ANAAC Maintenance Group, 438th AEAG discuss training plan

Published Sept. 3, 2009
By Staff Sgt. Thomas Dow
CSTC-A Public Affairs

KABUL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Afghanistan -- Recently, key members of the Afghan National Army Air Corp Maintenance Group, Kabul Air Corps Training Center and the 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group met at the ANAAC Maintenance Group headquarters to discuss Air University's additional aircraft maintenance courses which will further advance Afghan technicians and officers.

In a war-torn country, often the progression of training has to be built from nothing. The job of certifying students who can barely read or write in their respective careers is difficult under ideal circumstances, but the difficulty is magnified in a warzone. This difficult task falls on the 438th AEAG, but the right people and the right plan need to be in place for students to realize their full potential. For this reason, the current training for Afghan NCOs and officers required brand new concepts. Therefore, Air University will be a final launch pad into the career fields.

The road for a fully-trained graduate of Air University will involve months of intense training. Once a soldier graduates from basic training at the Kabul Military Training Center, they will go on to learn language and cultural skills, as well as take specialized knowledge courses for referencing technical manuals and publications. These courses will be held at the KACTC, located at the Kabul International Airport.

KACTC also offers a range of other courses which include basic aircraft maintenance, aerial gunner, Mi-17 crew chief, An-32 crew chief, logistics & supply, introduction to computers, and a basic fire fighter course.

However, the path to a fully trained Air University graduate is filled with road blocks. Col. Abdul Shafi, ANAAC Maintenance Group commander sited the low education levels and lack of training as some of the main difficulties ANAAC members must overcome. But Colonel Shafi said there was one key factor the Afghan Soldiers have that will make them successful.

"Determination," said Shafi. "They have a determination to make a better future for themselves and their families."

The members of ANAAC are no strangers to overcoming adversity. With the assistance of coalition mentors, the fledgling Air Corps has been growing in strength since its recent rebirth. Many existing rotary-wing aircraft such as Mi-17s and Mi-35s, as well as fixed-wing assets like the AN-26 and AN-32s, have been conducting missions ranging from live fires to troop movements and presidential airlifts.

Air Force Col. Brad Grambo, 438th AEAG commander, said the training plan will bring Afghan independence one step closer.

"The end goal is that we want to make the Afghans self-sustainable," said Grambo. "The key to their continued growth is the education system that we are trying to put into place."

As of now, the plans for Air University are in the infancy stage. But the ground has been prepared for a new way of doing business with Afghans taking the lead. Servicemembers of the Air Corps are succeeding in becoming a vital air power, operating above their own skies.