ANA CSS kandak achieves Capability Milestone 1

By Captain Thomas M. Hammond

Afghans are masters of improvisation, and the soldiers of Kandak 5, the sole combat service support (CSS) unit in 1 Brigade, 205 Corps of the Afghan National Army (1/205 ANA), are no exception.

Under the guidance of Kandak Mentoring Team 5 (KMT 5), Kandak 5’s leaders have steadily synthesized their cultural strengths — resourcefulness and efficiency — with Western advantages: operationally proven support concepts and resources. The result, based on both systems, is a CSS unit that is independently capable of conducting support operations and contributing to the prote2ction of ordinary Afghans.

“We’re helping to build the foundation of a national institution, but we’re not its chief architect,” said Major Alain Brûlé, KMT 5’s senior mentor. “5/1/205 and the ANA in general must develop and sustain an army that meets their needs and culture, and not one that is based exclusively on a Western model.”

Kandak 5’s maturing capability has been recognized in KMT 5’s monthly review, the Training and Readiness Assessment Tool (TRAT), which focuses on the kandak’s personnel, command and control, training, sustainment and equipment. Each KMT in the brigade completes the TRAT, and the outcome indicates whether a kandak’s performance is an anomaly or a trend, and if priorities are properly aligned.

The TRAT uses a progressive scale ranging from Capabilities Milestone (CM) 4 — signifying a formed unit not yet capable of conducting counterinsurgency operations — to CM 1, which indicates a kandak able to plan, execute and sustain counterinsurgency operations, going to coalition allies only for close air support, medevac and fire support.

To reduce the risk of biased ratings, an external evaluation is done when a kandak has achieved CM 2 and the KMT believes it is approaching CM 1. In October, when Kandak 5 was rated CM 2 awaiting external verification, preparations and minor improvements began for a November assessment.

Validation Transition Team (VTT) South, comprising Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Ulrich, a seasoned Special Forces officer and a squad of officers and NCOs, embedded with Kandak 5 for a week to assess its capability. LCol Ulrich immediately set the tone for both the kandak and its mentoring team. “We’re not a 911 Inspector General team,” he said. “We’re here to apply uniform standards for CM 1 validation and to provide feedback to assessed units and their Operational Mentor and Liaison Team counterparts.”

For two and a half days, the VTT accompanied the mentors to Camp Hero and observed Kandak 5’s battle rhythm. While all sub-units were assessed, the S2 (Intelligence) section and Medical Company were scrutinized closely, as those groups tend to need the most assistance. The VTT members emphasized that their focus was not to find fault with the ANA system, but to observe their standard operating procedures, determine whether they are appropriate, and provide feedback for training purposes.

For instance, Kandak 5 is inherently reactive to supply requests, delivering supplies forward only when a demand is received or when supplies are pushed from 205 Corps Headquarters. While this is not the practice in Western armies, the VTT found it acceptable in these conditions because the ANA supply system needs central control of inventory to preserve operational stock for emergencies.

The second phase of the VTT assessment was conducted during Operation HYDRA in the Panjwayi District. Two mentors and four VTT personnel linked up with a Kandak 5 Forward Logistics Group (FLG) of 30 soldiers tasked to provide close support to Kandak 2 of the 1/205 during Operation HYDRA. The FLG remained flexible to the needs of Kandak 2, on several occasions conducting integral resupply convoys forward of Kandak 2’s headquarters. The seamlessly responsive close support the Kandak 5 FLG provided to Kandak 2 during Op HYDRA indicated a CM 1-ready unit.

LCol Ulrich and his team recommended to Major-General Nick Carter, commander of ISAF Regional Command (South), that Kandak 5 be validated CM 1, but with one caveat. The Executive Officer of the VTT cautioned that the limited depth in leadership and the lack of succession planning for its officers and NCOs threaten the sustainability of the recommended rating. If approved, Kandak 5 will be the first combat service support unit in 205 Corps to be achieve this distinction.

Kandak 5’s steady improvement in providing support and security to both the manoeuvre elements of 1 Brigade, 205 Corps and to the people of Kandahar Province is a positive development for Afghanistan. Under the direst circumstances, they not only show their ability to endure, they also continue to find ways to do more with less.

Capt Thomas Hammond of the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team is a member of the Kandak Mentoring Team 5 who focuses on the S2 (Intelligence), S3 (Operations) and Transport functions.