Afghan Police Leaders Graduate; Promotions Based On Literacy

KANDAHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

10.01.2010

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ernesto Hernandez Fonte 

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

FOB WALTON, Afghanistan - At the Afghan National Police Non-commissioned Officer Academy in Forward Operations Base Walton near Kandahar city, 122 ANP patrolmen graduated from a pilot leadership seminar Sept. 29.

The patrolmen were promoted to non-commissioned officers as part of a NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan pilot program. The promotion is probationary however, the new NCOs will have to complete literacy training and attain the level of literacy expected of an NCO within a year.

Bolstering the undermanned middle-management ranks of the Afghan National Police has been a challenge for NTM-A in southern Afghanistan. NCOs are required to be literate and few recruits join the ANP with this skillset.

"It's a challenge to recruit NCOs especially in the south and southwest. What we are trying to do is promote from within where we can," said Lt. Cmdr. David W. Nikodym, NTM-A ANP Assignment and Manpower. "We are moving patrolmen to NCOs, creating vacancies in the Patrolmen level and hoping that everything works out. If you are not literate in the ANP, you don't make it past patrolmen. Literacy is the key to the future of these patrolmen and NCOs.

With the ANP playing the leading role in the push for the revitalization of Kandahar city through service projects and security is dubbed, it became apparent that more NCOs would be needed.

"The need for 122 more ANP NCOs was identified," said Nikodym, who attended the graduation himself. "We struggled to provide five NCOs. So we envisioned a program were we took senior patrolman who had the experience but not the literacy and turned them into NCOs."

At the leadership seminar, the former patrolman discussed ethics, values, communication skills, discipline, troop welfare and other concepts which make up the foundations and skills expected of an NCO.

"They've come a long way but have a long way to go," said Canadian Army Master Corporal Martin Duperron, NTM-A advisor at the NCO Academy. "Trying to show them our way of doing business is challenging at times."

Duperron is on his third deployment to Afghanistan. He is part of a Canadian team that arrived to Walton a little over a month ago. His team advises ANP instructors who train junior and senior NCOs. His team helps facilitate training by offering advice and solutions when necessary while checking lesson plans and curriculums.

"They were very eager to learn," said Duperron who is from Richmond, Quebec. "Whether they take what we have taught them or not remains to be seen. At the end of the day even if we only reach ten of the 122 NCOs, if they take this back to their districts and pass it on to their patrolmen, we will have done our job."

U.S. and Canadian NCOs are trained and receive a military education that emphasizes furthering the Army and helping the soldier. This concept is new to the ANP. As the number of patrolmen has increased, there has been a shift to concentrate on the quality and professionalism of patrolmen.

"Starting of with three days is better than zero," said 1st Sgt. Marvin E. Lockett II, from Detroit, Michigan. "Three days gives them a little piece of how NCOs act and should conduct their selves and how to push out and control patrolmen while holding them accountable to do the right thing."

Lockett is the senior enlisted NCO for the 170 Military Police Company in Walton. The 170 MP Company's mission is to protect the local population in Kandahar city as well as mentor the ANP. Their ultimate goal is to develop the ANP's law enforcement skills and develop their ability to help their own communities.

"We teach them the basics that we teach MPs at advance infantry training; patrols, weapons safety, patrol schedules, shifts, investigation, things that make up a police operation," said Locket who is on his seventh deployment, previously deployed twice to Iraq and currently on his first deployment to Afghanistan. "Regardless of whether we have NCOs or not we are going to complete the mission but it would help. The NCO needs to be there to make them and help them complete that order regardless of how they feel about it, and give them the direction, purpose and motivation to complete the mission."

With ANP NCOs spread thin, at times Locket's soldiers are forced to play that role; enforcing standards and pushing the ANP patrolmen.

"When an officer gives an order a patrolmen is either going to follow the order or not. The NCO needs to be there to make them complete that order regardless of how they feel about it while helping and guiding them," said Locket. "It's a long road and we need the Afghan people to see that their NCOs are policing their patrolmen, showing good order and discipline. That's a step forward. We can do that or watch this conflict continue. The ANP are our way forward and our way out of here."

• Date Taken: 10.01.2010
• Date Posted: 10.01.2010 03:18
• Story ID: 57282
• Location: KANDAHAR PROVINCE, AF