Afghan Airmen, coalition provide education to AAF members

Published Sept. 6, 2011
By Capt. Jamie Humphries
438th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Last month, Afghan National Army soldier Mohammed Khalil, made history and didn't even know it. Khalil, with the Basic Warrior Training Kandak 162, became the 100,000th member from the Afghan National Security Forces to graduate from one of many established literacy training programs.

With that graduation, experts say momentum in the training arena has never been higher. Helping to achieve the historic milestone are members of Pohantoon-e-Hawayee, the Afghan air force's "Air University."

The future of the Afghan air force, according to experts, is the ability to facilitate training on multiple levels using a phased approach. With a goal of setting the conditions for an independent and operationally- capable Afghan air force, those same experts agree it cannot be done without specialized literacy, English and technical skills being taught by Afghans themselves.

The PeH, located on the Afghan air force compound in Kabul, is working toward completion of these requirements.

Pohantoon-e-Hawayee is the U.S. Air Force equivalent to "Air University" and is the largest training institution for the AAF. According to officials, it's the comprehensive training center for the AAF and includes professional military education, literacy classes, English skills and technical training specific to an AAF member's military occupational specialty. The school was originally established in January 2008 as a branch school for the Afghan National Army Air Corps and has since evolved over time to become their Air University.

The school currently has 593 students enrolled from all over Afghanistan in various classes and is the primary in-processing point for all training conducted in the AAF. The school has 107 AAF members on staff with 29 working to become instructors through upgrade training with the rest working as staff support such as registrars, logistics experts, facilities managers or military training instructors.

"Since 2008, there have been approximately 4,000 class graduates from different courses at PeH," said Lt. Col. Ryan Nichols, commander of the 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron. "We currently have 58 courses offered in a variety of areas to include technical proficiency training, literacy and English."

Training the Trainers

A point of emphasis for the school, as explained by the staff at PeH, is the ability to grow trainers that will be able to instruct fellow Afghan air force members.

A five-month training course is currently ongoing for 29 members of the AAF to teach them how to instruct their own courses with little oversight by coalition staff members. They receive specialized training on the use of computers, how to be an effective instructor and English training with most of the time spent on specific immersion on how to teach their specialized topic.

Upon graduation, staff members hope the group has a strong foundation leading to self-sustaining efforts to operate independently.

The ability to grow professional instructors that can build a syllabus led by AAF members is promising said Nichols.

"We hope these soon-to-be graduates understand the importance of their mission here and will continue toward a path of professionalism," he said. "We see a lot of promise in each of these Airmen and this is a solid step in developing the capability for the Afghans to sustain their own force."

PeH Coalition Advisers

At the moment, four coalition countries contribute 50 advisers to PeH and all serve in a variety of positions with a mission of "training the trainer" so members of the Afghan cadre will someday be able to instruct their own courses.

The Royal Canadian Air Force adds nine members to the team with a goal of providing specific mentoring to Afghans serving in the staff function. The Canadians also build long-term plans at the school and implement staff functions in ensuring short-term and long-term projects come to fruition.

The Portuguese air force brings 10 members to the team with the aim of facilitating the professional military education of Afghan members and also provides general education course development and advice to AAF development. While working at PeH, the Portuguese contingent puts together course material for NCOs and other courses to be taught to AAF members.

One group of six individuals is putting together team leader courses to improve the noncommissioned officer course, which is one of the most important courses here at PeH, said Lt. Col. Jose Martins, 738th AEAG, during an interview in February. Not only did they conceive of and develop the lesson plan, but they also put together the schedule for the class, lesson plans, power points and much more. We are creating a new course here.

The Royal Jordanian Air Force also contributes to PeH by providing four members on staff. The intent is to work with the AAF members on improving the student squadron aspect of training. They work to facilitate training during the boot camp atmosphere by providing advice to AAF members and cadre.

The school also employs two Department of Defense Linguists who act as specialized translation experts, and instruct students and staff on the sensitivities of Afghan culture.

The key, experts explain, is to not force a coalition solution on the AAF but instead teach them how to come up with their own solutions.

"To the max extent possible, we work towards an AAF solution," explained Nichols. "We're not trying to force a U.S. or Portuguese system on the AAF."

Literacy

It is well documented that NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan has made literacy a top priority. All basic trainees across the army, air force and police received mandatory literacy training to bring them to a 1st grade level. Those students entering the AAF are tested to determine their level of literacy. If a course is needed a phased approach is implemented with a goal of students working to a 3rd grade literacy level.

Explaining that the instruction usually takes an average of three months, staff admits air force standards are typically higher due to the technical proficiency necessary to complete mission requirements.

"Since inception of the literacy program, we've graduated approximately 200 members from our literacy course," said Maj. Kevin Mahar, of the 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron. "We can offer a class to 30 members but usually average around 15 per class. It's a phased approach so the better they do, the quicker the class progresses."

Afghan contractors teach the literacy courses with a goal of improving the country-wide rate of 14 percent. Overall, literacy programs across the Afghan National Security Forces have trained more than 100,000 Soldiers, airmen and policemen.

"There isn't one job in the AAF that can be done without being able to read," said Nichols, of Dayton, Ohio, and currently stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. "We need them to be at least at a 3rd grade standard to allow for a technically proficient air force."

English Instruction

Another big push for the schoolhouse is the one for students to gain a firm grasp on the English language. Currently, there are more than 300 AAF students enrolled at the Kabul English Language Training Center with a goal of being able to speak conversational English.

Members of PeH work side-by-side with Defense Language Institute staff members at KELTC by providing administrative support, logistics and basic course management. Contractors from Indefinite Delivery and Indefinite Quantity also work with DLI instructors supplementing English instruction to the AAF members of all ranks and specialties.

"Recently, the AAF phased out the An-32 aircraft from their inventory," said Nichols. "Via English training at KELTC, the AAF was able to take some of the pilots that flew the An-32 and bring their English proficiency high enough to enter the C-27 airframe. This is an example of what can be done with proper instruction."

Not only does PeH offer set classes for members at KELTC, they are also able to offer courses needed if an organization deems it necessary to educate their office employees.

"We can offer just about any course at any time if the need arises," said Mahar, a native of Lewisville, Ark.

Advisers from PeH, working at KELTC, were critical in the advancement of the first four Afghan female lieutenants through KELTC and onto English training at the Defense Language Institute in San Antonio, Texas. The numbers speak for themselves, say members of PeH, as they continue to push students through the training pipeline and onto further specialized training.

Technical Training

The technical training offered at PeH can best be compared to the U.S. Air Force's Sheppard or Keesler Air Force Bases. The training is offered to all ranks and are the entry-level courses necessary to further an airmen's career in the AAF. The courses typically take an average of three months to complete but depending on the MOS, could take more time.

"If you look back, we've had more than 1,000 graduates from technical training," said Nichols. "After technical school, the students go to their primary unit in the AAF where they complete on-the-job training necessary to continue their career progression."

Courses offered include basic loadmaster, aircraft ground equipment, firefighting and basic instructor courses, to name a few. Many times, students graduating the courses are the first to do so making the achievements at PeH even more impressive.

"We've built the school as far as an institution goes but the big focus now is the pipeline to feed the training environment," said Nichols. "We still have challenges. The coalition or western expectations for development do not necessarily translate to AAF time standards so we're working through that."

With nearly 1,600 students graduating per year, the future, says the staff at PeH is bright, but not without a lot of hard work ahead.

"We have high expectations but can't necessarily force our mentees to follow suit," said Mahar, from Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. "We are working hard to educate the AAF and its members here at PeH. There's a lot of hard work and effort going on here and I'm glad to say I contributed to progress."