NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan

Following multiple rocket attacks on the Kabul International Airport during the evening of July 19, 2010, Internal Security Assistance Force and Afghan Air Force reacted to clean up after the attack.

The AAF Security Forces notified Combined Air Power Transition Force mentors of a unexploded ordance location between the taxiway and runway in the early morning. CAPTF mentors notified Kabul North Operation Center and initiated response.

AAF and CAPTF mentors marked the unexploded ordance and provided grid coordinate for ISAF Explosive Ordance Disposal team and directed their response. ISAF EOD spent several hours digging out the rocket buried approximately 1 meter deep. Both ISAF and AAF provided security and observation during incident.

Master Sgt. Buffie Verhagen, CAPTF Security Forces mentor explained, "Afghans Security Force Military Police Company commander reported it and we facilitate his discover.  It was a good find for the Afghan Air Force Security Forces and great coordination with all involved."

Ultimately, the 107mm rocket was successfully detonated in place without personnel injured or aircraft damaged in the early afternoon.  ISAF, CAPTF and AAF members worked to make sure the ISAF Joint Command and Afghan Air Force base were safe and secure.

 KABUL, Afghanistan - Members of the Combined Air Power Tranistion Force and Afghan Air Force Security Forces marked the unexploded ordance and provided grid coordinate for ISAF Explosive Ordance Disposal team . The 107mm rocket was successfully detonated in place on July 20, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photos/RELEASED).

                                                                                                                                                           

216 Afghan National Police (ANP) students recently graduated from a "Train the Trainer" course held at Fire Station 4 in Kabul.  They will be assigned to ANP training sites across the country.  This course was significant because the Afghans scheduled it, found the facility, took care of most logistics issues, and ran the course with Coalition support.  The training was excellent with Coalition supervisors praising the professionalism of the Afghan instructors and the attitude of the students.  This is a positive step towards self-reliance and transition.

On July 23, 2010, Afghan Air Force Mi-17 tail number 594 was flown home to Kabul after being repaired in the field by members of the 440th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron and logistics transportation support from the 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron.

The aircraft tailboom was damaged in an accident in Dec. 2009 at Forward Operating Base Orgun-e. It took a team of contractors, CAPTF mentors, and AAF maintainers about 6 weeks to replace the boom.

Tech. Sgt. Jeramie Snead, CAPTF AN-32 engine and body advisor stated, “It was a difficult task with the equipment that we had; however, the contractors were very knowledge and are outstanding maintainers. The entire tailboom, tailrotor, and main rotor gear box needed to be changed out. There was a lot of structural, electrical, and avionic work that needed to be accomplished.”

Support to this repair included last month's first Mi-17 sling load and multiple sling loads that followed. Master Sgt. Simmons and Tech. Sgt. Marsh were available to rig the repeated sling loads.

Capt. Sean Masters, CAPTF Mi-17 mentor explained the uniqueness of the escort flight, “It was a 3-ship returning to Kabul with a mixed American-Afghan flight crew in the lead, followed by an All-Afghan crew and the third was an all Ukrainian contractor crew with one CAPTF mentor. I believe this would be a first American-Afghan-Ukrainian Mi-17 formation.”

Before the Tail Number 594 Mi-17 was escorted back to Kabul, the Ukrainian contracting crew finished the flight tests and final repairs at the forward area rearming and refueling point at FOB Orgun-e. The 3-ship returned to Kabul with over 3,000 lbs. of maintenance cargo and 25 passengers. The aircraft will be repainted and returned to service providing the AAF with another tool to help in the fight to secure Afghanistan.

ORGUN-E, Afghanistan - A team of contractors, CAPTF mentors, and AAF maintainers replace the tailboom of Mi-17 number 594. (U.S. Military photo/RELEASED).

Last week CTAG-P had the opportunity to host a visit by the NATO Secretary-General Rasmussen and General Petraeus at RTC Kandahar. The ANP Commander of the site, BG Zarifi, and CTAG-P provided the distinguished visitors with a tour and overview of the training being conducted at the facility. The VIPs were excited to see how the Afghan trainers and student are committed in their effort to build up a modern and effective ANP. 

This was the first time I had visited RTC Kandahar since June the 7th, when an insurgent attack claimed the lives of two civilian coalition team members . I was encouraged by the resolve of the Afghan and coalition staff at the RTC. It is a tough job training police in the hot desert and made even tougher in a high risk environment. I see examples of this commitment all around Afghanistan. I was proud to showcase just one place where NTM-A is making a difference for Afghanistan in such a challenging environment. It was 48 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in the shade, but the police students were training hard. Their defensive tactics and literacy training continued. 

RTC Kandahar is just one example of many around the country of the coalition’s enduring commitment to build the capacity of the Afghan National Police. Regardless of insurgent attacks ... or the heat ... we are committed to helping the people of Afghanistan.

Today I presented awards and said “thank you” to 33 members of a detachment from the 162nd U.S. Army Infantry Brigade as they prepare to return to Fort Polk, Louisiana. These Soldiers who were all staff non-commissioned officers or officers who were mostly assigned to CTAG-P for six months as training advisors at our police training sites throughout Afghanistan. A few of the soldiers were responsible for Army training at CTAG-A. These guys arrived at CTAG-P shortly after our activation and at a critical moment when we began to “surge” training advisors to the police training sites. These leaders from “the 1-6-2” did a great job integrating into the training cadres at the sites. They partnered with coalition and Afghan trainers and staff at the training facilities and provided their expertise and coordination to enhance the quality of the instruction provided to the Afghans. These Soldiers were pioneers during the major expansion of the police training mission. Their accomplishments building the capacity of the ANP are truly historic. To the 162nd Infantry Brigade, I say Job Well Done!

 

Recently, the Combined Training Advisory Group Police assessment team visited the Turkish Police Training Center (TPTC) in Wardak. The team had the opportunity to observe the training and speak with the members of the staff.

 

 

The Turkish National Police, along with Afghan counterparts instruct the students on the various topics covered within the Program of Instruction. The passion displayed by the instructors and the small group instruction clearly were the milestones of their success. The instructors utilized numerous training aides and videos to reinforce their instruction. Additionally, the instructor-student ratio of each group was 1 to 4, giving the students practically individual attention during practical application, ensuring the mastery of skills.

It is customary for the Turkish to affirm their oath of office while placing one hand on their national flag, while it is draped over a table with the Koran on top. As the students graduate from the training center, this tradition has been passed to the Afghan students, reinforcing their duty to their country first.

General William M. Fraser III, commander of Air Combat Command, visited the Combined Air Power Transition Force mentors and Afghan Air Force leadership at the Afghan Air Force base in Kabul on July 23, 2010.

General Fraser, Lt. Gen. Michael Hostage, U.S. Air Forces Central commander, and staff members met with the new Eagles for Afghanistan, Afghan Air Force 2nd Lieutenants, and toured the Thunder Lab, an English immersion program designed to teach Afghan Air Force pilot candidates English and western culture before they go to the United States for pilot training.

General Fraser was briefed on their daily schedule and visited their living quarters. He toured both the fixed and rotary wing flight simulators where he took a turn at the controls of the rotary wing simulator. He was also briefed on the professional and officership courses taught by the CAPTF mentors.

Following the tour of the Thunder Lab, General Fraser held an "all call" with the joint service members of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing/CAPTF. He thanked them for their service and took questions from the group.

"I am extremely impressed with the progress that has been made. It is a total team effort and I can see where the progress that you have made as a team since my last visit," said General Fraser. "It takes everybody, every single person pulling their weight to make a difference. It's not something that only I have recognized. You need to know that I've heard positive stories from our sister services about what you are doing here. Keep up the good work. We all really appreciate it."

The 438th Air Expeditionary Wing is the home of more than 550 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Civilians currently mentoring, training, and assisting over 3,400 members of the AAF.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Gen. William M. Fraser III, Commander of the Air Combat Command, talks with the troops when he visited the Afghan Air Force Base in Kabul on July 23, 2010. Fraser, along with Lt. Gen. Michael Hostage, U.S. Air Forces Central commander, toured the "Thunder Lab", an English immersion program for Afghan pilot candidates. Fraser also toured the living quarters and demonstrated his own pilot skills on the Rotary Wing flight simulator. The visit gave Fraser the opportunity to meet various service members working with the Combined Air Power Transition Force as well as Gen. Darwan, Commanding General of the Afghan Air Force. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Quillen/ RELEASED).

U.S. Army Brigadier General Warren E. Phipps, Deputy Commanding General (Support) of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), visited the Afghan Air Force base in Kabul, Afghanistan on July 24, 2010.

He toured the flight line where subject matter experts were on hand to answer questions about the Afghan Air Force aircraft including the Mi-17 transport and the Mi-35 attack helicopters. He also toured the hangar and learned about AAF maintenance capabilities.

Following the tour of the flight line, Brig. Gen. Phipps met with the AAF Kabul Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Mohammad Barat. Both helicopter pilots, they discussed the partnership of the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade and the Afghan Air Force. The 3rd CAB teaches three courses for the AAF: Flight Medic Academy, Crew Chief Academy and the Air Assault Academy at Bagram Air Field. The 3rd CAB began teaching the academies in February of 2010.

Brig. Gen. Phipps’ most recent assignment was as the Deputy Commanding General / Assistant Commandant of the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Ala., where Afghan pilots attend rotary wing training.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Capt. Sean Masters, CAPTF Mi-17 mentor, briefs Brig. Gen. Phipps about Mi-17 transport helicopters on July 24, 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by MC1 (AW) Elizabeth Burke/RELEASED).