Reflections from Afghanistan

Reflections #1, 19 Jan 2010

Family and Friends,

Yesterday I traveled to visit one of the many possible construction sites around the country – this one to improve traffic flow for Coalition trucks. I met an American Afghan from Omaha, who was also on the visit. He is here as an advisor and has been here since 2002. His wife, an Afghan, and kids are back in Omaha. Earlier he was a Freedom Fighter against the Soviets. He sees this time as the last great chance to bring freedom and stability to his native country, and is very optimistic that the Afghans and the Coalition have the right strategy to bring this about. There are lots of challenges with neighboring countries, so diplomacy is at a premium, and the State Dept has its work cut out for them; so we will need to persevere. Yesterday’s tragic attacks in Kabul seem to be an indicator that the insurgents are getting desperate to attempt to derail what they see as a successful strategy.

While on the ground with the troops, they took me out in their Stryker vehicles, so got to eat some dust again — a good feeling after so many years in an office. The soldiers are amazing — they face desolate conditions and a dangerous environment every day, but they are very well led, disciplined, and self-sacrificing. It’s a real honor to serve alongside them, and very invigorating. They work very well with the Afghan people, and are greatly appreciated. The great treat was to ride with the Stryker Company commanded by a good friend of the family — real proud of him!

We drove through an Afghan town (which they try not to do very often as it disrupts commerce for that period) and got thumbs up from 99% of the kids and some adults (the groups consist of nearly all men on the streets); only a few thumbs down. There are huge unemployment problems, so we are working to have local community members hired in all our projects; that helps the security situation as well.

We met the local Afghan leaders (two cups of chai and bowls of different kinds of nuts — almonds, walnuts, cashews, and a local peanut) and had reporters accompany us. Most local leaders are respected, but it depends on what tribe they are from and how they protect the people and provide for the economy; and what other tribes are competing. There seems to be different levels of corruption, which we are all trying to avoid contributing to. Don’t want the Afghan people to view us as part of the problem.

It’s still a tough go ahead, especially getting the Afghan government and economy stabilized, but the Afghan people really want this effort to succeed. Please keep up your fervent prayers for all our men and women out on the front lines.

All the best to you,

Don

Reflections #2, 4 Feb 2010

Family and Friends,

Today I traveled out to western Afghanistan to visit some of our leaders there and to see the work they are doing in expanding bases for the newly arriving US units. We landed at an airfield that serves both as a military and commercial runway (there are several of these that we share with Afghanistan), and many Afghans were boarding a 737 headed to Kabul.

This particular Region is commanded by an Italian Brigadier General; I had planned to meet with him, but he had to be at another base to attend a memorial service for one of his soldiers. I did meet with the Deputy Commander and enjoyed a cup of espresso and a bottle of San Benetto water. Nice treat. The base itself is run by the Spanish, and the security was provided, in part, by Slovenians. The US has only a small detachment there, and all parties work well together, but generally keep their operations separate and, of course, have different country restrictions which can cause some challenges. But that’s the nature of Coalition warfare, which is the only way to do something like this.

I also visited one of our bases close by and had lunch with some terrific soldiers and leaders. At one of our construction sites a Sergeant Major came up to me and thanked me “for approving my waiver”. As it turns out, in my previous job at USACE Headquarters, his request crossed my desk for approval. He had retired after 37 years in the Army, stayed out for two years, and then asked to be recalled so he could deploy to Afghanistan. He could have made a lot more money if he had joined a contractor to do this, but he chose to put the uniform back on instead and to serve his country that way – amazing dedication. (Now, to my wonderful and supportive Army wife, Roz – when I retire, I promise to look for other ways to serve closer to home.)

In the afternoon I attended a “Development Board” formed to synchronize the work of all the many agencies, nations, and non-governmental organizations from around the world working in this Region (you’d be amazed at the number) bringing their resources to help the Afghans. They are building roads, schools, clinics, water wells, government offices, Army and police facilities, libraries, and on and on – a substantial amount of work that they were working to coordinate to be most effective.

All are working to place “Afghans first” – in both security and civil operations – and for the most part, Afghans are eager to do so. It takes time to train, equip, coach, and be good partners; but not as much time as the alternative — trying to do all ourselves, and therefore not developing Afghan capacity. Of course, security remains a challenge, but the troops are always alert and extremely dedicated. And we even see evidence in more communities of Afghans standing up against the insurgents – risky for them but good news for us.

We also talked about some of the longer range efforts we have ongoing: We are working with the Engineer Command on a US Basing Strategy for Afghanistan to ensure wisest use of all our taxpayer money being spent; an Environmental and Energy policy and plans to ensure we are good stewards while we are here and leave Afghanistan better than we found it; and a water management strategy for Afghanistan to provide reliable supplies of electric power and clean water for promoting public health and improving business development and governance. Lots to do and it will take a while, but am convinced these efforts will help bring us all home sooner than if we did not do them.

Thanks for your prayers for all our men and women serving over here — you’ve got to be proud of them and I know you appreciate their sacrifices. I’ve got it pretty cushy here in Kabul compared to those out on patrol tonight.

All the best,

Don

Reflections #3, 25 Feb 2010

Family and Friends,

And I thought Washington, D.C. was complex! The political situation in Central Asia puts that notion to shame; everything seems contradictory. Given their history, those in positions of leadership in the multiple layers of governments throughout this region must play to multiple constituencies. I’m not so naïve to think that is not the case in our democracy, but what makes the situation in Central Asia so much more problematic are competing insurgents, weapons, opium, corruption, and tribal loyalty.

So what one sees on the surface can be alarmingly paradoxical and very difficult to make any sense of…until you dig deep and talk to those who know the real deal. Before one can make any judgments at all one needs to find out who is talking to whom, who is beholden to whom, what the local traditions are, how the situation got to this point, what they think of you and where you come from, where they came from and how they got there, and even more, if you are able. What Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India, and the other “Stans” (and, of course the big gorillas on the block, Russia and China) do is all dependent on their history and what they have endured at the hands of various invaders. Memories are very long in this part of the world.

Also, what we think of as standards of behavior don’t fit well here. Although, for the most part, the key leaders are good hearted, they simply deal differently than we do. They are essentially dysfunctional unless they retain power, and they will work towards that through seemingly contradictory means. So beware of what you read or hear in the news media — few reporters do the necessary homework to fully understand all the nuances and, for the most part, editors like to simplify the story to a catchy headline. Just know that there is a lot going on behind the scenes.

The Afghans are good people and they can be a very stabilizing influence in the region. Since the then-Soviets attacked in 1979, Afghans have suffered through more than thirty years of war and civil war and are eager and ready for a “normal” life. They will remain loyal to their tribes, but they want good government that provides basic services and secures their freedom to work and provide for their families. (Isn’t that what we all want?) As to what this means to the success of our strategy? It is certainly not war as I am used to thinking of it. But our leaders have it right; this one is as much a war of perceptions and perspectives and good governance, as much as anything else. And nothing is simple, or can it be simplified.

What’s important is persistence in convincing the people we are on the right path, that we are on their side, and that they and their government will prevail. (That’s why any civilian casualty incident is taken seriously, as it can quickly undermine the trust we are working to build — even though we and they know the insurgents are using civilians as shields.) Simultaneously we’ll need to convince the insurgents they cannot win, and the Coalition (presently 43 nations) is committed to inevitable success.

In the end, the government must be trustworthy and reliable. It can get there, and it won’t be easy. It will take a lot of time, patience, and assistance.
Remember, it’s complex.

The real amazing part about the whole matter is our dedicated men and women out there every day and night, and their willingness to serve so far away from home in situations that are muddled, confused, and dangerous. Most know they are here for a reason; they fight for each other and the Afghan people, and want to do their jobs well. What a great privilege to be here with them. My cup runneth over.

Regards,

Don

Reflections #4, 25 March 2010

This truly is a different kind of war; and, very progressive as far as military-civilian integration. In the past, many worthwhile activities have been undertaken by both the military and civilian sectors, but oftentimes would end at cross purposes to each other. US Forces here are now making significant strides towards improved integration, seeing positive results; and they are working to expand this integration to other Coalition nations as well.

The US State Dept is growing substantially in personnel with most of the growth out in the field right alongside the military. Each Region has a “co-equal” Senior Civilian Representative assigned to work with the Regional Commanders, and this SCR has authority over the other US Gov’t civil efforts in that region. Additionally, civilian leadership is assigned to work with Brigade and Battalion commanders and other levels as well, and many are assigned to our troop units and go out on patrol with them to work with local villages.

In at least one of the more progressive regions, the Senior Civilian participates with the Commander in venues that decide on military security operations and, likewise, the Commander participates in the venues that formulate the civilian governance and development activities. And they co-sign their joint orders to ensure their efforts are integrated and synchronized. Fascinating advancement. Furthermore, our forces are combining their command posts with the Afghan Army and Police to ensure operations are integrated, and the Afghans are trained on how to lead and manage operations. Success in this is our ticket home.)

Another activity I found intriguing was “Radios in a box” — a program in which we have distributed thousands of radios to Afghan families. In one region we have 46 radio stations scattered around on our smaller outposts with Afghan announcers. Our forces conduct monthly opinion surveys (surveying 16,000 per month) in local communities to determine what the Afghans want to hear on the radio, and one of the most frequent requests was for a midwife call-in, question and answer program. So they set that up for daytime programming, and focus the evening programming on the men. Of course, we also have the announcers keep the population informed of important Coalition efforts, including services and funding provided, and phone numbers to call to report suspicious activity.

In this counterinsurgency, our volunteer civilians are playing a significant role. Those in the field are living in conditions similar to our soldiers; they are dedicated to their work, and are selfless in their attitude — just like the many civilian contractors we work with. It’s great to be here with them.

Thanks for your prayers for these terrific men and women.

Warmest Regards,

Don

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: FOUO

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