Maj. Gen. Glenn M. Walters, the senior Marine Corps aviator in Afghanistan, commands 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, the aviation combat element for the southwestern regional command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force. He sat down to discuss the progress that has been made over the last 10 months in Helmand and Nimruz provinces under his command. The general weighed in on counterinsurgency efforts through the end of the Taliban's "summer fighting season," including Operation Eastern Storm, a major offensive to secure Route 611 and the area south of the Kajaki Dam, key pieces of infrastructure in the Helmand River valley. He spoke of the role of aviation in counterinsurgency efforts and how his Marines and aircraft will continue to keep the insurgency on its heels right up until he transfers authority to 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing in the early spring.