Victory just around the corner: why the Afghan army cannot destroy the Taliban. Power structures of afghanistan

The representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRA) Davlat Waziri said that "the special forces of the army should be strengthened and better equipped." According to him, the number of Afghan special forces will be increased to the level of the army corps.

The Army Corps is a powerful operational-tactical formation of ground forces, which, as a rule, includes from two to four divisions. Each division consists of approximately 10-17 thousand people. Thus, the number of the army corps can reach from 20 thousand to 70 thousand people.

• Afghan military personnel

The current strength of the Afghan special forces is estimated at 17 thousand fighters. They are the elite of the Afghan army fighting the Taliban *. Special forces carry out about 70% of offensive operations.

Probably, the Afghan special forces will include over 30 thousand people. However, their formation is fraught with great difficulties.

First, it is necessary to radically raise the level of combat training of at least 15,000 servicemen. Secondly, Kabul will have to find funds to provide material support for such a large group. The Afghan authorities intend to resolve this issue with the support of foreign sponsors.

Revival of the Taliban

At the end of 2016, the Taliban Islamist group launched another large-scale offensive against the positions of the official armed forces... The radicals managed to easily knock out the security forces from the countryside, and they launched an offensive on big cities... There are street fighting in Kunduz (65 km from the border with Tajikistan). The security forces are trying to eliminate the militants who had penetrated the city earlier.

The central government in Kabul does not control much of the country's territory.

On March 26, General John Nicholson, commander of the Resolute Support Mission (US operation in Afghanistan), announced that the power of Kabul extends only to 62% of the population and 57% of the country's territory.

The fighting with the Taliban has continued with varying success for 15 years. In the fall of 2001, an international coalition led by the United States succeeded in overthrowing the Taliban regime, which had ruled Afghanistan since 1996.

In 2002, Islamists were kicked out of major cities and pushed back to the highlands. However, the Taliban launched a powerful anti-American "patriotic" propaganda among the local population. The extremists received the support of civilians and began a large-scale guerrilla warfare with the aim of "liberating" the country.

In 2003, the Taliban began to regain lost power and recapture territory in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Despite certain tactical successes of the coalition in the mid-2000s, the extremists were not defeated and increased their combat potential.

• globallookpress.com
• Alex macnaughton

American preparation

Since 2014, the situation in Afghanistan has often been described as critical. Three years ago, the Islamic State * (IS) infiltrated the country, while the US officially ended its combat mission, focusing on training Afghan officers and targeted attacks on terrorists.

The Armed Forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Afghanistan have completely shouldered the burden of fighting the radicals. With great difficulty, the power structures of the republic are holding back the onslaught of the Taliban and IS. The Pentagon has been training the Afghan army for 15 years, but during this time it has not turned into a combat-ready force.

The start of the creation of the Afghan army was given on December 2, 2002, when Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a relevant decree. The armed forces of the republic were created from scratch, and in the literal sense.

In January 2003, the number of regular troops was 2,000. In September 2008, 70 thousand people served in the army. Now, according to various sources, in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the IRA - 200-300 thousand people.

Former US President Barack Obama was clearly in a hurry to fulfill his election promise to withdraw the main contingent from Afghanistan. Therefore, the quantitative growth of the Afghan armed forces did not occur in parallel with the improvement in the level of combat effectiveness.

The Americans have multiplied the number of troops, shortening the training period for soldiers and officers. Also, the Pentagon did not take care of the technical condition of the Afghan army. The main armament is from the USSR. The exception is just the special forces units, which mainly use American weapons.

In addition to poor combat training and a shortage of modern technology, the Achilles' heel of the IRA's Armed Forces is the Air Force. The strike aviation of the Afghan National Air Corps is represented by only a couple of dozen machines (statistics from the Global Firepower portal).

The backbone of the country's air force is 82 multipurpose Russian Mi-17 helicopters and 11 Soviet transport-combat Mi-35. Lacking normal air support, the Afghan army is deprived of the opportunity to deploy a large-scale offensive without heavy casualties.

• Reuters

Spetsnaz is powerless

Semyon Bagdasarov, director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East and Central Asia, doubts that the increase in the special forces of the Afghan army will have a positive effect on the situation in the country. “Spetsnaz is always used to carry out special operations or to eliminate some leaders. The turning point in the war cannot come, "the expert told RT.

The head of the Center for the Study of Modern Afghanistan (CISA), Omar Nessar, is not so categorical. “Today the Afghan special forces are the most efficient unit in the army. He constantly saves the army from defeat if somewhere some province is on the verge of falling, "the expert said in an interview with RT.

According to Nessar, an increase in the number of special forces is necessary for Kabul to be able to fight on several fronts, where the most difficult battles are taking place.

“It is now very important to prevent the loss of certain areas. But a small number of combat-ready troops cannot turn the tide across the country. The spring offensive will begin soon, and, apparently, the Taliban will seize new areas, and maybe even provinces, ”Nessar fears.

Experts believe that the key problem of the Afghan army is its morale. “Afghans do not want to fight against the Taliban. This is the main reason why they cannot defeat the Taliban. The Taliban enjoy the support of a significant part of the population and have a wealth of experience in countering the regular armies, ”Bagdasarov said.

“Of course, it is always difficult to fight irregulars. But it's not only that. The Afghan army and police have become structures where people are looking for work. There is practically no other legal way to make decent money in the country. At the same time, the Taliban are ideologically prepared people, ”Nessar explained.

Interest in stable Afghanistan

The situation in Afghanistan is of great interest to the world powers. The United States continues to search for and destroy the leaders of Al-Qaeda * in the IRA, supporting the current political regime.

Russia actively cooperates with the current government of Afghanistan and also helps it in the fight against the Taliban. The authorities of the Russian Federation are trying to block drug traffic coming from mountain republic to Central Asia, and at the same time to resolve internal contradictions.

Moscow benefits from securing the Afghan-Tajik border, preventing the destabilization of Tajikistan. To this end, Russia maintains the 201st military base in the republic, trains Tajik officers and conducts regular military exercises with them with the involvement of aviation.

Omar Nessar believes that Moscow is pursuing a smart policy, combining support for Kabul with attempts to exert political influence on the Taliban.

“Russia's national interests boil down to the emergence of a stable Afghanistan. The 15-year hegemony of the United States has led to a worsening of the situation, and the strengthening of the role of Russia will have a positive effect on it, ”the expert said.

“The peculiarity of the Taliban is that it (unlike IS) does not seek to spread influence outside Afghanistan and does not pose a threat to us. I think that Russia should not plunge deeply into the Afghan conflict, ”Bagdasarov notes in turn.

* Al-Qaeda, Islamic State (IS), Taliban are terrorist organizations banned in Russia.

For more than 30 years, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRA) has remained one of the most unstable states in the world. Since 1978, the country has actually not stopped Civil War... Over the past ten years, a foreign military presence has continued, which is the only factor hindering the seizure of power in Afghanistan by the armed opposition. In connection with the forthcoming withdrawal from the country of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in 2014, the creation of combat-ready national security structures in Afghanistan is of particular importance.

Significant success was achieved by the Afghan leadership in creating capable armed forces in 1970-1980 with financial and military assistance. Soviet Union... However, in 1992, after the Taliban seized power in the country, the united Afghan armed forces ceased to exist.

The modern history of the Afghan army began in 2002, when it was decided to form it during active assistance USA and other NATO countries.

Currently, the security forces of Afghanistan include the Armed Forces, the National Police and the General Directorate of National Security.

AFGHANISTAN'S ARMED FORCES

The armed forces (Afghan National Army - AHA) include the Army, Air Force and Special Operations Forces (MTR). Their total number is about 190 thousand servicemen. At the same time, the ground forces number more than 130 thousand, the air force - about 6 thousand, the central office, auxiliary commands and special forces - over 55 thousand people.

The supreme commander in chief of the armed forces is the president of the country. The main governing bodies - the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff - carry out the administrative and operational command of the troops, as well as implement the state policy in the field of defense and military development.

The backbone of the Afghan ground forces is made up of six army corps (20 infantry brigades), which in wartime are intended to cover the state border, repel enemy aggression and defeat the invading force groupings. At the same time, at the present stage, one of the key tasks of units and units of the Ground Forces is to provide support to the Afghan National Police in the course of counter-terrorism operations.

In addition, the combat strength of the IRA's ground forces includes the 111th division stationed in Kabul, as well as separate brigades providing and escorting cargo, military police and security. In service there are: T-62 tanks, M113, BMP-1 and BMP-2 armored vehicles, Humvee armored vehicles (a total of about 50 tanks and 200 armored combat vehicles), as well as more than 1,000 field artillery guns and mortars, among which are mainly D-30 howitzers, 82-mm guns and mortars.

The Air Force includes three air wings, including one training wing, and two separate support air squadrons. The Air Force is armed with about 50 aircraft and 50 helicopters, mainly of Soviet and Russian production - military transport aircraft An-12, An-32 and An-26, as well as Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters. The main part of the aircraft is out of order or almost completely exhausted its resource and needs major repairs.

AFGHAN NATIONAL POLICE

The Afghan National Police (ANP), being the country's main law enforcement agency, is structurally part of the Afghan Ministry of Internal Affairs. Currently, police units and divisions are used primarily to combat terrorism.

NA: P operates in seven operational zones in conjunction with other components of the Afghan security forces and the International Security Assistance Force.

The total number of the police is more than 140 thousand people. Along with regular units, paramilitary units of the local national police have been created, which numbers about 25 thousand people. In addition, the ANP includes the Afghan civilian police, gendarmerie, border police, criminal police and law enforcement.

AFGHANISTAN SECURITY SERVICE

The General Directorate of National Security (GDNS) of Afghanistan is a special service designed to ensure security in the country and carry out special tasks. The main forces and means of the GUNB are currently involved in neutralizing terrorist and extremist groups in Afghanistan and preventing the transfer of militant units, weapons and ammunition to the country. This structure consists of a central office and regional offices (staffing about 20 thousand people).

ASSESSMENT OF THE AFGHAN ARMY'S FITNESS AND POWER STRUCTURES

The combat readiness of the armed forces of Afghanistan, as well as the ANP and GUNB, is at a low level. Management bodies, subordinate units and subdivisions are capable of only partially solving the tasks assigned to them.

So, in 2012, during an inspection of all army corps and the 111th division of the ground forces, it was found that general level the combat readiness of the formations and units of the Army of Afghanistan is unsatisfactory (only one infantry brigade is capable of performing the assigned tasks in full). The main reasons for this state of affairs were incomplete staffing (70-90 percent of the staff), as well as weapons and military equipment (50-85 percent). According to the results of the check, the 201st, 205th and 215th army corps are the most efficient. At the same time, to get a real picture of the readiness of the armed forces to solve the tasks they face, a system of assessments and criteria created by foreign experts was used, the basis of which was the indicator "the ability of units and subunits to conduct independent operations."

All this only once again testifies to the difficulties that the Afghan leadership faced in creating security structures. There remains a shortage of volunteers due to the low level of salaries for military personnel (a private receives only $ 70 a month), which does not reach the level of payments to militants of the armed opposition. Along with this, 50 percent. recruits for health reasons do not meet the requirements, 23 percent. before serving in the Armed Forces, they regularly used drugs. Of the 20 volunteers, only one has primary education. This fact substantially

This fact significantly increases the terms of training privates and sergeants in military registration specialties and requires the introduction of subjects for the elimination of illiteracy into the course of military training. At the same time, there remains a shortage of qualified officers.

Insufficient training of privates and junior command personnel leads to high combat losses, which sometimes exceed the losses of militants several times. In addition, their high level is due to the weak equipment of arms and military equipment units. parts and subdivisions of weapons and military equipment. In particular, the troops remain in short supply of armored combat vehicles, artillery systems, air defense systems, attack helicopters and aviation equipment.

It is noted that the moral and psychological state of the personnel of the Afghan army and police is at a low level. One of the destabilizing factors is the problem of historically formed hostility between the main ethnic groups of the country - Tajiks and Pashtuns. Despite the officially published reports on the achievement of positive results in the distribution of recruits and graduates of military schools, taking into account their nationality, incidents of inter-ethnic clashes continue to occur in the AHA and ANP. This is pushing many young soldiers to desertion. The number of such servicemen is up to 25%. the number of subunits personnel (in some cases, it reaches 40 percent). In 2012, Afghan units left over 30 thousand people.

Another reason for the high level of desertion in the Afghan Armed Forces is the activity of terrorist and extremist groups, primarily Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of the Taliban. In a number of areas, armed attacks against AHA units and police are taking place every day, adding fear and panic to the actions of the military. In addition, the militants regularly use conscripts against their relatives. military service persons, both forceful and propaganda methods of influence. This forces the military to either take additional measures to ensure the safety of their families, or simply refuse to serve.

FINANCING AND COMBAT TRAINING OF AFGHANISTAN'S ARMED FORCES

In this regard, increasing the combat effectiveness of the power structures of Afghanistan is one of the priority tasks of the country's leadership. The construction of the armed forces is carried out in accordance with the national development strategy of the IRA, developed on its basis by the national military strategy. The country's military budget in 2012 amounted to about $ 1.8 billion. but most of these funds were spent on the salaries of personnel and the payment of various benefits. Operational and combat training activities, as well as building up the numerical strength and combat strength of the Armed Forces and increasing their technical equipment are carried out mainly at the expense of the United States and its allies.

The total appropriation made by Washington between 2002 and 2012 was about $ 90 billion. In the future, the Americans intend to significantly reduce these costs, including in 2013 - to $ 6 billion, and in 2014 - to $ 4 billion.

The bulk of educational and training programs within the operational and combat training system of the Afghan armed forces are implemented in the course of the direct participation of the Afghan army and police in anti-terrorist operations throughout the country. Particular attention is paid to developing the skills of commanders of various levels to make decisions to conduct independent combat operations. So, in 2012, the IRA Armed Forces held five command and staff exercises jointly with the International Security Assistance Force and more than 40 tactical exercises, during which the AHA and ANP interacted with units of foreign contingents.

During the creation of the security structures of Afghanistan the most important task is to optimize their organizational structure and improve the quality of individual vocational training military personnel. A specially created commission of the General Staff under the leadership of American military advisers is responsible for coordinating actions in these areas.

The total number of Afghan security forces by 2014 should be about 352 thousand people, including the army - 195 thousand and the police - about 157 thousand. In the future (not earlier than 2017), the personnel of the AHA and ANP are planned to be reduced to 235 thousand. human.

Currently, about 7 thousand foreign instructors are involved in training AHA soldiers and officers, more than 5 thousand of whom are Americans.

A special place in the construction of the security structures of Afghanistan is occupied by measures to equip units and subunits with modern weapons and military equipment.

The training and education of the Afghan army is entrusted to the training command, whose activities are monitored and carried out with the direct support of ISAF. Currently, about 7 thousand foreign instructors are involved in training soldiers and officers, more than 5 thousand of whom are Americans.

The armed forces have six higher military educational institutions and an academy for non-commissioned officers, on the basis of which training courses in various specialties are organized. Currently, the number of graduates annually is about 4 thousand people. A joint field center of the Afghan army has been created in Kabul to carry out measures for the combat coordination of units (up to and including the battalion).

In the system of training police officers, there is a national police academy, which graduates specialists for investigative bodies and other divisions of the internal affairs bodies. The country has a command staff training center and a command and staff college. The training of privates and sergeants of the police is carried out at 30 training centers, the term of study in which is two to three months. More than 17 thousand employees are currently undergoing training there.

In addition, construction began on the Afghan National Security Academy in 2012. Its creation and staffing is funded by the UK government. It is planned that the academy will train personnel for the AHA, ANP and GUNB. Up to 1.5 thousand students will be trained within the walls of this educational institution.

There are a number of programs to train AHA and ANP military personnel overseas. In 2012, about 500 Afghan army personnel completed their training in Turkey, India, the United States, Italy and Germany. For officers The Afghan Interior Ministry also operates refresher courses in India and Egypt.

A special place in the construction of power structures is occupied by measures to equip units and subunits with modern weapons and military equipment. So, during 2013-2014, the total expenditure on the purchase of weapons for the AHA will amount to over $ 1.5 billion. The largest volumes of supplies will be carried out by the companies of the military-industrial complex of the United States of America, which have concluded contracts totaling about $ 1 billion.

At the same time, despite the assistance provided by foreign countries, the IRA's power structures are currently unable to operate effectively. Foreign instructors estimate that the Afghan national army and police are unlikely to achieve the required combat capability before ten years from now. The withdrawal of the international coalition forces from Afghanistan, scheduled for the end of next year, will create real prerequisites for destabilizing the situation in the country and strengthening the position of the Taliban in it.

(E. Belov, "Foreign Military Review", 7/2013)

28 years ago, the most combat-ready army in the world at that time left Afghanistan - after ten years of fighting with well-trained mujahideen and mercenaries from more than thirty countries of the world. The legendary 40th, the basis of the OKSVA (Limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan), returned home with banners unfurled - undefeated, having fulfilled her military duty to the end. Here every soldier was a trained fighter, every division a combat strike fist. But this potential then, alas, remained unclaimed. Many units were disbanded, and the banners covered with glory were sent to the museum for storage.

In total, in the OKSV for the period from December 1979 to February 1989, there were about 540 various kinds of units, formations and organizations. Some of them were withdrawn from Afghanistan and disbanded during the first year of the contingent's stay here. And this process continued until the final withdrawal of troops. Anti-aircraft missile units, tropospheric communications battalions, and numerous construction and assembly departments went under the knife of reduction.


By the beginning of the first phase of withdrawal in 1988, the group Soviet troops in Afghanistan had 509 formations, units and institutions with a total number of about 110 thousand people. The final composition of the OKSVA consisted of the management of the 40th Army with support and service units, 4 divisions, 5 brigades, 4 separate regiments, 6 separate guard battalions, 4 aviation regiments, 3 helicopter regiments , supply teams, pipeline team, medical, repair, construction, apartment maintenance and other parts and institutions.
The contingent's mechanism, in addition to the combat component, included a fairly large number of support units. Physicians, signalmen, radio direction finders, repairmen, firefighters, Voentorg, a bath and laundry plant, mobile bakery plants - a full range of support for the living cycle. The 879th department of trade, providing for the household needs of the contingent, opened 177 stores where it was possible to buy imported food products (albeit canned), tracksuits of famous brands, television and radio equipment (albeit by appointment, but guaranteed), which were then unavailable in the Union. Both the rear and the "front" worked - clearly, like a clock. And then this whole mechanism, after the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, turned out to be unnecessary. Warehouse stocks have leaked somewhere, a lot has been plundered, a lot has flowed through the "national apartments" - 1991 was approaching, not only the empire but also its army was disintegrating.

The 40th Combined Arms Army itself as a combat unit ceased to exist almost immediately after the withdrawal from Afghanistan in February 1989. For some period it was recreated within the SAVO (Central Asian Military District), then the army ended up in the nascent armed forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, but even here it, already in a greatly reduced composition, with lost command personnel, was not needed. The battle banner of the 40th migrated to the storerooms of the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and is brought to solemn meetings only on the occasion of anniversaries.

“In the euphoria of the division of the Soviet Union, no one really thought about the combat potential of the former Soviet army- says the last commander of the 40th Army, who was withdrawing it from Afghanistan, Colonel-General Boris Gromov. Each of the new leaders of already sovereign states tried to privatize what was on its territory, including the armed forces. So the 40th Army was almost completely stretched out mainly across the Central Asian republics. Something, primarily nuclear weapons, was successfully withdrawn to Russia. Those units and subdivisions that were originally included in the OKSVA from the territories in the central part of the country or in Siberia and on Far East, managed to return to the places of their former deployment and remained in the ranks. But on the whole, the "Afghan" army was not preserved. But it is with her experience, the unique experience of military operations in the mountains, that it would be possible not only to avoid losses in Chechnya, but also to prevent the very fact of an armed conflict. We know the result - untrained and unprepared boys were thrown into the battle, forgetting that the battle could have been stopped even before it began. And such a task was within the power of the units of the 40th Army at that time. "

Historical analogies involuntarily suggest themselves here. By August 1945, the Soviet command had deployed large forces of the troops liberated on the western front to Manchuria. Troops with rich experience in warfare, multiplied by the high morale of the winners, Soviet soldiers In less than two months, the millionth Japanese Kwantung Army was defeated. The victory was won not by numerical superiority, but by high professionalism, coordination and discipline. All these qualities that the soldiers and officers of the 40th Army possessed after Afghanistan remained unclaimed.

Of the largest and most combat formations in the OKSVA - the motorized rifle 5th, 108th, 201st divisions, only the latter was more fortunate in terms of preserving both the name and tradition. The division that was withdrawn in 1989 to the territory of Tajikistan, which successfully proved itself during the civil war in this republic to ensure the safety of civilians and covered the border from Afghanistan, turned into a Russian military base in the process of reforming. The 201st has also retained its serial number and is not only a guarantor of stability in this region, but also ensures the security of Russia's southern borders.

The 5th Guards Motorized Rifle Division, which was withdrawn after Afghanistan to the territory of Turkmenistan, after the collapse of the USSR, became a national formation as part of the Ministry of Defense of this republic with a station in the city of Kushka. The division lost its historical number. Practically a similar fate happened to the 108th Motorized Rifle Division, which in January 1992 became part of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan and was disbanded in December 1993. Now her former regiments are part of the 1st Army Corps in Samarkand. The 66th and 70th separate motorized rifle brigades, which suffered this fate back in 1988, turned out to be disbanded, but the formations themselves did not disappear without a trace, but merged into their former motorized rifle divisions.
The 103rd Airborne Division was not part of the 40th Army, as well as the 345th separate paratrooper regiment (Bagram), was under operational control, but it was the paratroopers who always participated in the most complex and responsible operations. They also left the territory of Afghanistan among the last - covering the withdrawal of the main forces. Even before 1991, the 103rd Airborne Division, withdrawn to Belarus (headquarters in Vitebsk), was transferred to the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR and performed tasks on the border with Iran on the territory of Azerbaijan. And after the collapse of the country, it became part of the armed forces of Belarus and its regiments were transformed into separate guards mobile brigades, and the former 317th PDP inherited the Banner of the legendary unit. Now it is in the 103rd Guards Airborne Brigade.


The 345th Airborne Regiment had an interesting fate, which soon after its withdrawal from Afghanistan happened to be part of the 104th and 7th Airborne Divisions and had to carry out combat missions in Transcaucasia and Abkhazia. In May 1998, on the basis of the regiment, the 50th military base was created, which was soon renamed the 10th peacekeeping airborne regiment. Plans for the formation of the 345th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade are still under consideration. From the traditions of the regiment, there was an annual meeting on February 11 at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow - exactly at 11 in the morning. On this day, the regiment crossed the border from Afghanistan, and the commander, Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel Valery Vostrotin said to his fellow soldiers: "We will meet on the 11th at 11 at the Bolshoi." This tradition has remained unchanged for 28 years. The 56th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade (Gardez-Ghazni) also remained in combat. disbandment. Now she still bears the proud name of the Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov and Patriotic War Don Cossack air assault brigade and is stationed in the glorious city of Kamyshin.

... Only the memory of the "Afghans", for whom February 15 is a special day, was not disbanded. Someone will celebrate it at a gala reception in the Kremlin, someone will raise a glass to the “third toast” in the company of friends. In Khimki near Moscow, veterans will traditionally visit all the cemeteries where eight of their fellow countrymen are buried, then they will gather at the only monument in Russia to the perished commandos and commemorate their friends. And there will be no difference between them, even if the current head of the Interregional Public Organization "Union of War Veterans" Sergei Makarov was a simple soldier in Afghanistan, and his current deputy Alexander Ponamarev served there as an officer. On this day, all "Afghans" are equal.

, independence and territorial integrity of the state.

The Afghan Armed Forces are composed of the Ground Forces (National Army) and the Air Force (National Air Corps). Lacking access to the sea, Afghanistan does not have a fleet. The modern Afghan military was created with the help of US and NATO military instructors after the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. The commander-in-chief is the President of Afghanistan, the headquarters of the armed forces is located in Kabul.

Military cooperation with the USSR began after the signing of the Soviet-Afghan treaty on February 28, 1921, in accordance with which the parties assumed obligations not to enter into military and political alliances directed against one of the parties that signed this treaty. In accordance with the agreement, the USSR undertook to build a smokeless powder production plant in Afghanistan, open an aviation school, transfer several aircraft, 5,000 rifles with a stock of rifle cartridges to the Afghan armed forces, and send technical specialists to Afghanistan to train Afghan aviators and aircraft technicians.

Military cooperation with the USSR continued after the signing in August 1956 of the Soviet-Afghan agreement on military cooperation. After that, the government of Afghanistan purchased from the USSR a consignment of weapons worth 25 million US dollars. In October 1956, supplies of small arms began from the USSR (carbines, PPSh submachine guns, heavy machine guns), in 1957 25 T-34 tanks were received. Along with the tanks, 10 military advisers and instructors arrived to train tank crews.

From the 1960s to the early 1990s, the Afghan army was trained and equipped by the USSR. According to the New York Times, in 1981 the total strength of the Army was about 85,000 troops. After the fall of the DRA in 1992, power passed to the Taliban and the united armed forces ceased to exist.

In the period from 1990 to 2000, the civil war continued in the country, at that time several armed formations were operating on the territory of Afghanistan.

As of early January 2003, the army numbered 5 battalions (2,000 servicemen) and about 600 recruits undergoing training.

In September 2008, the Afghan army numbered 70,000 troops.

In early 2009, the ISAF military command announced that the formation of armed "local self-defense units" subordinate to local authorities, which should provide assistance to the troops and the police. Earlier, the American military command used the same program in Iraq under the leadership of General David Patraeus.

At the same time, due to the need for accelerated training of military personnel, by October 2009, the training course for Afghan soldiers was reduced from 10 to 8 weeks, for officers - from 25 to 20 weeks.

In November 2009, the strength of the Afghan army was 97.2 thousand troops.

According to the Pentagon's official data, by the beginning of 2010, the cost per Afghan soldier (including the cost of recruiting, training and maintenance) was $ 25,000 per year - less than the cost of one coalition soldier.

In early August 2010, the first 29 female military personnel were recruited into the Afghan army. At the end of September 2010, they completed a 20-week training course and were promoted to junior lieutenants. It was also announced that in the future the number of female military personnel will be increased.

As of early 2011, the number of Afghan regular army was 132 thousand military personnel, another 12 thousand served in the border guard and 120 thousand - in the police.

As of the beginning of September 2011, the strength of the Afghan army was 170 thousand troops.

Since July 2013, the armed forces have taken over the full provision of the country's security.

As of mid-2013, the total number of the armed forces of Afghanistan was over 190 thousand people (including 130 thousand army personnel, 6 thousand military personnel of the air force and about 55 thousand military personnel of command and control forces, special operations forces , logistic and auxiliary structures), another 20 thousand served in the bodies and units of the Main Directorate of National Security of Afghanistan and over 140 thousand - in the Afghan National Police, border police and local police

The basic structural unit in the Afghan army is considered to be a battalion of 600 men. A total of 14 brigades will be regionally oriented. Thirteen of these brigades are to be light infantry, one mechanized and a spetsnaz brigade.

Training for the first Afghan commando unit began in early 2007 at the Morehead Commando Training Center, six miles south of Kabul. In July 2007, the first commando battalion was trained, the personnel of which underwent a three-month training course on the model of the US Army Rangers, was equipped with weapons and equipment of the American model. Initially, it was planned to train one commando brigade (six battalions) for the Afghan army, but as of April 2012, 8 commando battalions were trained for the Afghan army. In the future, it is planned to increase the number of commandos to three brigades (15 battalions) of commandos of private military companies.

According to the report of the US Accounts Chamber, in the period before February 12, 2009 alone, about 87 thousand weapons were lost in Afghanistan, transferred in 2004-2008 to the Afghan government from the United States, as well as 135 thousand weapons sent to Afghanistan by NATO countries.

In general, the ANA has completed the process of rearmament with American weapons, which include M9 pistols, assault riflesМ16А2, М4 carbines (some of them are equipped with the SOPMOD kit), М24 sniper rifles, М249 and М240В machine guns. Soviet-made weapons are used by the Afghan police. There is also a campaign for the disposal of spent weapons.

As of August 2012, eleven years after the start of Western operations in the country, Afghan security forces remained highly dependent on foreign aid.

Above all, the Afghan security forces are dependent on foreign economic aid because the Afghan government is unable to support them. The maintenance of law enforcement agencies alone requires about $ 8 billion a year, which is several times higher than the country's annual income. As for the combat readiness of the Afghan army, it cannot yet be said that the army is able to independently ensure security in the country.

In 2012, the United States and Afghanistan signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement, in which Afghanistan is named "the main US ally outside NATO."

In addition, the Afghan army receives a significant amount of weapons and military equipment from NATO countries and their allies under military assistance programs.

It has already become an axiom that the armed forces in any country in the world are the guarantors of the preservation of sovereignty and political stability. And Afghanistan is no exception. Decree "On the Creation of the Afghan National Army" published by the head of the Afghan state Hamid Karzai in 2002 marked the beginning of the formation of the next national defense forces of Afghanistan.

At the same time, the construction of the Afghan armed forces constantly encounters various kinds of obstacles. But in spite of everything, their creation is gradually moving off the ground.

The composition of the armed forces of Afghanistan.

Today, the Armed Forces of Afghanistan consist of the following types of troops:

Ground troops;

Air Force;

Border troops;

State Security Service;

Air defense troops.

Ground forces (namely, five corps) are deployed in the provinces where the Taliban had military bases previously, namely in Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Kandahar and Paktia.

The armament of the Afghan army is represented mainly by Soviet military equipment and weapons: Kalashnikov assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers. Armored vehicles are also represented by Soviet BMP-1,2, BTR-60,70, T-55, T-62 tanks.

After the fall of the Taliban regime, Soviet samples of weapons and equipment began to arrive in Afghanistan from the countries of Eastern Europe that were previously in the Warsaw Pact and then joined NATO, namely, from Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

At the same time, almost all of the weapons inherited from the Soviet Union require maintenance and overhaul.

The Air Force, as an independent and combat-ready service, currently does not actually represent a real force. The Afghan Air Force has the following number of combat units located in the country.

It is difficult to imagine at what level the state of the flight fleet today, since the equipment considered above, back in 2003, for the most part, needed major repairs and expensive technological equipment.

Personnel

In 2005, the armed forces of Afghanistan practically consisted of one type - ground forces with a total strength of about 25 thousand people.

The combat units of the armed forces of Afghanistan number about 20 thousand people. At the same time, 5 thousand are trained in training centers.

It is worth noting that more than 60% of the officers of the new Afghan army in the recent past were mujahideen, since the ranks of the armed forces of Afghanistan mainly include citizens who graduated from military schools, as well as persons with combat experience.

The average age of servicemen is 22-25 years old. At the same time, an interethnic balance is observed. This was dictated by the preservation of the representation of various ethnic groups in order to further avoid clashes and conflicts on similar grounds. One of the distinguishing features of the armed forces of Afghanistan was the adoption of the Soviet principle of personnel rotation in the regional context. That is, representatives of the western provinces can serve in the north or south of the country, and, accordingly, representatives of the northern provinces can serve in the west or east of Afghanistan.

The mullahs of the units play special attention in the training of military personnel. As a rule, at the headquarters of formations and units, as well as in educational institutions there are mosques for the personnel.

At the same time, the moral and psychological state of the military personnel of the Afghan Armed Forces remains at a low level. This is due to several factors:

Regular clashes between Afghan armed forces and Taliban units;

As a consequence of this, an increase in losses among personnel;

Inadequate salaries of military personnel, as a result of which far from the best personnel go to serve;

An increase in the number of deserters among the military.

The moral and psychological state of the Afghan armed forces directly affects the recruitment of volunteers for the regular army.

The main reason for the decline in the number of those wishing to serve in the army is the low level of pay for servicemen. So, according to the decree on the creation of a voluntary National Army Afghanistan from 2002, military personnel are paid a salary of $ 50 while on active duty, which, according to conscripts, is insufficient amount.

The most pressing problems of the Afghan armed forces today are low training of personnel and a high level of desertion.

Prospects for military construction in Afghanistan

As a state that does not have an outlet to the ocean, Afghanistan does not plan (and is not able to in the near future) acquire the entire traditional army triad (including ground forces, the Air Force, and the Navy). As a result, the national armed forces of Afghanistan will consist of two branches of the military: the ground forces and the air force.

With regard to the ground forces, it is planned to form military-territorial units located in Kandahar, Gardez, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif. 5 army corps (including 13 brigades and 78 battalions) will be formed.

In the plans further development the armed forces of Afghanistan envisaged an increase in the number by 2007 up to 70 thousand soldiers and officers. Further, in the next few years, their number should be doubled.

According to available information, the plans for the development of the Afghan Air Force provide for the formation of the following structural operational-tactical units:

Aviation regiment (which will include four squadrons) consisting of MiG-29 multipurpose fighters;

Regiment of fighter-interceptors Su-27;

Squadrons of Mi-17B and Mi-35 helicopters (modernized Mi-24).

With regard to the deployment of the Afghan Air Force, it will be deployed at four air bases, which, like the ground forces, will be located in Kandahar, Gardez, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif.

The numerical strength of the Air Force by 2009 is planned to be increased to 3 thousand people. There is one important detail here, which is that during the rearmament and modernization of the Afghan Air Force, the main emphasis will be on combat helicopters.

Taking into account all the pros and cons, under the most favorable circumstances, a new Afghan army will be created no earlier than in 5 years.

At the same time, the difficult military-political situation inside the country, multiplied by the low standard of living of the population and the factual absence of the socio-economic policy of the official authorities, raise concerns about the success of the implementation of the plans outlined by the government of Hamid Karzai for the formation of the national forces of Afghanistan.