Posted on 08/04/2005 5:46:52 PM PDT by SandRat
In addition to military use, the Mobile Kitchen Trailers will also be used in humanitarian missions such as earthquakes and flood-relief operations.
KABUL , Afghanistan, Aug. 4, 2005 — With help from Germany and other coalition partners, the first seven of a planned 320 Afghan National Army cooks graduated from a three-week training course on the Mobile Kitchen Trailer. Capable of feeding 250 soldiers at each meal, the Mobile Kitchen Trailer is about the size of a pick-up truck bed and can be pulled by any type of military vehicle with the proper hitch assembly. It is configured with four ovens for baking bread, four pressure cookers for meat, rice and vegetables, and two warmers for keeping prepared food hot or making chai - a favorite drink of many Afghan National Army soldiers. Traditional Afghan menus can be prepared using the kitchen trailers.
The trailers are rugged enough to handle the various types of terrain and austere conditions found throughout Afghanistan. They can withstand temperatures ranging from -58 degrees to more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Able to be fueled by diesel, propane or wood, the trailers can operate around the clock.
"Right now they have very limited cooking facilities in the field. Now with this training and the deployment of the (Mobile Kitchen Trailers), the situation will greatly improve."
German Air Force Lt. Col. Volker Doehring
The German government donated three Mobile Kitchen Trailers to the Afghan Army and also provided instructors for training the soldiers to use them.
The students learned proper sanitation methods, how to maintain the trailer and its equipment, and how to cook using all of the accessories on the Mobile Kitchen Trailer.
Prior to the training on proper food handling and preparation methods, poor sanitation practices have posed significant health risks for Afghan National Army troops in the field.
"Anywhere from 25 (percent) to 30 percent of the soldiers in every kandak (battalion) were getting sick because of improper food handling," said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Terrill L. Jones, the Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan's food service advisor to the Afghan National Army. Since the start of training such as the Mobile Kitchen Trailers course, food service sanitation has improved significantly.
Although the mobile kitchen equipment was new to the students, they were eager to learn, said German Army Sgt. Daniel Zimmermann, class instructor and chief of a field kitchen for the German Army. "Some students learned faster than others, but they all successfully completed the class."
Afghan National Army senior leaders present at the graduation ceremony spoke of the importance of the soldiers' new skills to their country.
"You are a young generation, and the (Afghan National Army) needs you. They cannot fight without you," Afghan Brig. Gen. Mohammad Nazir, deputy assistant minister for Operations, Plans and Training, said to the new graduates. "Thank you for working hard and listening to the instructors. This is a great skill you have learned. It will be useful in the future, even after your service to the military."
The class leader placed special emphasis on the general's remarks when he addressed his fellow students. "Go to your units and stay with them, serve your army and your country," said Afghan National Army Sgt. 1st Class Mohammad Younis.
Based on anticipated requirements for the Afghan Army when it is fully fielded at 70,000 soldiers, nearly 140 of the Mobile Kitchen Trailers will be needed to support the army and the rest of Afghanistan.
"The mobile kitchen is necessary not just for the army but the entire country," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Shaun Stugar of the Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan's Defense Resource Sector directorate. "They will also be used for humanitarian missions such as earthquakes and flood-relief operations for the people of Afghanistan ."
Now that Afghan National Army soldiers know how to operate the Mobile Kitchen Trailers, the plan is to deploy the new cooks and their mobile equipment to the field where troops do not have access to a dining facility or field kitchen, said U.S. Army Capt. Andres Zambrana, a logistics plans officer at Defense Resource Sector.
"We hope to deploy two of the (Mobile Kitchen Trailers) within the next few weeks to support troops who are conducting operations and training in eastern Afghanistan," Zambrana said.
The need for the deployment is urgent since conditions in the deployed sites are not always optimal.
"Right now they have very limited cooking facilities in the field," said German Air Force Lt. Col. Volker Doehring, Force Management branch chief at Office of Security Cooperation-Afghanistan's Defense Operations Sector directorate. "Now with this training and the deployment of the (Mobile Kitchen Trailers), the situation will greatly improve."
Doehring hopes the training program will soon be self-supporting. "We hope that we can take the top graduates from the first couple of classes and have them start the training of the new cooks," he said. "Like they say in America , we will 'train the trainer.'"
The final goal for this program, like all programs involving Afghan National Army training, is to build the capacity of the Afghan Army so it will be self-sufficient.
"We want the (Afghan National Army) to be self-supporting and satisfied with the food quality. That's our goal," Zambrana said.
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