Task Force Talon paratroopers provide NCO school for ANP, ANA soldiers

Task Force Talon paratroopers provide NCO school for ANP, ANA soldiers
Combined Joint Task Force 101
Story by Staff Sgt. Bruce Cobbledick

WARDAK PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Combat Outpost Sayed Abad is now home to a new non-commissioned officer school designed to deliver a train-the-trainer approach at teaching and hone the skills Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army soldiers need to be successful NCOs.

The school was designed with input from ANA, ANP and U.S. forces to give Afghan students skills and knowledge that will be instrumental in the training of their soldiers.

Members of the 401st Military Police Company teamed up with the sky soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team to offer a three to four week course that covers subjects like basic patrolling techniques, so Afghan national security force officers and non-commissioned officers can return to their units and train others.

“I will teach the things my teachers have taught me,” said ANP Sgt. Hakmut Ullah Rahimi. “At first, we were given more information about Army regulations … before [this course] I knew I was a sergeant, but that was really all I knew. After this training, I am sure, really sure, that I am a soldier, and I now know what to do in my job,”

The course was intended to help Afghan forces increase their professionalism in key areas that would bolster their effectiveness and instill teaching skills in leaders. Assassin Company 1st Sgt. Donald Harding, from Springfield, Va., played a pivotal role in the shaping of the school and maintaining its standards, as well as supervising the coalition’s cadre staff, comprised of infantrymen and military police.

But the Afghans were not the only ones who learned something.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Beauchamp from Chestertown, Md., learned that the Afghan units had various people who had specialized skills; skills that surprised Beauchamp and fellow instructor Parker. These skills, combined with the new approach to instruction, provided an environment for the Afghan students to learn from one another.

In the past, a great deal of training was focused on the ANA, so this class was intentionally balanced between the ANP and ANA. Although the Afghan soldiers and police haven’t trained side-by-side in the past, they embraced the opportunity to familiarize themselves with each other.

“It’s good that the ANP and ANA come from all over Afghanistan; it helps them bond as a team, despite from being from different tribes or villages,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Antwan Parker, who is from Chicago.

Beauchamp added that the course was successful in helping the Afghan forces realize that they had far more in common than differences between them. All of the students agreed that it was their country, and they wanted to have a better rapport with each other and the villagers they visit on patrol.

“I think the Afghans out there on patrol show a lot of ownership in what they do,” Beauchamp said.

Although the Afghan students bonded well during the course, instructors had to re-evaluate their form of instruction for optimum learning results.

“The secret to training is realizing that here in Afghanistan, nothing is done quickly. They have their own style and their own pace of how to do things, so we had to adjust our teaching style to their ways,” Parker said.

“You can buy them a boat, but it’s better to get them the supplies and let them build the boat themselves,” said Beauchamp. “We try to teach them pride of ownership and the importance of retaining and applying what is taught here.”

The Afghan forces were taught the rules of driving, and because so many Afghans had lost their friends and comrades due to vehicle accidents, they appreciated the instructions about tactical vehicles, as they operate very differently from the typical vehicles they are accustomed to.

“We did not really ever understand the rules of the highways very well, and as a result, we lost many of our dear friends – some very good soldiers who were dear to us,” said ANA Sgt. Mohammad Kahn Mashowni.

Realizing the lack of hands-on teaching in the past, the instructors focused tangible training as much as possible with each student.

“These ANA and ANP fighters received most of their training in classrooms initially. They did not get a lot of hands-on training, so we got them outside, and we tried to make the instruction as dynamic for them as possible,” Beauchamp said.

Parker said there were a lot of practical lessons throughout the course, but especially regarding the safe operation of vehicles.

“The roads here are tricky. They are often on steep inclines, very narrow and can be very dangerous, so handling tactical vehicles under the tough conditions here is very challenging,” Parker said.

The students were grateful for the training and enjoyed the quality time they had with their American counterparts. Harding invested a great deal of time in developing the course and said he remains convinced that the training coalition forces provide today will help Afghan military and police leaders train tomorrow’s forces.

“I am very appreciative of what we have been given and all the help we have received,” said Mashowni. “We got great benefit from this class.”