powerful bomb blast rocked the Afghan capital early Monday, rattling windows, sending smoke billowing from Kabul's downtown area and wounding dozens of people. <br>Rahmat Gul/AP
Wounded people receive treatment in a hospital after a powerful bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 1, 2019. A powerful bomb blast rocked the Afghan capital early Monday, rattling windows, sending smoke billowing from Kabul's downtown area and wounding dozens of people. <br>Rahmat Gul/AP

Six die, scores are wounded in Kabul blast, gunfight

At least six people were killed and scores were wounded, including dozens of schoolchildren, in a car bomb attack and an hours-long gunfight that targeted an Afghan military logistics depot in Kabul on Monday, Afghan officials said.

Wounded people receive treatment in a hospital after a powerful bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 1, 2019. A powerful bomb blast rocked the Afghan capital early Monday, rattling windows, sending smoke billowing from Kabul's downtown area and wounding dozens of people. <br>Rahmat Gul/AP
Wounded people receive treatment in a hospital after a powerful bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 1, 2019. A powerful bomb blast rocked the Afghan capital early Monday, rattling windows, sending smoke billowing from Kabul's downtown area and wounding dozens of people. <br>Rahmat Gul/AP

Six die, scores are wounded in Kabul blast, gunfight

At least six people were killed and scores were wounded, including dozens of schoolchildren, in a car bomb attack and an hours-long gunfight that targeted an Afghan military logistics depot in Kabul on Monday, Afghan officials said.

U.S. soldiers, from left to right, Spc. Shyla Alam, Staff Sgt. Anthony McGee, Sgt. 1st Class Lucas Hansen and Spc. Uriel Ochoa, have different reactions after trying the Kazakh specialty kumis, or fermented horse milk. The soldiers were in Kazakhstan in June 2019 for the annual Steppe Eagle exercise.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
U.S. soldiers, from left to right, Spc. Shyla Alam, Staff Sgt. Anthony McGee, Sgt. 1st Class Lucas Hansen and Spc. Uriel Ochoa, have different reactions after trying the Kazakh specialty kumis, or fermented horse milk. The soldiers were in Kazakhstan in June 2019 for the annual Steppe Eagle exercise.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

When in Kazakhstan, Steppe Eagle soldiers try a local delicacy: horse milk

When in Kazakhstan, do as the Kazakhs do, the paraphrased old saying goes. And a big part of that, as soldiers taking part in the U.S.-led Steppe Eagle exercise here discovered, includes drinking horse milk.

A soldier with the Kazakh ground forces' peacekeeping battalion responds to a simulated attack on his base during the U.S.-led Steppe Eagle exercise on June 25, 2019. Kazakhstan?s contributions to global peacekeeping and security efforts have increased after more than a decade of such training.<br>J.P. LAWRENCE/STARS AND STRIPES
A soldier with the Kazakh ground forces' peacekeeping battalion responds to a simulated attack on his base during the U.S.-led Steppe Eagle exercise on June 25, 2019. Kazakhstan?s contributions to global peacekeeping and security efforts have increased after more than a decade of such training.<br>J.P. LAWRENCE/STARS AND STRIPES

US-led Steppe Eagle helps build Kazakhstan into stable partner in Central Asia

On a plain in rural Kazakhstan, soldiers from this former Soviet republic worked with American troops and coalition partners to practice neutralizing snipers, to help women who were victims of violence and to locate hidden weapons.

Army Staff Sgt. Jenna Ross, left, talks to female actors posing as civilians in a mock village in Chilikemer training area in Kazakhstan during Exercise Steppe Eagle on June 23, 2019.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Army Staff Sgt. Jenna Ross, left, talks to female actors posing as civilians in a mock village in Chilikemer training area in Kazakhstan during Exercise Steppe Eagle on June 23, 2019.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

gallery

Aided by a female squad leader, US soldiers demonstrate peacekeeping with women in mind

Several Steppe Eagle drills include gender as a factor. In one, villagers come to the gates of bases to report that they had been raped. Another tested whether soldiers could spot signs that a woman was the victim of human trafficking.

Soldiers from Tajikistan assist a fellow troop with a simulated injury as part of a training exercise between American, British, Tajik and Kazakh troops June 25, 2019. The Steppe Eagle exercise at the Chilikemer Training Area outside Almaty brought together troops for training on peacekeeping and stability operations.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Soldiers from Tajikistan assist a fellow troop with a simulated injury as part of a training exercise between American, British, Tajik and Kazakh troops June 25, 2019. The Steppe Eagle exercise at the Chilikemer Training Area outside Almaty brought together troops for training on peacekeeping and stability operations.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Kazakh and Tajik troops take on snipers, bombs in US-led exercise

Soldiers in the Kazakh Ground Forces peacekeeping battalion are using Steppe Eagle, which began last week and runs until Thursday, to prepare for an upcoming deployment to Lebanon. They're joined by soldiers from the U.S. and the U.K., as well as Tajikistan.

Armed suspected Taliban members watch a convoy Afghan National Army pass through in Logar province during a cease-fire between the Taliban and the Afghan government in June 2018. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Armed suspected Taliban members watch a convoy Afghan National Army pass through in Logar province during a cease-fire between the Taliban and the Afghan government in June 2018. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Analysis

Experts: A unified Taliban could bolster peace talks in Afghanistan

The U.S. must move away from trying to splinter the Taliban if talks to end America’s longest war are to succeed, analysts said, as the two sides geared up for a seventh round of negotiations.