Showing posts with label TA3E. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TA3E. Show all posts

Sunday, March 4, 2018

TA3E - "Train, Advise, Assist, Accompany, & Enable"


207th Corps - Afghan National Army


Reporting on the 'Train, Advise, and Assist' Mission. The renewed emphasis and modest increase in the advisory effort with the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) will not win the war; however, it is an important component of the U.S. and NATO strategy for Afghanistan. For that reason, the Afghan War Blog will continue to report on Security Force Assistance efforts by NATO and other Coalition / Partner nations.

Training and Equipment Needs of ANDSF. Ahmad Murid Partaw writes on how the Afghan security forces must increase focus on training and equipment. Partaw is an alumnus of the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C. In addition, he is a former Afghan Army major and served as Afghanistan's senior national representative to U.S. Central Command. His article is posted in the CENTCOM quarterly periodical UNIPATH. Read "Aiding Afghanistan", February 2018.
http://unipath-magazine.com/aiding-afghanistan/

Updated Senior Advisor Training Requirements for RS. On February 15, 2018 the Commander of the Resolute Support Mission, General John Nicholson, approved updated senior advisor training requirements for uniformed personnel deploying in support of operations in Afghanistan. A pilot program to implement these training requirements begins in June of 2018.

Seminar on SFA. The primary mission of NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan is Security Force Assistance (SFA). Norway is hosting a seminar on the topic in March 2018.
www.prio.org/Events/Event/?x=8619

News & Info about the 1st SFAB

"Soldiers, With Empathy: U.S. Army Creates Dedicated Advisor Brigades", National Public Radio, February 27, 2018.

"On the Security Force Assistance Brigade", Partisan Source, March 2, 2018.


References

Read more about the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade - SFAB.

Read recent news reports about the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade - SFAB.

Read about the Army's newly established Military Advisor Training Academy (MATA).


Sunday, December 10, 2017

Train, Advise, Assist, Accompany, and Enable (TA3E) Mission in Afghanistan

Australian advisor with his Afghan counterpart

Training for Child Sex Abuse in Afghanistan. US troops will soon be receiving training on how to report child sex abuse by Afghan army and police. General Nicholson, the commander of the Resolute Support Mission, recently stated that there is a new policy that sets out procedures for monitoring and reporting violations by any security personnel suspected of child abuse. The media has reported for several years on cases of bacha bazi or 'boy play' by Afghan security personnel. See "US Troops to be Trained on Reporting Child Sex Abuse by Afghans", Military.com, December 3, 2017.

40th ID Trains Up for Deployment. California guardsmen will soon deploy to TAAC-South but first they have some training to do to get ready . . . by training with French troops in lovely Bydgoszcz, Poland. (Stars and Stripes, Dec 8, 2017).

45th BCT Trains Up for Deployment. Members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard are heading overseas soon to take part in the NATO train, advise, and assist mission in Afghanistan. But first the must finish their training at Fort Bliss, Texas. Hmmm. Bydgozcz or Bliss. Been to both. I'll take Bydgozcz! (DVIDS, Dec 7, 2017).

Military Advisor Training Academy - MATA. The U.S. Army has established a new school for training advisors who will conduct security force assistance missions. Read about the new MATA.
www.sof.news/sfa/mata-military-advisor-training-academy

Assessing Soldiers for Advisor Training. The Army is standing up six Security Force Assistance Brigades or SFABs. The 1st SFAB is due to deploy to Afghanistan in early 2018 to field advisor teams for the Afghan National Army. Currently the Army has an assessment process for officers and NCOs seeking to join the SFABs. Read more in 1st SFAB Assesses Candidates, by Sgt. Arjenis Nunuz, Army.mil, November 3, 2017 and The Army's New Advisory Units Don't Need The Best Officers, They Need the Right Ones, by Rick Montcalm, Modern War Institute, December 7, 2017.

1st SFAB "Kandak Enabler MOSs". A posting by 1st SFAB on their Facebook recruiting page on December 7, 2017 provided a listing of SFAB Military Occupational Specialties (MOSs) required for its brigade staff and advisory teams.

Another SFAB. The Army announced that the second of six SFABs will be established in January 2018. It will be based on Fort Bragg, North Carolina. See "Army announces activation of second Security Force Assistance Brigade at Fort Bragg", Army.mil, December 8, 2017.

NCO Journal Article on SFABs. Learn more about the SFABs in this recent article. (NCO Journal, 8 December 2017).

Combat Advising - Doesn't Get Old. A 1st Sgt with the newly-formed 1st SFAB provides his perspective on the upcoming advisory mission his unit will perform in Afghanistan. A veteran of  advisory tours in Afghanistan and Iraq he knows what the job will entail. Read "Combat Advising Never Gets Old for this 1st SFAB Infantryman", DVIDS, November 6, 2017.

Read more about the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade - SFAB.

Read recent news reports about the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade - SFAB.


Sunday, December 3, 2017

Train, Advise, Assist, Accompany, and Enable (TA3E) Mission Update


Photo - A member of the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) takes part in a training exercise at Fort Benning, Georgia in preparation for a deployment to Afghanistan. (Photo by SPC Noelle E. Wiehe, 50th Public Affairs Detachment, October 23, 2017).

'Guardian Angels' from Australia. A member of the Royal Australian Regiment describes his job protecting advisors for the Afghan Air Force (AAF) in a post by the Australian Department of Defense, November 22, 2017.

Mentors at 'Sandhurst'. The ANA Officer Academy (ANA-)A) is located just outside Kabul. A British Army officer describes his job in this one-minute long video entitled "Mentoring at the Afghan Officers Academy", Resolute Support YouTube.com, November 24, 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkzxc0vpfo0

Bacha Bazi. Two reports were completed in 2017 about the sexual exploitation of young boys by officers of the Afghan police and army by two investigative services of the U.S. government. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) completed one in mid-2017 but the Defense Department 'classified' the report. The Department of Defense Inspector General (DoD IG) also conducted an investigation and published its report - this one unclassified. The Washington Post reports that the DoD IG's report was a watered-down version of the SIGAR report and less damaging to the Dod. Bacha Bazi - 'playing with boys' - is a fact of life in Afghanistan and more common than some realize. U.S. advisors with Afghan police and army units - especially at the lower levels of command - were confronted with the practice of Bachi Bazi - and put into a dilemma of how to navigate through the situation.

"Pentagon tried to block independent report on child sex among Afghan forces, Senate office says", The Washington Post, November 26, 2017.

Implementation of the DoD Leahy Law Regarding Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse by Members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, DoD IG, November 16, 2017.

TAAC-Air Trains Up Afghan UH-60 Pilots. The first six Afghan Air Force (AAF) pilots graduated from the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter transition program. The Train, Advise, and Assist Command - Air (TAAC Air) advisors trained up the newly-qualified pilots in a course that was completed in late November. See "First Afghan UH-60 pilots graduate"DVIDS, November 20, 2017.


Sunday, November 26, 2017

Train, Advise, Assist, Accompany, and Enable (TA3E)


Photo: ANA Soldiers from the 215th Corps conduct CASEVAC training at the Helmand Regional Military Training Center (RMTC) on Camp Shorabak. (Photo by SGT Lucas Hopkins, RS HQs, November 19, 2017).

40th ID to head TAAC South. The California's Army National Guard 40th Infantry Division (Mech) will form the core of the hqs and staff of Train, Advise, and Assist Command - South (TAAC South). In November elements of the 40th ID participated in a training event at Hohenfels, Germany to prepare for the deployment. (DVIDS, Nov 18, 2017).

TAAC South Checks Out CASEVAC Training at 215th Corps. Advisors with Train, Advise, and Assist Command - South visited Helmand province to observe CASEVAC training with the Afghans at the 215th Corps that took place at the Helmand Regional Military Training Center (RMTC). (DVIDS, Nov 19, 2017).

Canada and Afghanistan. The CEO of Afghanistan, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, recently conducted a tour of North America. During his visit he expounded upon the need continued support by the international community for Afghanistan. Abdullah met on the sidelines of the Halifax Forum to ask Canada's Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan for more help in military training. See "Afghanistan looks to Canada for more training support", CBC News, November 19, 2017.

Intel Analysts Ready for Afghan SFAB Deployment. Intelligence Analysts (35F) play a critical role in determining the enemy's capabilities, vulnerabilities, and probably courses of action. Most Intel Analysts work at a desk behind a computer. For a 35F with a Security Force Assistance Brigade the job will most likely take him 'outside the wire' as a member of combat advisory teams. The 1st SFAB will soon deploy to Afghanistan in early 2018. Read "Outside the Wire: Intel Analysts in Army's 1st SFAB get career-building opportunity", DVIDS, November 7, 2017.

The Colors of U.S. Army's Beret. The formation of the SFABs got very contentious with the plans to issue a beret with a shade of green close to the famed Green Beret of the U.S. Army Special Forces. The Army quickly announced a change of plans - it would issue a beret with a shade of brown. Read more about the color of berets in "Earning it: A complete history of Army berets and who's allowed to wear them", by Meghann Myers, Military Times, November 20, 2017.

More SFAB. Read more news stories and articles about the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade.


Sunday, November 19, 2017

Train, Advise, Assist, Accompany, and Enable (TA3E)

HIMARS firing in Afghanistan in support of ground troops.
(Photo by U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean Furey)

Marines Providing "Assist" to 215th ANA Corps with HIMARS. The Marines of Task Force Southwest are providing fire support to the Afghan National Army in Helmand province. Of course, the advanced rocket system also provides a degree of security to the Marine advisor teams working across Helmand province at the tactical (kandak) level. The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System has a range of about 300 kilometers - depending on the type of munition being fired. Read more in "Marines bring HIMARS to Helmand to beef up security", Military Times, November 12, 2017.

1st SFAB 92Y Likes Her Job. The 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade will soon deploy to Afghanistan. Like many units, the SFAB needs a variety of support MOSs to function. Read on how one Unit Supply NCO likes her new job with the 1st SFAB in "Combat Service Support Soldiers take pride in building the 1st SFAB", DVIDS, November 9, 2017.

ATP 3-96.1 SFAB. The army is scheduled to publish Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 3-96.1 in January 2018. It provides doctrinal guidance and direction on how the Security Force Assistance Brigades plan, prepare, and executes operations globally. Could be useful to the 1st SFAB due to deploy to Afghanistan in early 2018.

DoD IG Report on Child Abuse by ANDSF. The U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General's office issued a report on November 14th highlighting the history of U.S. military reporting cases of child abuse by members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.

SFABs and Governance Advising. Do they have enough CA expertise? Three U.S. Army Civil Affairs officers provide some advice for the 1st SFAB on the art of governance advising. Read "A Governance Advising Framework for the Security Force Assistance Brigade", Small Wars Journal, November 18, 2017.

U.S. Special Forces and Training up the ANASF. Periodically throughout the year a graduation ceremony is held for a group of Afghan Commandos who have successfully completed the ANA Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC). To even apply to the ANASF an Afghan soldier must have served some time in the Afghan Commandos. Read more in "I Serve Afghanistan!: Afghan Soldiers Graduate to the Elite Ranks of Special Forces"Task and Purpose, November 12, 2017.