NATO, Partners Firmly Committed to Continue Supporting Afghan Security Forces

NATO Allies and Partners, together with representatives of the donors’ community, reaffirmed their long-term commitment to supporting the financial sustainment of Afghan security forces.

At a plenary meeting of the Afghan National Army (ANA) Trust Fund Board, participants discussed the Fund’s achievements in 2016 and 2017 and plans for 2018, a statement from NATO said.

Coordination with the donor community in Afghanistan and the implementation of auditing arrangements also came up for discussion at Monday’s meeting.

The participants conferred on the ongoing coordination between the Afghan authorities and the various funding streams, including the Afghan National Army Trust Fund and the Law and Order Trust Fund for the Afghan police.

Budgetary contributions of the Afghan government, bilateral contributions provided, especially the bilateral Afghan Security Forces Fund of the United States, were also discussed.

Possible additional adaptations of the ANA Trust Fund to improve joint training and interoperability of the Afghan security forces in key areas, such as medical support, explosive ordnance disposal and counter-IEDs, also figured at the session.