For example, since partnering with CF, desertion is nearly nonexistent for the 3rd Bn.  Only one man from 3rd Bn’s 198-strong unit has left the ranks in the past month-and-a-half, said the SF team leader, whose unit is responsible for training and fighting alongside 3rd Bn. “We treat them well, and we've a very high opinion of the team of which we're partnered,” he said.

The SF team and its support element work, train and fight side-by-side with their  counterparts. Forty ANCOP policemen share the fire base with the SF team, and are trained for operational employment, and mounted and dismounted patrols. The rest of the bn operates 10 checkpoints along a major route leading through the area.

A typical day for the partnered units sees them visiting villages, interacting with locals and checking on ANCOP stationed at the checkpoints.  Leading the ANCOP force is Lt. Col. Kohistani, cmdr of 3rd Bn. “It’s a good feeling to get out there and provide security for the people of Afghanistan,” Kohistani said.

To the SF team, he's a liaison between the 2 units and a coalition voice to villagers around the Arghanadab.  Part of Kohistani’s role is to interact with villagers during joint patrols.  He tries to quell any fears or doubts locals have about CF.  He also lets them know his ANCOP and the SF team are doing everything they can to try and help the Afghan people.  “It's part of my job to assure the people that the CF are here to help, to get rid of the Taliban, and to make sure the people of the area are secure,” he said.

A typical week for the ANCOP leader and the SF team begins with a security shura.  
Leaders from the ANA, ANP, the district gov., and members of CF are usual attendees.  The most recent shura raised issues of the ANP moving in to cover some checkpoints.  It also focused on success in the region.

“We're all having a big impact on the enemy,” said Lt. Col. Robert Lemons, cmdr, TF 1 – 66, to various coalition and Afghan leaders at the shura. “We're disrupting the insurgent freedom of movement with the 1st and 3rd ANA Kandaks.  We're causing the enemy to stay and fight, and this is critical to maintaining security.”

A day after the shura, members of the SF team went next door to put 40 ANCOP through their paces conducting dismounted patrolling maneuvers. It started with a class, splitting the ANCOP into 2 groups with 4 SF soldiers, a small, white, dry-erase board and 2 interpreters.

Class was in session when an SF weapons sgt. asked: “What are your hand signals for a column formation?” The policemen showed the proper hand signals.
The questions-and-answers continued until the weapons sgt. asked if one ANCOP could draw on the white board the proper way to get in a certain formation. Several ANCOP excitedly volunteered, but only one got the call.

Afghan police 2nd Lt. Hamayon, who has served 3 years with the ANP, and last year joined the ANCOP, quickly executed the proper formation on the white board.
“We always look forward to training,” he said. “That’s why we're the best.  We're the best trained, best equipped, and we're ready to fight.”

Hamayon said he has no love for the Taliban, but wants them to reconcile with the govt. “We would like to see the Taliban join the govt, but if not, we will die to kill the Taliban and run them out of here,” he said. 

Classroom training wrapped up after an hour. The SF team took the ANCOP outside to practice what they had learned; first on camp, then just outside the gate. Team members corrected any deficiencies during the practice patrol, and an after-action review of the days training showed that the ANCOP were ready for the mission.

The partnered team rolled in to the village bazaar the next day and quickly set up a security perimeter. 

Kohistani and the SF team leader started discussing with the elders in the bazaar about the possibility of putting in an ANCOP checkpoint. The villagers were not very concerned about security in their area, as they hadn’t seen recent enemy activity. "However, the enemy lies just on the west side of the river," explained villager Mohammed Gul.

Gul, whose family was in the city to celebrate the upcoming Islamic holiday of Eid, allowed CF to look through his sprawling compound, to include a pomegranate orchard and several empty rooms. The place was deserted and CF were curious as to where everyone was. “We're preparing for a wedding,” Gul said. 

It costs his family 400,000 Afghani to pay for the marriage. Those family members that weren’t in Kandahar City were busy working to try and come up with the wedding stipend.  Gul helped the combined force by giving info he had to help keep peace in the area.  He said, "the village and the bazaar were peaceful, and the villagers don’t allow Taliban to operate there."

After much discussion with the villagers, the SF team leader and Kohistani came to the conclusion that putting a checkpoint at the bazaar was not a good idea. The villagers were against the checkpoint proposed. They felt there was too little space, and the place was peaceful enough as it was.

“The villagers feel pretty safe here, and they feel the checkpoint would cause them to be targeted,” the team leader said.  The ANCOP and SF team finished their assessment, felt they built a good rapport with the locals, and decided to call this part of their day ‘mission complete.’ 

Kohistani was ready to drop food and water at one of his checkpoints. The SF team leader offered his thanks to Kohistani before he left.  He told him that his leadership style shows he's meant to have the position of cmdr. He told him that his policemen respect and admire him. 

“Your work and leadership is the type that will have American forces out of the county, with the Afghans leading their own security,” the SF team leader told Kohistani outside the bazaar. “When that happens, your team will have to come back and vacation here,” Kohistani responded. “When you do, you can stay at my place any time.”            

Losing his index finger during a fire-fight with the Taliban didn’t faze his commitment to his family and community.  He's been fighting the Taliban for the last 9 years in Marjah, and has seen first-hand the toll of Taliban intimidation on the people of Afghanistan. “I saw that the Taliban was bothering or killing the people that supported other govts,” Allawadin said. “I saw a lot of orphans who lost their families to this, and I couldn’t tolerate that.”

Even though his family was not broken during the Taliban’s rule, he still endured the consequences of their power. Taliban fighters destroyed his school when he was in 9th grade, forcing him to continue his studies at home.

His father, a teacher, educated Allawadin after his school was destroyed, allowing him to become well educated, despite the Taliban’s push for the destruction of formal education in Afghanistan.

Seeing the terrible things the Taliban were doing to the people of Marjah, Allawadin decided to become a police officer to help protect his community.  By doing this, he has put himself and his family in harm’s way to make things safer for the people of his community.

After becoming a policeman he opted to move his family to Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand prov., to ensure their safety. “They were shooting at our homes in Marjah, because we worked with the govt,” Allawadin said.

When Allawadin first joined the police force there were no official recruiting offices or police stations in Marjah. The lack of formal govt in the area made it difficult for the police to receive training or receive pay. “We didn’t get paid for almost 5 years, because we didn’t train at the academy,” Allawadin said. “Now in Helmand prov. there are police offices, so we went there, joined and came here for training.”

His experience as a policeman made Allawadin a prime candidate to attend the training at JSAS.  He has knowledge and skills that can only be learned by being in the field, and demands only the best from his fellow recruits.

“He demands a lot from his leaders,” said 1st Lt. Nicholas Wilkes, a team officer-in-charge at JSAS. “He's very forceful and gives direction.  He does a very good job of corporal-level leadership, probably one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

Experience alone did not make this recruit stand out at JSAS. The JSAS instructors dubbed him ‘trigger finger’ after shooting tight groups and being the best shot on the range, using his middle finger in place of his index finger.

“My biggest goal is to serve my country and fight against our enemies,” Allawadin said. “My other goal is to make the tribal fighting go away. We are just Afghans, we are all brothers. If this kind of fighting doesn’t go away our country is not going to get better.”

Cpl. Tyler Rousselle volunteered to train police recruits how to protect their communities. The infantryman was offered the year-long position, while serving as a squad leader with 1st Bn, 7th Marine Regt.  Although the details of his future job were not provided, he jumped at the chance to deploy to Afghanistan when the opportunity arose.  He found that his new role as an instructor was not a far cry from being an infantryman.

"An infantry squad leader and an Afghan police trainer may have similarities, but JSAS instructors quickly find that their new job training Afghan police recruits demands more direct supervision than teaching junior infantry Marines," Rousselle asserts.

“Instructors stay with the class from when they show up to when they leave,” the 4-1/2 year veteran said. “The entire time we're working with that class, we eat, train and live in the same compound as them.”

Akin to the routine of a Marine drill instructor, JSAS instructors are awake every morning well before the students begin their day. The police trainers wake their students every morning, inspect the recruits’ uniforms, and march them to the dining facility for breakfast.  Immediately afterwards, the recruits begin their training for the day.

The 8-week, ANP course covers a wide variety of policing fundamentals that recruits will use after graduation.  Students may find themselves learning in a classroom environment, or getting hands-on experience in a field setting. The training cycle begins with classroom instruction on basic hygiene, first aid, and drill. As the class progresses, JSAS instructors impart knowledge on tactical skills including patrolling, convoying, and weapons handling.

Abdulbari, a JSAS recruit, looks forward to using the policing skills taught by his Marine instructors in his hometown of Marjah.  “We're happy to work with Marines,” Abdulbari said. “We're proud to work with them, because they came to our country to serve and help us with bringing security to our country.  We respect them—they’re like our brothers.”

Not only do the JSAS recruits benefit from the fast paced training regimen, but the instructors also use the course to hone their original skill set. “You’re able to keep up on your basic infantry skills,” Rousselle said. “When they leave JSAS, they’re doing basic infantry work out in the field, and they’re working with infantry Marines.

Rousselle hopes he'll walk away from this deployment with a better understanding for Muslim culture, especially by working during Ramadan.  During the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, practicing Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset.  JSAS instructors are no exception to this rule—they also observe the fast during training.
“You understand why they’re tired when you haven’t drunk any water all day, either,” Rousselle said.

In order to improve the ongoing partnership between American and Afghan forces, Rouselle said that he'll share his experiences teaching and working with Afghans to his Marines when he returns home. “I definitely picked up a lot of the Afghan culture,” Rouselle said. “I understand why and how things work a little bit better in the Muslim world, compared to before I came out here.  I’ll definitely be passing on a lot of this info when I get back to the states.”            

Soldiers were taught basic fundamentals of driving UAHs and light tactical vehicles (LTVs). They were also taught preventative maintenance to help soldiers keep vehicles in good condition.  "Soldiers can learn to drive in a couple of hours. Learning how to fix the vehicles takes time and is just as important," said Brig. Gen.  Malouk, the comm. gen. of the ANA’s 215th Corps. “The 5-week training was very good,” Malouk said. 
Before graduation the students were required to pass a final exam incorporating all the skills taught. “Hopefully, as a result of this course, we'll prevent the loss of lives in the future,” Golden said.

Written by Jim Garamone, Office of the Secretary of Defense PA             

Army Gen. Ray Odierno greets Iraqi counterparts at the end of the change of command ceremony for USF-Iraq in Baghdad, Sept. 1, 2010.  Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III relieved Odierno as cmdr of the remaining forces in Iraq, marking the end of U.S. combat ops in the country. (DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley)

CAMP VICTORY - Gen. Ray Odierno put it very simply, as he finished his address at the change of command ceremony for USF-Iraq. "Lion-6 out," Odierno said, meaning that the cmdr had finished using his call sign here, and was heading out for his new assignment at U.S. Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va.

Gates praised Odierno for his leadership in Iraq.  During Odierno's tenure, the command shifted from MNF-Iraq to USF-Iraq.  Odierno shifted American forces out of the cities and sculpted the advise and assist mission that all 6 U.S. bdes in country now have.  He did all this while redeploying 74,000 service members back to the U.S.

Odierno received his new job after only a 7-month break after serving as the corps cmdr in Baghdad. "He leaves as one of the few Army generals in history to command a division, corps and entire theater in the same conflict," Gates said. 

The general crafted the tactics American forces and their allies used to fight a counterinsurgency (COIN) campaign. "As any student of military history knows, any strategy is only as effective as its execution, and without Ray's ability to turn plans into results on the ground, we would be facing a far grimmer situation outside these walls today," Gates said.

Odierno returned to command all forces in Iraq. His mission was to build on the hard-fought gains of the surge, keep the proverbial boot on the neck of AQI, and expand the capacity and capabilities of Iraq's army and police.

"The dedication of Gen. Odierno, the sacrifices of the troops under his command, and the efforts of our interagency and Iraqi partners made it possible to be where we are today – with a dramatically reduced troop presence and a new mission," the secretary said.

Gates said the command is fortunate to get Austin as the new cmdr. The gen. most recently served as the Dir. of the Joint Staff.  Before that he was the corps cmdr in Iraq, and served with the 3rd ID in the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003.

"Lloyd Austin – like Ray Odierno – has always led by example, asking nothing of his troops that he would not do himself," Gates said. "He has the unique distinction of being awarded the Silver Star for valor as a general officer, leading from the front during the 3rd ID's march to Baghdad more than 7 years ago.

"I know he will use his extraordinary talents and experience to build on the success that has been achieved in Iraq, success bought with the blood and sweat of all who have served here," the secretary continued.

Odierno reflected on Iraqi and American accomplishments in the country. "This period in Iraq's history will probably be remembered for sacrifice, resiliency and change," he said. "But, I will remember it as a time when the Iraqi people stood up against tyranny, terrorism, extremism, and decided to determine their own destiny as a people and as a democratic state."

The Iraqis, Odierno said, had the help of an incredibly dedicated group of American military personnel and civilians.  "I never lost faith in the adaptability, courage and mental toughness of our service members and civilians to get the job done," he said. "If there's one lesson I've taken from our involvement here, it's the sheer magnitude of what we're capable of when we trusted ourselves and focused on our commitment, and worked side-by-side, arm-in-arm with our Iraqi partners."

Odierno urged Iraqi politicians to move quickly to form a representative govt based on the results of the March 7 elections. "A peaceful transition of power following the peaceful and credible elections," he said, "is the strongest possible response to al-Qaeda and other terrorist orgs."

The Iraqi people have sent a message to their leaders, Odierno said. "I urge all the political blocs to respond by forming a govt that is representative of the peoples' will," the general said. "It's time for Iraq to move forward."

"The region will benefit from a stable Iraq," Austin said, noting that Iraq can be a democratic cornerstone of progress in a troubled area.  He thanked service members, their civilian compatriots and the Iraqi govt for forging new, peaceful relationships with its neighbors.

"Although challenges remain, we'll face these challenges together," Austin said. "Iraq still faces a hostile enemy that is determined to end her progress, and Iraq's enemies will continue to try to pursue their objectives. "But, make no mistake: our military forces here and those of the Iraqi nation remain committed to insuring that our friends in Iraq will succeed," he continued. "We'll demonstrate our commitment through a continued partnership, and we'll help the Iraqis develop their capability to provide for their own national defense, by advising and assisting, training and equipping the SECFOR."