A Seamless Hand-off: 82nd Prepares Andar ANP as leaders in security

AFGHANISTAN

01.28.2008

Story by Spc. Micah Clare 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs

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By Spc. Micah E. Clare
4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division

ANDAR DISTRICT, Afghanistan - Fighting with the bitter winter-cold in southeastern Afghanistan's Ghazni province, one remotely-located 82nd Airborne Division company could have decided to start taking things easy after an extremely busy 12 months, especially with only three more until their redeployment back to Fort Bragg, N.C.

Instead, paratroopers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team are choosing to make sure all that was accomplished during the past year in Ghazni province's Andar District won't go to waste.

Since their arrival last January, Andar has been transformed from an area of improvised explosive device-riddled dirt paths controlled by various Taliban shadow governments, to a safe, blooming district with paved roads regularly patrolled by the Afghan national police, said Army Capt. Matt Hagerman, effects coordinator for 2-508.

"IEDs, indirect and direct fire attacks are at an all-time low," Hagerman explained. "Jingle truck drivers no longer have to worry about being hijacked, and (district council meeting) attendance is up. Overall, the entire area of operations is becoming more developed, new roads are being paved, the flow of commerce is booming and more medical and educational facilities are available to all."

Most importantly, the ANP and the local government have gained the people's trust.

"The enemy no longer has freedom of maneuver here," said Army 1st Lt. Aaron Childers, a platoon leader from Co. A, operating out of Four Corners Outpost in central Andar. "It's to the point now where villagers are calling the ANP commander whenever the enemy comes to their village."

The police stationed in the three towns of Sini, Miri and Sadar Kala have earned a reputation of being ethical, tactical and professional, Childers explained.

"They finally received the right combination of leadership, training, and equipment here that transformed them into what they are now," he said.

While each branch of the Afghan national security forces has an important role to play in Afghanistan's security, for a sustained level of local security in villages such as the ones in Andar, the main players are the ANP, Childers stated.

Generally from the area they work, they have an involved and intimate knowledge of the people, the area, and the enemy, and are the ones who are passing this on to their partner coalition units.

But the 2-508's responsibility as caretaker for Andar's forces is about to change hands in spring, a potentially difficult time to pass over a district known in the past for being an ideal insurgent haven.

"Andar's improvements have been some of the best in the country," Hagerman said. "Just because there's a new unit coming in, that's not going to change, but instead will continue."

To provide a seamless transition to the incoming 101st Airborne Division unit, members of Co. A took it upon themselves to provide a two-month specialized training period this winter to Andar's police force.

"We want to hand-off a polished police who knows what they're doing and also knows what will be expected of them," said Childers, who wrote the training schedule. "Last year, we were handed a police who didn't know what to do, we spent months trying to figure out how to get them going in full swing. We don't want all that work going to waste; the 101st shouldn't have to start over from scratch."

Until March, Co. A squad and platoon leaders will conduct daily training sessions covering standardized marksmanship, radio communications, small and large group tactics, escalation of force procedures, and first aid, Childers stated.

"Everything they need for the training is provided by us, including ammo, fuel and food," he said. "All they have to do is show up to train."

While all ANSF forces are initially trained by coalition Embedded Training Teams at special training centers like the one in nearby Gardez, training doesn't just stop when they leave the ETTs' care.

"It's then the responsibility of the units to work with, continually train and evaluate (the ANSF), just like we train our own guys in garrison," Childers said. "We're trying to take the foundation the (ETTs) instilled and improve on it in the field."

As a result of the training, Childers hopes to see the Andar ANP and the 101st hit the enemy hard in spring.

"We want them all to be unified, on the same page, and fighting as a team," he said. "In spring, there's no reason for the police force to be merely reacting to the enemy. Instead, they'll be trained enough and ready to proactively pursue the enemy, which will provide continued security for Andar."