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Afghan Army adds combat camera capability with UK help
A Military Operations news article
18 Sep 09
A British military team has just completed the first ever course to train Combat Camera Teams for Afghan National Security Forces.
Corporal Dan Bardsley RLC debriefs Afghan National Army soldiers during a photographic exercise
[Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Nick Crusham, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
The teams from the Afghan police and army will now be deployed on operations, gathering pictures and footage to tell the story from the front lines. This is the first time the Afghan National Security Forces have been able to field such a capability.
The British team, from the Defence Media Operations Centre (DMOC) in Uxbridge, trained 32 students from the Afghan police and army at the Kabul Military Training Centre.
The five-week course, initiated by NATO and supported by contractors, taught the students basic journalism, filming, photography and video editing. They will now be able to provide both the international media - and Afghanistan's growing and increasingly sophisticated independent media - with pictures and news stories.
Lieutenant Ian Stubbs RN, who led the DMOC team, said the students had all been highly motivated:
"They were all very eager to learn and grasped the techniques we taught them very quickly," he said. "This training is a significant step to help the Afghan National Security Forces demonstrate the work they are doing to provide security for their country."
Students and staff of the Afghan Combat Camera Team Course run by members of the Defence Media Operations Centre
[Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Nick Crusham, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
Army photographer Corporal Steve Hughes, Royal Logistic Corps (RLC), said he enjoyed training the Afghan National Security Forces:
"The students were a pleasure to teach and it was very rewarding to pass on my experiences as a combat camera team operator to our Afghan colleagues."
Staff Sergeant Stu McKenzie RLC, Combat Camera Instructor, said:
"This is another step towards the Afghan National Security Forces doing it for themselves. The skills and drills we taught will enable them to operate alongside troops on the ground capturing real stories showing the Afghan people and the world what good work they are doing."
Students were put through their paces filming and photographing military exercises including foot patrols and building clearances. They will now be deployed with Afghan units across the country to capture footage of operations.
