{"id":46343,"date":"2018-04-24T16:55:24","date_gmt":"2018-04-24T16:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/24\/afghan-military-trainees-in-the-us-keep-going-awol\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:30:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:30:36","slug":"afghan-military-trainees-in-the-us-keep-going-awol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/24\/afghan-military-trainees-in-the-us-keep-going-awol\/","title":{"rendered":"Afghan military trainees in the US keep going AWOL"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Defense Department has reported that as of February, nine of the more than 150 Afghan trainees in the United States<\/a> who went absent without leave<\/a>, or AWOL, across the nation remain unaccounted for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afghan trainees in the United States go AWOL at a rate of 6 percent. Conversely, trainees from other countries go AWOL at a rate of only 0.07 percent, according to the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The numbers were given to Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.<\/a>, the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a press release<\/a>, McCaskill\u2019s office said 11 of those Afghan trainees who went AWOL were training at Fort Leonard Wood<\/a>, in her home state of Missouri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact that there were ever Afghan military personnel unaccounted for in Missouri is deeply concerning, and I\u2019m glad to get answers from the Defense Department showing that they\u2019ve all been accounted for \u2014 however, it\u2019s clear that there\u2019s more the government can do to prevent this moving forward,\u201d McCaskill said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trend of Afghan military personnel<\/a> ditching their duties has been fairly common, according to a report published in October<\/a> by the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, or SIGAR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe found that nearly half of all foreign military trainees that went AWOL while training in the United States since 2005 were from Afghanistan (152 of 320),\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Company-grade officers, with the rank of lieutenant or captain, were the most common trainees to go AWOL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the key role company-grade officers play in providing direct leadership to their NCOs and younger enlisted personnel, the trend of defection among them is concerning, according to SIGAR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIGAR also found the number of Afghan trainees going AWOL has been increasing since 2015. The instances of AWOL trainees may degrade the operational readiness of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces<\/a> (ANDSF) and the morale of fellow trainees and home units, as well as pose a security risk for the United States, according to SIGAR\u2019s report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Afghan Local Police (ALP) trainee stands by the Afghanistan flag, Ghazni district, Ghazni province, Afghanistan, Sept. 26, 2013. Fifty-seven ALP trainees prepared for graduation day at Ghazni’s Provincial Training Center after an extensive three week Afghan lead ALP program which covers professional development, medical techniques, small unit tactics, and weapon skills. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jessica Reyna DeBooy\/Released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Much of the training for Afghan military personnel is conducted at home, but some select Afghans are brought to the United States for additional instructional courses they can\u2019t get elsewhere, the report said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCaskill originally raised her concerns to the Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security late last year after reading SIGAR\u2019s findings. She requested answers on the current status of Afghan trainees in the United States as well as details on how the agencies work together to locate those who go missing, according to her office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProtecting the security of Missourians and all Americans is one of my most important responsibilities as a Senator, and I\u2019m committed to getting to the bottom of how the government will do a better job of keeping track of foreign military personnel in the U.S.,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\t