HERAT, Afghanistan – Afghan National Army Basic Warrior Course recruits gazed with mixed looks of admiration, fear and respect as their polished sergeant major marched across the training grounds.
Stopped with his eyes fixed in one trainee’s direction, ANA Sgt. Maj. Shukrullah Ahmadi didn’t need to utter a single word, the trainee already knew he was wrong and quickly squared himself away.
Though non-commissioned officers have been around since the start of the ANA, increased status and responsibility of a credible NCO is new, and Ahmadi is elevating it to a level never seen before.
The ANA NCO Corps is transitioning from a period where an NCO was a more-experienced soldier to an era where an NCO is not only experienced, but a front-line leader, trusted and respected by ANA officers, said Ahmadi, BWC sergeant major, Camp Zafar, Herat province.
A motivated enlisted corps, valid and professional NCOs, and an officer corps who’s not only educated and trained, but who places trust in their NCOs is key to the ANA’s future, said Ahmadi.
In the second month after being promoted to sergeant major, Ahmadi created NCO counseling and evaluation forms. Prior to that, there was no official tracking for an NCO’s performance, he explained.
“I counseled each NCO monthly, which included positive and negative comments,” said Ahmadi. “Every six months, all NCOs at the basic training compound were evaluated based on these counseling forms, which enabled promotion based on merit.”
Prior to that, promotions were sometimes based on family status or favors, explained the sergeant major, who said he’s hard-line against corruption in the enlisted corps.
Now, the sergeant major counsels all of his first sergeants monthly, and those first sergeants evaluate the NCOs junior to them.
Since the NCO evaluation program is still in its infancy, Ahmadi continues to oversee the entire process and reports his findings to the basic training commander, ANA Col. Yousef Wardak.
Wardak lauded the sergeant major’s initiatives. “NCOs are executive power,” said Ahmadi. “When Colonel Wardak or any officer makes a plan, we need strong NCOs to execute.”
A strong NCO Corps is not the only thing the ANA currently lacks.
“As we continue to develop, we’ll need modern equipment, more literacy classes and more instructors to further develop our NCOs,” said Ahmadi.
A more-polished NCO Corps was apparent when four of Ahmadi’s NCOs accompanied their ANA captain, two U.S. Army mentors and hundreds of recruits to an outside-the-wire Military Operations in Urban Terrain scenario near Camp Zafar.
The captain laid out his plan to the four NCOs on site. The ranking NCO, a sergeant first class, seemed to have contrasting views on parts of the plan, and the captain accepted his feedback.
The two discussed the issue, and came to a conclusion. This would not likely have been the case in the past, before Ahmadi elevated the status of NCOs at BWC.
Next, the sergeant first class rallied his three fellow NCOs and prepared to execute the plan.
Soon thereafter, hundreds of recruits broke up into five-man fire teams equipped with M-16 rifles and blank ammunition. One team at a time, they brought the fight to their simulated enemy.
Every soldier knew their place – top to bottom.
During training, one U.S. Army mentor relished the efficiency. “This is very close to how American soldiers are trained,” said Spc. Dale Dillahunty. “It is exciting for them. Some groups get more interactive than others but their curiosity builds excitement as they watch the groups ahead of them go through the course.”
Coalition forces will continue to patrol by foot and mounted convoys with ANA during real-world missions and often into hostile territory. They’ll put their lives in the hands of their well-trained comrades.
Moreover, the ANA will protect Afghanistan for the foreseeable future, and beyond the day when the coalition leaves.
With more NCOs like Ahmadi leading the enlisted force, the ANA will be better suited to serve their people on and off the battlefields.