  AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY Something of the scope and duration of the national-building effort in which the United States is now involved in Afghanistan can be determined by looking at the current size of the urlLink Afghan National Army . There are now 5 battalions in the Afghan National Army, and a total of 1,700 soldiers have graduated from basic training in Kabul. Recruitment is difficult, dropout rates are near 40%, and local commanders (formerly known as warlords) are holding on to their private armies.
The plan is to create a force of urlLink 70,000 soldiers by 2009 . American soldiers are intimately involved in the training of units and urlLink Special Forces soldiers are assigned to each battalion. A central corps is to be created by 2004, when Afghanistan's first real elections are to be held. That is when the United States would like to pull out, probably so it can focus on democracy-building and creating a non-Baathist military somewhat further west, in Iraq. All I can say about both of these situations is "good luck. " 
