ANA’s 201st Corps, Afghan soldiers discover translation error on logistics form

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GAMBERI, AFGHANISTAN

07.01.2011

Courtesy Story

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

By Master Sgt. Quinton Burris
RSC-East Public Affairs/NTM-A Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GAMBERI, Afghanistan -- Afghan National Army soldiers from the 201st Corps in conjunction with coalition soldiers from 1st Brigade and 6th Forward Support Depot gathered at Forward Operating Base Gamberi for a Ministry of Defense form 14 reconciliation board.

Soldiers came together for the first time, focused on a joint mission -- to identify and resolve MoD 14 discrepancies and improve logistics supply procedures.

An MoD 14 is a form used by ANA personnel to identify unit supply needs. The supply request form, properly completed, must flow through the Afghan MoD supply channels for approval and distribution.

“The board convened to ensure [reconcile] all MoD 14s submitted were received and tracked at all levels,” said Army Maj. Daniel Powers, a logistics mentor for 201st Corps. “The logistics team’s mission was to identify and take corrective action on any discrepancies discovered.”

With all the key players in attendance, the meeting began with a general discussion about the MoD 14 reconciliation processes and procedures.

“The group discussed and stressed the importance of completing the appropriate forms in accordance with MoD Decree 4.0,” said Powers.

The MoD Decree 4.0 is the ANA’s directive which regulates unit logistics policy and support procedures.

During the process, the group quickly discovered an issue with MoD 4 forms, the ANA transaction registry, which was impeding the process.

“As we began to execute the actual reconciliation it was quickly discovered that document numbers were not being used properly,” said Powers. “As a result the associated MoD 4s were of little use.”

After closer analysis of the problem, the group was able to pinpoint the problem, a translation error.

“In the process of identifying the problem, we discovered English to Dari translation discrepancies,” said Powers. “What we thought was the document sequence number was actually the sequence date, which proved to be the root of the problem.”

With a few suggestions tossed around the room, the reconciliation board members developed a workable solution to the problem.

“The ANA’s 201st Corps supply officer recommended that we reset the MoD 4s’ date to the first of Saratan, 22 June,” said Powers.

All parties agreed to reset the date and provide closer oversight of the forms to ensure each form was completed correctly before submission. The next board meeting is scheduled for the first week of July.

• Date Taken: 07.01.2011
• Date Posted: 07.01.2011 14:02
• Story ID: 73118
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE GAMBERI, AF