National Military Academy of Afghanistan

France and Greece currently run the ANA Armor School. They are primarily responsible for mentoring the mechanized brigade of the ANA, namely the 3rd Brigade of the 201st Corps stationed in Jalalabad and the 3rd Brigade of the 111th Capital Division stationed in Kabul. 3 - 111 Brigades is highly rated by ISAF forces.[3][4][5] The ANAs mechanised units have limited stocks of vehicles. In 2005, they received 10 M113A2s.[6] They also have limited stocks of older Russian armor including T-55 and T-62 main battle tanks.[7] In 2009, it was reported that the 3rd Brigade of the 201st Corps was being operated as infantry due to a lack of maintenance capability for its heavy equipment.[8] The 207th Corps also operates a mechanised Brigade, though its stock of equipment and abilities are unknown.[9] As of 2011, the NATO training mission in Afghanistan is reporting continuing fielding of M113s to the ANA.[10]

As of April 2012 the French Army is reporting success in completing training of two brigades for the ANA's Rapid Reaction Forces. [11]

An artilleryman from the Afghan National Army's 205th Corps fires a round from a D-30 artillery piece during an indirect fire support mission, Sept. 9, 2007. For the past 10 months, U.S. embedded mentors have been helping train Afghans on Forward Operating Base Wolverine in Zabul province.

Opened in October 2010, the Artillery School as of 2011 was still rated as requiring ISAF oversight in training and support. The cadets undertake training using the 122mm D30 Howitzer due to their simplicity and the fact that some were left behind by the Soviet Ground Forces. The D-30 has an effective range of 15.4 km.

The Artillery School will offer nine different courses for ANA soldiers in the ranks of E-1 through O-4. Courses include the artillery captains career course, the artillery basic officer course, three basic courses, three squad leader courses, and a platoon sergeant course. Course instruction is broken down into three key disciplines: fire direction, fire support and guns. Additionally, students will receive instruction on artillery tactics, command leadership and management, gun-mounted vehicle movement in battery formation, radio procedures, map reading and navigation. Each cadet also receives literacy and numeracy training of approximately 68 hours. [12]

In April 2011, the school graduated its first class of 55 students from their 11-week basic artillery course. They then entered a further nine weeks training at the Consolidated Fielding Centre prior to joining combat units.[13] At any one time the school typically has 440 students undertaking one of its 9 courses. the aim is to provide artillery training to 2100 officers and soldiers within 12 months, which translates to approximately 23 artillery batteries for the ANA.[14] In modern armies, an artillery battery typically has 6 - 8 howitzers commanded by a Captain or Major.

The Artillery School is partnered with the U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. As the cadets are sent to the field the training mission will convert to one of maintaining readiness and improving on skills.[15] While some D-30 Howitzers were left in the country by the Soviet Army, the exact number in ANA possession is unknown. From August to December 2011 the ANA took delivery of 60 D-30s under the NATO - Howitzer Donation Program from the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[16] Advanced indirect fire training is now a focus of the training of the Artillery School to enable them to support infantry operations.[17]

As of September 2013 the ANA is in possession of 152 D30 howitzers, the supply of which is being coordinated by Picatinny Arsenal, the US military center for excellence in Artillery. This will rise to 204 systems eventually. They also have to provide training on the operation and maintenance of the weapon system, and they have established a refurbishment capability in Afghanistan that is allowing Afghan workers to refurbish additional howitzers.[18]

The Artillery School has recently started to train ANA cadets and soldiers in the use of the American 155mm M198 howitzer, which is meant to be phased out of operation by the US and Australian military.[19] This will be a significant increase in capabilities for an ANA artillery battery as the M198 has an increased range of 22.4 km and can fire a broader range of ammunition types including a Rocket Assisted Projectile which increases its range to 30 km.[20] The US has already supplied excess M198 to the modernisation of the Iraqi military.[21]

The National Military Academy Signal School opened in 2010 is based in the Kabul Military Training Centre to the north east of Kabul. The school was led by mentors from Finland, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom, Canada and the United States who supplied signals instructors. Each student partakes in a six-week course of instruction and literacy training.[22]

The school's role has since evolved into developing several courses for senior NCOs, training Afghan Army Corps headquarters signals staff, and teaching specialist skills such as cabling, computer networking, maintenance, communications planning and satellite systems.[23]

In 2011 a new signal school has also been planned at Camp Shaheen near Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan.[24][25]

The Primary role of the Engineer School is to supply suitably qualified cadets and soldiers to the newly formed ANA Combat Support Organisations.