KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – As the U.S. military prepares to reduce its numbers in Afghanistan and focus on advising and assisting their Afghan partners, the daily task of finding, and defeating, improvised explosive devices and other hazards falls upon the Afghan National Security Forces.
In order to facilitate the required training, International Security Assistance Forces partnered with Ronco and Paladin to construct a counter-IED training area at the Joint Regional Afghan National Police Center in Kandahar province.
The purpose of the training area is to allow the Kandaks (Afghan Army battalions) to be self-supporting in regards to their C-IED training.
“All of the instructors will come, internally, from the Kandak,” said 1st Lt. Derek Proctor, 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. “Each Kandak will have about six instructors.”
The training and maintenance of this lane will be conducted entirely by ANSF soldiers. The intent is to be able to train approximately 300 individuals per month and under optimal conditions 50 to 100 per day, Proctor continued.
Several senior ANSF leaders attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and walk-through demonstration of the new training lane. With the completion of this facility, and train-the-trainer sessions, hopes are high that additional C-IED lanes will be constructed throughout the region.
“This is going to have a tremendous impact on the ANCOP (Afghan National Civil Order Police), said Maj. Gen. Robert “Abe” Abrams, RC(S) Commander. “It’s going to give them the ability to protect their force, who are out there every day.”
Abrams continued, “Just as importantly, it’s going to give them confidence in their institution that they’re building their own training capability for now and into the future.”