ANA NCO DEVELOPMENT: STRONG LEADERSHIP AND UNIT PRIDE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000193 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/FO (DAS GASTRIGHT),SCA/A, S/CRS, SCA/PB, S/CT, EUR/RPM STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/CDHA/DG NSC FOR AHARRIMAN OSD FOR KIMMITT CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: MARR PGOV PTER AF SUBJECT: ANA NCO DEVELOPMENT: STRONG LEADERSHIP AND UNIT PRIDE ¶1. In 2002, the Afghan National Army (ANA) did not have a Noncommissioned Officers Corps or any tradition of professional NCOs. This year there are over 8,000 NCOs, including 311 Sergeant Majors, who have begun to perform their role as the backbone of the ANA. Under the leadership of Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) Roshan, standards are high and unit pride is growing. ¶2. In a January 11 meeting, SMA Roshan told polmiloff that the situation of the army had been like that of someone with a headache. You don't realize that you are sick until the headache has gone away. Without a strong NCO corps the ANA was only half the army it should have been. Roshan, who is an International Student Honors Graduate of the U.S. Army Sergeant Major's Academy, has played a key role in this transformation. Working with his CSTC-A mentor, SGM Gills, he has instituted the following changes to develop unit cohesiveness and morale: - There is now army-wide recognition, including among senior officers, of the increased authority and upward mobility of NCOs. - Counseling sessions have been regularized that provide feedback to soldiers, both positive and negative. - A command safety program, anti-drug program, morale and welfare program, and awards and promotion ceremony procedures have all been introduced and taught at the Corps Command Sergeant Majors (CSM) conference. - Promotion and reenlistment ceremonies have instituted. - An Inspector General hotline is being set up through which soldiers can register complaints regarding fraud, waste, unfairness, and other abuses. - NCO of the Year competition had taken place for 205th Corps and is soon to be expanded to the other Corps. - NCO insignia are being distributed. All Corps have identifying patches. Unit and individual indicators are being developed. - A Corps CSM conference has been held, to which all brigade CSMs were invited. - ANA uniform regulations have been printed and distributed. - Morale and Welfare programs have been designed, to include history and culture of Afghanistan, English, and computer skills. MWR office space has been identified. - Awards regulations are being drafted to cover awards, medals, battle streamers, and flags. ¶3. SMA Roshan stressed that the ANA must move beyond old concepts of ethnic affiliation. Ethnicity, he said, is like "expired medicine." It is no longer the right approach for Afghanistan. ANA soldiers are taught that the corps is their tribe, the battalion their subtribe. Patches and insignias are particularly useful in building this unit identification. ¶4. SMA Roshan and SGM Gills report that both the Afghan Soldier's Creed and Noncommissioned Officer's Creed have begun to take hold in the ANA. Soldiers have memorized the Soldiers Creed and recite it with pride at public ceremonies. While modeled on the U.S. Army Creeds, they are written by Afghans and reflect the cultural needs and sensitivities of Afghanistan. The NCO Creed is as follows: "No one is more professional than I. I am an Afghan Noncommissioned Officer. I lead soldiers. I am professional and highly experienced. I fight to stop corruption wherever I face it. I am an example of discipline and high morals. I ensure the discipline of my soldiers. I prefer the interests of my country and my soldiers over my own personal interests. I ensure that my soldiers are well trained and prepared to fight courageously. I work hard so the officers over me can accomplish their missions. I obey those above me and work on gaining their trust. I will never compromise my integrity and honesty. I will never forget nor will I allow my brothers and colleagues to forget - that we are professional Noncommissioned Officers. I will always be loyal to my country, to the people of Afghanistan, and to the army of Afghanistan. I am an KABUL 00000193 002 OF 002 Afghan Noncommissioned Officer. Comment -------------- ¶5. Building the Afghan National Security Forces in the middle of an insurgency in a country torn apart by two decades of war has been and remains a daunting challenge. Along the way one can sometimes overlook the very real positive changes that are quietly taking place. Within the ANA, an NCO Corps is being created that holds greater responsibility than is the case in most countries whose armies are derived from the Soviet model. The professionalism of NCO leaders like SMA Roshan is a clear sign that - at least in terms of trained personnel - the ANA is developing the capacity to become a self-sufficient, capable, and disciplined military force. NEUMANN