Afghanistan National Army visits III Marine Expeditionary Force, gains respect, insight

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, AFGHANISTAN

06.18.2009

Story by Lance Cpl. Thomas Provost 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER - Senior members of the 201st Corps, Afghan national army paid a visit to several Marine Corps camps here June 6-13.

The purpose of the visit was for the delegation to gain a better understanding of how a similarly sized unit functions in both garrison and training environments with a focus on the role of the non-commissioned officers and staff non-commissioned officers within the operation of a unit.

Currently the 3rd Brigade, 201st Corps, ANA, is the only unit that has control of an area in Afghanistan without the aide or assistance of the U.S. or coalition forces.

"The brigade has developed an effective counter-insurgency campaign that can be used as a model for the rest of the units in the ANA," said Col. Jeffrey M. Haynes, staff officer with 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

The visiting Afghan delegation was comprised of the 201st Corps' Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Rahiem Wardak, the 3rd Brigade, 201st Corps' Commanding General, Brig. Gen. Ze Mari, the 201st Corps' intelligence officer in charge, Col. Dur Mohammad, the 201st Corps' Public Affairs Officer, Maj. Mohammad Arif and the 201st Corps' command sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj. Zia Ul Haq.

Throughout the week the delegation visited several major commands including 12th Marine Regiment, Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion and the Special Operations Training Group for briefs, tours and decisions on what the units do and how they operate in garrison and training environments.

"They are in the midst of building and professionalizing their army. They are also seeking to develop an army that can be accountable and responsible for personal actions, equipment and maintenance."

An example of how the Marine Corps keeps accountability and maintains
maintenance of gear and equipment was provided by the 12th Marine Regiment Marines. The artillery units laid out everything from the smallest tools up to an M777 155mm Howitzer, to provide an understanding on how the Marine Corps keeps track of and maintains its equipment and gear.

According to Haynes, the ANA is strengthening its noncommissioned officer and staff noncommissioned officer core in an effort to increase the effectiveness of the Army in operations throughout Afghanistan.

Throughout the week a majority of the briefs and tours were given by non-commissioned officers and staff NCOs to show the Afghan army guests how they handle responsibility while in charge of a task or section.

A competent, well disciplined ANA is at the center of the United State's strategy in Afghanistan. The U.S. and coalition forces cannot be successful in Afghanistan without assisting the ANA in their ability to independently conduct counter insurgency campaigns. To meet this goal, the ANA needs a strong NCO and SNCO core to bridge the leadership gap between senior officers and junior enlisted soldiers, he said.

The Marine Corps has a long tradition of having a rock solid NCO and SNCO core as first and second tier supervisors and technical leaders.

The ANA delegation hopes to learn from the example of the NCOs and SNCOs during their visit to help them advance in their goal of creating a strong NCO and SNCO core within the ranks of the ANA.

For the duration of the visit, the delegation of Afghan allies were treated as the Marine Corps' own.

Wardak said he has been to many countries in the past few years, but when he is with the U.S. Marines, he feels like they are his own brothers.

• Date Taken: 06.18.2009
• Date Posted: 06.18.2009 02:05
• Story ID: 35267
• Location: MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, AF