After several months of coordination, working through U.S. Army doctrine and liaison with American and Canadian operational and strategic authorities, the Canadian Afghan National Training Centre Detachment (C ANTC Det) graduated its first Afghan Kandak (Afghan word for battalion) on June 11, 2005.

This day marked the culmination of a great deal of hard work on the part of the C ANTC Det in establishing this collective training centre of excellence.

The ultimate goal of the C ANTC Det is to provide venues of collective training through which Afghan units are exposed to combat tasks pertinent to their real life operations. Collective training enables the leadership of the Afghan National Army (ANA) to cohesively apply the tactical skills taught at the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC).

As part of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, the U.S. Army and its allies are training the Afghan National Army (ANA) in order to provide Afghanistan with a well-trained, self-sustaining military. Prior to arriving at the ANTC for collective training, the different rank levels of the ANA are trained separately. Basic recruits are instructed by American Embedded Training Teams (ETTs), the ANA non-commissioned officers (NCOs) are taught by British ETTs and the Afghan officers are trained by French ETTs.

After their separate basic and advanced individual training, the Afghan soldiers, NCOs and officers are re-organized in Kandaks. At this stage they are brought to the ANTC to confirm their unit’s skills through a variety of collective training stands and a final collective exercise where they are evaluated by the staff of the C ANTC Det.

While the concept is sound, the evaluation of the first Kandak was not without significant challenges. Despite the lack of a dedicated training area and sufficient field accommodations, the C ANTC Det adjusted and conducted the exercise on the Pol-E-Charki garrison at KMTC.

Once these difficulties were overcome, the exercise went very well. The C ANTC Det took the opportunity to further enhance the program by collecting feedback from other Canadian and American officers and senior NCOs, as well as the ANA soldiers themselves.

At the graduation parade, the Afghan soldiers stood extremely proud as some were called forward and presented certificates for distinguished performances on the various training stands. This pride was also reflected in the Canadian soldiers who helped train them. These soldiers are so dedicated; even though they earn a small wage, limited benefits and significant separation from their families, they impress me,�?said Warrant Officer Dave Fisher, an infantryman from the 1 st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment and one of the mentors with the C ANTC Det. “When they turn it on, they pull all the stops and any opponent would face a very aggressive and capable force.�?

Following their graduation, 35 Kandak was deployed to their new area of operations at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the northern Afghan town of Mazar-e-Sharif.

The Afghan soldiers left Kabul with a better understanding of their larger role in the ANA organization and an affirmation that they are ready to conduct operations as a cohesive unit.


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