No Trainers? No Transition.

LTG Bill Caldwell outlines why he sees trainers as holding the key to Afghanistan’s future.

Recently I visited National Military Hospital in Kabul with the Chief of the Afghan General Staff. On the way there, my vehicle was stopped by a procession of civilians and Afghan soldiers…a funeral procession for an Afghan soldier.

Observing the procession and recognising Afghan soldiers at the National Military Hospital who had been injured protecting their country were stirring experiences. Although the sacrifices of the Afghan National Security Force are not much publicised in the Western media, I saw up close the toll this war is taking on its bravest citizens.

These brave men are not alone. International forces (military and civilian) work every day to support the development of their force, the systems that support and sustain them, and partner with them in the field. Our efforts have not been in vain

In the past ten months, there has been measured progress in the Afghan National Security Force; in quality as well as quantity. Since its activation last November, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan (NTM-A) has supported the Afghan Ministries of Interior and Defence to recruit, train and assign over 100,000 soldiers and police; an incredible feat.

To achieve this, the training capacity was increased, moving from under 10,000 seats for police training alone to almost 15,000.

Quality improved, as well. The instructor to trainee ratio decreased from 1:76 to 1:29, greatly increasing the ability of trainers to give attention to individuals. Improvements like this led to an improved basic rifle marksmanship rate; increasing from a woeful 35% to 97%.

To truly professionalise the force, providing the men and women with the skills to protect their country and their Security Force, will require even more attention to quality in the force. This, in turn, requires more international trainers with specialised skills.

To develop the systems and institutions that are required to continue to professionalise and grow the Afghan National Security Force, specialty training is required. Schools that teach skills like acquisitions, logistics, maintenance, intelligence, and even field artillery are needed to balance a currently infantry-centric force.

Additionally, leader development courses like the police staff college, police and army officer candidate schools, and various non-commissioned officer development courses are needed. All of these specialty courses require trainers with the requisite skills – trainers that can only be found in the international community.

Over the next ten months, our requirement for these trainers will double, with needed skill sets ranging from Mi-17 helicopter pilots and maintainers to doctors, police trainers to instructors at Army branch schools.

The impacts of not sourcing NTM-A trainer requirements are that training base expansions to increase capacity are hindered, specialty school development will be delayed, pace of enabler development will be slowed, and the professionalisation of the Afghan National Security Force will be hampered.

Essentially, the process of transition to the Afghan National Security Force will be delayed; as NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said recently, “no trainers, no transition.”

Even more importantly, the lack of trainers prevents brave Afghans like those in the Kabul Military Hospital from getting the skills necessary to protect their people, and themselves.

If we do not resource the training mission in Afghanistan, we will not be able to achieve our goals for increased quantity and improved quality.

We must not allow that to happen.

To create Afghan capacity that is enduring and self-sustaining we must professionalise the police, army, and air forces; create viable logistics and medical systems; and improve the infrastructure and the institutions that train and educate them.

Above all, we must have the trainers to develop them; the trainers that can give our Afghan partners the ability to make their brothers’ and sisters’ sacrifices worth the price.

Lieutenant General William Caldwell is Commander of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan