Tank maneuvers showcase new Afghan army's capabilities

John Smock 7/27/05

A EurasiaNet Photo Essay

It an ironic geopolitical twist, tank crews prepared four aging Russian-made T-62s for maneuvers on a recent summer day under the gaze of American, German and Romanian military trainers.

The exercise was designed to demonstrate the Afghan National Army's growing defense capacity to assembled journalists, government officials and foreign military advisers. Following the US-led anti-terrorist blitz in Afghanistan in late 2001, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) began rebuilding Afghanistan's military. ISAF-affiliated countries have contributed training and equipment, and the army is now approximately 20,000 strong.

For American military advisers, working with T-62s provided a tough challenge, as none of them had been inside one of the Soviet-made models prior to their arrival in Afghanistan. Initially, the American advisers relied heavily on the experience of their Romanian counterparts.

The tank maneuvers got off to a shaky start as two of the T-62s stalled before they could reach the firing line. Tank crew members then had trouble loading and firing the modernized machine guns fitted on the older tanks.

During its Cold-War heyday as the Soviet Union's main battle tank, the T-62, first produced in 1962, was never regarded as a fantastic performer. Its thick steel armor made it heavy and slow. Its turret did not rotate as quickly as NATO tanks and had to be locked in the center position to eject each shell, hampering its rapid-fire capability. The interior was cramped and poorly designed, meaning that to fire the machine gun the gunner had to climb partially out of the tank, exposing himself to enemy fire.

Nonetheless, the huge 115mm main gun made the T-62 a fearsome heavy weapon. And it has remained a favorite of countries on a budget seeking to boost their military's firepower. Hundreds of T-62s were deployed in Afghanistan during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation. Today, the burned out and rusted hulks of many of those same tanks litter the countryside. In some places Afghans have transformed them into chicken coops, dams for small rivers, and shelters for goat herders.

The tanks in action recently at the military proving ground in Polycharki are among the few remaining Soviet-era tanks still in operation. The precise number is considered a secret by the Afghan government.

Despite the initial engine problems and the jammed machine guns, the tank crews successfully put their machines through their paces. With the number of raids carried out by Islamic militants increasing, causing a growing number of casualties, it may not be too long before these tank crews go into action.

Editor's Note: John Smock is a Tbilisi-based freelance photographer.