A Partnership For Peace: How Cooperation Between The National Military Academy Of Afghanistan And Kabul University Benefits Both Institutions And The Afghan Nation

In the winter of 2007 the leadership of the National Military of Afghanistan (NMAA) and the Dean of Engineering at Kabul University formed a partnership designed to meet the immediate needs of both institutions. After just a few short months the intended results of the partnership are already being realized. More importantly however, a greater strategic benefit soon began to emerge. Upon graduation, the cadets from NMAA will provide the Afghan National Army with a new generation of leaders--professionals who have been educated, in part, by members of Kabul University, one of the most respected academic institutions in the region. Should their spirit of cooperation extend the beyond the classroom it will help legitimize the Afghan Government, thus contributing to national and regional stability. The partnership was devised and implemented by advisors to the Afghan Academy from the United States Military Academy (USMA). Under the agreement Kabul University provides the Afghan Academy with adjunct instructors for its fledgling engineering program. In return, the University benefits through its faculty working closely with the USMA advisors and having access to the most up-to-date US engineering texts educational material that they otherwise would not have access to. Furthermore Kabul University, whose engineering laboratories have been wasted by years of conflict under both the Soviets and the Taliban, can also benefit from NMAA’s state of the art lab facilities. The partnership is working and even growing. The Academy recently completed its first term of engineering instruction and three of the Kabul University adjuncts have been selected for graduate fellowships in the United States. Kabul University has prepared a second set of instructors to facilitate NMAA’s next academic semester. This early success has reinforced the partnership. Both institutions are fully committed to its continued success and looking for ways to expand it. Options to do so include joint field trips, lectures, and student conferences. The Academy is also considering establishing a similar relationship with the Polytechnic University of Kabul. Afghanistan today is in desperate need of engineers to help rebuild its national infrastructure. The National Military Academy of Afghanistan, with the help of Kabul University, is poised to provide military engineers ready for the task.