KABUL, Afghanistan - The Afghan National Army officers selected 37 officers from across the country for the first ever Combined Arms Training course at the Consolidated Fielding Centre (CFC) on Feb. 5, 2014. The course was organized by mentors from NTM-A, in partnership with the ANA Training and Education Command and brought together officers from the rank of major to colonel in order to improve their knowledge of combined arms operations and capability integration.
The course attracted the interest of senior ANA and ISAF leaders and was visited by the ANA Chief of the General staff, General Karimi and the Deputy-Commander ISAF, Lt. Gen. John Lorimer. Both leaders were impressed with the conduct of the training and the enthusiasm of the students.
“With the mandate of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan shifting from growing the Afghan National Security Force to professionalizing their personnel, we have developed a number of specialized kandaks that have made the ANA a more capable and independent force,” said Colonel John Fife Commanding Officer of the Training Advisory Group at the Consolidated Fielding Center (CFC)/Kabul Military Training Centre (KMTC). “Units like the Mobile Strike Force kandaks and the Combat Engineer Kandaks have proven invaluable in a counter-insurgency environment and have moved the ANA closer to being a fully sustainable force. We are now looking to integrate training on these new resources, their characteristics and tasks at the corps level, in order for mid-level officers to understand how to effectively integrate and employ these new capabilities.”
The officers from various combat arms trades were exposed to the use and integration of infantry, armor, engineers, artillery and aviation into a combined force geared towards counter-insurgency operations. The course also tackled defensive and offensive tactics at the company level, Law of Armed Conflict, COIN theory and the importance of the Senior Non-commissioned Officer to the commander.
“The ANA is now quite proficient at collective training conducted either at the fielding centre or at their Corps location,” said Colonel Fife. “Combined arms training is the next step in professionalizing the army. It is consistent with the best practices of officer development. This first group of candidates was eager to learn. They thought the training was worthwhile and I am confident that this type of training will become part of the ANA officer professional development model in the future.”
Commanding-General NTM-A, Maj. Gen. Dean Milner kept a close eye on the training and was pleased with effort put forward by his staff and the ANSF. “When army leaders from the combined arms team come together and discuss how to maximize combat power and use resources effectively and efficiently, that is the sign of an Army gaining confidence and professionalism. Training like this will serve the ANA well during the fighting season.”
The course ran for nine days at the Consolidated Fielding Centre in Pol-e Charkhi, outside of Kabul.