Educating Afghan Officers

The National Academy of Army Officers is molding Afghanistan’s future military leaders

COL. SHAH MOHAMMAD NOWSHAD/DIRECTOR OF PRESS, DEPARTMENT OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR THE AFGHAN MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE

It is clear that the Afghan National Army (ANA), from its creation until this day, has been constantly improving in quantity, quality, combat readiness, weapons and equipment. With each passing day, its role in global peace and stability, and the fight against terrorists and the enemies of the Afghan people has become more obvious. More recently, the National Army’s assumption of increased security responsibilities and independent execution of combat tasks, while gaining successes in the context of war, are signs of its readiness.

In the development process of the ANA, the main focus of the Ministry of National Defense and the general staff of the Armed Forces is on military vocational education and providing a wide range of educational opportunities to National Army personnel, gifted youth and graduates of the 12th and 14th grades. The goal is to absorb them into military education institutions inside and outside the country. To this end, dozens of educational centers, schools, academies and universities are under construction. Each year hundreds of youth, after passing their examinations and in accordance with rules and regulations, are admitted to national military educational institutions. One with particular importance is the National Academy of Army Officers, which only recently started its work, and its role in the training of professional ANA cadre is growing.

Help from Abroad

The National Academy of Army Officers — Afghanistan’s equivalent to Sandhurst Academy in England — was inaugurated according to an agreement dated July 19, 2012, between the former president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, His Excellency Hamid Karzai, and British Prime Minister David Cameron. On October 10, 2012, Gen. Shir Mohammad Karimi, chief of the general staff of the Army, laid the foundation for the academy next to other educational institutions on the campus of the National Defense University in Qargha, Kabul City. Attending the ceremony were representatives of Australia, Denmark, Great Britain and New Zealand, as well as high-ranking generals and officers of the Ministry of Defense and general staff.

Academic activities began in January 2013. Along with other military educational institutions, the purpose of the academy is to provide training for young Army officers and consequently deploy them as platoon commanders in the Afghan National Army. This will undoubtedly contribute to empowerment and leadership development at various levels of the National Army. The academy consists of five departments, three student battalions, one all-female company, and one reception and choice center.

The academy’s total capacity is 1,200 people, including three battalions, 10 percent of whose positions are designated for women operating within a separate training company. The first battalion of students began training and education in October 2013, the second battalion in February 2014, and the third in May 2014. Students study at the academy for one year, and the curriculum is implemented in three stages or semesters (elementary, intermediate and higher), with each semester continuing for 14 weeks.

Karimi said that academy graduates are promoted to second lieutenant and serve as platoon commanders in the National Army. Students who attend the academy receive a specified amount of money as aid, while noncommissioned officers (NCOs) receive regular salary as well. Students already possessing higher education will be assigned to appropriate positions after graduation. Student holidays are observed according to the academy’s norms and plans.

The British government has provided financial help, and Sandhurst Academy will cooperate in training officers, NCOs and other students. Once the academy’s administrative and academic structures are firmly in place, about 126 trainers from Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom will arrive to continue developing the academy.

The Rigors of Admission

The first battalion consists of three companies and a total of 270 students who are graduates of the 12th and 14th grades and universities. These young people have been gathered from among the 2,500 students who have successfully passed exams. An entrant must be a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, have a national identification card, and be from 18 to 26 years old.

The successful applicant has graduated from a higher education school or institution, completed the 12th or 14th grade or attended military schools or other nonmilitary schools with a degree accredited by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education.

NCOs attending the academy must have served on active duty for at least three years, reached the rank of command sergeant major and possess proper academic qualifications. Physical health is a necessity, and drug addiction is a disqualifier. With the exception of military school graduates and NCOs serving in the ANA, applicants must voluntarily request, sign and complete all relevant forms.

Volunteers must not be affiliated with any group, arrangement, organization or political party. Entrance to the academy is determined by competitive exams and merit, although the academy reserves 10 percent of the spaces for girls and women.

It won’t be long before thousands of academy graduates will be performing their duties throughout the Afghan National Army. That can only improve the quality of our forces, to the benefit of Afghanistan and the region.  

Professional School for A Professional Army

FARZAN IBRAHIM, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF SADA-E AZADI MAGAZINE

Training and equipping the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) has been a priority of the international community. One of the achievements of this effort is the Afghan National Army Combat Service and Support School (CSSS), where both Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police receive training.

The school’s commander, Col. Ahmad Parviz Baryalai, has watched the institution evolve since its establishment in 2005. Today it educates Soldiers and police officers in logistics, human resources, finance and other fields. International partners have provided mentoring. A new course of study is dedicated to the use and maintenance of mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles. Afghan forces recently took possession of more than 250 MRAP vehicles from coalition partners.

“Afghan National Police receive training together with their Afghan National Army brothers. They learn methods of using weapons, machinery, radio communication, artillery, finance and human resource,” Col. Parviz said.

Afghan Capt. Ismatullah, a student at the school, praised the support skills he has learned over the months. “Learning aspects of finance is crucial for the ANA,” he said. “We can process salaries through our personnel bank accounts. I am very keen to learn computer and banking systems to process the ANA salaries.”

Highlighting the CSSS’s key role in raising the professionalism of Afghan forces, 20,000 Soldiers and police officers have trained and graduated from the school.