bobdina
11-11-2009, 12:16 PM
Afghan Mentors
Captain Rhys Henderson
Capt Henderson and his ANA counterpart, Capt Ali, work near Senjaray, Kandahar, as part of operations to secure Highway 1 west of Kandahar City
Capt Henderson and his ANA counterpart, Capt Ali, work near Senjaray, Kandahar, as part of operations to secure Highway 1 west of Kandahar City
Fighting a counterinsurgency with a recently created army in a developing nation is no easy task. There is certainly a large gap from where we want the Afghan National Army to be, and where they are. The recently increased resources dedicated to Afghanistan have certainly helped but one major effect of three decades of war has been a setback in education and literacy, factors that translate directly into the capacity for training and education of a 21st century military. The knowledge gaps can be seen every day when we mentor members of the ANA. The movement towards stability and security is not going to happen overnight, and patience is as essential as the ANA is to the task.
This is my second tour as a mentor for the ANA. I served as a mentor last year in a nearby District. This year I am again in the western approaches to Kandahar City but there are significantly more ISAF forces on the ground. The ANA’s tactical skills are developing well. They are well aware of how to deal with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and react well to contact with the enemy. However, some mentoring issues can’t be solved immediately. A quick example would be literacy. We take it for granted that members of the Canadian Forces can read. But the large lack of literacy amongst the ANA impedes everything from complex logistics issues to reading the nightly guard duty shift log.
So how do we close the gap? As a mentor I continuously ask myself this question. Much of what my team offers the ANA is damage control. For example, we offer our mentored ANA medical training, but it cannot be too intensive or too technical. For my team medic, it is a daily fight to push the ANA medics to participate. Counter IED training requires very deliberate preparation with realistic training aids so that ANA soldiers can make the connection between the actions used during the IED rehearsal, and what they actually see on Highway #1. Essentially, I have to be able to understand and visualize how Afghan soldiers are going to see things and teach them accordingly. But more than that, I have to teach them how to fight a complex counterinsurgency with limited resources. This requires that I change my frame of reference and strive to see things through Afghan eyes, a big adjustment and great lesson.
Regardless of the challenges, being a mentor is considered by many to be the best job in the Army.
Here in our Area of Operations, it is a multinational affair with Afghans, Canadians and Americans working together. We lean on each other, taking skills from one area to accommodate for weaknesses somewhere else. There is a lot of friction to set up a joint patrol with the three nations’ involvement, but the results are worth it. ANA soldiers are particularly good at dealing with the civilian population in a courteous and culturally appropriate manner, and all of the Coalition partners benefit from that.
The end state of mentored and joint operations remains the same: an ANA capable of running and supporting independent operations. It will not happen overnight, but I think we are well on our way and I look forward to the rest of my tour with members of the ANA.
http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/fs-ev/2009/10/27-eng.asp
Captain Rhys Henderson
Capt Henderson and his ANA counterpart, Capt Ali, work near Senjaray, Kandahar, as part of operations to secure Highway 1 west of Kandahar City
Capt Henderson and his ANA counterpart, Capt Ali, work near Senjaray, Kandahar, as part of operations to secure Highway 1 west of Kandahar City
Fighting a counterinsurgency with a recently created army in a developing nation is no easy task. There is certainly a large gap from where we want the Afghan National Army to be, and where they are. The recently increased resources dedicated to Afghanistan have certainly helped but one major effect of three decades of war has been a setback in education and literacy, factors that translate directly into the capacity for training and education of a 21st century military. The knowledge gaps can be seen every day when we mentor members of the ANA. The movement towards stability and security is not going to happen overnight, and patience is as essential as the ANA is to the task.
This is my second tour as a mentor for the ANA. I served as a mentor last year in a nearby District. This year I am again in the western approaches to Kandahar City but there are significantly more ISAF forces on the ground. The ANA’s tactical skills are developing well. They are well aware of how to deal with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and react well to contact with the enemy. However, some mentoring issues can’t be solved immediately. A quick example would be literacy. We take it for granted that members of the Canadian Forces can read. But the large lack of literacy amongst the ANA impedes everything from complex logistics issues to reading the nightly guard duty shift log.
So how do we close the gap? As a mentor I continuously ask myself this question. Much of what my team offers the ANA is damage control. For example, we offer our mentored ANA medical training, but it cannot be too intensive or too technical. For my team medic, it is a daily fight to push the ANA medics to participate. Counter IED training requires very deliberate preparation with realistic training aids so that ANA soldiers can make the connection between the actions used during the IED rehearsal, and what they actually see on Highway #1. Essentially, I have to be able to understand and visualize how Afghan soldiers are going to see things and teach them accordingly. But more than that, I have to teach them how to fight a complex counterinsurgency with limited resources. This requires that I change my frame of reference and strive to see things through Afghan eyes, a big adjustment and great lesson.
Regardless of the challenges, being a mentor is considered by many to be the best job in the Army.
Here in our Area of Operations, it is a multinational affair with Afghans, Canadians and Americans working together. We lean on each other, taking skills from one area to accommodate for weaknesses somewhere else. There is a lot of friction to set up a joint patrol with the three nations’ involvement, but the results are worth it. ANA soldiers are particularly good at dealing with the civilian population in a courteous and culturally appropriate manner, and all of the Coalition partners benefit from that.
The end state of mentored and joint operations remains the same: an ANA capable of running and supporting independent operations. It will not happen overnight, but I think we are well on our way and I look forward to the rest of my tour with members of the ANA.
http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/fs-ev/2009/10/27-eng.asp