When asked how he would define “success” for the USACE mission in Afghanistan, Christensen termed it the “million-dollar question” that was hard to answer.
“I think it’s a little easier in Iraq because the intent there was to give them a jump start and a point of departure where they could pick up fixing their existing infrastructure where we left off. And I think we did have success with that and they now are driving toward a better future,” he said.
“Afghanistan is harder to define; I’m not sure they will ever have a robust infrastructure. We’re leaving it in better shape than when we got there, but whether they can ever get it to the degree needed – I’m not sure the funding and support is there. The big question is whether they can maintain what we have built there.”
Seen here is the construction site of the Afghan National Civil Order Police Patrol Battalion compound and Provincial Response Company in the Daman District, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2013. USACE designed and constructed operating bases, training ranges, hospitals, and police headquarters compounds for the Afghan National Security Forces. Photo by Tony Carter
However, Christensen does not believe the improvements USACE has overseen will be at risk, no matter what happens once the United States withdraws.
“From an infrastructure viewpoint, in both Iraq and Afghanistan, whoever is in charge in the future is unlikely to damage the major items because those will be of value to them,” he predicted. “They might claim to have built something we did – which has happened before – but not destroy it.”
The lessons from Iraq are not entirely history, however, as USACE projects there have continued beyond the end of U.S. combat operations in that country.
As TAA and MED work to complete USACE projects in Afghanistan, leading to MED becoming the Transatlantic Division’s only district, probably in 2014, Eyre expressed pride in the work to date and confidence in future prospects.
“There was much accomplished by the two districts that we are inactivating,” Eyre said at the official stand-up ceremony for TAA at Camp Phoenix, Kabul province, on July 10. “They have served with distinction. But it is time to pull together a new team working as one, to stand up a new district, with a new identity.
“Working together, we will move forward through 2014 and set the conditions for longer-term support. The establishment of the TAA will provide the continuity we need to focus on completion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ vital mission in support of the warfighter – and to the citizens of Afghanistan.”
This article first appeared in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Building Strong®, Serving the Nation and the Armed Forces 2013-2014 Edition.