Kirtland officer trained Afghans

  • Published
  • By Stefan Bocchino
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base --  Maj. Andrew Green recently returned from more than a year in Afghanistan, where he was the senior NATO advisor to the Afghan Ministry of Interior, Directorate of Logistics.

Green, Chief of the Inspections Division, Operations Verification Directorate, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, went to combat skills training Feb. 28, 2010, before deploying to Afghanistan and then returned in May 2011.

Green was part of a NATO team that helped transform the national logistics infrastructure for the Afghan National Security Forces, part of the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command- Afghanistan.

"We were stationed at Camp Eggers, in Kabul," said Green. "Since we ran national logistics, it took us out to the entire country. Each region had its own national logistics center that supplied all the Afghan national police units in their area."

In a memorandum written by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. William Caldwell IV, NTMA/CSTC-A commander where he wants to accelerate the process of growing the Afghan National Security Forces to increase their quality and build the foundation for their professionalism.

His vision was to train Afghan trainers and instructors, accelerate leader development, build literacy and vocational skills within the ANSF, establishing an ethos of stewardship among the members of ANSF and developing enduring institutions, systems and enablers. Green was part of the team responsible for putting the vision to practical use.

"Within an hour of arriving I was in a meeting with an Afghan police commander," said Green. "I got there on a Thursday and on Saturday we were deploying with an Afghan National Civil Order Police unit to Kandahar. We had to ensure that this unit was properly equipped with all their clothing, weapons, vehicles and ammunition.

Within the first three days, it was a full sprint to make sure that those guys were taken care of."

One duty Green had was conducting shuras (consultation) with local leaders.

"We'd sit down to find out how we were doing and what we could do to help them more," said Green. "We'd also go outside the wire six days a week to various units. There we'd advise them and help them set up processes. This role would take us throughout the country where we'd show them how to properly establish processes, procedures, checks and balances and accounting for supplies."

Another duty was to establish logistic processes including the accountability of assets.

"The biggest part of what we were doing during the last push was the accountability piece," said Green. "We established a computer-based program that would track the serial numbers of vehicle and weapons assets, because everything had to be accounted for. Until that point, we did not have a good accountability process."

Green said they also ensured that equipment was sent to units that needed them. With a backlog of 9,000 vehicles around Kabul, they had to determine where the vehicles were, what units needed the vehicles, and get them distributed. His unit completed that task within four months.

His unit helped train Afghan logisticians in setting up campaign plans. By the time they were done, the Afghan logisticians had completed an entire campaign plan that was Afghan-centric for logistics.

Another part of their mission was setting up training centers, he said.

"In conjunction with our NATO allies, throughout the entire country, training sites were being built," said Green. "The civil engineers built the sites and we built the infrastructure of the schools. There were four walls and then we put everything in there to get all the police officers trained."

While working 12 hours a day, the unit also found time for other projects, said Green. "Through casual conversation with one of the Afghan leaders, we found a local school that needed some help," said Green. "We'd visit the school and raise donations for it. We also had people from home send us school supplies, and found a local contractor and some contracting money to help refurbish the entire school. The school serviced all girls and ran in three shifts, because the need for schools is so big."

Green has made multiple deployments to Southwest Asia in his 19 years of Air Force service. During this latest tour, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, an Army Achievement Medal and a NATO Medal, as well as a letter of appreciation from the Afghan Ministry of Interior.

"This deployment was the most satisfying, the most gratifying deployment I've been on," said Green. "To have the ability to work with our NATO allies from different countries, Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine personnel, and having us all come together. "