Afghan National Army

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Afghan National Army
Emblem of the Afghan National Army.
Active	1880s–1992, 2001–Present
Country	Afghanistan
Role	Domestic Defense
Size	90,000+ active (May 2009) [1]
Colors	Black, Red and Green
Commanders
Chief of Staff	Bismillah Khan Mohammadi

The Afghan National Army (ANA) is a service branch of the Military of Afghanistan currently being trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the lead in land-based military operations in Afghanistan. Afghanistan's army was officially established in the 1880s when the nation was ruled by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan.^[2][3] Prior to that the army was mostly a combination of tribesmen and militia forces, as well as a special army force under the ruler of the country.^[4][5][6][7]

During the 1960s to the early 1990s, the Afghan army was trained and equipped by the Soviet Union. By 1992 the national army fragmented into regional militias under local warlords. This was followed by the Taliban rule in 1996, which had their own armed forces. After the removal of the Taliban in late 2001, the new Afghan National Army began to be created with the support of US and other NATO countries.

The ANA is being equipped with modern weapons and provided with newly-built state-of-the-art housing facilities. Since 2002, billions of US dollars worth of military equipment, facilities, and other forms of aid has been provided to the ANA. Most of the weapons come from the United States, which includes 4,500 Humvees, at least 90,000 M-16 assault rifles, body armored jackets as well as other types of vehicles and weapons as well as aircraft. It also includes the building of a national military command center, with training compounds in different parts of the country.^[8]

To thwart and dissolve former militias or Taliban supporters, the government of Afghanistan has offered cash and vocational training to encourage members to join the ANA. As of May 2009^[update], the Afghan National Army consists of more than 90,000 active troops.^[1]

The current goal of the Afghan Ministry of Defense is to expand the Afghan National Army to about 134,000 troops. However, American President Barack Obama has called for an expansion of almost 260,000 Afghan troops in the next five years at a cost of $20 billion. All costs of expansion of the army, including pay and new modern equipment, would be paid for by the American government.^[9]

[edit] History

See Military of Afghanistan for further background on the history of the armed forces of Afghanistan.

Army of Afghanistan in 1895, near the Durand Line border with India (now with Pakistan).

The Afghan National Army has existed since at least 1880s when the country was ruled by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan.^[2][3] Prior to that, from 1709 to 1880, the army of Afghanistan was usually a mixture of tribesmen and militia forces, as well as a special army force under the ruler of the country.^[4][5][6][7] The Afghan National Army was modernized by King Amanullah Khan in the early 1900s just before the Third Anglo-Afghan War. King Amanullah and his Afghan army defeated the British on August 19, 1919, in which Afghanistan declared full independence from the UK over its foreign affairs. The Afghan army was further modernized or upgraded during King Zahir Shah's reign, starting in 1933.

From the 1960s to the early 1990s, the Afghan army was being trained and equipped mostly by the former Soviet Union.

During the Soviet war in Afghanistan, in the 1980s, the National Army of Afghanistan was involved in fighting against the mujahideen rebel groups. A big problem in the Afghan army between 1980-89 was deserters, the average deserter left the army after his first five months. By 1992, after the withdrawal of the Soviet forces from Afghanistan and the fall of the communist regime in Kabul, the Soviet-trained army ceased to exist. During that time local militia forces were formed and provided security for their own people living in the territories they controlled. The country was factionalized with different warlords controlling the territories they claimed, and there was no officially recognized national army in the country.

This era was followed by the Taliban regime in 1996, which removed the militia forces and decided to control the country by Islamic Sharia law. The Taliban also had their own army troops and commanders, some of whom were secretly trained by the intelligence agency (ISI) or military of Pakistan and CIA of USA in the border region on the Durand Line.^[10] After the removal of the Taliban in late 2001, the new Afghan National Army was founded with the help of US and NATO countries.

The first batch of graduates of the new Afghan National Army (ANA) in 2002.

Upon his election the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai set a goal of an army of at least 70,000 men by 2009.^[11] However, many western military experts as well as the Defense Minister of Afghanistan, Abdul Rahim Wardak, believe that 70,000 is insufficient and that the nation needs at least 200,000 active troops in order to defend the country from the Taliban, al-Qaida, and other threats.^[12]

The first battalions of this new army were recruited and trained by 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group of Ft. Bragg, NC, under the command of LTC McDonnell. 3rd SFG built the training facilities and ranges for early use, using a Soviet built facility on the eastern side of Kabul, near the then ISAF headquarters. The first training commenced in approximately late May 2002, with a difficult but successful recruitment process of bringing hundreds of new recruits in from all parts of Afghanistan. Early training was done in Pashto, Tajik and some Arabic due to the very diverse ethnicities.^[13]

By January, 2003 just over 1,700 soldiers in five Kandaks (Pashto for battalions) had completed the 10-week training course, and by June 2003 a total of 4,000 troops had been trained. Initial recruiting problems lay in the lack of cooperation from regional warlords and inconsistent international support. The problem of desertion dogged the force in its early days: in the summer of 2003, the desertion rate was estimated to be ten percent and in mid-March, 2004 estimate suggested that 3,000 soldiers had deserted.

ANA soldiers in 2007.

Soldiers in the new army initially received $30 a month during training and $50 a month upon graduation, though pay for trained soldiers has since risen to $120. Some recruits were under 18 years of age and many could not read or write. Recruits who only spoke the Pashto language experienced difficulty because instruction was usually given through interpreters who spoke Dari.

Growth continued, however, and the Afghan National Army had expanded to 5,000 trained soldiers by July 2003. That month, approximately 1,000 ANA soldiers were deployed in the US-led Operation Warrior Sweep, marking the first major combat operation for Afghan troops.

[edit] Current status

[edit] Personnel strength

As of May 2009^[update], total manpower is over 90,000 personnel with 100,000 expected by August of 2009. ^[1] Facilities and capacity planning efforts are rapidly adjusting to the significant increases in national recruiting efforts to meet manpower needs. A further proposal for expansion to 134,000 was announced in October 2008.^[35] This was modified to a five year goal of 260,000 Afghan troops by President Obama and is supported by the Afghan Defense Ministry.

[edit] The Battalion

The basic unit in the Afghan National Army is the Kandak (Battalion), consisting of 600 troops. Although the vast majority is infantry, at least one mechanized and one tank Battalion have been formed; more may be planned. An elite special forces unit modelled on the U.S. Army Rangers is also being formed. The plans are to include 3,900 men in six battalions under French and U.S. tutelage. Every ANA Corps will be assigned an ANA Commando Battalion with the sixth designated as a special national unit under the Afghan Defense Ministry's purview.

As of September 2005^[update], 28 of the 31 Afghan National Army Battalions were ready for combat operations and many had already participated in them. At least nine brigades are planned at this time, each consisting of six battalions. By March 1, 2007, half of the planned army of 70,000 ANA soldiers had been achieved with 46 of the planned 76 Afghan battalions operating in the fore or in concert with NATO forces. The size and limits of the ANA were specified in the Bonne II Agreement, signed in 2002. This agreement called for the establishment of the ANA and formal development of Afghan forces under NATO Doctrine.

[edit] Brigades

A total of 14 brigades that will primarily be regionally oriented are planned for 2008. According to Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A) thirteen of these brigades are to be light infantry, one will be mechanized and one will be commando.

[edit] Corps

Soldiers of the 205th Corps in 2005.

Currently the ANA maintains six Corps. Each of the four outlying Corps will be assigned one brigade with the majority of the manpower of the army based in Kabul's 201st Corps. Establishment of the corps started when four regional corps commanders and some of their staff were appointed on 1 September 2004.^[36]

Five serve as regional commands for the ANA:

• The 201st Corps based in Kabul (of which the 3rd Brigade, at Pol-e-Chakri, is to be a mechanised formation including M-113s^[37] and Soviet-built main battle tanks^[38],
• the 203rd Corps based in Gardez,
• the 205th Corps led by Gul Aqa Nahib based in Kandahar,
• the 207th Corps in Herat, and
• the 209th Corps in Mazari Sharif.

The sixth Corps is the "National Air Corps", which is the old Afghan Air Force. Plans exist to separate this Corps again and reclaim the old Afghan Air Force role as a separate branch of the Afghan military.

On 19 Oct 06, as part of Operation Mountain Fury, Embedded Training Team Members CPT Andy Schouten and SFC Jerry Ressler mentored and advised a D30 artillery section from 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 203rd Corps, to conduct the first indirect artillery fire missions during combat operations with harassment and indirect fires.^[39] Three days later, they successfully conducted counterfire (with assistance from a US Q-36 radar) that resulted with ten enemy casualties, the highest casualties inflicted from indirect artillery fire in ANA history.^{[citation needed]}

Due at least in part to its close cooperation with, and monitoring by, US forces the Afghan National Army has, unlike the Afghan National Police, been relatively unaffected by corruption.^[40] In late 2008 it was announced that the 201st Corps' former area of responsibility would be divided, with a Capital Division being formed in Kabul and the Corps concentrating its effort further forward along the border.^[41]

[edit] Commandos

Afghan elite commandos training outside Kabul.

In July 2007 the Afghan army graduated its first battalion of commandos. The commandos underwent a grueling three month course being trained by American special forces. They received training in advanced infantry skills as well as training in first aid and tactical driving. They are fully equipped with US equipment and have received US style training.^[42] The new Afghan commandos are the most elite branch of the rising Afghan Army. By the end of 2008 the six ANA commando battalions will be stationed in the southern region of Afghanistan assisting the Canadian forces. There are also female soldiers being trained. The first female Afghan parachutist Khatol Mohammadzai, trained under the Soviets, became the first female general in the Afghan National Army on 19 August, 2002.^[43] Afghan commandos are expected to increase significantly in number by 2011, when the army will double in size. They will also receive more advanced equipment from NATO.^[44] NATO hopes that elite Afghan commando units can help in the fight against the Taliban, especially in the mountainous Afghan-Pakistan border region.

[edit] Training

A U.S. Army Col. salutes an ANA soldier as he graduates on March 30, 2008, at the Afghan National Detainee Facility in Kabul, Afghanistan.

A uniformed civilian from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on the left is going over training material with new cadets of the Afghan National Army on the right.

ANA soldiers undergoing training on how to conduct air assault missions.

Members of the coalition forces in Afghanistan have undertaken different responsibilities in the creation of the ANA. All these various efforts are managed on the Coalition side by Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A), a two-star level multi-national command headquartered in downtown Kabul. On the ANA side, as of July 2006^[update] all training and education in the Army is managed and implemented by the newly-formed Afghan National Army Training Command (ANATC), a two-star command which reports directly to the Chief of the General Staff. All training centers and military schools are under ANATC HQ. The UN Forces are partnered with the ANA to mentor and support formal training through Task Force Phoenix (TF Phoenix). This program was formalized in April of 2003, based near the Kabul Military Training Center coordinating collective and individual training, mentoring, and Coalition Force support.

Each ANA HQ above battalion level has an embedded Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT) of NATO trainers and mentors acting as liaisons between ANA and ISAF. The OMLTs co-ordinate operational planning and ensure that the ANA units receive enabling support.^[45]

Individual basic training is conducted primarily by Afghan National Army instructors and staff at ANATC's Kabul Military Training Center, situated on the eastern edge of the capital. The ANA are still supported, however, with various levels of CSTC-A oversight, mentorship, and assistance. The US military assists in the basic and advanced training of enlisted recruits, and also runs the Drill Instructor School which produces new training NCOs for the basic training courses.

A French army advisory team oversees the training of officers for staff and platoon or company command in a combined commissioning/infantry officer training unit called the Officer Training Brigade, also located at Kabul Military Training Center. OTB candidates in the Platoon and Company Command courses are usually older former militia and mujaheddin 'officers' with various levels of military experience.

The United Kingdom also conducts initial infantry officer training and commissioning at the Officer Candidate School. While OCS is administratively under OTB's control, it is kept functionally separate. OCS candidates are young men with little or no military experience. The British Army also conduct initial and advanced Non-Commissioned Officer training as well in a separate NCO Training Brigade.

The Canadian Forces supervises the Combined Training Exercise portion of initial military training, where trainee soldiers, NCOs, and officers are brought together in field training exercises at the platoon, company and (theoretically) battalion levels to certify them ready for field operations. In the Regional Corps, line ANA battalions have attached Coalition Embedded Training Teams that continue to mentor the battalion's leadership, and advise in the areas of intelligence, communications, fire support, logistics and infantry tactics.

Formal education and professional development is currently conducted at two main ANATC schools, both in Kabul. The National Military Academy of Afghanistan, located near Kabul International Airport, is a four-year military university, which will produce degreed second lieutenants in a variety of military professions. NMAA's first cadet class entered its second academic year in spring 2006. A contingent of US and Turkish military instructors jointly mentor the NMAA faculty and staff. The Command and General Staff College, located in southern Kabul, prepares mid-level ANA officers to serve on brigade and corps staffs. France established the CGSC in early 2004, and a cadre of French Army instructors continues to oversee operations at the school. A National Defense University will also be established at a potential site in northwestern Kabul. Eventually all initial officer training (to include the NMAA) as well as the CGSC will be re-located to the new NDU facility.

[edit] Operations

A platoon of ANA soldiers at a rescue operation in February 2005.

Following the crash of Kam Air Flight 904 on February 4, 2005, The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) made numerous unsuccessful helicopter rescue operation attempts. But when technology failed, the Afghan National Army responded with boots on the ground. The Ministry of Defense ordered the ANA's Central Corps to assemble a team to attempt a rescue of victims presumed to be alive. The crash site was at an altitude of 11,000 feet (3,400 m) on the peak of the Chaperi Mountain, 20 miles (32 km) east of the Afghan capital of Kabul.^[46]

The Afghan army caught the senior Taliban leader Mullah Mahmood near Khandahar, who was wearing a Burkha. Mahmood was suspected of organizing suicide attacks in Kandahar province.^[47] More than forty-nine Taliban fighters were killed by the Afghan forces in one of the independent operations carried out by the Afghan forces.^[48]

In a rescue operation, the Afghan National Army deployed their Mi-8 helicopters and evacuated flood victims in the Ghorban district of Parwan province. Afghan soldiers safely evacuated 383 families to safer places.^[49]

The Afghan Army has already begun small independent operations^[50] which will expand to large-scale operations in spring 2009.^[51] One operation included a small retaliation and invasion^[52] and firing at Pakistan in ^[53] This incident was fueled by anti-Pakistani tensions in Afghanistan^[54] and the rising animosity between the two nations.^[55] The Afghan army fired rockets on a Pakistani army border post in the Kudakhel area, after the Pakistani army attempted to build a post in Paktika, Afghanistan.^[56]

[edit] Operation Achilles

The Afghan National Army along with the ISAF successfully engaged Taliban extremist strongholds. This operation was launched on March 6, 2007, to stabilize northern Helmand province for the government to start the reconstruction work.^[57]

[edit] Battle of Musa Qala

After 10 months in Taliban hands, the town of Musa Qala was retaken by Afghan National Army backed by ISAF and coalition support. Taliban insurgents had scattered mostly to the north.^[58]

[edit] Operation Panther's Claw

Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther's Claw, is an ongoing United Kingdom-led military operation of the War in Afghanistan in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Denmark and Estonia contributed a total of 3,000 soldiers for the operation. The alliance is targeting Afghan and Pakistani-based Taliban involved in the drug trade. This battle is running simultaneously with the US-Afghan Operation Strike of the Sword.

[edit] Operation Khanjar (Strike of the Sword)

Operation Strike of the Sword or Operation Khanjar is an ongoing US-led offensive in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. About 4,000 Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade as well as 650 Afghan soldiers are involved, supported by NATO planes. The operation began when units moved into the Helmand river valley in the early hours of July 2, 2009. This operation is the largest Marine offensive since the battle of Fallujah, Operation Phantom Fury, in 2004. The operation is also the largest airlift offensive since the Vietnam War.

[edit] Equipment

Since the early 1970s, the Afghan army has been equipped with the Russian AK-47 assault rifle as their main service rifle. In 2008, the ANA replaced its AK47s in favor of the US M16 rifles, and Canadian Colt Canada C7 rifles, as part of a force modernization effort that will change not only how the soldiers handle their weapons but possibly how they fight. They are also swapping their pick-up trucks for US Humvees as well as adopting other NATO weapons into their arsenal.^[59] Some ANA special forces are already equipped with M16s. There is the possibility that the ANA makes use of Soviet weapons left over from the Soviet war in Afghanistan. This equipment may also be used by the Afghan National Police. All AK-47 assault rifles and other variants will be tested if they work and then put into a military storage for future uses. This action is taken because of the new US assault rifles, M16 and variants, are now the standard ANA weapon.

[edit] Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Model	Image	Type	Number	Dates	Builder	Details
BTR-60		Armoured Personnel Carriers	300
BTR-80		Armoured Personnel Carriers
BRDM-2		Armoured Personnel Carriers				Mostly captured vehicles from the war with the Soviet Union, some were abandoned vehicles left behind by retreating Soviets and some were derelict vehicles left by the Soviets all over Afghanistan and brought back to working condition. Converted into an improvised fire support vehicle with a complete 57 mm rocket pod and pylon from aircraft or helicopter mounted upside down on the turret roof.
BMP-1		Armoured Personnel Carriers	120			During the Soviet War in Afghanistan a number of BMP-1 IFVs fell into the hands of Afghan Mujahideen who used them against their former owners.
BMP-2		Armoured Personnel Carriers	550			Mostly left by the Soviet Union at the time of the withdrawal
M113		Armoured Personnel Carriers	63
Humvee		Armoured Personnel Carriers	4,150			Up-Armored M1151 and M1152 versions

[edit] Main Battle tanks

Model	Image	Type	Number	Dates	Builder	Details
PT-76		Main battle tank	60	1996
T-55		Main battle tank	600			Going to be replaced by more modern M60 Patton
T-62		Main battle tank	170			These were modified, but due to several problems, they were quickly withdrawn from service and some were sold to Angola and Yemen.
Type 59		Main battle tank	100
M60 Patton		Main battle tank	13			13 M60A3 from Greece, could receive up to 50, also donated by Greece

[edit] Air Defence/Artillery

Model	Image	Type	Number	Dates	Builder	Details
BM-14		Multiple rocket launcher
BM-21 Grad		Multiple rocket launcher
ZSU-23-4		Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun	20
ZU-23-2		Autocannon	5000
ZPU-4		Anti-aircraft gun
2A18		Howitzer
M1937		Howitzer
M1943		Howitzer
M1938		Howitzer
M114		Howitzer	24
Scud		Tactical ballistic missile				Scud missiles were used in several regional conflicts that included use by Soviet and Afghan Communist forces in Afghanistan, and Iranians and Iraqis against one another in the so-called "War of the cities".

[edit] Weapons

Model	Type	Number	Dates	Manufacturer	Details
Makarov PM	Semi-automatic pistol
Stechkin APS	Semi-automatic pistol
TT pistol	Semi-automatic pistol
M9 pistol	Semi-automatic pistol
MP5	Submachine gun
Škorpion vz. 61	Submachine gun
AKM	assault rifle
AK-47	assault rifle
AK-74	assault rifle
Type 56 assault rifle	assault rifle
M16 rifle	assault rifle	73,500
M4 Carbine	assault rifle	2,200
C7	assault rifle	2,500
M24 Sniper Weapon System	sniper rifle
M249 SAW	Light machine gun	2,600
M240 machine gun	General purpose machine gun	1,700
RPK ATM	General purpose machine gun
PK machine gun	General purpose machine gun
M2	Heavy machine gun
DShK	Heavy Machine Gun
RPG-7	Rocket-propelled grenade
SPG-9	Recoilless rifle	12
GP-25	Grenade launcher
M203 grenade launcher	Grenade launcher	2,250
82 mm Medium Mortar	Mortar	58
60mm M224	Mortar
81mm M252	Mortar

• Other vehicles
  • International 7000-MV^[60] (2,781)
  • Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) trucks
  • Tata Motors SK1613/SE1615/SE1615TC 4 1/2 ton trucks (50+)^[61]
  • 2 1/2 ton trucks (100+)
  • Jeeps (120+) - likely Tata Motors Sumo Jeep or Mahindra Jeeps
  • Ambulances (15+)
  • Other Technicals of various origins:
    • Ford Ranger LTV pickups
    • Toyota pickup trucks /

[edit] Senior officers

Defense Minister, Abdul Rahim Wardak, (left) meets with US Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld in the Pentagon to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan on Nov. 21, 2006. Wardak is joined by Afghan National Army Chief of Operations Lt. Gen. Sher Mohammed Karimi (center), and Aide to the Minister Col. Shah Mahmood Rauf Wardak. (DoD photo by R. D. Ward. (Released)).

ANA Chief of the General Staff, General Bismillah Khan on the left, and former U.S. Army General John Abizaid on the right.

• Defense Minister, General Abdul Rahim Wardak,
• Defense Ministry Spokesman, Major General Mohammed Zahir Azimi
• Chief of the General Staff, General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi
• Vice Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Mohammad Eshaq Noori
• General Staff Chief of Personnel, Major General Abdul Abdullah
• General Staff Chief of Intelligence, Major General Abdul Khaliq Faryad
• General Staff Chief of Operations, Lieutenant General Sher Mohammed Karimi
• General Staff Chief of Logistics, Lieutenant General Azizuddin Farahee
• General Staff Chief of Communications, Major General Mehrab Ali
• General Staff Inspector General, Major General Jalandar Shah
• Surgeon General, Major General Dr.Zia Yaftali
• 201st Selab ("Flood") Corps Commander, Major General Mohammad Rahim Wardak
• 203rd Tandar ("Thunder") Corps Commander, Major General Abdul Khaliq
• 205th Atal ("Hero") Corps Commander, Brigadier General Abdul Babser
• 207th Zafar ("Victory") Corps Commander, Major General Jalandar Shah Behnam
• 209th Shaheen ("Falcon") Corps Commander, Major General Murad Ali
• Afghan National Army Training Command, Major General Aminullah Karim
• Command and General Staff College, Major General Rizak
• National Military Academy of Afghanistan, Major General Mohammad Shariff
• Kabul Military Training Centre, Brigadier General Mohammad Amin Wardak^[62]

[edit] Future

According to statements made by Col. Thomas McGrath on October 19, 2007 the coalition supporting the build-up of the ANA has seen progress and is pleased with the Afghan performance in recent exercises. Col. McGrath estimated that the ANA should be capable of carrying out independent brigade-size operations by the spring of 2008.^[63]

On December 23, 2007, the CTV and CBC television network reported that Canada's military will supply the Afghan National Army with surplus C7 assault rifles in order to bring the ANA up to NATO equipment standards.^[64]

The Afghan National Army has a contract with International Trucks. It will provide a fleet of 2781 trucks which can be used for transporting personnel, water, petroleum and a recovery truck. The Afghan National Army has already received 374 out of the 2781 trucks.

On August 2008, Robert Gates has endorsed expanding the size of the ANA, with the cost ranging between $17-20billion. The Afghan National Army has an end goal of 300,000 soldiers and an expanded air force but wants to reach 136,000 by the start of the next decade.

Ford Pickup trucks have been replaced by 660 tactical ambulance vehicles from the USA.

The Czech Republic and Hungary have announced they will donate advanced air medic choppers to the Army and National Police, as well as more new trucks for border security in the Afghan-Pakistan frontier to defend it from Pakistani Taliban incursions.

On March 19, 2009, American President Barack Obama called for an expansion of the National Army to 260,000 soldiers. The cost would reach $20 billion dollars and would beef up Afghan manpower as well as inject the army with more modern equipment. ^[65]

Greece is donating at least 13 M60A3 main battle tanks to help modernize Afghan tank platoons. Greece may increase this number to almost 50 tanks, hoping to impress its NATO allies. ^[66]

According to Martin Strmecki, a member of the Defense Policy Board and a former top Pentagon adviser on Afghanistan in a speech to the United States Senate, "the Afghan Army should increase to 250,000 soldiers and the National Police Force should add more than 100,000 officers. Only when Afghan security forces reaches those numbers would they achieve the level necessary for success in counterinsurgency."^[1]

[edit] See also

• Afghan Air Force
• Military of Afghanistan
• National Military Academy of Afghanistan
• International Security Assistance Force
• Provincial Reconstruction Team

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Afghan National Army

• Official site of the Afghan National Army
• Hierarchy of Command Structure
• Government Accountability Office, AFGHANISTAN SECURITY: Efforts to Establish Army and Police Have Made Progress, but Future Plans Need to Be Better Defined GAO-05-575, June 2005
• CSTC-A Official Website
• Photo Gallery (Construction of ANA military bases by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
• Article by Afghan policy analyst
• Tank maneuvers showcase new Afghan Army's capabilities