The Leadership Lessons of an Afghan Colonel

Filed under DoD News by on September 13, 2011 at 9:08 am {2 comments}

 

Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV., United States Army, Commander of NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan.

Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell, IV., United States Army, Commander of NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan.

For the past 22 months, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan has been charged with developing the Afghan Army, Air Force, and Police. Since day one, developing Afghan leaders has been the command’s number one priority to ensure NATO can transition geographic and institutional lead to Afghanistan. We know in our militaries that good leaders make the most of the resources they are given. Good leaders understand their soldiers’ needs and help them solve problems. And good leaders inspire their forces to excel. The same is true in Afghanistan.

However, when NTM-A was stood up in November 2009, there was a significant leader deficit. Much progress has been made training and educating Afghan military and police personnel; over the past two years officers and non-commissioned officers in the police grew from 42,500 to 61,850. Now that the schools are in place, the police leader ranks will grow to 83,400 over the next year. The same is true in their army; over the past two years officers and non-commissioned officers grew from 40,900 to 66,800 and will grow to 86,500. Training and education are essential, but leaders develop over time through experience.

In spite of the overall deficit of leaders, there are some good leaders within the Afghan security forces. During a recent visit to training sites in eastern Laghman Province, I was struck by one Afghan Colonel in particular. Talking with him, I was intrigued by his leadership philosophy and distilled his comments to three lessons that are as relevant in the Afghan military as any military in our Coalition.

Lesson 1: Lead by example, no matter how menial the task. Culturally, Afghan officers tend to rely on enlisted to perform physical labors, but Colonel Mir learned the importance of rolling up his sleeves when necessary from his previous coalition advisor. He recounted the story of a US Army officer who worked single-handedly to unload equipment from a shipping container. As the colonel and his men curiously watched this officer tirelessly move heavy equipment and boxes, the Afghan leader noticed the advisor’s hands were bleeding. Colonel Mir was so impressed by the willingness of an officer to work until his hands were bloodied that it inspired him and his men to join the US officer in the work. The Afghan colonel said “when we saw that this man was willing to do this kind of work and bleed for our country, we learned a very valuable lesson.” It was a lesson in leadership by example reinforced by sweat and blood.

(more…)

Leaving College to Pick Up the Fight

Filed under 9/11, DoD News by on September 7, 2011 at 10:37 am {2 comments}

1st Lt. John McJunkin, the Regional Command Southwest Operation and Maintenance Marine Corps Budget Officer at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan, September 2, 2011. Photo by Cpl. Katherine Keleher, USMC (Released).

Story by Cpl. Katherine Keleher  , II MEF (FWD) . Originally appeared on Marines.mil.

 

 Many Americans remember where they were when they heard the news on September 11, 2001. They remember watching the planes crash into the World Trade Center towers and listening to the news about the plane crash at the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 crashing into a field in Shanksville, Pa. Some felt sorrow, anger or fear. Others felt a call to serve. First Lt. John McJunkin was one of the latter.McJunkin, a native of Houston, was sleeping in his dormitory room, at Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas, that Tuesday morning before class. His door flew open and his roommate yelled at him to wake up, that America was under attack.The two made their way to the building’s common area, where the second plane flying into the south tower was replaying on a big-screen TV.“We didn’t know exactly what was happening, but the biggest thing that was going through my head once we found out that Osama Bin Ladin and Al Qaeda were taking claim for it was ‘Why?,’” he explained nearly 10 years after the tragic day.

On October 7, 2001, President George W. Bush announced America was going to war.

“He said that we were going to war and that it was a holy war,” McJunkin reflected. “That was when I said ‘okay, I’m going to pick up arms. I’m going to protect our freedom of religion that is provided in America. I’m not going to allow extremism through Islamic jihad to grow and affect our way of life. It’s just not going to happen on my watch.’”

McJunkin left college and landed himself on the yellow footprints of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, July 29, 2002.

Read more here.

—

The Department of Defense is honoring the actions of dedication, valor, strength, service and resilience demonstrated by the American people and the Armed Forces throughout the last ten years after September 11th, 2001.

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: ANSF Oversight Programs

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on September 6, 2011 at 1:15 pm {no comments}

Maj. Gen. Peter N. Fuller, Deputy Commander for Programs, NTM-A

On Sept. 7, DoDLive hosted a Bloggers Roundtable with Maj. Gen. Peter N. Fuller, Deputy Commander for Programs, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan.

Maj. Gen. Fuller discussed the processes used at NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan that provide stewardship and accountability for contracts, funding, equipment, and infrastructure provided to the Afghan National Security Forces.

Maj. Gen. Fuller has oversight for the following programs: $11B worth of infrastructure building projects, facilities maintenance contracts, vehicles, aircraft, weapons, and ammunition, medical equipment, drugs, and consumables. He also manages Afghan First: a program dedicated to promoting Afghan industry and creating an economic base for the future growth of Afghanistan as well as Afghan Women Owned Business: a program promoting the employment and fair treatment of women.

Maj. Gen. Fuller has recently started blogging on DoDLive.mil and the NTM-A website.

Joining us on the call were Dale Kissinger, of Military Avenue; Anand Choudhuri, of Registan.net; Gale Harris, of Foreign Policy blog; Troy Steward of Bouhammer; Jake Reed of Military.com; and Karen Francis, of Milspouse Mutterings.

Read the transcript and listen to the audio from the roundtable.

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Challenges of Building the Afghan National Army

Filed under Bloggers Roundtable by on September 6, 2011 at 8:30 am {one comment}

Maj. Gen. D. Michael Day, Deputy Commander for Army, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan

On Thursday, Sept. 8, at 9:00 a.m. EST, we will host a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable with Maj. Gen. D. Michael Day, Deputy Commander for Army, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Day will discuss the challenges of building the Afghan National Army and how the NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan approaches these challenges with their Afghan Partners.

The discussion will cover: the recruitment process and priorities, female integration, individual and collective training, leadership and instructor development, equipping and fielding the Army, transitioning the leadership and ownership to Afghans and his focus on long-term sustainability.

Maj. Gen. Day wants to provide a snap shot in time of where we stand within the context of the overall mission and timeline.

An Introduction by Maj. Gen. Peter N. Fuller

Filed under DoD News by on August 30, 2011 at 11:02 am {one comment}

Maj. Gen. Peter N. Fuller Deputy Commander for Programs

By Maj. Gen. Peter N. Fuller
Deputy Commander for Programs

It seems fitting to open my blog by introducing myself and the Deputy Commander for Programs team at NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan. I started my Army career as an armor officer then moved into the program management field where I have served for 21 years. Most recently, I served as the Program Executive Officer, Soldier, where I managed the development, testing and fielding of equipment and uniforms for the entire U.S. Army.

In my new position as Deputy Commander for Programs, I am charged with managing seven directorates which handle procurement, contracting, budgeting, infrastructure building, and training, for the entire Afghan National Security Force. We are helping the ANSF build an army of 195,000 soldiers and police force of 157,000 policemen by November of 2012. As you can imagine, this is a fairly daunting task.

To accomplish this task, we are given an extensive budget which this year includes $3B for infrastructure, $3B for equipment, $1B for training, and $3B for sustainment. It is a constant challenge to ensure that every penny of these funds goes toward the betterment of the ANSF. We also face a number of challenges as we mentor the ANSF to improve their ability to provide good stewardship and accountability for the equipment we provide after it is issued.

Our primary goal at Programs is to help the Afghans generate the combat power necessary to secure their nation in the most effective and efficient manner possible. An almost equal priority is ensuring that the US Dollars spent to build that combat power are fully accounted for and effectively used.

HOOAH!

PETER N. FULLER
MG, U.S. Army
Deputy Commander for Programs
NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan
Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan

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