Report - United States Department of Defense

UNCLASSIFIED
governance and development built up from the village and district levels) and “top-down”
(increased integration with Afghan government institutions) methodologies.
The success of the VSO/ALP program was highlighted when President Karzai issued a directive
to MoI/MoD to conduct VSO and develop ALP in Warduj District, Badakshan Province and
Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province. This will be the first instance of the VSO/ALP
methodology being 100 percent Afghan-initiated and conducted without coalition forces support
at the tactical level. The first of these new Afghan-initiated and run ALP began operating in
March 2013.
Village Stability Operations 22
There has been an increase in Community Development Council (CDC) attendance and
participation during the reporting period, most likely due to the increase in CDC establishment.
CDCs are a GIRoA initiative with minimal oversight from NSOCC-A.
Governance at the local level continued to increase due to village, district, and provincial
governance demonstrating increased connectivity. A review of the top four non-security VSO
positions revealed a 92 percent fill covering 95 percent of VSO districts evaluated weekly.
Most provincial and district governments support the ALP and continue to request more police.
The increased security provided by the ALP has improved provincial and district governments’
ability to provide essential services and goods to the populace during this reporting period.
Afghan Local Police
The ALP, a village-based security force administered by the MoI, is the principal component of
the VSO initiative. The program utilizes U.S. SOF and coalition forces to train Afghans in rural
areas to defend their communities against threats from insurgents and militant groups. The ALP
is a defensive police force; members do not go on offensive patrols and are not heavily armed.
ALP units primarily man checkpoints in the vicinity of their village. When a checkpoint is
attacked, the ALP defend themselves and their village until more capable military or police units
arrive to conduct offensive operations.
As of March 31, 2013, the MoI has approved 169 districts for ALP development, an increase of
33 from the previous cycle. Of these 169 districts, 102 have been validated by local shuras and
the MoI, a 40 percent increase from the previous reporting period.
The total ALP force of 21,958 ALP personnel as of March 2013 represents a 33 percent increase
from the previous reporting period, with an overall growth of 5,484 ALP guardians. 23 The ALP
is expected to reach 23,000 personnel by end of July 2013 and 30,000 by December 2015.
22 For a basic description of the VSO program, please see the volume of this report published in December, 2012.
23 Members of the ALP are referred to as “guardians,” rather than officers, soldiers, etc.
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