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KABUL - The Afghanistan National Army’s 3rd Kandak, 4th Brigade, 203rd Corps completed a 10-week training course Nov. 23 at Kabul Military Training Center, Afghanistan.
The course culminated in validation exercises where the soldiers had to respond to simulated obvious and exploded improvised explosive devices, react to an ambush and establish vehicle checkpoints and searches.
“The validation training mirrors what they will encounter in-sector,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Gilling, advisor for training to the Afghan training team. “Everything we do here works to ensure their survivability through combat life saving course, response techniques to an obvious unexploded IED, detonated IEDs, reaction to ambush, and establishing vehicle checkpoints.”
“It is good training. We are leaving tomorrow [to be assigned as an operational kandak], so this is our last day of training,” said ANA soldier Mustfa Hamdard in English. “I joined to help the people.”
“It is a 10-week training cycle,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Davis, ANA instructor. “I am proud to see them start from nothing to become an actual soldier. I hope they take away the knowledge they learned here.”
“This particular kandak received an extra week because of Eid, but the normal program is 9 weeks,” said Capt. Brian Retherford, commander, A-Company, consolidated fielding center.
ANA Colonel Mirjan Sofizada, ANA instructor, said “I thank the coalition forces for cooperating. The coalition forces have the experience and we learn from their experience. And every kandak working together makes things get done in a better way,”
“It is interesting to think that 9 weeks ago, nearly 800 disparate Soldiers and officers showed up here and we assisted them in drawing nearly 800 weapons, 150 vehicles, a full complement of radios and communications equipment, then taught them how to use it all. Couple that with teaching them some battle drills and teaching the staff how to develop an operations order, and you can see they have come a long way,” Retherford said.
Early on in the exercises U.S. Army Sgt. Deric Baser, instructor, was stopped at a vehicle checkpoint while the ANA soldiers conducted a search of his person and vehicle for explosives and contraband.
A similar search by ANA soldiers of a vehicle driven by U.S. Army Private 1st Class George Amorginos, ANA trainer, 11B Infantry, revealed several simulated improvised explosive devices. After finding the explosives Amorginos’ passenger, U.S. Army Specialist Chris Troxell, ANA trainer, was simulated shot in the leg while attempting to escape. The ANA soldiers immediately put their combat lifesaver training to use by applying a tourniquet to Troxell’s leg and preparing him for medical transport.
“The final result of the 9-week program is a successful validation of the unit. An outside entity, provided by IJC [ISAF Joint Command], essentially tests the kandak on the skills they have learned. A passing grade is a ‘go’ on 9 or more of the 17 tasks on which they are trained. From there, they graduate and are deployed to their respective Corps area,” said Retherford.
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.06.2011 00:49 |
| Story ID: | 63070 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ANA’s 3-4-203rd Kandak goes operational, by SSgt Jordan Jones, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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