KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Members of Combined Joint Task Force Paladin are spearheading a training class on robot repair for members of the Afghan National Civil Order Police here.
This first class, which was attended by three ANCOP students and lasted for three days, was intended to provide a foundation of knowledge to allow the Afghan National Security Forces to conduct basic maintenance on the explosive ordnance disposal robots that the coalition has provided them.
“You are going to have someone come and say that the robot isn’t moving forward,” said Sgt. First Class David M. Furtado, a trainer with Combined Joint Task Force Paladin, during the class. “You will have to know then that the problem is the driving and how to fix it.”
Manuals translated into Dari and Pashtu were put together as training aids for the students to familiarize them with the basic components, tools, and troubleshooting for the robot.
“Basically, this is a repair class,” said Furtado. “It’s something that will help them to be self-sustaining following the transition.”
During the class, the students were taken through a series of hypothetical problems for which they had to demonstrate where to go in the manual to fix the issues and then go through and correct the problem.
“They should be able to diagnose, troubleshoot and repair to get that robot functional and back out in the battle space,” said Furtado.
The robot is key for the ANSF in the counter-IED fight as it allows for remote interrogation of explosive devices.
“The robot keeps them away from the bang,” said Furtado. “It’s a force protection measure for them.”
The students were challenged during the course by a number of problems. They were expected to take apart the robot, identify the problem, and replace the faulty component.
“Interactive is the best way to learn,” said Furtado. “The ability to get your hands in there and have the equipment, have the parts, is really the best way to do it.”
The course has come with its challenges as well. Logistical challenges, the language barrier, and different ways of learning all caused issues that had to be overcome.
“A major challenge is that there is no set tool kit or repair parts,” said Furtado. “Getting the tools to fix the robot and keep them in the fight can be a challenge.”
You also have different ways of learning, said Furtado. Using the manual isn’t always intuitive so conveying that process can be a challenge.
Despite the challenges the ANCOP students were able to take a lot away from the course.
“I was very impressed with how they tackled the problems that they were presented,” said Furtado.
By giving the ANSF some practical experience in robot repair, CJTF Paladin hopes to help them develop organic repair capability for the equipment the coalition is providing them.
“This is the type of stuff that’s going to help us draw down,” said Furtado. “The more self-reliant the ANSF are, the better off both the Afghans and the coalition are.”
CJTF Paladin is responsible for counter-IED operations and training in theatre.
| Date Taken: | 05.26.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2012 06:50 |
| Story ID: | 90108 |
| Location: | KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 350 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, CJTF Paladin hosts robot repair course for ANSF, by LTJG Andrew Carleen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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