![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/download.png_0f4a07.png\")
Now the U.S. wants to boost the Afghan air force as part of a wider effort to prepare for the traditional fighting season, which begins in spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. military plans to \u201cfocus on offensive operations and we\u2019ll look for a major effort to gain the initiative very quickly as we enter into the fighting season,\u201d Army Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, told The \u00adAssociated Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Votel said as the coalition builds up the Afghan Air Force and trains more security forces, the Afghans will \u00adbecome better fighters: \u201cBy the time they get to the next fight,\u201d he said, \u201cthey will be able to really present a significant offensive capability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are now as many as 16,000 U.S. forces in the country \u2014 almost double the size of the force that Trump inherited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Afghan air controllers training program was started a couple years ago, but Afghan air controllers have only recently taken part in operations in Helmand \u00adprovince, Motz, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe first ATACs were successfully \u00ademployed in Helmand in September 2017 while supporting Maiwand 6 in Gereshk,\u201d Motz said. \u201cSince then, ATACs have supported multiple operations in Marjah, Nad Ali and Sangin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a relatively short time span, 18 Afghan controllers have graduated from the course, which includes learning how to coordinate casualty evacuation and close-air support missions with Afghan Mi-17 and MD-530 helicopters as well as C-208 fixed-wing planes, which are used as air ambulances. Graduates receive additional training from the Air Force\u2019s 438th Air Expeditionary Wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The main aircraft that Afghan forces use for close-air support are the MD-530 Cayuse Warrior helicopters and A-29 Super Tucano. The lumbering Russian Mi-17s are typically used for troop \u00adtransport and are slowly being phased out as Afghan forces switch to U.S. \u00adUH-60 Black Hawks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAirpower brings increased combat capability and independence to Afghan forces,\u201d Gresback said. \u201cAdditionally, their freedom of ground maneuver provided by aerial fires and close-air attack capabilities is important to Afghan operations, and enables the Afghan Air Force to support corps and campaign objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The development comes as Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, has once again made the sparsely populated province a main focus of America\u2019s new strategy in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the past several weeks, U.S. aircraft to include B-52s, F\/A-18s, F-22s, F-16s, and even High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, have struck Taliban poppy and opium processing labs in Helmand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe ATAC program and the concept of [close-air attack] are both very new to the Afghans and require a skill set that takes time to foster successfully,\u201d Motz said. \u201cTask Force Southwest advisers will continue to train, advise and assist the ATACs for the 215th Corps to \u00adfurther develop this capability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Associated Press contributed to this story.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The highly trained Afghan controllers are \u201cmaking a tangible impact on the battlespace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":49640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":10,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[10,15,86,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3472,1240],"class_list":["post-43867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"5I7DHSRYHZE75FWZZASCKAEXDQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/07\/marines-train-afghans-in-air-support\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GVYZU2MOKJE6VMI4D5S56C4PRA.jpg.jpg\")