NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan

ANP Expertise in Training at  Methar Lam

The mission of the Combined Training  Advisory Group-Police (CTAG-P) is to “train, advise, coach, and mentor the Afghan National Police training establishment in order to create a doctrine, education, and training system capable of supporting the development of and sustaining a professional Afghan National Police (ANP) Force.” There are 36 training sites across the country, able to accept about 10,000 students at any one time, at multiple levels of training and career development, with military, governmental, and private organizations involved as trainers, mentors, and advisors. Among the several desired future milestones will be when the ANP Training Command will be able to fully take over the training at, responsibility for, and upkeep of the facilities.

The effort to bring peace to Afghanistan isn't only, or even mainly, about taking the fight to extremists. It's about the Afghan government earning the respect and loyalty of Afghan citizens by being responsive to their needs. This means providing security and protecting the civil rights and property of people in villages distant from Kabul. The Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI) recognizes that to accomplish this critical task will require a much larger and more professional police force.

The MoI and its Coalition partners have set the ambitious goal to build the police force from its current size of just over 100,000 to 134,000 by October 2011. Eventually the force could be as large as 170,00 which would be nearly one policeman or woman for every 100 Afghans. Training this many patrolman, NCOs and officers in the time required is more than the current Afghan National Police (ANP) training base can achieve. The MoI and the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, Combined Training Advisory Group-Police (NTM-A, CTAG-P) have developed a plan to more than double the number the capacity of ANP schools without shortening the length of the training or sacrificing the quality of the police force. Today ANP schools can 'seat' up to 10,000 students at a time. Over the next year that will increase to 23,000 students by expanding existing schools and building three new 2,000 student National Police Training Centers.

Police recruit collection points are an initiative which will have the dual effect of conserving training seats and ensuring a more professional police force. Processing normally done at the schools, such as background checks and drug testing, will be done at regional collection points. Men and women who volunteer for the force will have a safe, organized place to stay while waiting for their course to start. The students benefit from literacy training, physical training, and exposure to ANP organization and discipline. Collection points ensure maximum use of ANP courses because students can be called forward from the collection points to replace students who have become ineligible at the beginning of the course.

In addition to training new recruits the ANP is also training policemen already in the force. Some policemen who volunteered to serve before the training base was large enough to train the initial surge of recruits went into service without adequate training. Some of these policemen are being trained in their precincts by mobile training teams. Others are going through training at ANP schools where they can share the benefit of their experience with new recruits.

The next year will be an exciting time for the ANP as they build toward providing a brighter future for the citizens of Afghanistan.

Due to the need to increase capacity of the Afghan National Police (ANP), Afghan Ministry of Interior and NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan began to look outside of the walls of Afghanistan for training opportunities.

 In a conversation between Turkey and NTM-A, Turkey graciously offered to host ANP Officer training. Turkey's proposal was for 'all inclusive' training, where essentially MOI and NTM-A select and in-process the students, and deliver them to Ankara with the clothes on their back and minor items for a six month course to produce AUP Officers.

After Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell, IV, NTM-A commanding general traveled to Turkey for discussions, a team from NTM-A and MOI visited training sites  to finalize planning. The delegation, lead by Maj. Gen. Gul Nabi Ahmadzai, Director General of Police Training and Education for the Afghanistan Ministry of Interior, and Col. Curt Rauhut, Finance Director NTM-A, traveled to Turkey on July 5. During the four-day visit, the team met with officials from the Training Department of the Turkish National Police, visited two police training facilities and met with officials from the Turkish General Staff.

The tour of the two proposed training sites, Catalzeytin Police Training site near Kastamano, 300km north of Ankara on the Black Sea and Sivas Police Training site 450km east of Ankara, was a key portion of the trip. After looking at both sites, Sivas was selected. With its indoor shooting range, location close to a large city and superior classroom facilities, it will best accommodate the needs of the Afghan Police.

Over the next few weeks MOI, NTM-A and the Turkish Police Training Department will continue to finalize details in order to meet our aim of sending 618 Afghans (576 students, 32 Interpreters, 10 Afghan Cadre) to begin training on Sept. 15. During this time the team will obtain passports and visa for all Afghans, locating and getting appropriately qualified interpreters under contract, finalizing curriculum and completing a transparent selection and vetting process for students.

Line of people, they wear typical Afghan clothes, someone with a pair of blue jeans. They come from different Region of the country, they have different ages but they arrived to Herat RTC to become the same thing: valid and qualified ANCOP policemen. On their first day they were identified, searched and then welcomed by Carabinieri, Afghan instructors and Dyncorp personnel. Carabinieri’s support team gave them a Hygiene kit and they went to the classroom where the basic rules of the schools are explained and afterword they had the opportunity to have lunch and then shown the barracks where they will be accommodated; they will sleep together so they can develop and improve their brotherhood. They must be a unite group, this will help each other to serve their Country in the best way. During this course they will learn important and useful knowledge to protect their own citizen and to prevent crime, to respect and defend human rights. They will be followed by the Carabinieri advisors, whom are coming from different branches of the Carabinieri Corp and has great skills in different specialty, most of them have a vast background experience on international mission such as the Balkans and Iraq. Lt.(OF1) Nicolò Morandi Carabinieri Training Element Commander Regional Training Center - Herat

Maj Ben Horne runs a tight ship at Helmand Police Training Centre (HPTC). In addition to the usual tight discipline, strong basic skills training, and emphasis on literacy that one would expect on a recruit course, the training at HPTC includes a unique ‘apprenticeship’ program. Basic patrolmen practice checkpoints and the defence of a police station as part of their regular training duties. At HPTC, this is extended to conducting actual checkpoints on the road out in front of the training centre under the watchful gaze of the directing staff. This allows the staff to model, and the students to practice, the correct way for police to interact with the public when conducting this important function. It also gives the patrolmen the confidence to go out and do it correctly after graduation. The result is a confident, professional patrolman keeping the streets of Lashkar Gah safe.

     Today a team member and I went to an Afghan National Police (ANP) clinic to say "hello" to the medical director.  It was basically a low-key social visit.  After about 30 minutes of general discussion, he asked us to help him with a water problem (inadequate supply and septic tank placement).  We asked if his commander was aware of the matter and what were his actions.  The director said his commander  was informed and, as a result, the Ministry of Interior Facility Department had assessed the issue and had made recommendations; however, no work had been accomplished.  Our response was that the actions were appropriate and that we did not need to get involved.  We did advise him to follow-up with his boss until the problem was fixed.  He also asked for more staff and a vehicle for official travel.  We replied that his request had to go through Afghan channels, of which he was aware.