KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Since January, NATO Train, Advise, Assist Command – South (TAAC-S) advisers and their Afghan counterparts have worked diligently to improve Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) human resources management systems and training.
The ANDSF increased efficiencies in personnel management by integrating a digital system, similar to the one utilized by the U.S. Army, that enables accountability, transparency and oversight of all assigned personnel. The advisory team’s efforts to connect the Kandahar Police Headquarters with their higher headquarters further enhanced those efforts. This directly resulted in the Afghan Ministry of Interior sending an identification card team to create and issue cards to the Kandahar police. These actions will increase internal security measures by enabling positive identification and facilitating increased use of the system to track assigned personnel.
Force professionalization continues to be a priority for both TAAC-S advisors and ANDSF. Recently, 800 Afghan National Army (ANA) Soldiers and 526 Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP) patrolmen successfully completed their initial entry training at their respective regional training centers in Kandahar. The training helps build competent service members who are capable of securing the Afghan people and maintaining their trust. Advisers also assisted the AUP in training a number of Afghan instructors in Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) awareness.
Additionally, more than 35 AUP medics were trained and reassigned throughout Kandahar Province to ensure medical coverage at the lowest levels of operation.
The 205th Corps of the ANA facilitated an entrance exam for Kabul Military High School. Over 40 students passed the test; each will receive a two-year scholarship to attend the institution.
These recent education and training efforts will serve as mechanisms to professionalize the force. The ANDSF and coalition advisers continue to strengthen their partnership to ensure further successes of the forces in Kandahar – together, their efforts will enable increased long-term sustainability for Afghanistan.