National Defence committee  I want to be clear. You're asking about the number of recruits we're getting in the ANA compared to before?

National Defence committee  We're seeing an increase. The Afghan National Army recruitment has gone up in accordance with the discussion on numbers that occurred at the Kabul conference last year. In the last year the army has grown substantially towards a target of 171,000 across the country. So yes, there is an increase that's occurred in the last year.

National Defence committee  Absolutely. And I would say this, wouldn't I, because I was personally involved in this. But let me give you a sense of where we were just a couple of years ago and where we are now. A couple of years ago 86% of the recruits coming in that you've mentioned were illiterate. Right now we've got mandatory literacy training going on in all the institutions they have to pass through.

National Defence committee  I'd have to get back to you on the specifics, but broad recruiting occurs in both the officer domain and the soldier domain, much as you see in most armies around. In terms of the actual numbers, I'd have to get back to you, ma'am.

National Defence committee  Do you want to take the question on the decision, and I can speak to security?

National Defence committee  With respect to security, sir, you made mention of the events in Kabul. Clearly that was a high-profile attack. We have never said that Kabul was a low-risk environment. Kabul remains high-risk. There is a determined enemy out there that is capable of mounting the kinds of things you saw.

National Defence committee  I don't think it's a question of having difficulty finding.... It's interesting, dealing in the Afghan culture. I made reference to my own service in Afghanistan, and I can speak with some detail on this because my last job was in Regional Command South, the NATO headquarters, and my specific responsibility was for the systemic training and professionalization of the police and the army that were located in Kandahar and adjoining provinces.

National Defence committee  Yes, sir. Right now, the troops on the ground are dedicated to those two broad thrusts that I outlined: the mission transition task force and the NATO training mission.

National Defence committee  I can't confirm that figure. We'd have to get back to you on that, sir.

National Defence committee  The close-down of Camp Mirage occurred almost a year ago. We responded very quickly as the Canadian Forces to that situation and found an alternate staging site in Germany to compensate for the loss of that facility. This was done very quickly through the outstanding work of a number of people and through work with our allies.

National Defence committee  Right now, one of the helicopters we're bringing out of theatre was leased from the U.S., so that's going back to the Americans. For the rest, we are actively engaged in looking for buyers for these Chinooks. They are being brought back in a condition and in a posture that will allow us to do exactly that.

National Defence committee  Well, I can just say that within the program of the Chinook helicopters we've used, the plan we're looking at is to divest ourselves of them. That program is being undertaken through the assistant deputy minister for materiel, and it's progressing. With regard to other issues concerning the use of Chinooks and equipment and all that stuff, I would refer you to our folks who deal more precisely in that domain.

National Defence committee  Yes.

National Defence committee  Thank you very much, sir. Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for this opportunity to provide you with an update on our operations. As the chair mentioned, I am Brigadier-General Craig King, director general of operations with the strategic joint staff at National Defence headquarters.