Attrition Claims Many Before They Can Finish A Few Weeks of Training

The NATO goal to dramatic grow the Afghan police force continues to flounder, fueled in no small part by the massive attrition rate, according to training commander Lieutenant General William Caldwell.

Lt. Gen. Caldwell says 67 percent of police recruits drop out before the finish their basic training. Previous comments have indicated that a significant portion also resign afterwards, disillusioned by the high risk, low pay and corrupt environment.

The enormous pre-graduation attrition rate is made doubly shocking, however, when one considers how little training Afghan police are actually expected to complete. Though class lengths vary, many recruits in recent months are graduated after only about three weeks of training, thrust into the warzone with virtually no idea what to do next.

The problems are not new, in 2008 German General Hans-Christoph Ammon predicted it would take another 82 years to have a properly trained police force in Afghanistan.