Civil affairs Soldiers, district support teams partner with GIRoA for progress

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Clean water, reliable sanitation systems, increased police presence, and even local sports fields will be coming to the citizens of Paktya in the near future, thanks to the partnership between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and members of the Zormat District Support Team.

Soldiers of the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, from Kalamazoo, Mich., join U.S. and Afghan civilian experts on DSTs located at Combat Outposts Zormat, Wilderness, Chamkani and Herrera to help make these civic improvements a reality.

Military members of the DSTs at these locations are assigned to the Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team and assist GIRoA in providing services to the people.

“One of the PRT's main roles here is to connect the government of Afghanistan to its people, and the key is knowing what is happening down at the grassroots level,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Reid Smith of Niceville, Fla., PRT civil affairs commander. “This is where the civil affairs team comes in; providing the PRT commander with the ground truth so that he can mentor provincial-level government officials to better serve the needs of their people.”

The DST working in the Zormat District has recently taken on two major projects; the Clean Water Initiative for the Tamir Bazaar and the Zormat Sports Field Initiative. The U.S. Agency for International Development has funded the Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation project in support of the Clean Water Initiative.

“I would say our team has made some serious progress during our first month on the ground,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Tristan Boddicker of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 415th CA Bn. “We have made ourselves available both in town as well as here at the COP, in order to facilitate the local population and expand the reach of the Afghan government.”

In the northern region of the province, the Chamkani DST has worked with local officials to increase the safety of their population through community policing initiatives, placing 200 Afghan police graduates into the Ministry of the Interior’s security program.

“National registration enables the Ministry of the Interior to gain oversight, accountability and ownership of the very effective ALP program,” said U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Benjamin Fradette from Yankeetown, Fla., 415th CA Bn. “Such an event reinforces the administrative mentorship between coalition forces and personnel from the Afghan government.”

Working on such large projects with GIRoA is a challenge for the two civil affairs Soldiers normally assigned to each DST, but a challenge they’re equipped to handle, even if alone.

“Despite being the only PRT civil affairs Soldier on site, (U.S. Army) Sgt. 1st Class (Eric) Conover is still responsible for both the Jaji and Ahmad Kehl districts, an area of over 500 square kilometers,” Smith said. “His current priorities are the opening of the recently completed Jaji District Center and a road project that will connect the three main villages in the district to the Shista Bazaar. This bazaar is a primary center for commerce in the area and will allow farmers in this agriculturally based community a better opportunity to get their crops to market.”

With the combined efforts of PRT civil affairs team members on each DST, GIRoA officials in Paktya’s major population centers are able to work toward providing services to the citizens of the region, said Smith.

The PRT continues to build on the foundation of successful relationship they’ve cultivated in their first month in the province, allowing progress to continue, he added.