KABUL, Afghanistan (Army News Service, March 21, 2005) - Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey said he is impressed with the progress being made in getting the people of Afghanistan back on their feet following years of terrorism from the Taliban.

Harvey visited Afghanistan March 15-16 to see troops, meet with Afghani leaders, including President Hamid Karzai, and receive updates on current operations from senior Army leaders in country.

"I am very proud," said Harvey, after being briefed on the Afghan campaign plan. "Soldiers here know that they are part of something bigger than themselves. They know their presence here is making a difference."

Committed to strengthening Afghan defense

Coalition forces are helping Afghans build an entire defense section, not just an Army, said Lt. Col. Michael Pettigrew, Office of Military Cooperation, as he briefed the Army's most senior official.

Pettigrew shared that the coalition is trying to make the Afghan National Army more sustainable and better able to rely on itself. This is proving successful, he said, because they are now proven in combat, have been effective in stabilization operations and are becoming a powerful symbol of national unity.

"The ANA is a high quality force," he told the secretary. "They bring so much to the table with both language skills and prestige."

Many nations helping train ANA

Nine countries have been involved in creating this Afghan force. Headed up by the 76th Infantry Brigade, an Army National Guard unit from Indiana, the mission of Coalition Joint Task Force 76 is to create a defensive force that will enable the building of a stable security and democratic environment.

The multi-national training effort is designed to execute a broad-based training, mentoring and assistance program, officials said, in order to enable the Afghan National Army to provide effective and legitimate military capability for the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan.

The plan is to have more than 43,000 Afghan ground forces trained by December of next year in areas such as basic and advanced training for both commissioned and noncommissioned officers, in addition to command and staff training and other opportunity training.

Harvey meets Minister of Defense

"We are dedicated to a free and prosperous Afghanistan," Harvey told Afghan Minister of Defense A.B. Rahim Wardak during an office call the first day of his visit. "You're starting with great strides in rebuilding your nation's political system and economy. It looks like the beginning of prosperity for your country."

Wardak said that he realizes it is very expensive for the coalition to support Afghanistan indefinitely, but told the secretary that he is seeking out an enduring security arrangement for his country.

"We should not allow September 11 to repeat itself," he said. "We want to work side by side with coalition forces to form a security arrangement in addition to forming economic relations with America."

Ambassador assures of Afghani goodwill

While meeting with Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Harvey was assured that the Afghani people don't feel that they are being occupied by the U.S., they are more afraid that they will be abandoned. He said that they are looking to South Korea, Germany and Japan as models for how to develop into a prosperous, self-sustaining country.

"This is something noble that you are doing," said Khalilzad. "Here are a people who are trying very hard to make their own life - you are helping them stand on their own."