Operation SLIPPER: Stories from Afghanistan
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Stories from Afghanistan
Aussie Mentors see real improvement in Afghan Army colleagues
After four months in Afghanistan, the second rotation of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force (MRTF-2) is seeing real improvements in the Afghan National Army (ANA).
A key part of MRTF-2’s mission is the mentoring of the Afghan National Army’s 4th Brigade which is deployed in Oruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan. To achieve this mission, MRTF-2 has two Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (OMLTs) which have continued the work started last year by the previous rotation of the MRTF.
The soldiers in the OMLTs are based around Oruzgan Province, enhancing the ANA 4th Brigade’s operational capabilities.
The OMLTs’ goal is seeing their Afghan National Army (ANA) colleagues gaining enough skills so they can take over security in the province and defeat the insurgent threat.
MRTF-2’s original OMLT is working on improving the infantry skills of the 2nd Kandak. Kandak means battalion in Pashtu and the 2nd Kandak is part of the 4th ANA Brigade.
MRTF-2’s second OMLT, only recently arrived in Afghanistan, is focused on training and enhancing the ANA 4th Brigade’s 4th Kandak which is a Combat Support Battalion containing elements including artillery, engineers and reconnaissance companies.
Given the wide variety of roles in the 4th Kandak, there are members from nine different Australian Army Corps represented in the second OMLT, reflecting the unique role it has.
The Officer Commanding this OMLT, Major Gordon Wing, says all the members of his team have trained very hard for their role and have hit the ground running.
“In the fortnight since our arrival, our Reconnaissance mentors have already successfully mentored an Afghan Company to deploy, takeover a patrol base and conduct operations in a new Area of Operations,” Major Wing said.
“The Reconnaissance mentors have been given excellent support by other personnel from within the OMLT and we have established good relationships with our respective Afghan counterparts.
“We look forward to working with our Afghan National Army colleagues and together increase their capacity to secure a peaceful future for the people of Afghanistan,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Officer Commanding of the other OMLT, Major Brenton Russell, says his men have been enjoying the experience of living and fighting alongside their Afghan Army colleagues over the past few months.
“We’re definitely seeing improvements within the Afghan soldiers,” said Major Russell.
“The Afghan soldiers have some very good natural skills because they themselves are of the people, they understand the people and are very good at communicating with the people.
“What we sometimes take for granted, as a more developed Army, is the ability to incorporate supporting assets and increased command and control. We are now trying to pass this onto the Afghan soldiers,” he said.
Major Russell says Afghan soldiers were good learners.
“They’re always very keen to learn new ways of how to do things better but they’ve got some really good skills as well; we learn from them and they learn from us,” he said.
The Commanding Officer of the Afghan Army’s 2nd Kandak appreciates the mentoring his soldiers are receiving.
“We are very happy because you support us and in this case the National Army can improve and one day we can stand on our own feet,” he said.
Lieutenant Nathan Cooper is one of the mentors from the OMLT based in Chora, north of Tarin Kowt.
“It’s been slow but they are progressing and I think the most important thing to realise is that although we have a long way to go, we’ve made some improvements,” said Lieutenant Cooper.
“We’re teaching them infantry minor tactics, trying to teach them when they get on the ground how to counter the main threats that they’re facing, being the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), being threats from insurgents with small arms fire and other things of that nature,” he said.
Lieutenant Cooper says there’s a lot more to it than just basic military skills.
“In addition, we’re teaching them how we operate in a COIN (counter insurgency) environment, talking to locals and trying to gain information,” he said.
The 26 year old says he’s enjoying himself.
“The danger is very real and the Australian soldiers are facing that danger everyday but the training that we’ve received has prepared us very well for that and we are capable of dealing with anything that comes our way,” Lieutenant Cooper said.
“The Afghans are inherently a warrior race, they will get into a fight and they will fight with us, they’re not afraid of any danger at all.”
Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Nigel Brien has also been based in Chora working with Lieutenant Cooper.
“The improvements within the Afghan soldiers have been quite significant; what we’re finding is that when we get into more practical demonstrations with them, we see an improvement – once they can visualize what they are trying to learn,” WO2 Brien said.
WO2 Brien, who joined the Army in 1992, says he’s finding the mentoring role very rewarding.
“Things that we have been trying to identify and fix are things such as section identity, what section that they are from and that they continually work together to build up that continuity,” he said.
Lance Corporal Aaron Kime, who’s also from Lieutenant Cooper’s team, says working with the Afghan Army has been a good experience.
“We’ve noticed a few improvements with them, a lot of it’s their basic patrolling skills, they’ve improved quite a bit,” Aaron said.
“Weapon carriage, field signals, their ability to provide good security in all environments, urban and in the open fields; and their ability to notice differences in the pattern of life in civilians, stuff that we being foreigners find hard to pick up,” he said.
For the soldiers who have been in Afghanistan for a number of months already, recreational leave has started.
“Home’s a while away, so I’m not really thinking about that at this stage but I will be having a break sometime in the trip so I’m focusing on that,” said Lieutenant Cooper.
“I am missing my family but it’s a very important job that we’re doing here; I find it very rewarding and that really helps me through those tough times,” he said.
“We love it here, having a good time, it’s a good challenge and it’s something we look forward to,” said Lance Corporal Kime.
“I’ve absolutely no doubt we should be here, I believe in the mission and I know all my men believe in the mission, we’re here to help the people of Afghanistan become responsible for their own security,” said Major Russell.