U.S.-Based Training for Afghanistan Security Personnel: Trainees Who Go Absent Without Leave Hurt Readiness and Morale, and May Create Security Risks
Abstract
Since 2001 the United States has sought to promote a stable and prosperous Afghan government that "contributes to the global dialogue on security, respects human rights and the rule of law, possesses the ability to plan, train, and operate with the United States and its allies, and contributes to regional international stability through the training of a professional armed force." A major objective of U.S. reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan is to build the Afghan government's capacity to provide for its own security by equipping and training the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). The ANDSF is mainly comprised of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP). As of July 30, 2017, Congress has appropriated $68.27 billion to the Department of Defense (DOD) to train and equip the ANDSF. The objectives of this review were to (1) determine the extent to which Afghan trainees went AWOL while training in the United States, and why; (2) examine the processes for vetting and selecting Afghans for training in the United States and for investigating their disappearance once they have gone AWOL; and (3) assess any impact that AWOL trainees have on the United States and Afghan training and reconstruction efforts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1139855
Entities
People
- John Sopko
Organizations
- Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction