Snafu--Afghan Army and Police

AFGHANISTAN
SECURITY
Efforts to Establish
Army and Police Have
Made Progress, but
Future Plans Need to
Be Better Defined
GAO-05-575
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05575.pdf

Defeat built in: Afghanistan seems bound to again sink into anarchy. U.S. Military Command in Afghanistan has spent about $3.3 billion on an Afghan army, and $800 million building an Afghan Police force. 42% of the Army is trained as well as about half of the Police. Where has the money gone?

Having fully staffed
the Kabul central command with about 10,500 troops, OMC-A assigned the
remaining 7,800 troops to the four regional commands.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is constructing facilities at these locations. As of January 2005, funding provided to the Corps for this effort totaled $740 million.

Typical American largesse: These five facilities should not have cost more than $50 million apiece, and constructed to Shock and Awe Recruits who have never lived in such magnificent housing, never worked in such luxurious surroundings, and separates the Army from both their culture and their People. (afghan construction and living would have cost only $5 million per center). The Afghan Troops, on the other hand, as given wornout Equipment, inadequate Weapons and Transportation, and embedded American trainers who are Transfers' from other OMC-A TO without previous Troop-training experience.

The Afghan Army will most likely have to face the Afghan militias who are not disarmed (estimates of disarmament range from one-third to one-twentieth of the total number of militia troops), and said militia members unable to find employment outside the militias except from the Narcotics Growers and traffickers. The Later Group have produced a bumper Crop this Year, and can supply the militias with better Weapons, Equipment, and Transportation; also capable of supplying militia members with about four or five times the monthly salary of the Afghan Army recruit ($70 per month).

The United States and Germany spent most of the Funds directed to building the Police in development of Training facilities. Police recruits probably live in an environment envied by many poor Americans through the Training periods, after which they are transferred to Police Stations which have been destroyed--lacking Office equipment, Vehicles, Weapons, or Fuel for patrolling. They enter areas under the control of militia leadership, who insist they impose a Truck tax on vehicles traveling through the area paid to the militia. Recruits get to do all these fun things for $30 per month, an amount no afghan family can survive on.

Both Army and Police are outgunned by practically everything in Afghanistan, while lacking Transportation and Communications. OMC-A officials estimate that the Army will cost an additional $7 billion with $600 million per year Maintenance Cost for 62,000 Troops, while lacking 21,000 Support personnel. The Police Force will likely cost $2 billion, simply to supply them with Police stations, Vehicles, Fuel, and Radios. No One is suggesting a Weapons procurement capable of defending themselves--either Police or Army. lgl