Sustainment
Functional SFA in Afghanistan


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Afghan War News > SFA > Functional SFA > Sustainment


Sustainment

Sustainment is one of the five functional areas in the new (circa 2013) ISAF model of "functional SFA". Sustainment of the ANSF in relation to "functionally-based Security Force Assistance" covers a multitude of areas, fields, and topics. What immediately comes to mind are the systems for logistics, maintenance, and personnel. Of course, sustainment covers many more areas in addition to those areas mentioned above.

Class IX Repair Parts for Vehicles. One of the biggest logistical problems is the Class IX repair parts distribution for vehicles. This system is quite simply "broke". Read a recent news report on part of the problem in "SIGAR: Accounting on spare parts for Afghan army flawed", Stars and Stripes, October 16, 2013 at this link. You can view the report online; see endnote 1.

Can the ANSF Recover from the 2013 and 2014 Fighting Season? The ANSF took some heavy losses during the 2013 and 2014 fighting seasons. Both the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Ministry of Defense (MoD) stopped releasing casualty figures about halfway through the 2013 fighting season (April - October). Outside observers estimate that the personnel losses from both the ANA and ANP were double from the previous fighting season. The personnel losses are only part of the problem. Many of the vehicles - especially armored vehicles were destroyed; rendering some Afghan kandaks unable to mount patrols. It was questionable whether the ANA could repair the vehicles in time for the 2014 fighting season - especially in light of U.S. forces reducing its presence significantly. 2.

Process Maps. Logistic and maintenance advisors heading to Afghanistan will benefit from reading sections of the ISAF SFA Guide 2.0 that deal with sustainment and logistics; specifically the annex containing the process maps for ANSF sustainment, logistics, and maintenance. Learn more about ANSF Process Maps here.


Publications and References about Sustainment of the ANSF

June 2008. United States Plan for Sustaining the Afghanistan National Security Forces, DoD report to Congress in accordance with the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (Section 1231, Public Law 110-181).
http://www.defense.gov/pubs/US_plan_for_sustaining_the_ANSF_1231.pdf


Reports on Sustainment of the ANSF

March 1, 2014. "Logistics, Sustainment Challenge Afghan Army". Defense News.

October 8, 2013. "Can the Afghan Army Become Self-Sufficient by 2015?" Defense News Blog. Article questions the ability of the ANA to maintain its many vehicles.

October 5, 2013. "Afghan-led working group tackles ANA wheeled vehicle questions". NTM-A Public Affairs. MoD senior leaders met at Camp Eggers to analyze how the ANA keeps its wheeled vehicle fleet up and running.

July 30, 2013. "DoD Making Plans to Possibly Stay in Afghanistan after 2014". Defense News. Article highlights the huge attrition rate of the Afghan Army and how it affects abilit to conduct operations.

May 3, 2012. "Army procurement switch puts boot into Afghan dream". Reuters.


View an online video about
Functionally-based Security Force Assistance

http://youtu.be/DfwHQiKyxVs

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Endnotes

1. SIGAR 14-3 Audit Report entitled Afghan National Army: Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan Lacks Key Information on Inventory in Stock and Requirements for Vehicle Spare Parts, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, October 2013 can be viewed here.
www.sigar.mil/pdf/audits/SIGAR_Audit_14-3.pdf

2. For more on the problems the ANA has on the inability to repair or replace battle-damaged vehicles see "In Afghanistan, army struggles to wage war with damaged equipment, poor logistics", The Washington Post, October 18, 2013. Read the story here.


 


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