Afghanistan Security: Afghan Army Growing, but Additional Trainers Needed; Long-term Costs Not Determined

Abstract

Developing capable Afghan National Army (ANA) forces is a key element of the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led coalition effort to counter the insurgency and create sustainable security in Afghanistan. Since 2002, the United States, with assistance from NATO and other coalition nations, has worked to develop the ANA. The Department of Defense (DOD) leads U.S. efforts to train and equip the ANA. U.S. agencies have allocated about $20 billion in support of the ANA since 2002 and have requested $7.5 billion more for fiscal year 2011. GAO examined (1) the extent of progress made and challenges faced in expanding the size of the ANA, (2) the extent of progress made and challenges faced in developing ANA capability, and (3) how much estimated future funding will be needed to sustain and further grow the ANA. GAO reviewed DOD and NATO documents and met with officials in Washington, D.C.; Tampa, FL; Brussels, Belgium; and Kabul, Afghanistan. What GAO Recommends GAO recommends that the Secretary of Defense, in conjunction with international partners, take steps to eliminate the shortage of trainers; clarify what ANA growth beyond the current end goal, if any, is needed; and develop estimates of the future funding needed to further grow and sustain the ANA. DOD concurred with GAO's recommendation regarding trainers. DOD partially concurred with the need to develop growth and cost estimates for the ANA.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA537004

Entities

People

  • Aniruddha Dasgupta
  • Arthur Lord
  • Bruce Kutnick
  • Charles M. Johnson Jr.
  • Cheron Green
  • Cristina Ruggiero-mendoza
  • Cynthia S. Taylor
  • David Dayton
  • Etana Finkler
  • Hynek Kalkus
  • Jacquelyn Williams-bridgers
  • Jonathan Mulcare
  • Joyce Evans
  • Karen Deans
  • Laverne Tharpesk
  • Mark Dowling
  • Martin de Alteriis
  • Mason Calhoun
  • Michael Silver

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army Personnel
  • Attrition
  • Basic Training
  • Combat Forces
  • Combat Operations
  • Combat Support
  • Congress
  • Department Of State
  • Employment
  • House Of Representatives
  • Military Science
  • Military Training
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Security
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.