This week, the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC) made a quantum leap in their ability to work together and to execute complex tactical missions. Here are the words of Col Brad Grambo, the 438 Air Expeditionary Advisory Group Commander, whose group partners with the ANAAC's Kabul Air Wing: "The pieces of an active air force are coming together. Along with the recent forward observer graduation and continued Mi-35 Hind close air support training, the Kabul Air Wing graduated its first class of air assault-trained personnel on March 20, 2010. The wing and its rotary-wing squadron have historically been limited to landing at prepared landing surfaces and locations with minimal enemy threat. Those limits have become less of a burden, and the rotary-wing squadron has now conducted basic air assaults out of Herat and Kabul (but with a lot of advisor help). Over the last 6 weeks, the 438th AEAG, the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, and Operational Detachment-Alpha (3336) instructed the first Air Assault Training Course. Two Afghan crews, along with twenty-seven 6th Kandak Komandos, spent the last two-and-a-half weeks at Bagram Air Base for the final phase of the training, conducting six air assaults into villages in the vicinity on Bagram Air Base."
"They were all full up operational exercises," said Col Grambo, "We celebrated the graduation yesterday at Bagram Air Base. Just as important is the training leverage we received from the 3rd CAB and ODA-3336. This training would have taken us months to accomplish on our own, but by teaming up with other organizations we did it better and in just weeks."
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rock n roll baby! Teamwork = double power! Great steps in the right direction! You rock!