Shohna ba shohna

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Steven Goetsch
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. --  On May 25, Air Combat Command hosted Afghan National Army Air Corps Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Dawran, as part of the Combined Air Power Transition Force senior development and mentorship program.

General Dawran toured through some of the U.S. Air Force's major commands with his mentor, Brig. Gen. Michael Boera. In addition to ACC, the generals toured Air Education and Training Command, as well as Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

General Boera thought it would be critical to his counterpart's development to witness how the U.S. Air Force delivers agile Combat Airpower, so a natural stopover point was visiting the home of Combat Air Force, ACC Headquarters, at Langley Air Force Base, Va.

"It was a phenomenal opportunity to meet with General Fraser, and the great men and women of Air Combat Command," General Boera said.

General Dawran was also impressed with the commitment he received from his ACC partners.
 
"The generals I had open discussions with, the problems we discussed about everything, I realized they are helping Afghanistan with an open hand," explained the general.

ACC has been a big supporter of operations since the first days of Operation Enduring Freedom in September 2001. The CAF has a large footprint in the area of operations with three Close-air support fighter squadrons, personnel recovery platforms and Remotely Piloted Aircraft systems. In addition to the air assets, the United States Air Force has 3,600 personnel in support roles. Some of these personnel are the ones that will be going downrange to assist General Dawran and the Airmen of Afghanistan to become a professional, independent fighting force.

General Boera believes mentoring can be just as important as combat operations. "We have the Airmen of Air Combat Command that are involved with building partnership capacity which is probably more important than the kinetic fight," the general said.

"It's an enduring mission, so what we do today could have lasting impact for decades, if not forever in Afghanistan."

Building partnerships takes a lot of time and patience. Because of the previous 30 years of war and the lack of resources, the rebuilding of the ANAAC will take some time. The current CAPTF plan extends out to 2016.

"Time will tell, but unfortunately building partnership capacity takes a lot of patience," General Boera said. "It's one thing Western forces are usually short of."

General Dawran acknowledges and appreciates the partnership that has been built between his country and the coalition.
 
"This was the biggest hope that was coming from the generals," said General Dawran. That they will sustain my country for a long time, the brotherhood, the leadership."

One of the challenges of growing an independent air force is finding enough qualified NCOs and SNCOs. That is why one stop on the general's tour of the United States was the Air Force SNCO Academy. With a lot of these academy graduates eventually filling training or operational billets in Afghanistan, General Dawran had some advice for Airmen deploying to assist the ANSF.

"My best advice for the young generation who will be coming to Afghanistan to support the security mission in my country," General Dawran explained, is they should understand and learn our culture, and our society."

General Boera echoed that understanding those whom you are working with pays big dividends in partnership building.
 
"He, [General Dawran] will say it is better to know some of the Afghan culture than actually having to learn the language," the general said.

But General Boera added you don't have to learn Dari or Pashto, the two predominant languages spoken in Afghanistan. You just need to be friendly and make an effort and you will be accepted and appreciated.

"Although learning a language helps, a little 'assalamu alaykom,' [hello], or 'tash hakur' [your're welcome], goes a long way."

Just like the slogan atop the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Training Mission Website, General Boera believes the cooperative partnerships and hard work will meet the current and future needs of Afghanistan.
 
"Shohna ba shohna [shoulder to shoulder] with General Dawran and his air corps, we believe we can build an Afghan Air Force that will be second to none in their history."