Afghan Biographies

Behnam, Jalandar Shah Maj Gen


Name Behnam, Jalandar Shah Maj Gen
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth
Function/Grade Marshal Fahim National Defense University Rector
History and Biodata

Marshal Fahim National Defense University (MFNDU)   ANA Qargha Officer Academy  Commanders:
Brig Gen Muhammad Sharif Sharifi, Commandant of the ANAOA (20130107, 20131023)
Brig Gen Ghulam Sakhi (20140805)
Maj Gen Jalandar Shah Behnam (20140418, 20150129, 20160812, 20170319, 20180329)

Other Officers at ANAOA (aka: Kabul ANA Officer Academy):
Their leadership at the ANAOA Headquarters:  Brig. Gen. Sharif, was trained by the Soviets and later studied at the Indian Staff College, was introduced as the first Commandant of the academy. His Deputy and Director of Training, Lt. Col. Feda Hussein, is a graduate of the Advanced Command and Staff College (ACSC) in the UK. The new Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. Qais Mangal attended the Staff College at Shrivenham and is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the ACSC, he is a  wearer of the British Royal Marine Commando dagger. He said he hoped to bring his extensive experience from the British military system back to his own academy and aspiring officers.(20130107)

The Apr 2014 renamed Marshal Fahim National Defense University is located in the Qargha (or Qargheh) district of Kabul on a 105-acre site on a plateau to the west of the Kabul city centre near Police District 5. It houses various educational establishments for the Afghan Armed Forces.

The National Defense University is divided into six branches, including the
1. Command and Staff College,
2. National Military Academy,
3. Officers Academy ANOA,
4. Senior Officers Academy,
5. Military School and
6. Foreign Language Institute.

According to General Bahnam, they are all united in their mission to provide the best training and learning opportunities possible for the Afghan National Army (ANA).

The National Military Academy is the largest branches of the university. It was previously located near Kabul International Airport, but was relocated to Qargha in 2012. General Bahnam says that the inspiration for the academy came from the West Point Military Academy in the United States, which is one of the oldest and most renowned military academies in the world.

Administrators say at the moment there are 2,150 cadets getting educations at the National Military Academy, including 31 female students. And over the past six months, 1,650 officers have graduated from the academy.

The head of the National Military Academy, Ghulam Sakhi Maihan, speaks highly of his institution and makes no secret of the confidence he has in the abilities of those educated by it. "The 2,150 graduates learning in the academy can get heavily armed within an hour and if needed they can get to any region of Afghanistan for military purposes," he told TOLOnews. Reportedly, every day, 200 different cadets are armed and detailed to rapid response duties in case of emergency.

Since the Military Academy became part of the Marshal Fahim National Defense University, its students have been provided with nonmilitary education in addition to their military training. The more conventional secondary education curriculum covers six field, including construction engineering, general engineering, computer science, language and culture, law, and management and leadership. Within the military curriculum, there are also fields of concentration, such as training for infantry, armored units, communications, artillery, intelligence and reconnaissance, supplies, finance and military engineering. By their third year, all cadets are expected to have selected an area of concentration.

Officials from the Marshal Fahim University frequently call attention to the fact that there are no foreign advisors conducting the training programs and that the cadets are entirely under the guidance of Afghan experts. With the addition of the new senior officer school and other elite training programs, the university is able to churn out class after class of leaders and service members with advanced skills that will allow for the ANA's education programs to remain in Afghanistan rather than relying on foreign academies and expertise as was the case in the past.

Background:

National Military Academy

The National Military Academy of Afghanistan is modelled on the United States Military Academy (known as West Point). It is designed to train cadets to produce well-educated and professional officers for each of the disciplines of the ANA. Schools include Armor, Artillery, Human Resources, Signal, Infantry, Engineer, Legal, Military Police, Logistics, Religious/Cultural Affairs, Intelligence and Finance.

NMAA moved to the ANDU site in Qargha on completion of its new campus in 2012. It was previously located in the old Air Academy established by the Soviet Union to the north of Kabul beside Kabul International Airport.

NMAA cadets study both military and academic subjects for a total of 4 years and are awarded a degree from ANDU before commissioning into the ANA as Second Lieutenants. Female cadets have studied at the NMAA since 2011 and the first intake of NMAA-trained female officers will graduate in 2015.


Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA)

The ANA Officer Academy is also referred to in Afghanistan as ANAOA, The 'Sandhurst' Academy and the Junior Officer Academy. It was reported as early as 2006 that the United Kingdom would take a primary role in the creation of an Officer Academy for the ANA. Nicknamed "Sandhurst in the Sand", the Academy was to be modelled on the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. This was supported by the then-head of the ANA, General Sher Mohammad Karimi, who attended Sandhurst himself in the 1960s.

On 29 March 2012 UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond met Afghan General Abdul Rahim Wardak and signed a statement of intent on developing the academy. The UK will provide approximately 75% of the training staff for the new Academy and will be involved in its running long after the 2014 deadline for pulling out the majority of troops. Afghan officer cadets have been undertaking training at Sandhurst in recent years in order to improve the standard of officers in the ANA.

On 19 July 2012 on a visit to Kabul the British Prime Minister David Cameron signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the UK to provide mentors and advisors to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy. New Zealand will also contribute support to the ANA Officer Academy.

Located in the Qargha area of Kabul, the first concrete steps were taken 10 Oct 12 to start the construction of the academy with a ground breaking ceremony attended by a number of dignitaries including the ANA Chief of General Staff General Shir Mohammad Karimi, the Her Majesty's Ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Richard Stagg, ISAF Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Adrian Bradshaw and Commander of the NATO Training Mission (NTM-A) Lt Gen Bolger.

The ANA Officer Academy accepted its first intake of 270 students selected from approximately 10,000 initial applicants in October 2013. Training is being delivered by a staff of Afghan officers and soldiers in cooperation with a team of mentors from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Norway.

The ANA Officer Academy started recruiting its first intake of women in February 2014. Female staff will receive instructor training with their male colleagues, and they will be mentored by a coalition female mentoring team. Female candidates will attend a two-day selection test on the Qargha site in April 2014 and a platoon (balook) of 30 female officer cadets will start training alongside the third male intake in June 2014.


Sergeant Major Academy

The Sergeant Major Academy is currently part of the Kabul Military Training Centre. It trains male and female soldiers at the rank of E7 staff sergeant in order to prepare them for service as Sergeant Majors at the ranks of E8 and E9 in the ANA. The Academy will move to the ANDU site in Qargha on completion of the Phase 2 build project.
Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Academy

The Non-Commissioned Officer Academy will undertake training of soldiers from all disciplines up to the level of staff sergeant.


Defence Institute of Foreign Languages

The Institute will deliver training in Foreign Languages for individuals posted into defence diplomacy billets.


The officer training school will be the only British military contribution to Afghanistan when troops have left Helmand province in 2014. Recruits will spend 42 weeks at the ANAOA, over 3 terms, before graduating in September 2014. Although the training model is based on that used at Sandhurst, emphasis will be placed on generating an Afghan ethos as the Afghan National Security Forces continue to develop.
There are currently 42 mentors from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Norway involved with the ANAOA. This number is expected to rise to around 120 by spring 2014.

The Afghan National Army Officer Academy is a favourite project of Gen Sher Mohammad Karimi, who attended Sandhurst as a cadet in the 1960s.

 Gen Karimi, now the army chief of staff, has persuaded Britain to support his own version of the academy which has been built at Qarga, west of the Afghan capital Kabul.
 

2. Previous Functions Maj Gen Jaladar Shah Behnam:
Commander 207th Corps (2007, 20080526 and again 200910-201009))
Marshal Fahim National Defense University Rector (20140418, 20150129, 20160812, 20170319, 20180329)

3. Biodata:
Maj Gen Jalandar Shah Behnam Jaladar Shah Bahnam is 35 years in the Army. On 20080824 President Hamid Karzai had fired General Jalandar Shah Behnam, the head of 207th Corps. The minister in charge of an official investigation says that more than 90 civilians died in botched Friday's attack on the village Azizabad. After his successor Maj. Gen. Fazal Ahmad Sayar (20091012) was killed in a helicopter crash Behnam took over Command 207th Corps again.

Behnam’s three other brothers also serve in the ranks of Afghan National Army (ANA).(20171203)

Jalandar Shah Behnam is the father of Behroz Behnam, a pharmacist who was killed at the Sardar Mohammad Daud military hospital attack.  (20170309)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Modified 2018-03-29
Established 2011-01-23