More than 1,100 Afghan National Army soldiers began the 23rd Commando Qualification Course at the ANA Special Operations Command School of Excellence at Camp Command, near Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 6, 2018. After initial assessments are completed, the soldiers will progress to advanced individual skills training, followed by collective training at the team, squad, and platoon level.
CDOQC Class 23 joins more than 1,400 soldiers in two on-going CDOQCs as part of a deliberate force generation model that will yield an additional 4,000 Commandos by the spring. The total number of ANA soldiers currently in Commando training is more than 2,500; the largest number of Commandos training at one time in the history of the ANA.
“The growth of Afghan Special Forces and commandos is on track,” said Gen. John Nicholson, NATO Resolute Support commander. “In 2018, we‘re going to see the Afghan security forces go on the offensive, and they‘re going to retake areas that have either been contested or been under Taliban control, and key to this effort are going to be the Commandos.”
The Commandos provide the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces unparalleled success on the battlefield. Having never lost an engagement with the Taliban, the Commandos are the building block for Afghan Special Security Forces growth over the next four years.
CDOQC is a 14-week course designed to assess and train Afghan soldiers for assignment in one of the 10 Special Operations Kandaks (Battalions). Approximately 20 percent of the graduating class will attend job-specific specialty skill training before departing for their next assignment.