NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan

The Afghan National Army (ANA) G6 Print Plant proved today that they have the technology, equipment, expertise and capability to print topographic maps for the GIRoA. Engineer Ghulam Abas, under the direction of MG Ali (G6 Chief) and COL Hadi (Print Plant Chief), had his Computer-to-Plate (CTP) technicians produce four separate press plates for use on their Heidelberg Press. The data for the plates were color-separated portable document format (PDF) files sent from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in Arnold, Missouri.

COL Wahid and COL Jamil of the ANA G2 Topographic Directorate, both of whom are Map Quality Control Officers, were present to evaluate the accuracy and quality of the printed maps. Three 1:100,000 scale topographic line maps of areas in Afghanistan were used for the evaluation. Fifty copies of each map will be sent back to the NGA facility in Arnold for quality control checks.

By COL Scott Jones Deputy Assistant Commanding General – Police Development, NTM-A/CSTC-A

"Security is good and your men are honorable."

This remark, by a store owner at Balakino Bazaar in Marja on April 7th, may come as a surprise to critics of the Afghan National Police. The shopkeeper was not referring to the widely-respected coalition forces, but to the Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP) stationed in his village. ANCOP from 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade were conducting operations in the Hold phase of counter insurgency operations in Marja.

بیانیه مطبوعاتی شماره: 193 مورخ 5 سرطان 1389 کابل – افغانستان قصر وزارت دفاع ملی

Insurgent Leader killed, 3 Afghan National Army Soliders killed and 3 wounded

During an operation by the Afghan National Army's 205th corps in the Zherhai district of Kandahar Province, an insurgent leader called "Maiwandi," who fought against the peace and stability, was killed. Additionally, a 205th Corps solider discovered an IED in Kandahar's Panjwayee district and neutralized it.

The often forgotten aspect of Counter Insurgency Operations (COIN) is the role played by religion. We in the west, right or wrong, have compartmentalized our lives. We have our “work” lives, “recreation” lives, “home” lives and our “religious” lives. Sadly, religion no longer permeates our societies; in fact it is pushed aside and relegated to a “private” thing. Where we really make our mistakes are when we assume the same things when we interact with other nations, especially the Islamic nations of the world.

Our enemy in Afghanistan uses religion effectively when they want to put out their message. We (coalition forces) have on occasion made the mistake of simply using religion as a “tool” to get our message out. The problem with this is it can be seen as disingenuous at best and manipulative at worse. We need to learn to allow the local populations to see what we are really about through our actions rather than just through talk.

Why is the lottery system a big hit in the Afghan National Army (ANA) assignment system? While talking to a group of young lieutenants at the holding kandak awhile ago, I asked them about serving in combat. The one concern among the group, is that they wished that assignments were fairer, that everyone did their part.

Comedian Dave Barry once said that meetings are “the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential.” This humorous viewpoint notwithstanding, is a generally accepted fact that periodic meetings are a necessary evil to ensure proper communication that allows organizations to succeed. This is particularly true for new or transforming organizations. Three months ago, the Afghanistan National Army (ANA) Assistant Minister of Defense for Personnel and Education (AMoD P&E), along with his CSTC-A advisor/mentor, executed the first of the monthly personnel management related meetings. The committee was formalized into a charted organization called the Senior Executive Personnel Council (SEPC). The monthly gathering is designed for assistant ministry and General Staff (GS) level officers to address personnel management issues at the strategic and operational levels, and to provide coordinated recommendations to the Defense Minister. Despite early growing pains, the third and most recent SEPC on 31 May demonstrated that synchronized efforts can indeed be a productive and important component of quickly addressing core personnel issues.