Afghanistan opened its new military academy to their first class of cadets recently. Thought you might enjoy these photos, passed along by a US officer who's there for a few months. The Afghans visited academies in a number of countries before deciding to model theirs on West Point.
Here's the front gate. My correspondent writes, "We had kids walk into the Academy with nothing but the clothes they were wearing and open sandals, (no socks). These are good cadets."
UPDATE: My thanks to Kathy Kinsley for taking time to shrink the file size on these pics!
Whether at West Point or the NMAA, Reception Day always starts with the haircuts ....
Here's the new Academy building:
Cadets waiting to get in for Reception Day:
And the ol' paperwork line - welcome to the Army!!
Cadets introduce themselves. In American history, the USMA played a big role in building a national, rather than state or religious, identity for leaders. I hope the NMAA does the same for their country:
Staff and advisor:
A big HOOAH to the new Afghan Army's future officers and to the officers who have worked very hard for this day.
Wonderful! But I think you need to make those pic file-sizes smaller before your run WoC out of bandwidth...
If you don't know how to do that, mail them to me and I'll cut them down to size for you. You can always link to the larger ones.
Thanks, Kathy. Folks, Kathy kindly took time to reduce the size of these. Kudos!!
I hope you don't mind me using the 'haircut' picture for my desktop. They are so VERY soldierly that I just can't help grinning every time I see them. Utterly charming.
Loved Mudville Gazette's name for the NMAA.... "East Point"!
This is a good step forward for Afghanistan to develop a professional army. Their courage is beyond dispute.
Another vital step, if it hasn't already been accomplished, is to develop NCO training. A professional corps of NCOs is the backbone of all successful militaries. Don't stop at officer training, the Afghanis need top level NCOs, too.
A good point and one I have heard has had strong attention as well.
Looks like an impressive start. Can't wait for Iraq's.
There is no way an Army being modeled and helped along by American Soldiers would forget the professional soldier, or NCO. It would not. Look at the Armies the Americans had a hand in helping, Israel for one. They have a strong NCO Corp as well.
As I was told by an NCO. Officers are the Daddy, they get the money, they tell us what to do. NCOs are the moms, they make sure things get done and done right. They do the work.
Thank you for the coverage of the academy. We worked very hard to make this happen. Not many people gave us much hope that we would pull it off. I feel like singing the Toby Keith song, "How Do You Like Me Now!" We have 109 cadets that have completed basic training and on 22 March we held our grand opening with classes beginning on 23 March. The students will receive a 4 year college education in engineering, political science or foreign language and will commit to the Afghan National Army for 10 years. They will graduate as 2nd lieutenants. We did this in one year.
Again, thanks!
COL James Wilhite, Chief
National Military Academy Implementation Team
NOTE: I am in the picture with the group of 4 or 5 people in the front of a classroom. I am on the extreme right.
I believe that's a picture of Ahmed Shah Massoud in the window of the 4th photo?
Yes, I am truly amazed and fascinated to learn that the Academy has taken only one year to be established and taken off successfully.Kudos to all who were involved in its establishment.
I am a retired Corps of Engineers officer from the Indian Army and am serving in Afghanistan on a Road Construction Project. I would certainly feel it a privelage to visit and see the Cadet's Training at close quarters.
By the way I like the suggestion to call it 'Eastpoint'at least informally. I wish all success to the people of Afghanistan and all the present and future cadets passing out of this prestigious Institute of National Pride.
Deepak Ghura
This army is a fail army.99% are tajik,hazara,and uzbaks.I do not see Kandaharies,the majority population of Afghanistan. I do not see the photos of pushtuns.
This army does not represent the Majority pushtuns.therefore USA is not working to solve afghan problem,but sustain war.
i have just read so many irticles about national army mainly by pashtun.
i think best solution of afghanistan is to divide it according to the population. this may stop more blood sheding in future.
Wouldn't it be better for Afghanis to see themselves as being part of a single country, so that tribal identity (while of course important to everyone) is not the only or even the most important loyalty one has?
The Pashtun issue is an issue in the officer ranks only. I spent most of 2003 embedded with the ANA (I was the first journalist embedded w/ANA) and I can tell you I asked the ethnicity question everywhere I went. In the common army, it is split relative to ethnicity. In officer ranks, however, It is completely unbalanced. In fact, I met one Hazzara who told me a Tajik was sent to France for officer training using the Hazzarra's name. I heard this from an American as well when I was in a totally different place. My conclusion is that the experiment is working, but there MUST be a sustained effort to make the officer ranks more representative.
A great beginning! N.B., I can make an informed judgement as I am a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Class of 1955; Juris Doctor, U of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law 1967; Major, U.S. Army, Ret.; attorney/Muni. Ct. Judge, ret.
A big HOOAHto all those who made this possible. Thank you to all those protecting my freedoms here at home. That goes for all the Afghani cadets too!!
Great pictures! Also see the NMAA's first web page . The NMAA is a great and hopeful place.
In response to the comments about the fail army and 99% being tajik, hazara and uzbaks. Writer did not see Kandaharies nor pushtuns.
I was on the selection of the candidates and the candidates were selected by the break out of percentage of populations and ethnic balance population. Just because you did not see them does not mean they were not there. That was a major issue with the establishment of the academy. Hopefully one day it will be one academy but until then we will continue to operation on the ethnic balance of Afghanistan.
I very much want to see this academy succeed. It is the future of Afghanistan and with support from around the country, regardless of ethnic upbringing, it will succeed.
<< This army is a fail army.99% are tajik,hazara,and uzbaks.I do not see Kandaharies,the majority population of Afghanistan. I do not see the photos of pushtuns.>>
COL James Wilhite, First Chief
NMAA Implementation Team
Greetings-
I just came back from spending a year at the National Military Academy of Afghanistan and I am proud to say that the academy has made great strides in the past several years since the original posting of this article. The acadamy now has over 700 cadets, 400 staff and faculty, six academic majors, dozens of new buildings and a diverse student, staff and professor population of Pashtoons, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks and other ethnicities that reflect the population of all Afghanistan. The academy has quickly become the "crown jewel" of the Afghan National Army and one of the greatest success stories of the entire Global War on Terrorism. The efforts and committments of personnel at West Point, the Army Reserve and our Turkish coalition partners sets the standard on how to build an army by first creating a professional and educated officer corps.
Major Russell J Bonaccorso Jr
Deputy Team Chief, NMAA Implementation Team
2006-2007
Dear colleagues,
Thanks for posting these photographs and comments. I have been teaching at the Royal Military College of Canada since 1999, serving for the last three years as Registrar. I am now returning to civilian life as a professor in the Department of Politics and Economics, and will supervise the academic program for four NMAA cadets expected to arrive at RMC in August this year. I would be very interested in corresponding directly with anyone who has experience with the NMAA and its academic programs. Regrettably, I have no facility with Pashtu or Dari, but would be happy to correspond in English or French.
You can reach me at last-d@rmc.ca.
Best wishes, and I hope to hear from some of you.
David
LCol David Last, PhD
Associate Professor, Politics and War Studies
Royal Military College of Canada
613 328 2720
last-d@rmc.ca
quick question: When would the Afghan females be able to attend NMAA? I understand that we are trying to take baby steps, but West Point allows for females to attend the Academy, and of course there are many strict rules about the campus being co-ed. I think NMAA could model after that and implement some of their own rules to better suit both sexes at the Academy.
To answer Nargis' question. The Afghans are looking at having women around 2011-2012 time frame. I was the original chief of the implementation team in 2004-2005 and have since visited with the commander about that issue. He is waiting for facilities to be built that would be adequate for both sexes. It would not be a good environment where they are now.
For them to have women admitted in that time frame would be seven to eight years after implementation. West Point was established in 1802. one hundred and seventy four years later they admitted women!
It takes time but it will happen.
I hope that answers your question
Two comments: Why there are fewer Pashtun soldiers/cadets
Pashtuns traditionally have been fighters, not soldiers, as compared to the Gurkhas of Nepal, who make good soldiers. This is further true about the Pashtun tribes along the Durand Line, Paktia in Afghanistan and Mahsoud & Wazir across the Line. In Afghan military history, the Army formed a nucleaus and the tribes fought. Take for example, the Third Anglo-Afghan War of 1919. Or, the role of tribesmen from Paktia in the campaign to capture Kabul in 1929. The history of war since 1979 is recent and needs no comments.
Second, why not female cadets in the ANA. The response from Col Wilhite is appropriate. It is fact of the Afghan male minds that they are not ready to see females in higher public and security positions. The problem is not in the American policies, but with the Afghan male thinking. The first crucial step will be to educate the Afghan males so that they can accept Afghan females on the streets, in offices, and in the security forces. Hopefully, time and efforts will change that.
Farooq Babrakzai, PhD
It is good to see many people continuing to follow the sustainment of the National Militar Academy of Afghanistan. It has continued to grow and flourish. I am proud of the afghan leadership and the people of this wonderful country continue to believe in the dream and vision for their country.
For those of you that might be interested, I have written a book about the early beginnings of NMAA. I was the original Team Chief for the Implementation Team in 2004 and 2005. The book has also generated interest in the development of a screen play so it is being well received.
You can see information about the book at the following web site:
http://weansweredthecall.tatepublishing.net
You can email me through that venue and order the book from my publishing company. If you would like a personalized, signed copy you can email me and we can discuss the cost for shipping. The book is $18.99 (US) and is good reading. At least that is what I am being told.
Again, congratulations to the afghan people and their continued work for the betterment of their country.
Inshala, it will happen.