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Former ACSC commandant tells story of new Afghan air force

  • Published
  • By Carl Bergquist
  • Air University Public Affairs
In August 2007, the commandant of Air Command and Staff College was told to leave the school at Maxwell and "go build the Afghan air force."

Maj. Gen. Jay Lindell, now the director of Global Power Programs for the Secretary of the Air Force, was at Maxwell-Gunter on Feb. 20 to address ACSC students on his role in the development of air power in Afghanistan.

"I hated to leave ACSC, but once I got there, I loved the mission in Afghanistan and working with the Afghan people," the general said. "I enjoyed helping build the Afghan National Army Air Corps. It's a tough fight in Afghanistan, but one we can win. One we must win."

He said, in a sense, the U.S. Air Force is rebuilding the Afghan air force, which was originally established in 1924. In 1947, the service was renamed the Royal Afghan Air Force, but after the Soviet occupation ended in1989, and the country transgressed into civil war, the country's air corps was destroyed. The general said re-establishing air power in Afghanistan is essential to keeping the country from becoming a refuge for terrorism.

"Developing air power capability will support the Afghan National Army and the army's security police, and that will keep insurgents and the Taliban from regaining control of the country," he said. "We can not fail at this task because Afghanistan will turn into a terrorist haven if we do. There is another reason we can not fail. We must never forget the American military members who have given their lives for this fight."

General Lindell said Afghanistan is remote and rural, and its terrain is mountainous and rugged. There are very few good roads in the country, however, the general said there are numerous airfields built by the Soviets during their occupation, and they make air power the only reliable way for the Afghan government to maintain a crucial presence vital to supporting the army. He also noted without the U.S. and coalition presence, the country would not survive.

General Lindell said Air Force doctrine is "undeniably" the foundation for building the new Afghan air corps and provides guidance that is allowing the Air Force to accomplish that task.

"We are building from scratch, and how do you do that?" he asked the ACSC students. "We relied on our doctrine to do that, and every decision is based on fundamental air power doctrine."

The general said he didn't fully appreciate the importance of the Air Force doctrine he learned at ACSC until he got to Afghanistan. Once there, everything they did to build the Afghan air corps, to include development of the command and control structure, was grounded in doctrine.

"Anything we could give them was appreciated," General Lindell said. "In terms of professionalism, they want an air force exactly like the United States Air Force, and that made it simple to advise them on how to go about developing their air corps."

He said, currently, Afghanistan is not a haven for Al Qaeda, and the people generally reject the Taliban and support their elected officials. The general noted there are about 40 countries that make up the "international community" supporting Afghanistan, and those countries provide the hope necessary for Afghan success.

"The Afghans are warriors who want to win the fight. When they did a lift operation on their own while I was in country, they beamed with pride and excitement," General Lindell said. "These people know misery and war. What they need is hope."

He said the operational reality is that time is on the insurgents' side, and violence in the country is growing.

"The terrain favors the insurgents, and they know the culture and the country," the general said. "It is a tough and complex fight, and the army and security police are growing in size and effectiveness. But, they still need those key enablers like an air corps."

General Lindell said his mission was to build an independent and operational air power capability that would support the Afghan government and army. That involves building, commanding, controlling and supporting air power, and a key factor is sustaining air power once it is in place.

The general said by 2016, the strategy calls for an army air corps of 123 aircraft and about 7,300 people. He said the corps won't be large but is what the country needs. Additionally, it will be "lean" on the country's budget.

"My argument is that Afghanistan doesn't need a large air corps because the corps can do the job with 123 aircraft if it has well trained personnel," General Lindell said. "To assist that prerequisite, we built the Kabul Air Corps Training Center to develop Afghan National Army Air Corps skill development training. I used to love going to the Afghan graduation ceremonies because of the enthusiasm the students displayed. They would hold their diplomas over their heads and yell with excitement because they had accomplished something."

The general said he envisions the Afghan air corps as ultimately being two wings with three regional support squadrons and two air wing detachments. About half the aircraft will be fixed-wing platforms supporting airlift and light attack responsibilities, respectively. The remaining half are planned to be Soviet Mi-17 and Mi-35 rotor-wing vehicles that will provide versatile mobility. He said the Russian Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters perform well at the high altitudes encountered in Afghanistan and are perfect for the task.

"It is a different fight in Afghanistan than it is in Iraq, and will be a long, hard slog. Everyone of you in this room will be involved," General Lindell told the students. "I know the value of the education you are receiving here at ACSC. As you move on to the big jobs of your careers, you will figure out that you did learn something at ACSC and put those lessons to use."