ISAF Soldiers teach ANP instructors to train

WARDAK PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

01.25.2011

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force 101

WARDAK PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Preparing to eventually take control for policing the populace and enforcing the law across Afghanistan, Afghan National Police personnel participated in a monthlong train-the-trainer course on Forward Operating Base Airborne beginning Jan. 10.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class James Lovell, Human Terrain Team representative for 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Task Force Patriot’s Security Force Assistance Team in Wardak province, oversees the class. Lovell, an Ellerslie, Ga., native, chose the training for the Afghan policemen and thinks changing the way the ANP are taught will help them be better teachers for their fellow Afghan policemen in the future.

U.S. Army Capt. Tia Terry, commander of 401st Military Police Company, 720th MP Battalion, and Virginia Beach, Va., native, is impressed with the quality of ANP leaders selected for this class. She said it makes the training concept that she and her company of MPs want to get across much easier.

“The guys we have are actually very high speed. They have a pretty decent education, and they can all read,” said Terry. “They pick up on things very quickly. The one thing we do look for is their ability to teach. They know the material.

“The concept we’re trying to get is for them to teach others,” continued Terry. “So we’ll teach them half the class in the morning then they’ll go ... and teach the class themselves on the same thing [in the afternoon].”

The train-the-trainer course is extremely structured, and subject matter is broken down by week.

The main purpose of the class is for the ANP to teach their own patrolmen. So, making sure they get the best training and are receptive to learning becomes essential for success, according to course instructors.

“The instructors here are very good [when] teaching to us. We can ask any questions,” said ANP 1st Lt. Nasir Rasoli. “When we raise our hand, the instructors are friendly and answer our questions.”

The helpfulness of the instructors keeps the ANP students more involved. While they learned some of the course material before, the students appreciate the refresher. Having to stand in front of the class and teach the material to their classmates is paying off for the ANP students.

“When [instructors] write down the subjects on the white board, a lot of it I have learned before but have forgotten,” said Nasir. “At the academy, we didn’t have enough time with a lot of students there. We couldn’t learn something to teach back to other students. Having the ability to teach back to other students has been good for us.”

Along with the classroom portion of the train-the-trainer course are hands-on classes giving policemen first-hand experience with how tasks are performed. The hands-on portion received the most positive feedback so far, based on the enthusiasm of the students.

“I can tell what they like. They like the hands-on training, and even American soldiers like hands-on training, instead of sitting in front of a [slide presentation],” said Lovell. “The other day we did high-risk traffic stops. They really enjoyed that and really got into it. So as we move on, we’re going to have a lot more of those classes where they’re actually hands on.”

As the class has come along, instructors are noticing improvements in the ANP in all aspects. Having to travel to their districts and teach material they learned keeps the students alert during classes and ready to accept their job after they graduate the course.

“These guys are attentive,” said Lovell. “They’re taking notes, they’re asking smart questions and they are going up and learning from each other ... how to give the class. I can see them slowly mature as trainers as we go along.”

• Date Taken: 01.25.2011
• Date Posted: 01.25.2011 13:58
• Story ID: 64185
• Location: WARDAK PROVINCE, AF