VZCZCXRO3803
PP RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #0193/01 0210804
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 210804Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5576
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUMICEA/JICCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFIUU/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC 0300
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3548
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3410
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 6681
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 2019

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000193 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/FO (DAS GASTRIGHT), SCA/A, S/CRS, SCA/PB, S/CT, 
EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/CDHA/DG 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN 
OSD FOR KIMMITT 
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: MARR PGOV PTER AF
SUBJECT: ANA NCO DEVELOPMENT:  STRONG LEADERSHIP AND UNIT PRIDE 
 
¶1. In 2002, the Afghan National Army (ANA) did not have a 
Noncommissioned Officers Corps or any tradition of professional 
NCOs.  This year there are over 8,000 NCOs, including 311 Sergeant 
Majors, who have begun to perform  their role as the backbone of the 
ANA.  Under the leadership of Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) 
Roshan, standards are high and unit pride is growing. 
 
¶2. In a January 11 meeting, SMA Roshan told polmiloff that the 
situation of the army had been like that of someone with a headache. 
 You don't realize that you are sick until the headache has gone 
away.  Without a strong NCO corps the ANA was only half the army it 
should have been.  Roshan, who is an International Student Honors 
Graduate of the U.S. Army Sergeant Major's Academy, has played a key 
role in this transformation.  Working with his CSTC-A mentor, SGM 
Gills, he has instituted the following changes to develop unit 
cohesiveness and morale: 
 
-  There is now army-wide recognition, including among senior 
officers, of the increased authority and upward mobility of NCOs. 
-  Counseling sessions have been regularized that provide feedback 
to soldiers, both positive and negative. 
-  A command safety program, anti-drug program, morale and welfare 
program, and awards and promotion ceremony procedures have all been 
introduced and taught at the Corps Command Sergeant Majors (CSM) 
conference. 
-  Promotion and reenlistment ceremonies have instituted. 
-  An Inspector General hotline is being set up through which 
soldiers can register complaints regarding fraud, waste, unfairness, 
and other abuses. 
-  NCO of the Year competition had taken place for 205th Corps and 
is soon to be expanded to the other Corps. 
-  NCO insignia are being distributed.  All Corps have identifying 
patches.  Unit and individual indicators are being developed. 
-  A Corps CSM conference has been held, to which all brigade CSMs 
were invited. 
-  ANA uniform regulations have been printed and distributed. 
-  Morale and Welfare programs have been designed, to include 
history and culture of Afghanistan, English, and computer skills. 
MWR office space has been identified. 
-  Awards regulations are being drafted to cover awards, medals, 
battle streamers, and flags. 
 
¶3. SMA Roshan stressed that the ANA must move beyond old concepts of 
ethnic affiliation.  Ethnicity, he said, is like "expired medicine." 
 It is no longer the right approach for Afghanistan.  ANA soldiers 
are taught that the corps is their tribe, the battalion their 
subtribe.  Patches and insignias are particularly useful in building 
this unit identification. 
 
¶4. SMA Roshan and SGM Gills report that both the Afghan Soldier's 
Creed and Noncommissioned Officer's Creed have begun to take hold in 
the ANA.  Soldiers have memorized the Soldiers Creed and recite it 
with pride at public ceremonies.  While modeled on the U.S. Army 
Creeds, they are written by Afghans and reflect the cultural needs 
and sensitivities of Afghanistan.   The NCO Creed is as follows: 
 
"No one is more professional than I.  I am an Afghan Noncommissioned 
Officer.  I lead soldiers.  I am professional and highly 
experienced.  I fight to stop corruption wherever I face it.  I am 
an example of discipline and high morals.  I ensure the discipline 
of my soldiers.  I prefer the interests of my country and my 
soldiers over my own personal interests.  I ensure that my soldiers 
are well trained and prepared to fight courageously.  I work hard so 
the officers over me can accomplish their missions.  I obey those 
above me and work on gaining their trust.  I will never compromise 
my integrity and honesty.  I will never forget nor will I allow my 
brothers and colleagues to forget - that we are professional 
Noncommissioned Officers.  I will always be loyal to my country, to 
the people of Afghanistan, and to the army of Afghanistan.  I am an 
 
KABUL 00000193  002 OF 002 
 
 
Afghan Noncommissioned Officer. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶5. Building the Afghan National Security Forces in the middle of an 
insurgency in a country torn apart by two decades of war has been 
and remains a daunting challenge.  Along the way one can sometimes 
overlook the very real positive changes that are quietly taking 
place.  Within the ANA, an NCO Corps is being created that holds 
greater responsibility than is the case in most countries whose 
armies are derived from the Soviet model.  The professionalism of 
NCO leaders like SMA Roshan is a clear sign that - at least in terms 
of trained personnel - the ANA is developing the capacity to become 
a self-sufficient, capable, and disciplined military force. 
 
NEUMANN