Geography, Construction, & Corruption

in Afghanistan

MAJ Kevin R. GolinghorstWed, 14 Nov 12

FLW SAME Luncheon

Agenda• Geography

– Physical, Human, & Geospatial…

• Construction– Strategic: Host Nation/Development (USAID & others )

Operational: Defense/Military (USACE) Tactical: Troop Units

• Corruption– US vs. Foreign Perceptions/Reality with the Insurgency,

Narcotics, and the Criminal Patronage Networks (CPNs)

Geography

• Physical – The “Terrain”• Human – Social-Cultural, Economic, Ethnicities• Geospatial Engineering, Geospatial-Intelligence

(GEOINT) & Geospatial Information & Services (GI&S) Operational Support

– Army Geospatial Center (AGC) – Fort Belvoir (FTB), VA– National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) – FTB & St. Louis, MO

Institutional Capabilities– TRADOC Capabilities Manager (TCM) – Geospatial – FLW, MO

Training Responsibility– U.S. Army Engineer School (USAES) – Geospatial Skills Division (GSD)– United States Military Academy (USMA) – West Point, NY

41% Pashtun38% Tajik10% Hazara (Shia)6% Uzbek2% Turkmen1% Nuristani1% Baloch1% other

Afghanistan: Ethnicities

Source: ABC News, 9 Feb 09

Mapping the Human Terrainin Afghanistan (2010)• U.S. Army Civil Affairs• U.S. Army G2 – Human Terrain System (HTS)• CENTCOM Human Terrain Analysis Team (HTAT) • Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)

GEOINT / Geospatial Engineering• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)

– Create account & download data as required– Country Atlases and soft copies of GeoPDFs

• Army Geospatial Center (AGC) – Formerly known as the Topographic Engineer Center (TEC)– PKI (CAC Card) access to Afghanistan Country Page– GeoPDFs, Urban Terrain Products (UTPs), TerraExplorer,

Buckeye Imagery/LIDAR, BZTP-DB & StreetView Project(s)

• Tools – Commercial/Industry & Defense/Military – Google Maps/Earth, Microsoft Bing Maps, Mapquest…– DCGS-A Geospatial (DG): ArcGIS (ESRI), ENVI (ITT/Exelis)

Facts - Afghanistan Road Infrastructure

• Paved roads - Only 24%; Neighboring countries 80% or more

• Lowest density of roads per square kilometer in Central Asia

• Many roads are impassable in winter (snow and flooding)

• Most bridges and culverts are in poor condition

• 65 % is mountainous – 25 % is more than 2,500 meters (8125 feet) above sea level

Population 23,263,318 26,783,383 31,056,997

Sq Kilometers 695,622 437,072 647,500

Km of Roads 493,469 45,550 34,789

Paved 38,399 (84%) 8,231 (24%)

Afghanistan

Iraq

Texas

Assumptions – Afghan Road Master Plan

ANDS

Construction

• Counterinsurgency (COIN) Effects– Roads & Bridges – connecting villages & people,

commerce, mining industry, construction capability

– Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), Combat Outposts (COPs), and Observation Points (OPs) –improved force protection, power projection, quality of life while stimulating local economy and connecting to people

– Civil-Military Operations – clinics, schools, government buildings, sanitation, agriculture, power & water projects to include skilled-labor workshops

36% of Afghanistan Construction Market

USACE Construction Funding

$1 Billion

$2 Billion

$3 Billion

~ $4 Billion in 6 years ~ $9B in 3 yrs

…the “Tsunami” Chart!

Capacity Building – Afghan First

Afghan Employees

0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000

Unskilled

Skilled

Management

Average Daily Employment on AED Projects

Other Employees

Afghan Employees

Contractor’s Costs by Category

December 2007 Data Shows:• 254 Afghans employed by AED• 11,486 Afghans employed daily• 95% of workers on AED Projects are

Afghans

• 70% of AED contract actions to Afghan firms• 75% of money obligated to Afghan firms

Material36%

Subcontractors 36%

Life Support 7%

Equipment 10%

Labor 2%Security 9%

Afghan National Army (AGA) Program

Herat Brigade

Khowst Brigade

Gardez Brigade

Mazar-e-Sharif Brigade

Darualaman Brigade

Qalat Brigade

Pol-e-Charki Brigade

Kandahar Brigade

Lashkar Gah Brigade

Khair Kot Garrison

Farah Garrison

Completed - 9 Brigades Under Construction - 2 BrigadesPlanned Construction - 2 Brigades

Projects Completed - Over 100 Including Hospitals (BDE and National), Log Depots, Central Mvmt, PeC Detainee Ops, ASP, ACP

Konduz Garrison

Jalalabad FOB

Gamberi Garrison

Gomal FOB

Challenges of Working in Afghanistan

Reconstruction made difficult by:

• Afghanistan 5th poorest country in the world (2005)• Limited availability of qualified A&E firms,

management and skilled laborers• Badly degraded infrastructure• No extensive natural resources• Agricultural based economy – no industries • Limited reach of the central government• Non-existent or immature District/ Provincial

governments– No engineering capacity (lost generation of

engineers)– Difficult to identify most pressing needs

(PRT/USAID challenge)– Can result in unsynchronized projects across

an area (band aids) going to the loudest local leaders

Synopsis from CPT Alaniz• The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are the first time since Vietnam where

engineers have been tasked with nation building in an unsecure environment. In Afghanistan in particular, USACE, USAID, and other execution agencies must navigate the complexities of human terrain, manage the risks associated with building outside of security zones, and understand local challenges, in order to deliver projects on-time and on budget.

• This brief will explain, through a series of vignettes, how in the remote northeastern province of Badakhshan, Afghanistan, USACE moved from zero construction placement and no projects completed to surpassing monthly placement projections by 28%. The brief will discuss how engaging local stakeholders and building local capacity are essential to not only the construction mission but the larger counterinsurgency mission. We will also touch on some of the local challenges of building in a developing country and how market mechanisms that we take for granted are paralleled in Afghan society.

Corruption

• 75% Afghans interviewed in 2010 study believe foreigners are disrespecting their religion and traditions, and violate local customs. They cite this as one of the main causes of their resentment and mistrust.

• Lack of cultural sensitivity during design and construction results in facilities that are not only unacceptable to local populations but unsustainable by them.

Conclusion

• What: Engineers are contributing immensely to the “fight” in Afghanistan but the effects of geography (physical & human), construction challenges, and corruption can be daunting.

• So What: Long duration projects with often limited resources require thorough design, planning, and sustained execution.

• Which Means: Ensure interagency, engineering efforts are integrated into “the” plan and know that it can be sometimes difficult to quickly shift from the plan to emerging priorities.

• Therefore: Become familiar with what has been done, is currently being executed, and then influence future direction rather than disrupt effective projects already underway.

Questions?