Afghan Wireless Communication Company

November 15, 2005

New Technology Connects Afghan Army
Afghan army officers get hands-on training on a wide-area network that will link all Afghan National Army computer systems throughout the country into a single network.

By U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. George Vicari, Jr.
and U.S. Army Maj. David E. Lee
US Department of Defense

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 15, 2005 - The Afghan army made strides toward full ownership of a service-wide computer network recently as members of the Afghan National Army general staff's telecommunications directorate met for executive-level training on network equipment and services.

"This training was not only good, it was necessary. This was a valuable step in the rebuilding of Afghanistan."
Afghan National Army Brig. Gen. Shams ?Shaka? Ahmad

Members of the Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan's Defense Reform Directorate have been working with telecommunications contractors to establish a wide-area network that will link all Afghan national army computer systems throughout the country into a single network.

Senior communications officers in the Afghan army met with representatives from companies that installed the network for three days of hands-on training late last month. Each of the contractors provided the senior staff with familiarization in their systems' features, design, capabilities and reliability. They also discussed each system's ability to expand to accommodate additional hardware and software in the future.

The senior staff asked the contractors many questions and said they came away with valuable insights into the inner workings of their future network. "I am truly glad I attended this training," Col. Sayed Farooq, Afghan National Army director for radio and telephone repair, remarked following the sessions.

Currently, the system is operational only as a local area network on the Ministry of Defense complex. Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan officials estimate the full network will be up and running within a year. The Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan's Defense Reform Directorate communications office is working to get the wide-area network installed and operational, to include an information technology training contract, hundreds of personal computer distributions to Afghan National Army regional command headquarters, and a computer maintenance contract.

A microwave engineer from Afghan Wireless Communication Company explains to senior Afghan National Army communications staff members how a microwave signal moves from the antenna to the network on an Afghan Army post, Oct. 26, 2005. Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan photo by U.S. Army Maj. David E. Lee

A representative of Jubaili Brothers, the contractor providing generators and power supplies for each of the Afghan National Army's computer network sites, points out the intricacies of a 40-kilowatt generator, Oct. 26, 2005. Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan photo by U.S. Army Maj. David E. Lee

The Defense Reform Directorate's Human Resources Directorate is working with the Afghan National Army to train and field forces that can fully operate and maintain the system.

"Everyone around the world works with automation. We in the [Afghan National Army] want to also work this way, to be connected throughout our country and to be connected to the whole world," said Afghan National Army Maj. Gen. Mehrab Ali, chief of communications for the general staff.

Ali said a robust wide-area network is of crucial strategic importance to the Afghan army. "This network will provide a wealth of information for those in the Afghan National Army who are hungry for knowledge." He said the network will help the Afghan army communicate more quickly through the use of e-mail and will help individual soldiers through the maintenance of a pay system.

Contractors who presented the familiarization training included representatives from Network Innovations, providers of nationwide satellite connectivity; Jubaili Brothers, providers of generators and power supplies at each network site; DasNet, the company supplying network equipment and services on each individual Afghan National Army post; and Afghan Wireless Communication Company, providers of long-range microwave connectivity between network sites. Also present at these sessions were mentors from MPRI, and project managers from the Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan's Defense Reform Directorate.

Members of the Afghan National Army telecommunications directorate who attended the sessions said they received valuable insight into the workings of their future network, and are now better prepared to receive and maintain the network themselves.

"This training was not only good, it was necessary. This was a valuable step in the rebuilding of Afghanistan," said Afghan army Brig. Gen. Shams "Shaka" Ahmad, first deputy chief of communications.