THE 'PARTNER FORCE' AK

A First-hand Look at the AKs of Afghan Commandos

- Tom Marshall

With an estimated 100 million units in circulation worldwide, the AK-pattern rifle has been involved in essentially every major conflict of the last 70 years. For this feature, we look at one of the more common places to encounter an AK in the post-Sept. 11 world: in the hands of local soldiers and militias being trained and supported by U.S. forces. A staple of America's asymmetric warfare policy is building up indigenous forces with training and weapons, giving them (at least in theory) the capability to defend themselves and maintain stability after U.S. withdrawal.

Recent history has, unfortunately, shown us beyond any shadow of a doubt that there are some flaws in the system. Regardless, it has given birth to a unique class of AK. Despite being funded and equipped by the United States, many of these host-nation forces (also referred to as Partner Forces by some) are still carrying AKs, as opposed to M4s or AR-type rifles. There are usually a few reasons for this: in most of these countries, locals are typically more familiar with the AK manual of arms, from having grown up with AKs in prevalent use. In conjunction with this, ammunition and magazines are already in wide circulation. Rather than attempt to retrain guerillas on an entirely new rifle, they are (usually) supplied with AKS, modified with field-expedient accessories to bring their capability at least part way into the 21st century.