CATM team trains Afghan AF counterparts

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Staff Sgt. Mark Saldana, 451 Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Combat Arms Training and Maintenance, talks about the lower assembly of an M-16 to members of the Afghan air force during a training session Oct. 13 at Kandahar Air Wing. For the past several weeks, the CATM team has been training the AAF on disassembly and troubleshooting issues on small arms. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman David Carbajal)

CATM team trains Afghan AF counterparts

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Staff Sgt. Mark Saldana, 451st Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Combat Arms Training and Maintenance, and a member of the Afghan air force work together to disassemble the handle of an M-16 during a training session Oct. 13 at Kandahar Air Wing. In an effort to continue to building the Afghan military's self sufficiency, the U.S. and Afghan service members worked together to troubleshoot the firearm. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman David Carbajal)

CATM team trains Afghan AF counterparts

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Staff Sgt. Mark Saldana, 451st Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Combat Arms Training and Maintenance, shows members of the Afghan air force a component of the lower assembly of an M-16 during a training session Oct. 13 at Kandahar Air Wing. Saldana is deployed from Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, and is a San Antonio native. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman David Carbajal)

CATM team trains Afghan air force counterparts

Published Oct. 14, 2011
By Senior Airman David Carbajal
451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Members of the 451st Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Combat Arms Training and Maintenance team have teamed up with members of the 443rd Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron here to train the Afghan air force on small arms proficiency at Kandahar Air Wing.

The CATM Airmen held a training session Oct. 12 for three Afghan small-arms specialists about disassembly and troubleshooting the M-16A2, as part of an ongoing effort to build the Afghan military's self sufficiency.

"Sergeant Saldana and I have been coming out for about three weeks now teaching them the ins and outs of the M-9, M-240 and M-16," said Tech. Sgt. Garry Clarke, 451 ESFS CATM NCO in charge.

The Afghans have had little experience with the weapons that CATM has been training them on, said Clarke.

"Many of them know the basics of weapons, but they're not as proficient with these firearms," said Clarke, who is deployed from Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, and a Miami native.

CATM team trained the AAF members on the upper and lower assemblies of the M-16.

"We're taking it almost completely apart to explain the functions of the components," said Clarke.

The small-arms specialists are expected to begin training their troops on their issued weapons with the assistance of the 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group security forces advisers in the upcoming weeks.

"The Afghan air force small-arms specialists will be training their troops the same way our CATM guys train us back in the states," said Krueger, who is deployed from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.

"Training Afghan air force small-arms specialists is not a primary mission for the 451st ESFS CATM team, but the technical training we are provide our Afghan air force counterparts will help ensure mission success for the Afghan military and the air advisor program," Staff Sgt. Mark Saldana, who is deployed from Joint Base San Antonio, and is a San Antonio native.

Currently, the four security forces advisers at the 443rd AEAS are not trained CATM specialists.

"We like to bring out Airmen with specialized skills to help train the AAF for a specific task like this one," said Krueger. "It helps them get training on mission-critical areas."

The CATM team will continue training the AAF on other small arms over the next several weeks.

Knowing and understanding these weapons is crucial for the AAF, the security forces adviser explained.

"They cannot protect their personnel, resources or weapons if they don't understand the basic fundamentals of security," said Krueger. "The training we're giving them will set them up for success in the future."