Army Chief of Staff Visits PMT

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN

12.17.2007

Courtesy Story

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet           

By Lt. Cmdr. Steven Parks
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – On Dec 17th, General George W. Casey, Chief of Staff of the Army, visited a police mentoring team for the Afghan national police at a forward operating base near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Gen. Casey and Maj General Robert E. Cone, commanding officer of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan visited Soldiers of the Afghan regional security integration command-south and regional police advisory command. The Soldiers presented Casey with an aggressive new plan to train approximately 4,500 ANP over the next year.

Focused District Development, as the plan is called, is a training initiative that concentrates on basic and advanced battlefield skills. FDD emphasizes U.S. and coalition oversight, thereby ensuring the operational prowess and sustainability of the ANP forces.

Army Lt. Col. Tom Ritz, PMT leader, spoke of the importance of mentoring and training the ANP in addition to sharing the risks with the ANP during operations.

"The unity of effort has made police mentoring more efficient," said Ritz. "The contributions of the Canadian Police Operational Mentoring & Liaison Team have increased the survivability of the ANP."

Afghan minister of interior deputy minister, Ahmad Munir Mangel, emphasized the cooperation of the Afghan national army, ANP, and the International Security Assistance Force. He also told Casey that within three to five years, he expects the police to be literate and comparable to the ANA.

"Time is of the essence" said Mangel, a former army general.

General Casey agreed with Mangel's assessment. After the briefings, Gen Casey took time to talk to the troops. He thanked them for their service and reminded them why it is important for them to serve in Afghanistan, which he called the birthplace of the war on terror.

"Global enforcement is our way of life," he said.

• Date Taken: 12.17.2007
• Date Posted: 12.17.2007 14:43
• Story ID: 14757
• Location: KANDAHAR, AF