Deputy Commander of the NATO Mission in Afghanistan Resolute Support (RS) Italian Army Corps General Nicola Zanelli on Sunday visited the Afghan National Army Officers Academy (ANAOA) on the occasion of the final exercise of the eighteenth Officers Cadets of Commissioning Course.

ANAOA is an academic institution that has achieved full independence after benefiting in the past from the support of the military advisors of the United Kingdom (leading nation), Austria, Denmark, New Zealand and Turkey engaged in RS mission.

Founded in 2012 as a bilateral project between the UK and Afghanistan, it has trained over 5,000 cadets to date.

Accompanied by British Army Brigadier General Jonathan Timmis , RS Chief Mentor for ANAOA, General Zanelli met the Commander of the Unified Training Doctrine Education Command (UTDEC) General Mohammed Nazim Peyenda , the Commander of the “Marshal Fahim” National Defense University General Esanullah Hazim Sapi , and ANAOA Commander Colonel Mohammed Essa Ehsan .

Addressing cadets at the end of the exercise, Zanelli expressed his admiration for the skills and professionalism shown.

“Proper command action,” he said, “constitutes a solid foundation for a credible and effective institution like the ANA, the backbone of the country.”

He added that investing in training and leadership is essential to improve the functionality and self-sustaining capacity of the Afghan security forces.

The drill saw 316 ANA cadets, including 16 women, engaged in a simulated attack conducted by three company-level units. Next April, the cadets will be promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant and assigned to the operational departments of the ANA.

Students are selected from among military graduates from the ANA, based on an assessment of their leadership ability, ethnicity (to ensure that all are represented) and region of origin.

Their training process lasts one year and is divided into three modules (junior, intermediate, senior) lasting 16 weeks each, on the model of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (UK).

The Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF) have achieved independence in conducting ground operations and 95% of air operations.

Approximately 9,500 NATO military personnel are involved in training, advising and assisting the ANDSF within the RS mission.

The Italian Armed Forces contribute to the mission with over 800 men and women, employed in Herat, driving the Train, Advise and Assist Command West, and Kabul.