Recruiting the Afghan air force – ‘country’s future’

AFGHANISTAN

08.01.2016

Story by Capt. Jason Smith 

438th Air Expeditionary Wing

Story by Capt. Jason Smith
438th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan air force recruiters at Kabul Air Wing are looking for young men and women who have what it takes to become the next generation of Afghan air force officers.

Afghans, ages 18-26, are being actively recruited by the AAF for positions like pilot, engineer and maintenance officer, to name a few.

The AAF recruiters have a strong partnership with U.S. Airmen from Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air (TAAC-Air), and the two organizations are constantly fine-tuning the process to get the best and brightest young Afghans into the AAF.

“My advice to eligible young people is that the AAF will help build the future of Afghanistan,” said AAF Lt. Col. Yaqubi Munir, lead recruiting officer, through an interpreter. “This is the best opportunity for the person to serve the country.”

Munir has a difficult but rewarding job. He and his staff oversee AAF officer recruiting for the entire country. With the help of AAF Maj. Ehsanullah Niazay and Capt. Muhammed Hakim, Munir makes sure the right AAF officer candidates are being recruited and placed in training.

People learn about the AAF through personal stories, recruiting billboards, TV and radio ads, and other mediums similar to those that young men and women in the United States might learn about U.S. military opportunities.

Applicants are first prequalified at recruiting stations throughout the country, according to Munir. Interested age-eligible applicants must be healthy and have proof that they successfully completed a minimum of a 12th grade education.

“They can’t have severely bad eyes or be deaf,” said Munir. “There are some medical conditions that are acceptable, but disabilities or major surgeries are typically disqualifying.”

There are also procedures in place to make sure those wishing to serve aren’t trying to be commissioned AAF officers for the wrong reasons. For security reasons, the process is not openly discussed, but rest-assured, there is a process to keep hidden insurgents out.

Once applicants make the medical and education pre-screening, their paperwork is sent to Munir’s team in Kabul for processing. Munir said they have stacks of applications to sort through. At a recent AAF recruiting event, an estimated 2,000 people showed up. Unfortunately, the AAF officer program has limited openings based on available positions.

Following the application approval at Kabul, candidates are called to take a general Ministry of Defense test and an English test. The MoD test could be compared to the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, that U.S. citizens interested in enlisting would take.

The scores on the MoD and English tests further reduce the pool of qualified candidates. The remaining applicants then get a physical which again reduces their numbers. Those who make the grade through the process could get a position at Pohantoon-e-Hawayee.

PeH is a year-long commissioning program that teaches candidates about being soldiers, according to Niazay.

“At PeH, they get room and board and student salary,” said Niazay through an interpreter. “They are issued uniforms and have everything taken care of while they are training. It is where they transition from being a civilian to understanding how to be soldiers.”

Those who successfully complete PeH are commissioned as reserve officers while they wait to fill a billet. According to Hakim, the newly-minted lieutenants will find out what job they have been selected to perform before going to technical training. Some of the training is in Afghanistan, but many jobs require training outside of the country.

In addition to a steady paycheck, Munir said officers and their immediate families also receive medical coverage. However, money and benefits aren’t the only reasons people choose to earn their commissions.

“We need the young mentality,” said Niazay. “These will be our country’s future leaders; the people who make changes for the positive; for the sake of stability in Afghanistan.”

The process for becoming an Afghan air force officer is not an easy one. Those who pursue the positions are from an age demographic that has seen plenty of war and insurgency. Yet, thousands of these brave young people compete extremely hard just to have a chance to serve their country as AAF officers.

• Date Taken: 08.01.2016
• Date Posted: 08.01.2016 06:27
• Story ID: 205651
• Location: AF