MAJ. GEN. DEAN MILNER Commander, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan Canadian Army Maj. Gen. Dean Milner deployed in May to Kabul, where he is both the commander of Canada’s contribution to the training mission in Afghanistan and commanding general for the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan. NTM-A oversees the training and equipping of Afghan security units, both military and police, and is also key in setting the stage for the withdrawal of most coalition troops from the country this year. Q. What is the situation with the training of Afghan security forces? A. They’ve come a long way. You look at the force now — the Afghan National Army being at about 190,000 personnel and the police at 152,000 — they’re capable and well-equipped. We built the force fast. There are still capabilities that have to be worked on and that is what we’re focused on. We have seven kandaks [battalions] that we still have to build, specialized kandaks that will be very capable additions. With the police, we continue to train and professionalize their force. But I’m very confident in their capabilities. Q. Who came up with the structure, in terms of how many infantry kandaks and how many other units would be needed? A. NATO, with the Afghans. That was done by taking a look at the situation across the country, taking a look at the insurgency, taking a look at the police force and determining how much you need to fight that insurgency. We worked it over with the Afghans. We’re now at a point of making sure that the force is right and prepared for the future. Did we get it right? Right now, we need very minor adjustments. But the size of the force is absolutely spot-on. They’ll have to continue, like any force, to relook at it, to look at how the insurgency goes and adapt the force for the future. Q. Why was it decided to change Afghan Army weaponry and equipment from that of the former Soviet Union to western/US equipment? A. With us being the NATO force, the force that sustains and assists them and that has been with them for the last 12 years, it made sense to give them a western capability, be it Humvees, Ford Rangers, the new [US-made] reconnaissance vehicles or M16s and M4s. It has made total sense. We’re now helping them provide maintenance and sustainment for that. I have a deputy commander of support operations and a big focus is making sure they have the right workshops, the right maintenance capabilities and the right supply capabilities to be able to sustain this force into the future. They do have a mix of equipment. But they are predominantly focused on western equipment and we’re sorting out and working on a supply and sustainment system. When we talk sustainment, that’s making sure they’ve got the national capabilities to continue to budget, to continue to have the programs, the systems in place. They have the force that can fight. It’s not perfect but they get better every day. They have plenty of capabilities. They’re doing a great job in finding the enemy. Counter-IED capabilities are hugely important. It took us a while to realize it and we lost a lot of troops. We’ve had to first build the Afghan Army and slowly but surely integrate the counter-IED capability. Q. Some Afghan generals say they need more ISR. Can you elaborate on what you have seen? A. There is no doubt in my mind they need to work on their intelligence capabilities. But they’re pretty good, with their [human intelligence] and their layered security. To add on to that is other capabilities — its [rapid aerostat initial deployment] towers, its other sophisticated pieces of equipment which we are planning. I have a team responsible for integrating equipment like that into their force. That’s going to give them more capabilities. It is sophisticated, tough equipment to maintain so we’ll start with small numbers. Like any nation, they’ll have to prioritize and see what they want to buy. But we’re moving them in the right direction. They get it. We’re integrating some great equipment into their force that will add to their capability. We’ll continue to do that over the next year. Q. The ANA needs mechanics, logisticians and similar types of military trades for support. Is that being taken care of? A. Absolutely. They understand education is a huge important part of building their force. They’ve built combat service support schools. They’ve been training their maintainers. This last three years there has been a huge focus on the logistics to be able to sustain that force; that involves putting that national system in place, making sure you’ve got the right officers, the right NCOs in the right places. Look at our medical team; look at the number of combat medics, physician assistants and doctors. They are almost 100 percent filled on medical assistants. The Afghans are driving that. They’re also training young NCOs who can fix complex equipment. They’ve still got a long way to go but we’re moving in the right direction. Q. Where are you with literacy training for Afghan security force personnel? A. It’s been a big focus. We train them at the basic level. We’ve also got a train-the-trainer program. We’ve put hundreds of thousands through literacy training and we’ll continue. The Afghans get it. They know an educated force will win in the short and in the long term. For instance, there’s a big, big focus on their officer academy. We’ve just built the equivalent of a [Royal Military Academy] Sandhurst. They’ll do a yearlong officer program with literacy built in. There’s also the National Military Academy of Afghanistan, just like Canada’s Royal Military College. Q. Is the training consistent among the various Afghan security units? A. They’re pretty consistent. When you look at an infantry kandak going through its basic training, going through the consolidated fielding center and then being trained out in the field, it’s going through a pretty basic training plan. There are also components that take a lot more time to train compared to an infantry kandak. The ANA Mobile Strike Force Kandak goes through absolutely more training. We bought an armored vehicle for them that is pretty simple; it’s easy to handle but very capable. But they still do an extra three months of training. We’ve built three out of the planned seven mobile strike force kandaks. Q. Sustainment is based largely on money. If there is a decrease in international funding, can this system you’ve helped set up continue? A. The Afghans do not have the economic capacity to completely support it. So it will need continued international support. I know there are plans for that. They will have to look at how the force is employed and the enemy they’ve got to fight. Q. In December, Afghan President Hamid Karzai made a trip to India looking for regional defense partners and equipment. Will that alter NATO plans to equip Afghan security forces with western/US-based equipment? A. It may make it a little bit more complex for the Afghans. [Karzai] has to make sure that in designing and continuing to build this force, he makes sure about the maintenance capability. Most countries have different equipment. The bottom line is that he is going to have to look at how he builds that force with his Ministry of Defense and make sure he gets the proper parts, the proper maintenance capability. But then again, he is thinking about the future. Karzai is thinking about the balance of power in the region and rightly so. My thoughts would be focus on what you’ve got, let’s get that right. Let’s continue to build and make sure that force is sustainable. Q. Afghan security forces number around 350,000. Is there a plan in the future to draw that force down? A. That’s something that NATO will continue to look at. The Afghans will also continue to look at it. It’s a big force. Right now it’s needed to continue to fight and defeat the insurgency. But ideally, in two or three years we’d like to see that force draw down so you don’t need the big numbers. The closer they get to peace, the quicker they’ll be able to draw the force down. They’ll definitely need a force for the region but again, that will be worked with planners, with the international community and the Afghans. Q. Do you see a point when Afghan forces will defeat the enemy? A. It’s a counterinsurgency. We know from history that’s difficult to completely beat. A prognosis is a tough one. The bottom line is that this is really about government, governance and building the capabilities for the people, and giving them the confidence that they can be secure. And a lot of people continue to sit on the fence. You can have a farmer out in his field one day, and if he’s not happy with the security, he may become a Taliban. That’s how difficult it is. It’s also the region itself. It’s continuing to work with Pakistan, which they and the international community continue to work with. But with their capabilities — this past summer, they beat the Taliban. I think they’ll continue to definitely weaken the insurgency. And with good government and continuing to build this country, I think they can defeat it with time. Q. Do the Afghans plan eventually to field a force that also can defend the country from outside threats? A. Their absolute focus right now is counterinsurgency. They’ve got to beat the Taliban. But like any army, you look to the future.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 16:49:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015