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The Afghan National Army (ANA) is the army of Afghanistan and is being trained by the coalition forces in Afghanistan to ultimately take the lead in land-based military operations. The United States has provided uniforms and other basic equipment, while weapons have come from former Soviet bloc countries. To thwart and dissolve localized militias, the Afghan government has offered cash and vocational training to encourage members to join the ANA.
Training
Different members of the allied coalition in Afghanistan have undertaken different responsibilities in the creation of the ANA. Individual basic training is conducted separately by rank: the US trains the enlisted ranks, the UK trains the non-commissioned officers and France trains the officers. Upon graduation, soldiers are divided into kandaks and the kandaks are sent to the Canadian-run Afghan National Training Center (ANTC) where they undergo collective platoon, company and battalion-level training and are finally certified fit for active duty by assessors.
Many ANA battalions have embedded U.S. Military transition teams that advise in the areas of intelligence, communications, fire support, logistics and infantry tactics.
Kabul Military Training Center is the main training facility.
History
Upon becoming president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai set a goal of an army of 70,000 men by 2009. By January, 2003 just over 1,700 soldiers in five kandaks (Pashtun for battalion) had completed the 10-week training course, and by June 2003 a total of 4,000 troops had been trained. Initial recruiting problems lay in the lack of cooperation from regional warlords and inconsistent international support. The problem of desertion dogged the force in its early days: in the summer of 2003, the desertion rate was estimated to be ten percent and a mid-March, 2004 estimate suggested that 3,000 soldiers had deserted.
Soldiers in the new army initially received $30 a month during training and $50 a month upon graduation, though pay for trained soldiers has since risen to $70. Some recruits were under 18 years of age and many could not read or write. Recruits who spoke only Pashto experienced difficulty because instruction was given through interpreters who spoke Dari.
Growth continued, however, and the ANA had expanded to 5,000 trained soldiers by July of 2003. That month, approximately 1,000 ANA soldiers were deployed in the U.S-led Operation Warrior Sweep, marking the first major combat operation for Afghan troops.
On September 29th, 2003, a new kandak (the 11th) was ready, boosting the force to about 6,000. The 11th Kandak was a combat support battalion for the ANA's 3rd Brigade, and was capable of providing engineering, medical and scout skills.
By February 2004 the ANA troop count had reached 7,000.
On April 30th, 2004, the ANA consisted of 8,300 soldiers with another 2,500 in training.
On January 10th, 2005, the ANA comprised 17,800 soldiers with another 3,400 in training.
On January 23th, 2006, the ANA comprised 35,000 soldiers with another 4,000 in training.
Main training facilities is the Advanced Control Unit-Tactical.
Current status
The problems of desertion and difficult recruitment that had earlier dogged the ANA have been largely overcome. Total manpower is at around 35,000 personnel and 3000 new personnel are being recruited each month. No more can be accepted due to a lack of trainers.
The basic unit in the Afgan National Army is the Battalion or Kandak, consisting of 600 troops. Althought the vast majority are infantry, at least one mechanized and one tank Battalion have been formed; more may be planned. As of September 2005, 28 of the 31 Afghan National Army Battalions were ready for combat operations and many had already participated in them. At least nine brigades are planned at this time, each consisting of six battalions.
Five Corps exist, serving as regional commands for the ANA: the 201st Corps based in Kabul, the 203rd Corps based in Gardez, the 205th Corps based in Kandahar, the 207th Corps in Herat, and the 209th Corps in Mazar-e-Sharif. Each of the four outlying Corps will be assigned one brigade with the majority of the manpower of the army based in Kabul's 201st Corps.
Senior Officers
- Chief of the General Staff General Bismullah Khan
- Vice Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Mohammad Eshaq Noori
- Chief of Operations Lieutenant General Shir Mohammad Karimi
- Chief of Logistics Lieutenant General Azizuddin Farahee
- Chief of Intelligence Major General Abdul Khaliq Faryad
- 205th Corps Commander Major General Rahmatullah Raufi
- 209th Corps Commander Major General Taj Mohammad
- Command and General Staff College Commander Major General Gullbahar Salim
"Afghan National Army"