Lt. Col. Michael Loos, left, and Cmd. Sgt. Major Mio Franceschi share their experiences and insights from Afghanistan Thursday at the Dole Institute. The military training leaders are with the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y.

American military training leaders said Thursday that the Afghanistan National Army made strides in 2010 and that it was a big step forward for the country.

“There was an advancement of skills, of competence and of confidence just in their own ability to do the job well,” said Lt. Col. Michael Loos, commander of the Army’s 2nd Battalion of the 22nd Infantry Regiment for the 10th Mountain Division.

Loos and Cmd. Sgt. Maj. Mio Franceschi spoke about their 12-month training mission to about 60 people Thursday afternoon at the Dole Institute of Politics on Kansas University’s West Campus.

They said it was a tough transition as the battalion was preparing for combat in Iraq before commanders were told just months before they left that they would be given a training mission instead. They spent grueling days overseeing a training center in Kabul and 19 regional training sites across the country’s rough terrain.

The battalion was among the first to enter Afghanistan early in 2010 as part of a troop surge President Barack Obama ordered.

Still, Loos, in his fourth Afghanistan deployment, said he saw more progress last year especially with basic recruits and officers as his battalion trained more than 60,000 Afghan soldiers.

“I feel that individually and organizationally as a battalion that we made a huge difference tactically, person-to-person, and strategically,” Loos said.

Franceschi said he could see a difference in 12 months, for example, in the way the Afghan soldiers marched.

“It was ugly” at first, he said.

Then toward the end Americans would more often stand back and make spot corrections as the Afghans took the lead. While they said Afghanistan will benefit from having a better-trained military, they noted the country still has a ways to go, including in training its police force.

“They do want change, but you’re talking customs, traditions, religion,” Franceschi said. “For what we did for them I think they did very well. They’re not at the first step anymore, but they’re not at the top of the stairs either.”

Obama has said he would begin bringing forces home this summer, but the troop surge has also led to more casualties amid more intense fighting.

“I think things are moving in the right direction. I do realize that there is a big focus on the number of casualties,” Loos said. “It’s not for nothing. I think there is progress being made.”

The soldiers said they were honored to speak at the Dole Institute. Bob Dole also served in the 10th Mountain Division during World War II when he was wounded in Italy.