Coalition advisors train Afghan OCS candidates providing security and stability for Afghanistan
Story by Canadian Capt. Ian McIntyre NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan Public Affairs
Captain Simon Pierson, Royal Signals and Officer Training Brigade Advisor confers with Afghan National Army instructors during an M-16 range at the Kabul Military Training Center near Kabul, Afghanistan, May 28, 2012.
The process of training young, educated Afghans involves the tasks of teaching them how to be professional soldiers and preparing them to serve as competent officers. While a great deal is already known about how to achieve the first of these two objectives, much has yet to be understood with respect to the second.
“These men are very courageous to have chosen to serve their country,” said Capt. John Wernham, OTB Advisory Group Specialized Cells Advisor. “This is especially true when you consider that their country is in a state of war. It would be wrong to simply brush these soldiers off simply as people who couldn’t find employment anywhere else, so they decide to join the military.”
Part of the mission of the Officer Training Brigade (OTB) is to train, coach, and advise the Afghan National Army (ANA) instructors and staff leading the Officer Candidate School at the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC) located near Kabul, Afghanistan.
Currently, there are 46 coalition advisors working with the OTB, including soldiers from France, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Greece and Canada. With approximately 13,000 Afghans working at the KMTC (3,000 staff and up to 10,000 students), the task of trying to accomplish that mission while mitigating risk to coalition members is, in a very real way, rooted in the relationships that they are able to forge with their ANA counterparts.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ben Medus, “H” Company Advisor from the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, appreciates the commitment the ANA soldiers are making saying, “These are people who undergo a relatively tough selection and training process all because they have chosen to serve the ethics of self-sacrifice rather than self-interest.”
Afghan National Army officers participate in a range as part of the Officer Training Brigade training at the Kabul Military Training Center near Kabul, Afghanistan, May 28, 2012.
At this point in their course, at week 10 out of 24, the students are conducting their M-16 application, and while they generally experience mixed results, learning is occurring. The cadets for the most part have all attended military high school and the staff members are all very effective in helping to train and develop the new, up-and-coming ANA leaders.
“As members of the coalition forces, we are deployed here knowing there is an end date for our tour; the Afghan soldiers remain in the fight,” said Master Cpl. James McMahon, OTB Advisory Group Specialized Cells, deputy advisor. “This speaks volumes about the character of these men.”
Eventually the young candidates will apply the learned skills needed to be effective officer when they are in the field making critical decisions.
NTM-A is a coalition of 38 troop-contributing nations charged with assisting the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in generating a capable and sustainable Afghan National Security Force ready to take lead of their country’s security by 2014. For more information about NTM-A, visit www.ntm-a.com.
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