By THOM SHANKER Published: December 8, 2010
Asian Defense News: WASHINGTON — A high-priority Pentagon program to train a cadre of officers with special skills for the Afghan war has recovered from a number of start-up stumbles, but is still less than halfway to its numerical goal at the one-year mark, according to senior Pentagon officials.
Under the “Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands” program, a pool of military officers receives about five months of specialized training and signs on for multiple tours, not just in combat roles but in governance, economic development and security training.
The effort was devised as an answer to criticism that the war effort essentially started from scratch every year with the arrival of each fresh rotation of officers. Intensive training in local languages is the heart of the program, along with courses in culture, politics and history.
But the effort suffered initially from a lack of volunteers and reluctant support from some corners of the military. Since then, the military has begun to offer career-building incentives to those who sign up, and to improve oversight over the project.
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who a year ago wrote a stern memorandum rebuking the four armed services for not sending their best officers to a program he strongly supported, gave a somewhat more positive assessment when asked for an update.
“No really good initiative stays good without some work and some growing pains,” he said in a statement. “Afghan Hands is no exception. But that’s the important thing to remember about it. It’s growing and it’s getting more viable and valuable every day.”
His criticism last year made clear to the military service chiefs that it was their responsibility to make certain that officers would find their chances for promotion enhanced, and not hurt, by committing to the unconventional career path.
To that end, the Army has instituted incentives for officers who choose the program: They will receive preferential consideration for assignments commanding battalions and brigades in Afghanistan. Another complaint heard from officers in the first group sent to Afghanistan was that local commanders would assign them to the crisis of the day, and not to a position tailored to their specialized training. An assignments cell has been set up in Afghanistan to better place new arrivals in the field, officials said.
The personnel target for the program is 750 people — the vast majority in Afghanistan — and the program is not quite halfway there, with 161 officers deployed; in addition, 186 are in training that includes learning the Dari, Pashto or Urdu languages, and a third wave await training.
When members finish their tours in the region, they will be assigned to positions that deal directly with issues in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the Pentagon, at Central Command or elsewhere. They will rotate out to the war zone on their next assignment.
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - DECEMBER 08: U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (C) is escorted by Col. Arthur Kandarian after arriving at Forward Operating Base Howz-E-Madad in Kandahar Province December 8, 2010 in Afghanistan. Gates is visiting U.S. soldiers in different operational areas of Afghanistan during his visit.
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