Written on October 18, 2010 at 3:29 pm by

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Developing the “Backbone” of the Afghan National Army

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Command Sgt. Maj. Ralph R. Beam, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan/ Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of NTM-A/CSTC-A

We recently held a DODLive Bloggers Roundtable with Command Sgt. Maj. Ralph R. Beam, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan on Thursday, Oct. 21.

Beam discussed how Non-commissioned officers (NCO) are the “backbone” of any strong military force and how Afghans along with NATO trainers and advisors are playing a crucial role in the development of NCO’s.

Because of the rapid growth of the Afghan National Army (ANA) it takes dedicated, high-quality NCOs to lead troops. Training such as the ANA sergeants major academy, first sergeants course and team lLeader courses are critical in the development of NCO’s and transitioning Afghanistan to its own security forces.

Listen to the interview.

Read the transcript.

Read the Defense.gov story: “Trainers in Afghanistan Work to Develop NCOs”

Joining us on the call were Dale Kissinger, of Military Avenue; and Anand Choudhuri, of Registan.

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