KABUL - The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford has said that the addition of MD-530 helicopters and A-29 Super Tucano light attack fixed-wing aircraft to Afghan Air Force (AAF) will make a difference as integration of aviation assets into the Afghan combined arms campaign will receive more attention this year.
The U.S. Department of Defense said Gen. Dunford took the advantage to assess the capabilities of the Afghan forces during his visit to Afghanistan as the change of the command was the highlight of his visit to the country.
Gen. Dunford said he was pleased with what he saw and believes integration of lessons learned from operations last year will make the Afghan army and police more effective forces going forward.
Afghan security forces went through tough tests in 2015, Dunford said, adding that the enemy forces tested them in many areas and many ways.
He said some people have characterized actions in Afghanistan over the past year as a stalemate, the chairman said. “I would say there were some successes, some setbacks, but overall the Afghan forces at least proved resilient, they stayed in the fight,” he said. “Now there are some lessons learned from 2015 that can be applied for 2016.”
According to Gen. Dunford one area that will receive a lot more attention in 2016 is integrating aviation assets into the Afghan combined arms campaign. The Afghan air forces now have MD-530 helicopters and A-29 Super Tucano fixed-wing close air support aircraft.
“We will see the difference,” he said. “Right now [we’re] working on getting all the spare parts we need, getting the maintenance, then doing some training that addresses the shortfalls.”
Dunford met with Afghan chief of defense Gen. Qadam Shah, Defense Minister Masoom Stanekzai and President Ashraf Ghani, the Department of Defense said.
Gen. Dunford said all spoke of the things that will be done in 2016 to set the conditions for success in the current campaign plan. (KP)