KABUL, Afghanistan – Representatives from the Afghan National Army assumed the responsibilities of operating the Chimtallah National Ammunition Depot Sept. 16, during a ceremony that took place at a newly built bunker.
Brig. Gen. Clark W. LeMasters, deputy commander of Support Operations, NATO-Training Mission-Afghanistan, represented the coalition during the official signing of the transition documents, and Brig. Gen. Abdul Basir, ANA logistics commander, attended and signed the paperwork representing the Afghan Ministry of Defense.
The staff at the depot, with the help of ammunition mentors and trainers from Regional Support Command-Capital, trained for months to prepare themselves for properly operating the facility, said Air Force Master Sgt. Candice D. James, the senior munitions adviser from RSC-C. Oversight from the trainers however will not come to a screeching halt, she added. “We will support them for the next 101 days,” James said. “If they have any questions, we will help them out.”
James has worked closely with the ANA staff during the past ten months, to bring the transition process to fruition. The ceremony actually occurred just one day before she was scheduled to depart from Afghanistan, and she was very happy that she was able to be a part of such an important milestone event.
“I started with the bare minimum and worked my way up,” said James. “They have come a long way; they can do this, they have great leadership. I am very proud to pass this on to them and let them run their own facility,” she said.
Afghan National Army Col. Ghulam Quadir Nasiri, the ammunition director of the ANA’s Logistics Command, thanked coalition partners for their help with the facility during his speech.
“Everything you see here today happened with the help of the coalition,” he said.
Basir followed suit, praising the coalition partners not only for what they have done for the Chimtallah Ammunition Depot, but also for expanding ANA fuel storage capacity in the Kabul region and assisting with the medical supply warehouse and other warehouses in the national capital area.
“This ceremony today represents the hard work and dedication of the Afghan soldiers at the Chimtallah Ammunition Depot, and the hard work and dedication of the mentors and advisers of RSC-Capital,” said LeMasters during the ceremony. The buildings are just the shell, it is teamwork and dedication what makes this facility function, he said.
Basir thanked the coalition and the US taxpayers in particular, for their help to his country.
“The US is spending taxpayer’s money on developing the ANA, but on the grand scale of things, it is one nation, the United States, helping out another, Afghanistan, and we are very thankful for this help.”
NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan is a coalition of 38 troop-contributing nations charged with assisting the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in generating a capable and sustainable Afghan National Security Force ready to take lead of their country's security by 2014. For more information about NTM-A, visit www.ntm-a.com.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.17.2012 23:48 |
| Story ID: | 94864 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 436 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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