U.S. Official: Transform Pakistans Frontier Corps

[A.Rahman]

U.S. Official: Transform Pakistan’s Frontier Corps

Richard Boucher, U.S. assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs, told journalists here March 1 that Pakistan’s local paramilitary troops in the Frontier Corps needs a transformation drive to give the extra capability and training needed to check the flow of Taliban and al-Qaida forces across the porous border region into Afghanistan.

“They need to undergo a transformation of developing modern capability,” he said.

It is not just a case of hardware, but also of training and tactics to provide security to the local population, Boucher said. “They need to adopt more mobile, information-based tactics and operations.”

The U.S. government is expected to provide about $75 million a year for the 80,000-strong Frontier Corps, which patrols the rugged northwest frontier, he said. Further studies are needed to price out what is needed to make them an active border force.

Washington pays most of the expenses of units of Pakistan’s regular Army stationed on the border, as part of global anti-terrorism spending, Boucher said.

In the border areas, the United States is providing most of the annual $150 million in economic development aid, aimed at extending national government to regions controlled by militant extremists and to provide an alternative to opium farming. That funding would begin this year and run for five years, he said.
Boucher said he would tell French government officials that Washington appreciates France’s significant contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, and that the United States encourages Paris to do more to help the Kabul government secure control of its territory.

French Defense Ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau said the response had already been given at the December NATO summit at Riga, when France agreed to respond to requests for help outside Kabul on a case-by-case basis, committed air cover from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, and sent two extra Caracal EC 725 military helicopters. France has contributed 1,100 troops to provide security in Kabul.

Three French Air Force Rafale F2 strike aircraft are due to deploy soon to Dushanbe, to reinforce three Mirage 2000 planes stationed there.
A defense official here said some 80 French special forces troops are training Afghan special operations units, working as advisers in the field.

 

[niaz]

I was under the impression that FC was basically a frontier militia roughly equal to "light infantry". What is meant by transformation ??. Are they going to make it equal to FFR/Piffers ( Frontier Force Regiment). Why not raise few more FFR regiments. If instead aim to transform it into an all arms organic unit ( similar to US marines), it will need a lot more than $75-million a year.

 

[solid snake]

It can't hurt to improve the training regimen of the FC. Is anyone aware of what resources are currently available to the border patrols?