Capitol Hill
18 June 2008
U.S. lawmakers have sharply questioned key officials about a new reportthat is critical of U.S efforts to develop an effective national policeforce in Afghanistan. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, theDefense Department is disputing the report's findings.
Thereport by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigativearm of Congress, paints a negative picture of what has beenaccomplished in building a new police force for Afghanistan.
Whilesome progress has been made in training and equipping Afghanistan'sarmy and police, the GAO says the United States still lacks detailedplans and cost estimates for completing and sustaining both forces.
Thereport calls for more clearly defined objectives and a spending plan,saying that without a capable and self-sustaining army and police,Afghanistan could again become a safe haven for terrorists.
RepresentativeJohn Tierney, chairman of a House subcommittee on national security andforeign affairs, summarizes some key findings:
"There are 433Afghanistan National Police units," said Congressman Tierney. "Zero arefully capable, three percent are capable with coalition support, fourpercent are only partially capable, 77 percent are not capable at all,and 68 percent are not formed or not reporting."
AssistantSecretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement,Ambassador David T. Johnson, says developing Afghanistan's police hasbeen challenging.
"Afghan capacity is lacking, and we need tolink policing to a viable justice and corrections system," said DavidT. Johnson. "Moreover, in some areas, particularly in the South, arelatively lightly-armed police face heavily-equipped insurgentsresulting in casualty rates three times higher than those of the AfghanNational Army [ANA]."
He puts the figure of Afghan policetrained since 2003 at about 94,000. But while capabilities andprofessionalism have improved, he adds, long-term international supportwill be required, along with reforms in Afghanistan's judicial system.
DeputyAssistant Secretary of Defense for South Asia, Retired Major GeneralBobby Wilkes, says the original goal of a professional,ethnically-balanced police force of 62,000 by the end of 2010 wasrevised last year to 82,000, in consultation with the Afghan governmentand coalition partners.
However, what he calls a resilient insurgency has increased pressure to build an effective police force.
"Policeare the most visible expression of the Afghan populace, of the centralgovernment's writ and strength," said Bobby Wilkes. "The insurgentsrecognize this fact and it is no surprise that they are increasinglytargeting the ANP."
Wilkes says Afghan police progress lagged inpart because the United States did not become significantly involved inpolice training until 2003, with the Pentagon expanding its role onlyin late 2005. Other shortcomings include endemic corruption and aninsufficient number of trainers and mentors.
At the Pentagon, spokesman Bryan Whitman said the Defense Department has what he called a bit of a different perspective.
Noting that the Pentagon's own update on progress in Afghanistan has yet to be issued, he said:
"Withrespect to the Afghan National Security Force Development Program, webelieve that it's well-reasoned, that it is a successful program that'sbuilding on the Afghan government's capacity to respond to theinsurgency, provide stability and implement the rule of law throughoutAfghanistan," said Bryan Whitman.
Congressman Tierney referredduring the hearing to a Pentagon assessment that only six police unitsare partially capable, six capable with coalition support, 296 unitsnot capable, 57 not formed and not reporting, with additionalpessimistic findings for Afghan border police and counter-narcoticsunits.
Bipartisan concern about Afghan police training wasevident in these comments by Republican Christopher Shays and DemocratJim Moran.
SHAYS: "I want to go on record in saying, this istypical of what we did in the bad years in Iraq. We under-estimatedwhat we needed for the police and what we needed for security forces."
MORAN: "We have not made Afghanistan a sufficient priority. We have said that time and again, and yet, it doesn't change."
Wednesday'shearing was attended by some Afghanistan political and governmentleaders, who were invited by lawmakers to provide input on the questionof Afghanistan's police force.