皇冠体育app

皇冠体育app graduation of officers from the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA) in Kabul is the first major achievement for the Academy.

Since ANAOA began training the first recruits last October, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mentoring team, including British soldiers, have been teaching the ANA trainers and their cadets to understand that there鈥檚 more to an army than just fighting.

A good army needs to be fit, sustainable and able to manage its budget. 皇冠体育appre鈥檚 much more to it than that, but understanding these broad requirements was something the mentors at ANAOA needed to get across to the Afghan instructors.

One of the physical training mentors at ANAOA is Sergeant Zoe Leeming from the . She has spent the past 5 months working with 3 other mentors to guide 12 male and female Afghan physical training instructors so they have the knowledge to train the cadets to get fit. She said:

It鈥檚 been quite a challenge, but we鈥檝e made huge progress. When the female cadets signed up to serve their country, they didn鈥檛 realise that joining the army meant having to be fit. Getting them used to the physical aspect of training was something we needed to address.

When the first intake of female cadets arrived at ANAOA in June, many of them had never done any kind of physical exercise. Zoe continued:

Now, they鈥檙e able to do 5k runs and leopard crawls and, with that sort of enthusiasm, their fitness levels will only increase.

Mentors and the ANA have also been challenging cultural assumptions by demonstrating that mixed teams of male and female soldiers can work together to improve the army鈥檚 operational capabilities.

Major Cath Carter of the has been working with the Afghan unit leaders to promote mixed teams. She said:

We鈥檝e seen positive signs of attitudes changing across the ANA community. Both sexes are realising that integration isn鈥檛 a big issue and that鈥檚 really good. As more people see the men and women working alongside each other, the more it will be considered the norm.

Cath also works with other mentors to ensure the Afghans are comfortable with the changes made so that they are long-term and sustainable.

VIDEO: Afghan army training in Afghanistan

Also helping the Afghans to build a sustainable security and defence force is Major General Richard Nugee, Chief of Staff at ISAF Joint Command in Kabul. 皇冠体育app Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and the ANA have been leading on combat operations and security in Afghanistan for some months. Major General Nugee explained:

Last November we cleared around 60 burnt-out vehicles that had been destroyed on the main road between Kabul and Kandahar.

This year the insurgents started a similar campaign in exactly the same place. Following negotiations between the police and the army, the ANA cleared the area and found a load of improvised explosive devices.

皇冠体育app ANA鈥檚 ability to step in and take control of the situation, during a time that is known as the 鈥榝ighting season鈥�, demonstrates the ANA鈥檚 growing capabilities. Although there were spikes in violence around the elections, the ANA has seen a reduction in the level of violence over the past 3 years, showing that they are competent and confident enough to look after their own country鈥檚 security.

As well as developing the ANA鈥檚 combat skills, ISAF is also helping them develop the skills and organisation they need to support them. Major General Nugee continued:

We鈥檝e come a long way, but there鈥檚 more work to do. We鈥檙e building their training institutions, their logistics and sustainment institutions, intelligence architecture and ability to communicate. All these things are not fighting, and that鈥檚 why we need to be there for them.

While Major General Nugee advises on tactical-level support for the ANA, Major General Ben Bathurst, from ISAF headquarters in Kabul, works in the MOD advisory team on strategy, logistics, institution, programming and budgeting. He said:

So much has been accomplished and the Afghans are doing most of it themselves. 皇冠体育appy appreciate the advice they are getting and acknowledge we鈥檙e not there to do things for them.

From the improvements in ANSF leading on security for their people, keeping the insurgents at bay, and the ANA increasing in strength as officers graduate from the Academy, it鈥檚 clear that many UK service men and women have contributed towards building a strong sustainable defence force for Afghanistan.

Major General Bathurst added:

Our legacy for Afghanistan is enabling them to sustain what they鈥檝e achieved so far and develop it further. We don鈥檛 have any worries about the Afghans looking after themselves now. It鈥檚 the longer term that we鈥檙e focused on and we鈥檙e making sure we get it right.