ANA Special Forces members prepared for destruction or creation, whichever is needed

CAMP MOREHEAD, AFGHANISTAN

04.14.2011

Story by Staff Sgt. Ryan Whitney 

NATO Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan

CAMP MOREHEAD, Afghanistan – Demolition and construction, much like destruction and creation, light or dark, or the many other polar opposites across the world, often stem from a common ground. To be able to fully utilize one aspect, you must understand the other.

Sixteen Afghan National Army Special Forces candidates now possess a greater understanding of the similarities of demolition and construction and how to use them to help bring peace to their country after completing the four-week Combat Engineer course at Camp Morehead, Afghanistan, April 14.

The course, which is run by U.S. Army Special Forces Combat Engineers, taught the ANA SF candidates the skills needed to sweep for and ascertain the location of improvised explosives and mines, how to dispose of explosives, how to use demolitions to remove obstructions or enter secure buildings, as well as how to construct building framework and shelters expediently during field operations.

“We want to equip these guys with all the skills they need to be self-sufficient so that when they go on missions [without coalition forces support], they can quickly assess the situation and determine the best course of action to take,” said the one of the SF course instructors. “Hopefully, with time and practice, these skill sets become second nature for them and they can do their job as combat engineers to help keep their teams safe.”

Blocks of instruction in the classroom, followed by hands-on sessions are geared towards familiarizing students with the objectives they need to learn to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of their teams. Instructors used the ‘crawl, walk, run approach’. This method is aimed at building students’ comfort and familiarization, so when they were handling live explosives later on the demo range, or using circular saws and other heavy construction equipment to construct building frames, they would know exactly what to do and how to do it properly. After teaching each part independently, the students then performed a culmination exercise.

The demolition portion of the class consisted of finding and identifying a simulated IED or cache, checking for tripwires that would detonate the device, and disposing of the threat using C4.

The test for construction phase of the engineer course was to construct a building using the supplies given. In just four days, the 16 students demolished an old building that was poorly constructed and leaning to one side, and rebuilt it using the methods that they learned from the class.

“These guys have shown great motivation and drive in coming together and completing the tasks at hand whether it’s the demolition work or, where I have been more impressed, the construction phase of the class,” the course instructor said. “Most of these guys have no construction experience, but in only one week they have been able to utilize the skills we taught them to construct a very sturdy free-standing building using only a few hours of classroom instruction, and a lot of determination.”

Although they made it through the course, the true test of how well they retain the information they learned will be determined in the field. The instructor said he is interested in how far their skills will improve after they are able to utilize them more on missions.

“The training we went through has been very useful, and I am eager to go on missions and see the many ways I will use what we learned to support my teams, especially with the construction skills I have added to the experience I had before the military, “ said one of the trainees. “With the construction I can build shelters for my teams, and with the demolition skills I can keep my team and Afghan’s safe from explosives the enemy has set to harm us.”

• Date Taken: 04.14.2011
• Date Posted: 04.16.2011 12:07
• Story ID: 68853
• Location: CAMP MOREHEAD, AF