KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's defense sector took another major step forward with the adoption of its first National Military Strategy Oct. 21.
At a regularly scheduled meeting of the Defense Council, Afghan Minister of Defense Qasim Fahim Khan signed the document approving the National Military Strategy.
Behind that stroke of the pen lay 18 months of work by the Ministry of Defense and the Office of Military Cooperation -- Afghanistan.
Afghan senior leaders had worked side by side with their coalition partners from OMC-A to initiate and develop a national strategy within the framework of the Strategic Planning System. While the National Military Strategy represents the strategic direction of the Afghan National Army, it was developed with sound advice from the Minister of Defense and in consultation with the Chief of the General Staff.
Assistant Minister for Strategy and Policy Mohibullah assigned the mission of developing the NMS to Mr. Abdul Khaliq, Chief of Strategic Planning. Khaliq formed a Strategic Planning Working Group that met routinely over many months to discuss and formulate an effective military strategy. The working group included senior representatives from across the Defense Ministry and the General Staff.
The working group received classes on strategic planning and fundamentals of military strategy from MPRI mentors. The group was then guided through the process of developing the National Military Strategy. This was a daunting task considering the entire MoD and GS were undergoing transformation while simultaneously preparing this document and introducing a number of other systems and processes.
The primary focus of the efforts of the Strategic Planning Working Group was to design a strategy with the following objectives:
·Build and further develop the defense capabilities of the Afghan security system;
·Ensure the inalienable sovereignty of the Islamic State of Afghanistan;
·Reduce the vulnerability of its borders and the divisibility of its territory;
·Guarantee the independence of the nation; and
·Define the constitutionally mandated function of the Afghan military.
"The NMS will provide guidance and direction for developing the Afghan National Army, in accordance with the constitution, the rule of law and the authority of the Central Government," said Khaliq.
As outlined in the NMS document, the strategy focuses on improving the posture of the Afghan National Army so that it can provide the citizens of the Islamic State of Afghanistan and their government with a better foundation for security, independence and the ability to work with coalition nations and regional neighbors.
The NMS provides strategic direction to the ANA. In the near term, the ANA is charged, in cooperation with the Coalition and the International Security Assistance Force, to counter internal threats posed by terrorist organizations and extending the authority of the central government. In the long term, the ANA will assume its traditional role as the guardian of Afghanistan's independence, freedom, and territorial sovereignty. The ANA will accomplish these near- and long-term objectives according to the orders of the legitimate and elected government of Afghanistan.
The NMS also states that the ANA is established by the Afghan people, is trusted, respected and supported by the people and is loyal to the Afghan Constitution, which it defends.
The strategy spells out what capacities, training, arms and equipment are required by the ANA to fulfill its responsibilities and defines the defense priorities. It also lays out the guiding principles for the Ministry of Defense:
·Develop and establish a national army based on defensive doctrine, mutual cooperation and friendly relations with neighbors,
·Participate in the regional and international collective security system, developing close ties and mutual cooperation with coalition countries and
·Collect weapons, decommission Afghan Militia Force units and complete the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process by June 2005.
A significant and historical aspect of this strategy is the establishment of civilian authority over the military. The NMS clearly lays out that command and control of the army will be made in coordination with the elected parliament and the elected president, as per the Afghan Constitution and the rule of law. The civilian president will be the Supreme Commander of the army. This fundamental will assist the Afghan National Army in its efforts to operate in agreement with international community principles and standards.
It also facilitates operations with coalition forces because, as the NMS notes, they use a similar command and control system.
The specific duties of the Afghan National Army are to:
·Militarily support and back the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan and ensure security for the political process progress that has been made,
·Gradually replace all factional, private and irregular militia forces,
·Disarm all illegal armed groups and
·Fight the terrorists and other destructive groups with the cooperation of the Coalition, ISAF and independently.
The composition of the ANA consists of basic ground forces, an air and air defense force, quick reaction forces, support and service support forces (Logistics Command, Communications Command, Medical Command and other sustaining institutions) and a reserve force. Per the Bonn II agreements, the size of the ANA will be 70,000, although the NMS allows for changes in size and structure based on future security, economic, strategic and geopolitical developments.
Much of what is laid out in the NMS is already being done. The reform of the ANA and MoD has been long underway. Major headquarters such as the Regional Commands have been activated and their locations designated. The fielding plan for the Regional Commands outlined in the strategy is progressing per the NMS.
Afghan leaders know that the NMS represents a milestone in their country's reconstruction.
"There has never been an official document called the National Military Strategy in Afghanistan," said Deputy Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak. "This is the first time we have come up with a written document."
"The National Military Strategy gives us clear goals for the next three to five years," Wardak said, 'subject to modification as required. Now we really know where we're going, what the threats are we need to deal with and what we need in our armed forces. We know what standards to apply as we raise the
Afghan National Army."
Wardak said that the help of the MPRI mentors contributed greatly to the development of the NMS. He noted how valuable an August 2004 seminar was in bringing together representatives from the MoD, the Office of Military Cooperation -- Afghanistan and MPRI in order to work on the National Military Strategy.
The Chief of OMC-A, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Craig P. Weston, described how this three-day seminar contributed to completing the NMS.
"We broke into Afghan-led working groups to make recommendations to finalize an Afghan national military strategy in response to the Afghan-approved National Threat Assessment," Weston related. "For the first time, Afghan leaders used modern strategic methods and techniques to review their draft national military strategy and use their proposed planning system to define appropriate force structure to execute the strategy."
Those who worked to bring the NMS to completion were enthusiastic about the results and about what it would do for the Afghan defense sector. They were also pleased to have been part of the project from start to finish.
"It's been rewarding to see all the pieces come together and be able to watch the Defense Minister sign the National Military Strategy and set Afghanistan on an entirely new security course." said Frank Taddonio, an MPRI Mentor for Strategy and Policy.
With its first National Military Strategy in place, the Afghan leadership will be able to build on it and continue to improve their defense of the Afghan people.
| Date Taken: | 11.16.2004 |
| Date Posted: | 11.16.2004 17:52 |
| Story ID: | 620 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 160 |
| Downloads: | 23 |
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