Transition in Afghanistan through an Enduring Afghan National Security Force

At the time NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan stood up in November 2009, security training programs were disparate and there were no plans to transition security lead to the Afghan National Security Force by 2014. Instead, the focus was simply on reversing the negative growth trends and producing soldiers and police to meet a quantitative goal for counterinsurgency operations. Quality and quantity were then seen as two mutually exclusive principles – you could either produce a small, professional force or a large force with limited training, but not both. However, given the size of Afghanistan and the necessity of the Army and Police to provide security and stability, quality could not be compromised for the sake of growth. Consequently, NATO Training Mission ‑Afghanistan embarked on a deliberate process to produce a professional force that is self ‑sustaining and enduring. Progress over the past two years has required significant investment from the United States, NATO and other coalition countries. Through partnership, the Afghan security forces are on a path to assume security lead from NATO.