And when we're traveling to a lot of these locations, we're white-knuckling it all the way because the routes we travel are insane."Īnother challenge the teams face is getting the support of all the people in the area who have stock in the project. "In Dari Nor, we're having trouble getting metal beams out there. "Getting materials to the construction site has been a problem," said Sergeant Calaman, a native of Carlisle, Pa. Some of the challenges the CE team faces deal directly with the terrain. "Projects like wells have the most potential on a microscopic level to help with the most basic needs of a village." Elisabeth Leon, an instructor at the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. "The smaller projects have the highest impact," said Capt. While the province is in dire need of improved roadways and large-scale infrastructure, it's not always grand solutions that have the most significant effect on the people in these rural districts. "I'm used to seeing projects built from the ground up so if I see a potential problem and have it addressed right away, it saves a lot of hassle in the long run and keeps the project on target." Bryan Calaman, deployed from the 37th Civil Engineer Squadron at Lackland AFB, Texas. "When we go out to do our QA/QC checks, I can see problems before they happen," said Tech. Once selected, the contractor will begin construction with the team conducting quality assessment and quality control checks throughout the different phases of construction. The CE team selects the winning bid based on best value. The projects go through a vetting process where the designs are approved and then sent out for bidding among the local contractors. "All of our projects are funded with (Commander's Emergency Resource Project) money," the lieutenant added. Currently, the team is working on 15 roads, 33 schools, a two-story women's resource center as well as surveying and designing a dam in the mountain valleys. To date, the team has 55 active projects worth $63.4 million with another 60 projects in the queue worth $100.6 million. Many of the projects the PRT is currently working on address concerns of inadequate infrastructure throughout Nangarhar. Department of State and the U.S Department of Agriculture. agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S.AID, U.S. "We may help fund the projects but they have an Afghan face on them - something that usually gives a project more support locally."Įstablished in 2003 by the Army, the PRT is made up of active-duty, Guard and Reserve servicemembers as well as members from other U.S. "One of the main reasons for having the requests go through the Afghan government before it reaches us is to build confidence," Lieutenant Klenke said. "Then the Afghan government will go through the requests and prioritize them before submitting them to us."īy encouraging citizens to submit requests through local Afghan government agencies, the PRT is helping to promote an all-Afghan enterprise and to build trust in their system. Stephen Klenke, the PRT's project purchasing officer deployed from the 21st Civil Engineer Squadron at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. "The Afghans are encouraged to route their requests through their local governments for consideration," said 1st Lt. The province, approximately 7,700 square miles with 22 recognized districts, is considered the agricultural center of the country. The civil affairs team works with local leaders on determining the specific needs of an area. FORWARD OPERATING BASE FINLEY-SHIELDS, Afghanistan - Nangarhar Province is seeing a rush of construction projects due in large part to the vision and planning of an Air Force civil engineer team here.Īs part of the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team, civil engineers work with fellow PRT members - including civil affairs teams - to address the needs of a specific district or village and nail down the particulars necessary to get a project approved and built.
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