Afghanistan's Elite Air Force Can Barely Fly Its Own Planes

One of the Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters purchased by Alabama-based Defense Technology Inc (DTI) is seen in Ulan Ude, Russia in this picture taken January 3, 2011. DTI/Reuters

Afghanistan's Elite Air Force Can Barely Fly Its Own Planes or Use Night Vision Gear -- Killer Apps/Foreign Policy

Training Afghanistan's soldiers and cops has been tough. But outfitting an Afghan air force special operations unit is proving damn near impossible. The latest evidence: The Pentagon is spending $770 million on Afghan military aircraft that the Afghans have little hope of being able to operate and maintain, according to the Pentagon's Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

The U.S. is hustling to help the Afghan military stand up a special, highly-trained air wing to transport its special operations forces before NATO leaves the country. The only problem is there aren't enough qualified recruits to staff the Afghan Special Mission Wing, which, as of late January, has only 180 personnel. That's less than a quarter of the 806 people it needs to be effective.

These troops need to be literate, English-speaking and able to pass an 18-20 month vetting process aimed at weeding out "candidates that have associations with criminal or insurgent activity," according to the report. Finding people who meet these criteria can be a serious challenge in Afghanistan.

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More News On The Pentagon's Special Inspector General For Afghanistan Reconstruction Criticism Of Aircraft/Helicopter Purchases

Suspend aircraft purchases for Afghan unit, U.S. watchdog says -- CNN
Afghanistan Reconstruction Inspector General Report Warns Of Major Waste In Aircraft Purchase -- AP
U.S. watchdog raps Pentagon for buying aircraft for Afghan unit -- Reuters
U.S. Watchdog Urges Delay On Russian-Afghan Helicopter Deal -- Radio Free Europe
Pentagon Criticized By Government Watchdog For Wasting Funds On Buying Aircraft From Rosoboronexport For Under-staffed Afghan Unit -- IBTiems

My Comment: Buying equipment when there will be no staff to maintain and fly it may make sense to someone in a Pentagon procurement office .... but it certainly makes no sense to me.