U.S. Plan Widens Role in Training Pakistani Forces

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Icecold:

I don't exactly see a hundred men coming in for conducting combat operations either. Pres. Musharraf mentioned a final FC force of about eighty thousand. Also, aren't some of these goign to be Special Forces trainers interacting with the SSG as well? A hundred trainers does not sound like too many to me for the purposes mentioned.

 

[blain2]

The question is why do they need 100 men to actualy evaluate the performance of the FC? Isnt this odd. I dont know but i do have concerns over this. We dont really see 100 men actually coming for training purpose.

There have only been a few precedents of this nature in the past involving US personnel in Pakistan at these levels. The one that I am intimately aware of is when the USSF came to Pakistan to setup SSG at Cherat. The overall American contingent was at least as big (and beyond that in included families of the US officers and NCOs) and they stayed in Pakistan for a good 2-3 years. In Pakistan, due to security implications, the training by outsiders, including the Americans, has been limited to "Train the trainer" concept and I do not think this will change. When Americans have demonstrated in front of the Pakistanis, its been in the presence of the Pakistani officers.

Always Neutral

Always confuses me. If the the PA is really good as every one states here why should the US train the FC ?

Why can't they train the PA and then the PA can train the FC ?

Regards

As far as PA is concerned, COIN and that too AQ sponsored one is a new phenomena. It is no longer a conventional exercise where Pakistani troops are facing another conventional army. It requires certain expertise and currency (in terms of properly utilizing intelligence etc) that at least in my opinion currently only resides with the US. There are aspects of intelligence gathering and analysis which Pakistan would do well to learn from the US. The same goes with training around Air Assault, public affairs in areas where COIN ops are being carried out.

What you propose is exactly how it will be done. US trainers will train the Pakistani officers, who in turn will train the FC. Keep in mind that all of the officers in the FC are seconded from the Army. The officers teach the senior cadres in the units (JCOs, NCOs and then the training is pushed out to the men). This is how a team of 100 trainers would be able to make an impact on the 80K FC.

Better hardware and the ability to use it effectively is the key.

 

[MastanKhan]

Hi,

Training pakistanis on pakistani soil is a great plus for the FC. First of all a lot more people will be trained in a shorter time period---secondly---if it was upto me, I would have americans of pakistani origins a part of the training team imparting training to the FC. It will expedite the training---there will be better bonding amongst the pak/american trainers and their pakistani counter parts---which would lead to better team play with their american counter parts. It will also overcome some of the language barriers---.

I believe that pak army needs to take this training a step further---the traing should involve the lower ranking troops as well---changing times need newer techniques---first hand training imparted by the americans will be better for the FC.

 

[JK!]

The BBC has reported in the South Asia section that British trainers are also going to be involved.

 

[fatman17]

The BBC has reported in the South Asia section that British trainers are also going to be involved.

hey the more the merrier!

 

[fatman17]

U.S. Military Offers Pakistan Help in Fight Against Al-Qaeda
By Ed Johnson

March 4 (Bloomberg) -- Admiral Michael Mullen, the top U.S. military official, offered Pakistan help in its fight against al-Qaeda as he visited the South Asian nation for the second time in a month.

``We are anxious to assist,'' Mullen, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said yesterday following talks with Pakistani General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. ``You tell us where you need assistance.''

Mullen's message echoes that of Defense Secretary Robert Gates who told reporters in January the U.S. is ready to deploy troops to train Pakistani forces or take part in joint operations against Islamic extremists.

U.S. intelligence agencies are critical of President Pervez Musharraf's counter-terrorism efforts and say Osama bin Laden's network has a haven in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.

Musharraf, who has deployed 100,000 soldiers to the tribal zone since 2003 to fight extremists, rejects allowing U.S. troops onto Pakistani territory.

Mullen said he didn't present Kayani, who is Pakistan's army chief, with a specific plan, the American Forces Press Service reported on the Pentagon's Web site. ``He knows the offer is there.''

Mullen met with Musharraf and other officials when he visited Pakistan in February.

Guerrilla War
The U.S. has pumped $10 billion into Pakistan since Sept. 11, 2001, with the aim of securing the country against al-Qaeda. It says the network is expanding its support to Taliban militants waging a guerrilla war against the Afghan government and is funding and directing the insurgency.

More than 80 percent of suicide bombers who have carried out attacks in Afghanistan received training or shelter in neighboring Pakistan, the United Nations said last year.
A Taliban militant who planned the Jan. 14 attack on a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital, Kabul, is in Pakistan, Afghanistan's intelligence chief told reporters yesterday, Agence France-Presse reported.

``We have given his number and latest calls to Pakistani authorities and we hope they act on them,'' AFP cited Amrullah Saleh, chief of the National Directorate of Security, as saying, without identifying the militant. ``So far we have not heard from them.''
Afghan authorities have arrested four men in connection with the attack on the Serena Hotel, which killed five Afghans and three overseas nationals, AFP said.

Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed in December to share intelligence to help fight terrorism in their countries. They have criticized each other for not doing enough to secure their 2,430-kilometer (1,510 mile) border.

 

[blain2]

Hi,
I believe that pak army needs to take this training a step further---the traing should involve the lower ranking troops as well---changing times need newer techniques---first hand training imparted by the americans will be better for the FC.

Usually language is an obstacle thus the officers impart the training to other ranks.

 

[MastanKhan]

Hi Blain,

I understand that language is an issue---but if a go between---a translator is used and the troops have first hand one on group training sessions with the trainers, there is nothing better than that.

An important item is the sincerity and genuineness of the trainer---regardless of the language barrier---you cannot hide the feelings and intensity of knowledge imparted---the emotion and the physical being of the trainer---it crosses over the language barrier and still is very very effective---troops then have the oppurtunity to remember the face of the trainer from whence the intstructions came from---at later stages, you will find out that people who perform better had a better mental and visual connection with the trainer---regardless of the race color or creed of the trainer, they found something in the trainer that caught their attention, something in the body language, something in the way he was addressing the people, his physical strength or whatever---a contact was established---and this contact stays with the listener for a lon long time.

I personally believe that the u s has enough trainers who can speak urdu or pushto.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Reading, speaking and talking Urdu or Pushto should be no problem.

There are enough of Pakistani and Afghan immigrants in the US to take on the task.

There are many Pakistanis and Afghans in the US, who are not enamoured by the activities of the Taliban or with the Taliban for their bringing the lands of their origin to this unfortunate and sad state.

The most extraordinary development in Islam is that Turkey is so fed up with this chaos that the AQ and Taliban has havoced that they are reinterpreting the Hadith! Just imagine, how the activities of the AQ and the Taliban is driving the average Moslem up the wall!
BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts

 

[blain2]

Reading, speaking and talking Urdu or Pushto should be no problem.

There are enough of Pakistani and Afghan immigrants in the US to take on the task.

There are many Pakistanis and Afghans in the US, who are not enamoured by the activities of the Taliban or with the Taliban for their bringing the lands of their origin to this unfortunate and sad state.

Anything is possible however I doubt Pakistani authorities would allow any Afghan origin individuals to be involved in this. There are USSF operatives who speak Pashtu and there are considerable number of Americans of Pakistani origin who could assist if the need arises. However I do not think that with so many English speaking officers in the Pakistani Army and FC, there would be a need for translators/interpretors to be brought along.

I personally believe that the u s has enough trainers who can speak urdu or pushto.

Mastan,

If the past is to be taken as a precedence, PA does not allow interaction of troops with outsiders without appropriate involvement of our own officers. This has been the norm for decades. Even in the case of COIN training which is on offer, the Army believes that the training to be imparted should go through its own officers. I for one totally agree and support this policy. Our officers are competent and capable enough to deliver the training to their own troops. Pakistan is not in the same situation as Iraq and Afghanistan where the Army became a non-entity and as such the outsiders had to impart even the basic training directly to all ranks.

I would venture a guess that the Pakistan Army would actually want the US to setup some sort of a school (build out the COIN curriculum) where the Pakistani officers would first take the training/experience from the US/UK and then actually convert it to an actual course (as has been done in many other cases). This is the only way for the Army to grow and allow future officers and troops to be imparted training in COIN.

This is not beyond the capabilities of the Pakistan Army.

 

[asaad-ul-islam]

i don't feel comfortable with a largely pashtun dominated Frontier Corps consisting of about 80,000 troops. Especially right now, with the ANP stuff and all, just my opinion. I've always been wary of the separatist movements on our western borders.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Blain:

Is there any move towards or consideration of moving to a separate dedicated officer corps for the FC?

The indications are that the FC is going to be the primary COIN force, given its demographic makeup, and Musharraf mentioned almost completely pulling the Army out as the FC capacity building gathers steam. From what I have read, officers from within the Army do not exactly view being seconded to the FC as a great career move. If that is true, wouldn't the FC be better served by having officers that know they will be serving their days out with it, and be better acquainted with the FC, its role, mission, training and goals - rather than vacillating between COIN duties when seconded to the FC, and whatever capacity they function in when with the Army?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

i don't feel comfortable with a largely pashtun dominated Frontier Corps consisting of about 80,000 troops. Especially right now, with the ANP stuff and all, just my opinion. I've always been wary of the separatist movements on our western borders.

The ANP manifesto makes a strong statement of working within a Pakistani federation. Their demand, and rightly so, is for more provincial autonomy - which hopefully will be implemented given the public positions of almost every political party that manged any seats in the election.

 

[asaad-ul-islam]

i'm not saying anything against the ANP or anything like that, it's just that I fear these political parties, including PPP, for taking things a little too extreme. I remember PPP has been criticized for their sindh agenda before.

 

[asaad-ul-islam]

im also taking into account how some separatist movements have mysteriously popped up or gained strength around this time period.