Blog Posts tagged with "NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan"

Amidst all the attention, appropriately, to Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Japan, Yemen and other ongoing events around the world, there was an important and noteworthy development in Afghanistan yesterday.

President Hamid Karzai announced on the 22nd of March that the Afghan National Security Forces (army and police) would take the lead and responsibility for security in seven crucial locations around the country -- covering 20-25% of the population of that nation.

Secretary General Rasmussen remarked that, “This represents the next stage of Afghanistan’s journey, not the destination. And every step of the way will be determined by conditions on the ground."

There are more stages and hard work ahead of us, yet. President Karzai said in his speech, “This is our responsibility to raise our flag with honor and pride," NATO fully concurs and supports this Afghan decision; we are proud to see our Afghan partners start to take ownership of security responsibilities.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Darin Pugh shows two Afghan National Police members some of the operations of a 30-ton wrecker during a formal training. (Photo courtesy ISAF)

The locations chosen for the transition this year include Kabul Province, including Kabul; the provinces of Bamyan and Panjshir; the medium-sized cities of Herat (a vibrant commercial center in the west), Mazar-e-Sharif (the largest city in the north), and Lashgar Gah (an important agricultural city in the south); and the city of Mehtar Lam (capital of Laghman Province). These spots are spread around key regions and will serve as anchors as the transition expands in the months and years ahead.

This transition is the first step in a process that has as its goal full Afghan security leadership throughout the country by the end of 2014. I believe this is realistic and achievable, and the continuing improvement in quality and quantity of the Afghan Security Forces is testament to that.

Here I'm talking to Afghan National Army trainees at the Kabul Military Training Center (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Sarah Brown/RELEASED)

Today there are more than 270,000 Afghan National Security Forces, with a goal to produce a total of 305,000 by October of this year. That effort is on track. The NATO Training Mission Afghanistan, ably led by Lieutenant General Bill Caldwell has produced a "silent surge" of Afghan National Security Forces -- 70,000 in 2010 -- that is making this transition possible. Naturally, there are challenges in attrition and retention, but the steady flow of recruits and the gradually improving training is helping.

Their training covers everything from literacy (more than 100,000 are learning to read) to marksmanship, tactics, counter-IED, first aid, and all the skills of counter-insurgency and combat. There are 12 Afghan speciality training schools teaching everything from logistics to artillery. And the National Military Academy, modeled on West Point, has 600 students per class for a four-year curriculum and more than 5,000 applicants for the 600 spots.

Whenever I visit Afghanistan I meet with Afghan troops. Their courage and commitment is evident, and I blogged a few weeks ago about meeting a platoon of female officers who really impressed me. This is real progress, with Afghan leadership and effort, and I'm cautiously optimistic as we proceed forward.


Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe