Actions Needed to Improve the Reliability of Afghan Security Force Assessments
Abstract
The development of self-sufficient Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) capable of independently providing internal and external security for Afghanistan is a key goal of the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan. For the last 5 years, the Capability Milestone (CM) rating system has been the primary metric for measuring the development of ANSF capabilities against end-state goals. In late 2009, responsibility for the management of ANSF capability assessments moved from NTM-A/CSTC-A to IJC. This review-the first independent evaluation of the CM rating system since its creation in 2005-assesses (1) the reliability of the Capability Milestone rating system; (2) summary reports provided to decision-makers; (3) challenges to U.S. and Coalition assessment efforts; and (4) systemic ANSF deficiencies that have undermined efforts to develop unit-level capabilities. To accomplish these objectives, we conducted interviews with responsible U.S., Coalition, and Afghan officials; reviewed ANSF assessment documents from IJC and NTM-A/CSTC-A; and visited 18 Afghan army and police units. We conducted our work in Washington, D.C., and Afghanistan from October 2009 to May 2010 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 29, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA535176
Entities
Organizations
- Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction