RTF and Afghan National Army and National Police

Government sources

ANA Engineer training, Op Slipper Images, Department of Defence, 4 October 2007.

Images and video.

“The RTF conducts the only Afghan National Army (ANA) Engineer training in all of Afghanistan. The four week course is ran by soldiers from the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment. They instruct the ANA in basic soldier skills, combat engineering and construction techniques. The training has enabled the ANA soldiers to successfully integrate into the RTF's operations in Oruzgan Province."

Reconstruction Task Force, Operation Slipper, Department of Defence [10 May 2007]:

"The Reconstruction Task Force (RTF) is Australia's contribution to the Netherlands-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan's Oruzgan Province. The RTF consists of around 380 personnel providing command, security, engineering and operational support capabilities. The RTF has a clearly defined role to work on reconstruction and improvement of provincial infrastructure (schools, hospitals, bridges, etc) and community-based projects to assist the Afghan Government achieve a stable and secure future for its people. The RTF also provides trade training to the local population and military engineering training to the Afghan National Army. This type of assistance is designed to benefit the people of Oruzgan Province well into the future and form the building blocks of a stable and prosperous community. The RTF is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Harry Jarvie, from the Brisbane-based 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment."

Marksmanship training for the Afghan National Army, Op Slipper Images, Department of Defence, 6 May 2007

"The RTF conducts training courses for the Afghan National Army Engineers as part of a coordinated effort to develop indigenous capacity. These courses include a mixture of structured and on the job training, encouraging further local support for RTF operations."

Parliamentary sources

Topic: Afghanistan (Oruzgan) Governance, Answers to questions on notice from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Additional estimates 2006-2007; February 2007, Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

"Senator Evans asked:
In response to a Question on Notice (No.4969) the Government stated that there are no specific training targets for Afghan police and army and police in Oruzgan province.

(a)  What is the Government ís long term plan for Australia's commitment to Oruzgan and what specific benchmarks is it using to gauge its success?

(b)  What governance measures is Australia undertaking in Oruzgan to build the capacity of the local Government and justice systems?

Answer

"(a)  The specific benchmarks Australia and the international community use to gauge the success its commitment in Afghanistan are set out in the Afghanistan Compact, agreed to at the London Conference of January 2006.

"(b)  Australia is primarily involved in Oruzgan through our Reconstruction Task Force (RTF). The RTF is contributing to capacity building at the local level in areas related to small-scale reconstruction activities in Oruzgan. To this end, a trades training school has been established by the RTF which is, for example, providing training in carpentry. In 2007, AusAID disbursed $1m through the World Bank Trust Fund to the National Solidarity Program, a local governance program which to date has supported communities to manage around 7,000 reconstruction development projects in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan. More
broadly, Italy is leading the international community ís efforts to improve the capacity of the justice sector in Afghanistan."

 

Project coordinator: Richard Tanter
Additional research: Arabella Imhoff
8 September 2008