Ground Control to Major Tom

There's something pretty cool about a BC that sends out an email "staff, meet me outside in 15 minutes so we can attempt to make contact with the international space station."  Pretty cloudy night but we definitely had good visibility as it appeared over the ridge line, BC manned with antenna and freq.

BC:  "International space station, this is Army unit X in X province, Afghanistan"
Nothing
BC:  "International space station, this is Army unit X Fires, the guns are hot"
Nothing
BC:  "International space station, do you need a battle captain?"
Nothing
S-3 Air:  Well sir, air status is red.

Better luck another night, still pretty cool though!

To Head Scarf Or Not?

I started this post a couple months ago and thought it was deleted when my computer crashed.  Dug it up saved in drafts and appropriate after posting the pic of me in a head scarf yesterday...

When I first got here, I sought the advice of men and women alike about whether it was necessary or preferred that I wear a head scarf when meeting with Afghans.  I received mixed responses.  Some said that it is an absolute necessity to show that I respect the Afghan culture and that I would be taken more seriously in meetings if I did so.  Others told me that they do not and that they don't think it matters because Afghans have been dealing with CF for so long and are used to seeing at least a few Western women acting in a professional capacity here.  So I did wear a head scarf during initial meetings and then I stopped and didn't think I was being treated any differently, getting less information, or being less productive during my meetings.  My interpreter encouraged/harped/borderline insisted that I return to wearing the head scarf and I did yesterday.  Result?  The Afghans I met all commented on it in a positive way saying that I "looked good" (Note:  NOT hitting on me...happy that I was respecting their culture).  So I think the head scarf is here to stay for the remainder of my deployment.

Here's how I feel about it.  Professionally, I know it is the right thing to do and I'm all about being professional and doing what it takes to facilitate carrying out my mission.  Personally, it does affect how I feel.  The first couple I wore were heavier materials and really did make me feel like I was hiding and I think affected the level of confidence I projected (e.g. even when I was the senior CF in the room or it was my meeting to run, somehow the men were in charge).  One of the female interpreters gave me one that is much lighter and I don't notice as much.  Interestingly for how much the military cares about uniform and standards with appearances, there seem to be no issues with women wearing head scarves that are "not in regs."  The non-SF men grumble about the fact that they are not allowed to do the same and grow beards.

KLE Til It Hurts

I am sure friends and family can identify many traits I inherited from my mother -- there are two I know for certain: 1) I am a morning person, and 2) I can ask questions with the best of them.  Both come in handy in the military, the latter in my current position.  Talking to anyone who speaks a different language through an interpreter is an art in itself.  Holding KLEs with Afghans presents additional hurdles -- cultural considerations, testing the boundaries in your relationship, how candid you can be, meeting with Afghan men as a female, you name it.  This makes some CF timid and results in many conversations that resemble small talk with from my perception nothing learned/gained by either side.  Some walk in with no agenda and see where the conversation goes.  This isn't my approach.  I always have, if not a set agenda or desired outcome, at least a few topics I want to hit and questions I would like answered.  Sometimes this is painful for the other mil with me who have learned that I will keep questioning and digging -- often through sometimes very rough translation.  But sometimes we walk away with atmospherics or intel that wouldn't have been gained otherwise.  This particular KLE involved a good hour on the topic of reintegration.  My linguist is on leave so I was working with one who wasn't as used to my syntax and "will not accept vague responses, tangents, or obfuscation" style.  As you can see from my expression in this picture, it was a little painful for me too.

The Weather Report Is In...

February was "cloudy with a chance of SAF" and now "April showers bring
May poppy."  That's right, it's poppy season out here in Afghanistan.
Based on the below two stories I don't know if ANSF/CF are winning or
losing the "war on poppy."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/17/opium-poppy-farming-afghanis
tan-rising

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/apr/20/us-winning-war-on-poppie
s-in-afghanistan-but-for-h/?page=1

I can also neither confirm nor deny that poppy eradication campaigns are
or are not taking place in one or two or many provinces around
Afghanistan or Pakistan or the U.S. or Mexico.  10% of the total income
from poppies goes to the Taliban according to UNODC.
http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Afghanistan/Afghan_Opiu
m_Trade_2009_web.pdf?ref=enews171109

Confirming the findings of the 2011 Afghanistan Opium Survey, the Risk
Assessment of this year indicated the strong association between
insecurity, lack of agricultural assistance and opium cultivation.
Villages with a low level of security and which had not received
agricultural assistance in the previous year were significantly more
likely to grow poppy in 2012 than villages with good security and those,
which had received assistance. Similarly, villages which had been
targeted by an anti-poppy awareness campaign were significantly less
likely to grow poppy in 2012.
http://www.unodc.org/documents/crop-monitoring/Afghanistan/ORAS_report_2
012.pdf

And we really have seen quite the rain storms the last couple days,
leading to sandbagging some buildings last night and joking that I would
float away on my chair/exercise ball.

I Am An American And I Am Here To Solve All Your Problems, All At Once

Sometimes I think that's what being in the military feels like on deployment -- at least 2012 Afghanistan deployment under a COIN/transition strategy.  You can hear it from the top to the bottom of the chain of command -- kill the bad guys, avoid civilian casualties, support GIRoA in building a functioning government and civil society.  Every mil/civ/ctr working in the country has some variation of those responsibilities.  As a JAG, I of course have 0 lethal responsibilities (other than not being a liability to those I'm on patrol with) and many non-lethal responsibilities.  I am now within 2 months of redeploying and as I have frantically tried to catch up from being out of my AO for almost 2 weeks, I  have also begun to think about what is achievable for me personally within my last 2 months, how will I define "success" for my deployment, and will anything I have done matter.  My civilian counterparts tend to have a much better perspective on this since their time in country is longer and they see development/nation-building as a long term process -- not in terms of 6 months or one year deployments in which each new unit starts from scratch.  So as I soldier on I will keep this long term perspective in mind and keep my own expectations in check.

Quotable Afghanistan

One of the perks of no longer being a student (almost 6 years now!) is being able to listen to lectures/speeches without the prospect of being tested on the material.  I used to be a tenacious note taker.  Now, I mostly note the quotable.  Really, I should be keeping a quote book from my time here.  But here are a few from the past week as a start:

One of the Ambassadors told an anecdote that a reporter asked Karzai to in one word sum up the situation in AFG.  Karzai said "good."  The  journalist responded "well, I didn't really mean JUST one word, what about two."  Karzai said "not good."

"Some people are sleeping.  Is that ok?"  One of our Afghan presenters.  Now it's a tried and true tradition in American academia that students will occasionally nod off in class right?  I have seen professors deal with this in a number of ways, but never with such a simple matter of fact statement.

"They didn't have computers."  Speaker talking in amazement at her initial assessment of the working conditions she found in a Kabul office.  My fellow ROLFSOs and I turned to each other telepathically thinking something along the lines of "isn't it great they have an office?  Tables and chairs sound pretty great.  So do paper and pens.  Computers sounds like potentially a waste of resources/unsustainable/source of instability."

"I don't carry a gun because I'm a lawyer and that is frightening."  Same speaker as above.  True, very true. 

"There's never been rule of law in AFG, it's rulers' law...the ruler says what the law is."

"The U.S. is part of the international community."  Discussing the fact that sometimes the U.S. thinks it's "us" and then the rest of the NATO countries or the rest of the IC working in a given environment.

"Warrior companion."  No longer battle buddies -- warrior companions. 

On Leadership

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting with in person, listening to speak, and via VTC 4 different GOs from the Army, Navy, and Air Force -- all in some way in my deployed or stateside chain of command.  A lot of leadership for one day as I wrapped up my week in Kabul.  As I head back out for the last two months of my deployment, this was a good opportunity to get some command guidance, some perspective, and some motivation for my "sprint to the finish" as I have started calling my last 60 days.  Perhaps the most memorable thing said by one of my in theater commanders was that he doesn't believe in "experts."  With 30+ years in the Army he said he has had experiences and he has perspectives, but says he would never call himself an "expert" in anything and doesn't buy into people who do so.  The context is the civ/mil environment in which we work which is complex, always changing, and greatly varied based on where you work in the country and when you worked there.  Also very fitting for my week spent with colleagues covering 9 vastly different provinces with different challenges.  In 60 days when I reunite with the other three members of the "fearsome foursome" as I call the other JAG and two paralegals that I flew in with, I'm sure we will begin to reflect on our experiences spread across the country.  And when we go home, I hope we are able to put in perspective what we saw and what we did as our unique, individual experience without trying to speak for Afghanistan as a whole, the status of rule of law, and what hopes the country has for the future.  Because while we are all having tremendous experiences and learning a lot -- 6 months, or a year, or 5 deployments would still make it difficult for anyone to become an "expert" on the many challenges Afghan people face for the future of their country.

Sidebar:  David Brooks is always a favorite.  He's not talking about Afghanistan per se, but he is talking about my generation (the entitlement generation as I've been told on more than one occasion and sometimes nodded in agreement), but also filled with idealists.  His statement that "you can cram all the nongovernmental organizations you want into a country, but if there is no rule of law and if the ruling class is predatory then your achievements won’t add up to much" certainly applies to the work my command and other RoL actors are trying to do here. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/opinion/brooks-sam-spade-at-starbucks.html?src=me&ref=general 

Sidebar:  A SF guy bought me a coffee yesterday -- he just got a $150,000 bonus.  Not too shabby.  As he said "there are a lot of lawyers in the world...not too many SF guys.  True.  Very true.

 

Kabul Is Not Afghanistan

I have been in Kabul for a few days now and an underlying theme of the visit, both from what I've observed, been told, and is apparent from our guest lecturers is that "Kabul Is Not Afghanistan."  First the cosmetic.  When you fly in, it really is apparent that you are flying into a city.  You see the poor, shanty like villages, that mark any urban area around the world.  But you also see modern looking office and apartment buildings and one structure that glowed through the night (I asked and most likely a wedding hall).  The people are different -- younger, more urban.  The Afghans who lectured us were younger, wore suits instead of traditional Afghan "man jams," and often were clean shaven.  Most hysterically to me, they had PowerPoint presentations.  Of all the things we are trying to influence, improve, and import -- why the PowerPoint!

More seriously, progress on security, development/the economy, education/literacy, and just about everything the international community is pushing for as we move towards transition are light years ahead in Kabul from even the provincial capitals around the country.  This makes Kabul a nice place to visit (we went hiking!).  But it also quickly apparent why there is sometimes such a disconnect between both GIRoA and CF leaders/policymakers and what is happening at the provincial and district level -- or "in the field" as we have repeatedly been told (NOTE: from my perspective I am deployed to a combat zone; the terminology "in the field" to me is more akin to academia and research).  This issue is not unique to Afghanistan.  How often do you hear people in the U.S. decry "Washington" and the idea that they have no understanding of the problems of the average American.  But I do think it speaks to the current and future challenges of the country.  I am not doing a very good job of organizing my thoughts on this as I just spit something out in a few minutes.  As an example, one of the Ambassadors that came to talk to us cited a survey in which people in Kabul listed security as the biggest problem nationwide.  In the districts, people listed security 7th after jobs, electricity, roads, and a few other issues.  More to follow on this...

On the Move...

I am out of my "home" province for a week or so to link up with my fellow ROLFSOs in Kabul and hopefully learn a thing or two about the greater RoL mission.  The last couple days have been a little surreal which means I have definitely adapted to conditions at the FOB/COPs I live at.  For one I flew on a civilian aircraft without my kit.  Whoa.  Secondly strolling around BAF was a sense of freedom I haven't had in a few months.  I had Green Beans twice just for Sarah.  A run might be in order on the way back.  It is also strange to see so many AF generally and then the fact that they are in ABUs.  (Side note to all the pilots -- March is over, get rid of the molestaches)  I showed up at my home for the week today to find signs that say the water is "potable."  I'm not sure what to make of this.  Fairly certain I will continue to brush my teeth with bottled water. 

TOA

TOA (transfer of authority) was last weekend in my AO.  It was hard to say goodbye to new friends that I have worked with and gotten to know over the last few months as they slowly left the FOBs and COPs for home.  I'm not sure what they were nervous about more when they found out I was coming in December -- that I was female, in the AF, or a JAG.  And yet somehow I fit into the shop better than they or I could have imagined.  So a few shout outs to the boys (who I don't believe have any idea this blog exists):
- JH- Thanks for being like a big brother -- and occasional secretary!  As easy going as they come and perfect for your role out here.  Always with a quick retort.  You definitely helped me adjust to Army more than anyone.
- DP- Get some sun!  Thanks for our morning runs there at the end.  Don't become too cool to keep in touch with a ROLFFA out there in LA/MBA land.
- JC- Reintegrate or die!  I always thought flexibility was the key to air power.  You showed me it's the key to being a good officer too.  From rear D, to S-3 planner, to SKRV development strategist, to company commander in a matter of months. 
- EH- Always level-headed, pragmatic, and with great insight on the day's events -- and I don't think it's just the voice.  You have given me great perspective and helped me stick with the long game through my first deployment.
- DP/Combat- Just so we're clear on the northeast Ohio rankings: 1) Hudson, 2) Medina, 3) North Canton.   
- JH- Thanks for the exercise ball -- everyone is jealous of my "chair" and it has made me a good couple inches taller.  Be kind to the AF folks at Eglin!

All military careers intersect in DC, so I hope to work with you all again some day.  If you're ever in NE Ohio, remember no one knows what a ROLFFA is, but the name "Maimona" might get you a free beer or two at Beef O'Brady's.

Perhaps the greatest compliment I received during the farewells was from the battalion commander who told me that it would have been pretty easy for me to come in and say effectively that while I am assigned in his AO, I'm not part of his staff, etc. and go about my work in a more isolated fashion.  But instead that I integrated into his staff seamlessly.  This is true and it would have been a mistake to isolate myself -- professionally and personally.  One of the biggest challenges I have seen over here is managing all the "enablers," people like me on the military and civilian side that are working in something other than a combat or logistics role.  We are working in gov/dev, RoL, mentoring ANSF, etc.  We come from all branches of the military, DoS, USAID, and I could go on and on.  Managing efforts collectively is a challenge.  As I have given introductions during BFC the last few weeks with the incoming unit, I tell them that I essentially have three chains I work through:  1) my actual deployed chain of command, NROLFSM, 2) the BSO, and 3) DoS.  My no kidding chain of command is a given.  I am lucky enough that the prior battalion commander and new both treat me as part of their staff and I am happy to be able to work on their priorities.  And finally my counterpart at provincial works for DoS and has been in country for nearly 2.5 years so it would be foolish not to align with the phenomenal work he has been doing.  And can't forget my AF chain of command that will get me a flight out of country when I'm done!  I've started to ramble a bit...but bottom line is I think key to success when you're in my position as an enabler/individual augmentee/whatever you want to call it...is to remain flexible, work hard, collaborate with anyone and everyone, and push to do what makes sense!