Training the ANA isn't about control, it's about ensuring they have the ability to train themselves. In the end, the program hopes to develop a self-sufficient, professional army. (Photo by G. A. Volb)
The training is difficult as drivers are taken over the course, dry and rocky terrain of Afghanistan. (Photo by G. A. Volb)It was an exhausting day, but not due to any one reason. It was more the combination of three-digit heat, being on the move over rough country all day and trying to adapt to the 6,000-foot altitude in which we operate.
Much of the morning was taken up by visiting the driving course for ANA regulars. The ride there comes with the gratuitous bumps and ruts in the road, large rocks and clouds of dirt from vehicles in front of you. Should "dirt" replace oil as the global fuel that runs nations, the quality of life here would sore overnight.
There's thousands of acres of dirt and rock used by the ANA for training out here -- you can literally see for miles (through the dirty haze in some cases). It is, I think, a perfect place to teach the ANA who are quite comfortable among the rocks and dirt of the landscape. Here they learn to drive armored vehicles which, in the wrong hands, can be quite dangerous on poor terrain.
The ANA seems eager enough to learn and advisers/mentors have assured me they're improving. It'll just take time which, out here looking over the vast emptiness, seems to be all we have.
In the afternoon we made a trip to the "mother camp" in Kabul proper. The ride always reminds me of driving in S. Korea, Turkey or Honduras -- there seems to be no traffic rules and the biggest car or truck typically gets its way. The number of fatalities on the roads here must be high, though that's just an educated guess.
It's nice to see the children walking home from school and small businesses open. There's a relatively "normal" economy taking shape here, but much more needs to be done to ensure stability so that their economy can flourish. If the coalition has the strength of will, Afghanistan can and will succeed as a democracy.
Much of the morning was taken up by visiting the driving course for ANA regulars. The ride there comes with the gratuitous bumps and ruts in the road, large rocks and clouds of dirt from vehicles in front of you. Should "dirt" replace oil as the global fuel that runs nations, the quality of life here would sore overnight.
There's thousands of acres of dirt and rock used by the ANA for training out here -- you can literally see for miles (through the dirty haze in some cases). It is, I think, a perfect place to teach the ANA who are quite comfortable among the rocks and dirt of the landscape. Here they learn to drive armored vehicles which, in the wrong hands, can be quite dangerous on poor terrain.
The ANA seems eager enough to learn and advisers/mentors have assured me they're improving. It'll just take time which, out here looking over the vast emptiness, seems to be all we have.
In the afternoon we made a trip to the "mother camp" in Kabul proper. The ride always reminds me of driving in S. Korea, Turkey or Honduras -- there seems to be no traffic rules and the biggest car or truck typically gets its way. The number of fatalities on the roads here must be high, though that's just an educated guess.
It's nice to see the children walking home from school and small businesses open. There's a relatively "normal" economy taking shape here, but much more needs to be done to ensure stability so that their economy can flourish. If the coalition has the strength of will, Afghanistan can and will succeed as a democracy.
No comments:
Post a Comment