By Capt. Tamara Gonzales, USA
NTM-A
“I challenge you with being the best of the best,” said Will Wright to the students of the Central Workshop radio repair course. Wright serves as the Deputy Program Manager, In-Country Lead, Computer Sciences Corporation Afghanistan.
Training continues strong at the radio repair course, increasing the Afghan National Army soldiers’ capabilities repair techniques. The course’s instructors teach students practical applications for test equipment.
Some of the classes include step-by-step instructions about using various radio gauging and testing equipment taught by Fred Lowe, the Ministry of Defense lead technician. Students also learned the basic fundamentals of antenna theory and troubleshooting as well as to properly utilize the Agilent Spectrum Analyzer, the signal generator and the oscilloscope, taught by Jonathan Watkins. A variety of instructors, such as contracted Computer Science Computers/Mantech/Occam electronic technicians, provided these blocks of instruction with the goal of increasing the students’ radio repair capabilities.
This detailed training combined with practical application will enhance these soldiers skills enabling them to become more self-sufficient, as Wright observed with application of the wattmeter.
The evidence of this independence is obvious as ANA soldiers begin playing a bigger lead role in their training. Lt. Col. Hasheem Shaboor, the corps lead tech, quickly assumed the role as trainer as his experience will be key in the training of the CWS technicians. Another sign of these increasing capabilities included students repairing spare radio kits independently through the Capabilities Milestone 1 program where Afghans are training Afghans with minimal oversight.
“The long term sustainment of radio repair within the ANA starts with you (students). Your families, your army and the country of Afghanistan will benefit from your technical learning, aiding in the eradication of the Taliban and Al Qaida.”
The next step for the CWS is the quality assurance/quality control’s facility ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for March 11. At this facility, the ANA will be able to analyze, troubleshoot, inventory, evaluate and test critical tactical ground communications equipment, ensuring it is complete and fully serviceable prior to returning to its original unit. In addition, this will provide a mechanism for further training to continue to enhance their radio repair proficiency.
“When they are able to repair a tactical radio and return it to a foxhole to support their infantry brother fighting the insurgents it's just like they fired that shot against the enemy,” said Dennis Arinello, the U.S. communications electronic command's C4ISR contracted program manager, employed by management technologies. “With reliable radios, both coalition and ANA lives are saved.”
PHOTO: Will Wright, right, observes Lt. Col. Hasheem Shaboor, the corps lead tech with the Afghan National Army, with practical application of the wattmeter at the Central Workshop’s radio repair course.
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