ASPFOR XXXII

Spain transfers the Ludina base to the Afghan government

Link to the press release dated 22 February 2013 (in Spanish)

The Spanish Force for Afghanistan, ASPFOR XXXII, is an operational organisation made up of personnel from different Armed Forces and Civil Guard units, although its main contributor is the Army. Most of its troops come from the 7th Light Artillery Brigade “Galicia” (BRILAT, in its Spanish acronym). The head of ASPFOR XXXII is Colonel Fernando García González-Valerio.

ASPFOR XXXII is stationed at the Provincial Support Base (PSB) “Ruy González de Clavijo” in Qala-i-Naw, capital of the Badghis province.

Length of the mission

On 19 October 2012 took place an official farewell ceremony to see off the troops at the Cabo Noval garrison, HQ of the 3rd Light Infantry Regiment “Príncipe”, in the town of Siero (Asturias). Deployment in the area of operations started right after the farewell ceremony and was completed by mid-November.

The Transfer of Authority (TOA) ceremony took place in the morning of 11 November at the base “Ruy González de Clavijo”. Colonel Valerio received the unit’s flag from Italian General Luigi Chiapperini, chief of the International Security Assistance Force’s Regional Command West (ISAF RC-West) to symbolise the handover of responsibility.

TAO to ASPFOR XXXIII is scheduled for next May, when the Brigade “Galicia” will pass the baton to the Brigade “Canarias”.

Structure and deployment

ASPFOR XXXII has its HQ at the PSB “Ruy González de Clavijo” in the town of Qala-e-Naw, in the Badghis province.

ASPFOR XXXII is structured into four different bodies, according to the task they perform: The Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT); the task force “TF Badghis”; the advisory teams to the Afghan army and police (MATs and PATs, respectively); and the enabling and support units. The latter guarantee that the others are fully operational and their needs are covered.

Some members of ASPFOR XXXII are stationed at the Forward Staging Base of “Camp Arena”, near the city of Herat, the capital of the region. They include a rear-guard logistic unit and a liaison officer.

Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT)

A PRT is a civil-military organisation able to operate in unstable and dangerous areas. It combines diplomatic and military capabilities to create a safe environment and bolster the efforts of the Afghan government by improving the situation of the population and supporting reconstruction and development programmes. Spain contributes the PRT in the Badghis province.

ASPFOR XXXII contributes the military component of the PRT structure, which includes a Protection & Security Unit; a Civil-Military Cooperation Unit from Field Artillery Command (MACA); and a Psychological Operations Unit from the 1st Intelligence Regiment, based in Valencia.

The PRT’s civilian component is charged with identifying, assessing and executing projects with a significant social and economic impact which carry direct and long-term benefits for the province. Those projects focus on areas such as basic infrastructures, water and sanitation, health, education, women’s rights, agriculture and animal husbandry.

The head of the PRT is a career diplomat who also acts as a political advisor (POLAD) to the civil-military organisation. He is assisted by personnel from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, which is under the authority of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

TF Badghis

The task force is composed of personnel from the Light Infantry Battalion “Toledo”, based in Siero (Asturias). Its main task is to provide a safe environment so that the Afghan people and all other national and international actors can work in Badghis without harm or hindrance.

Regarding deployment, the task force operates in three different areas in the Badghis province: Qala-i-Naw, where it provides security, takes part in controlling the airport and keeps a reserve unit; and the Combat Outposts (COPs) “Bernardo de Gálvez II”, in Ludina, and “Ricketts”, in Muqur, which guarantee freedom of movement through the “Lithium” and “Ring Road” routes respectively.

Military Advisor Teams (MATs) and Police Advisor Teams (PATs)

MATs are made up of members of BRILAT and the Marine Infantry Regiment. Their duties include assessing, liaising with and monitoring the Afghan army and police. All of them fall within the scope of the general definition of “mentoring”.

For its part, the Civil Guard contributes the PATs which advise provincial police HQ and the policemen and women of the district.

On the other hand, the training of military units is being phased out and replaced by advising, which is the task of MATs-CS (Military Advisor Teams – Combat Support), organised as the mentoring MATs and also composed of members of BRILAT. In the final phase it is envisaged that the Afghan army will be able to operate completely autonomously.

Enabling and support units

They work alongside the PRT, TF Badghis and the MATs/PATs. They are highly specialised units, and their contribution is crucial to fulfil the mission. They include the Sappers Unit, the Signals Unit, the Medical Support Unit, the Main Logistic Unit and the Advanced Aerial Group, in addition to the Base Support Unit, whose role is essential for the others.

These units provide the combat and logistic support necessary to guarantee a successful outcome and must therefore be included in all planning.

Challenges facing ASPFOR XXXII

The main challenges facing ASPFOR XXXII are:

• Maintaining and extending security in the Badghis province by collaborating with the Afghan army (ANA) and the Afghan police (ANP) and gradually granting them more responsibility so they are able to take over total control of security within the set deadline.
• Supporting the governability of the province through the development programmes already underway, especially the state-wide programme to reintegrate insurgents who have handed in their weapons.
• Completing the process of transfer of security to the Afghan authorities, which will make it possible to redeploy part of the contingent.