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041 _a124
043 _aa-af---
050 0 0 _aPamphlet UA853.
_bA3.
_cG587 2014
100 1 0 _aGiustozzi, Antonio.
245 1 4 _aThe afghan national army :
_bsustainability challenges beyond financial aspects /
_cAntonio Giustozzi with peter Quentin ; editing Patricia Gossman ; layout Ahmad Sear Alamyar.
260 _aKabul, Afghanistan :
_bAfghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU),
_c©2014.
300 _aviii, 55 pages :
_bcolor illustrations ;
_c28 cm.
490 0 _a(Issues paper)
500 _aCover title. “February 2014”.
500 _aAbstract: In this report, the authors provide an assessment of the Afghan National Army's organizational resilience and maturity in measuring the likelihoods of its sustainability beyond 2014. The ANA is commonly viewed as one of the post-2001 Afghanistan's strongest institutions, if not the strongest. However, with the imminent withdrawal of international forces, the ANA's ability to stand on its own and successfully confront its enemies faces its first major test. This study shows that crucial weaknesses and flaws continue to undermine the ANA's readiness; these could derail its efforts to contain or defeat the ongoing insurgency. The debate on sustainability of the Afghan armed forces has focused mainly on financial concerns. This paper however, strives to go beyond financial aspects. Although the ANA and Afghan political leadership have some reason to complain about the under-equipping of the ANA, by 2013 it was clear that there was little that could be done about that in the short term. Instead, the ANA would do better to make the best use of what it has and manage it as efficiently as it can in 2015, in order to gain sufficient credibility to persuade external donors to keep investing in it. For the same reason the ANA needs a realistic deployment plan, in order to avoid exposing its greatest weaknesses, including logistics. To speed up the development of components such as logistics and administration, the ANA should devise incentives to attract more high school graduates. Overall, of major challenges that ANA faces in the near future, some are the result of long-term neglect and cannot be quickly rectified. Others, however, are the result of political interference and patronage network building, which could be addressed if there was the political will to do so.
504 _6“Includes bibliography”—(pages 45-53).
505 _aContents: Acknowledgments—Executive summary—1. Introduction—2. The evolution and impact of attrition rates—3. Dependence on mentors—4. The ability to provide sufficient levels of combat support—5. The autonomous logistical capability—6. The extent of political interference and its disruptive effects—7. Conclusion—Bibliography—Graphs—Tables—Maps—Pictures.
546 _a124
650 0 _aNational security
_z Afghanistan.
650 0 _aInternal security
_z Afghanistan.
650 0 _aArmed Forces
_x Stability operations.
650 0 _aMilitary assistance, American
_z Afghanistan.
651 0 _aAfghanistan.
_xAfghan National Army.
651 0 _aAfghanistan.
_xAfghan National Army
_x Operational readiness
_v Evaluation.
651 0 _aAfghanistan
_x Armed Forces
_x Political aspects.
651 0 _aAfghanistan
_x Armed Forces
_x Logistics.
651 0 _aAfghanistan
_x Armed Forces
_x Personnel management.
942 _2lcc
_cMON
_kPamphlet UA853.A3.G587 2014
999 _c28938
_d28938