Headquarters International Security Assistance Force (HQ ISAF) Mission Rehearsal Training Event (ISAF TE 11/01) took place at the Joint Warfare Centre's Ulsnes Training Facility, Stavanger, Norway, from 26 June to 07 July 2011.
Together with the total Exercise Control (EXCON) organization, the training involved 412 service members and civilians from NATO's Allied Force Command Heidelberg, ISAF HQ, the Joint Warfare Centre, NATO Communication and Information Systems Services Agency (NCSA) and other agencies, as well as the national individual augmentees.
The training aimed to prepare personnel for the cross-functional nature of the ISAF HQ in advance of their July/August deployment to Afghanistan. Designed as a command post exercise, ISAF TE 11/01 was based on most current data and real world challenges from theatre. The Mission Rehearsal Training included Mission Specific Training (MST), Functional Systems Training (FST), Electronic Working Practices (EWP), Functional Area Training (FAT) and Battle Staff Interaction Training (BSI). Having only ISAF HQ as the Training Audience, the exercise focused on the battle rhythm of HQ ISAF and how the campaign is managed on behalf of the Commander of ISAF and Coalition troops in Afghanistan.
Key topics briefed and discussed in detail included Afghan culture and traditions, stability operations, strategic partnering, force reintegration capability, strategic communications and public affairs, governance, and "shafafiyat" (which means transparency in Dari and Pashtu) to enable personnel to contribute fully to the mission from the first day of their deployment. Overall, the training curriculum was "Afghan-Centric" based on current theatre necessities, including the development and reconstruction mission. It also showcased the spirit of transitioning from a NATO/Coalition lead to an Afghan lead.
"We took the most current focus areas at ISAF Joint Command and ISAF HQ and we applied it to the training curriculum to ensure that the staff that's here gets the most updated sense of what is priority in Afghanistan," said U.S. Army Colonel Tom Quintero, ISAF Joint Command Subject Matter Expert. He said that it was vital that trained personnel add value from the day they arrive in theatre.
ISAF TE 11/01 Senior Mentor, French Army Brigadier General Olivier Rittimann, HQ ISAF Chief CJ3, underlined the changing environment that the Training Audience will face when they arrive in Kabul. He said that in addition to an impending troop withdrawal and the process of final transition to Afghan security control in 2014, a new Commander, U.S. Marine Corps General John R. Allen, was set to take over command of the Afghanistan mission in July. "That's why this training is very important. The Training Audience here will invest in team building, acquire a sound knowledge of HQ ISAF procedures and battle rhythm as well as functional area and cross-functional area competency," the General said, adding: "The Joint Warfare Centre is the best environment for providing all these components to the Training Audience."