Afghan Allegory

The closest allegory to Afghanistan I can find on camp are the local cats.  Yes, the cats.  They can clearly fend for themselves, meow only when a coalition member walks by them, and know for the most part that once they do, we will give them something valuable from our stocks.  Yup…that is this place. 

We have a group of folks on camp who are members of the Feline Force Protection Agency (FFPA) that look after the cats. They gave them all names, provide checkups, shots and set up and stock their feeding centers.  You can even take one home to the US for a few grand if you want to.  Presumably, these cats are cared for to be the mousers of the camp and keep rabid strays away.  There are signs all over camp not to feed them, but who can resist.  (I can).  The reality is that most are overweight, can barely climb or run, yet do a fine job of keeping weak outsiders away from the cushy life here. They have learned well.

 

USO Tour

I remember long ago hearing about entertainers going overseas to perform for the troops.  I thought how nice it was for them to take time off to bring a little bit of Americana to those away from home. Well, I was the recipient this time, as the Harlem Globetrotters came to camp to play in our dingy gym.  It wasn’t much of a place but these guys (and the first female Latina) made the best of it.  They did the same forty year-old routine with a smile and everyone loved it.  I couldn’t take my eyes off the spectacle.  They flew in by helo that afternoon in battle rattle, met the troops, played a game against their “opponent” (who I rooted for just because), took pictures, signed autographs and off they went.  I smiled the rest of the night.

 

Crazies

We were all shocked, but unfortunately not surprised, by the carnage in France and California.  In a very weird way, I may be safer here than back home.  At least I have weapons, an armored car and folks who keep an eye out for crazies with their car bombs.  I may even know about when the car bomb guy will be on the road.  Back home, the crazies (whether terrorists or the “non-terrorist”) could be anywhere and strike seemingly at random.  While the coalition foreigners here understand terrorism, they don’t understand the rash of mass shootings in the US.  How can you put up with this almost every month the Afghans ask?  I really don’t have an answer.  The left don’t want those with psychological problems to be stigmatized while the right don’t want the tools of their carnage to be controlled.  I just shrug and tell the Afghans to think twice about leaving.

Hunters

We haven’t been out of the Green Zone for a week now.  Not a good thing if you are an advisor, but we make due by inviting our principals come to camp, and they do show up once in a while.  Frankly, as leaders, they can’t afford to be away from their offices any more than we can back home.  Advising at camp is not the same as going to their Ministry.  The bad guys are out hunting for us, so we make it hard for them.  It’s an odd thing to have a pretty good idea who these guys are by name, where they are from, and what they drive, yet can’t do much about it.  The local police are hunting for them as well and luckily caught a few this week, but there are a few more out there.  The “Be on the lookout” warning for a Toyota Corolla with a single bearded male doesn’t help much in this city.   You go out on convoy with your head on a swivel when allowed and stay put when you aren’t.   We aren’t here to stay put.

 

Next Generation

We graduated another class of 24 college educated young Afghans to be contractors for the Ministry (in Kabul and in the Provinces) to help them flesh out the processes and procedures needed to make this place run.   The hope is that sometime in the future they will roll into the civil service corps, but frankly I have my doubts.  The average civil servant makes between $250-$400 a month, while these contractors will make about $1100 a month which nearly twice that as a one-star General.  This is not sustainable.  I spoke to the class letting them know just how important their job will be.  I reminded them that without money, there is no police, and that errors in their work ties up money that could otherwise be supporting the forces in their battle with the enemy.  They seem to get it.  While I am very hopeful, I am not naïve.  Most will do great work but a few will get turned by corruption, especially if we leave in place the uniformed middle managers left over from the Soviet era.  Folks here never get fired, they just get moved to other positions, with some even getting promoted away.

Thanksgiving

A very American holiday that seems to resonate with many in the coalition.  It’s a time to gather with those closest to you, share a meal and think about how good we actually have it compared to many outside the castle walls.  Those around you are either your peers, support structure, or guardians and I’m happy to be meeting as many of them as I can.  The command asked us leaders to think about volunteering our time to serve food to the troops.  Who could pass up the chance?  We donned our hair nets, gloves and aprons and manned the chow lines.  It was great to see smiles on the young soldiers.  The vendor who has the catering contract will be leaving at the end of December, so they cooked up a pretty good meal (I guess to make up for all the poor meals in the prior months), with lots of decorations made from fruit and bread.  It was nice and a good break from the grind.  Yet, by 7pm, most everyone was back at work.  Nation building never rests.

Staff Meeting inStyle

I try not to hold many staff meetings.  Give folks overall guidance and a long leash and you will be amazed what can be done.  I tend to keep tabs on what is going on with the team by walking around.  I hold a staff meeting once a week, but now that it is getting cold, we gave up the outdoor settings for a conference room.  For that last few weeks, we got the Palace conference room.  It just amazing just how much more important meetings feel when in such spaciousness, seats aren’t ripped, the floor is clean and there is a map on the wall.