KABUL, Afghanistan - AUP traffic headquarters in Kabul was severely damaged Jan. 21 after a group of Taliban insurgents attacked the main building with explosives and machine gun fire. To continue the course, signifying just how important it truly is, the MOI gave approval to use its auditorium so the AUP could complete the course and be as ready as possible to stand on its own.
The 17 students learned how to manage their unit property book including purchasing and accountability of supplies and equipment as well as procuring more, one of the most important and challenging aspects facing Afghan National Security Forces as U.S. and coalition forces transition out of the country.
“This class teaches them to account for all the property issued to them between the Ministry of Interior and other entities within Afghanistan,” said Mark Fenwick, a property book subject matter expert employed by ARMA Global, and working in conjunction with the Deputy Command-Support Operations, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan. “How they issue it, receive it, how they must completely account for it by loss, destruction or problems with it to be turned in and recouped.”
The class is comprised of 16 different principles of instruction from orientation and introduction, to forms, processes, delegation of authority and classes of supply to name a few. The principles cover how their logistics system operates when they request items, send a form or when they get a receipt; how to manage their property and how to account for and document it; the different inspections that are required; who can sign off; and who is delegated by the commanding officer.
The property book officer documents every piece of required property and every piece of known property assigned to the unit; weapons, vehicles, computers; anything that has a serial number. They document when the property was received; how and where; if it’s issued, destroyed, turned over or a lateral transfer.
The students learned more than just how to be their unit’s property book officer, which can be a challenging enough task, but they are also competent enough to teach what they’ve learned within the AUP.
“This class is quite different than any of the other classes I’ve taught,” said Fenwick. “Eighty percent of the students in this class are what we call train the trainers. They’ve actually gone through a formal train the trainer class. We’re also teaching them a basis for the logistics portion of it so they can go out and train trainers for the logistics.”
“These students are a great deal more motivated than my average logistics personnel that I teach because my logistics personnel, once we complete the class they’re going to go back to work, back to their jobs, but they’re going to have better knowledge on how to do their jobs better and to do it correctly,” added Fenwick. “It’s going to answer questions of why aren’t we getting this, or receiving this or why are these transfers happening. But these guys are a different class of personnel. They’re going to be doing my job within themselves.”
An almost mirror image of the U.S. military logistics system, the Afghan logistics system has been adapted within the MOI’s logistics decree. “Most of the rules and regulations that we apply within the U.S. Army standards are incorporated with how this decree and policy was written,” said Fenwick. “But the policy and decree are Afghan made, Afghan written, Afghan led and Afghan approved. All we were there to do was assist.”