The company contained five organic CATs, with one additional CAT task-organized to the company for the deployment. Each CAT contained four personnel — one officer and three NCOs. While the B/91st headquarters remained at Bagram Airfield during OEF XIII, each CAT was assigned to a specific province in support of both Special Operations Task Forces 71 and 31. B/91st also established a CMOC element at Kandahar Airfield in order to support the CATs working in the southern portion of the country. The CATs also worked closely with Special Forces operational detachments from the 7th and 3rd SF groups.

CA operations in Afghanistan have been successful largely because their missions continue to focus on the population. That tenet has been one of the greatest factors in the ability of such a small organization to create positive change. To identify specific areas in which B/91st employed the population-centric approach, it is useful to examine two vignettes from the recent deployment.

CAT 122 ‘Bazaar Power System’
CAT 122 operated in the Oruzgon province in Afghanistan, largely in support of SF B-detachment 3110 and its subordinate A-detachments. While CAT 122 was tasked with CA operations across the entire province, it focused much of its efforts in the Deh Rawood District of Oruzgon. In many ways, CAT 122 engaged the community through daily interactions with local leaders and average citizens. Through that interaction, CAT 122 helped identify critical issues that the local government could resolve in order to gain further trust from the populace and provide stability to the area.

That method of using the local government for internal organization and implementation of projects gave local leaders a vested interest in addressing the issues of the population centers. Through a shura/jirga system, tribal and community representatives brought concerns to the district chief and his designated ministerial representatives. The district chief, in turn, brought these issues to a council of nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, and governmental organizations, or GOs, organized by the CAT, that included all the major military and nonmilitary partners in the area. When the issues were relatively small, the district chief had the ability to act on them himself. For large-scale problems, he would seek assistance from the NGO/GO council.

For example, the district chief brought the consistent and recurring concern of power generation to the council. The district chief explained that the Deh Rawood district center was experiencing numerous problems from its antiquated power grid. Power for the bazaar and the district center facilities, such as the police headquarters, health clinic and district governmental buildings, was extremely limited. The system, two dynamos powered by old car engines, was built to power only a very small amount of equipment. Additionally, the power lines were not insulated and were held aloft in most cases by sticks, creating a significant safety risk. The district chief explained that two stores had burned down as a result of the inadequate power grid.

Seeking assistance for this problem, the district chief made clear the importance that electrical power had for the area. Commerce was in part contingent on the ability to power various stores. Health care partially relied on power, and lights after dark created a safer environment that allowed the populace to assist with security and provide information on nightly activities. Part of the funding for local governmental activities came from the revenue collected from shopkeepers for the use of electrical power.

To tackle the problem, the members of the NGO/GO council took a two-phased approach. CAT 122 began work on a proposal for a project to be performed under the Commander’s Emergency Relief Plan, or CERP, while the Dutch provincial reconstruction team, or PRT, and the NGO Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, or GTZ, worked on a plan to develop alternative power sources.

CAT 122 called upon the resources and help from the CA company by soliciting the CMOC element at Kandahar Airfield for assistance. Once the CMOC had learned the full scope of the problem from CAT 122, it coordinated with various agencies available in theater and ultimately referred the project specifics to an Afghani electrical contractor and the Dutch engineers in the Oruzgan Province. With those contacts, CAT 122 was able to complete a plan specific to the problem that would be suitable for local implementation and sustainability. This plan included more than 35 power-line poles, a power-plant building and two new generators. The CMOC element of B/91st also completed all the paperwork needed to nominate the project and ensured that the $150,000 project received the attention required to get it approved.

Working in parallel with this effort was the Dutch PRT and GTZ’s plan for sustainable power using hydroelectric generators from irrigation canals. While the CAT 122 CERP project was seen as a solution for the immediate problem, the PRT/GTZ plan of shifting toward a low-cost, low-maintenance power model was the best option for the future. The plan also incorporated an adult learning center, solar lighting and better farming practices within its scope.

The result was a new power grid and the establishment of a new learning center. The endeavor was the culmination of more than three months of interaction with the populace and cooperation with the local government. Additionally, all of the resources available to the CA company were leveraged to effect change and provide the community with tangible results, demonstrating that the forces involved in Operation Enduring Freedom and the International Security Assistance Force support the government of the Independent Republic of Afghanistan.

CAT 125 ‘AP3’
CAT 125 began the operational deployment in the Paktika Province. After a few months of successful operations in Paktika, the team was given a short-order mission to move to the Wardak Province in order to facilitate the initial implementation of the Afghan Public Protection Program, or AP3. Partnered with SF B-detachment 3230, CAT 125 also established operations with an element of the B/91st CMOC from Bagram Airfield.

It is important to understand that the intent of AP3 was to bolster and legitimize an indigenous force to deal with security issues at the lowest level. Fighting-age males from villages in the Wardak Province were recruited to receive security training and become the first AP3 forces. The recruits received instruction from SF Soldiers and were given uniforms and equipment upon completion of training. Although not designed to replace Afghan security forces such as the Afghan National Army or the Afghan National Police, the AP3 forces create a bridge between the national forces and the members of the local community.

CAT 125 primarily supported the AP3 effort by engaging the local communities at the district level. The team attended various shuras and jirgas in order to explain the plan and identify local problems or concerns. During the meetings, CAT 125 also explained that the AP3 model would assist in district-level security, which would, in turn, enable development. CAT 125 used all of the tools available to CA teams, including humanitarian assistance; medical, dental and veterinary civic-action programs; and CERP projects, to improve local development. By working in that manner, the team was able to establish within the community a vested interest in the success of the AP3 plan.

In order to complement that effort, the CMOC in Wardak facilitated communication at the provincial level. While CAT 125 continued with its efforts at the lowest level to ensure the buy-in needed for the program, the CMOC was able to work through the details with the Afghan provincial governor as well as a Turkish PRT. The CMOC’s coordination efforts at all levels were a significant reason why the team was able to make large steps for the acceptance, integration and implementation of the AP3 program.

Conclusion
Senior leaders in the military and in the civilian sector will continue to analyze the best approach for the war in Afghanistan. SOF units have demonstrated that they can make a difference on the ground and capitalize on security gains through the continued application of a model that is people-centric. By continuing operations in this manner in Afghanistan, small SOF units will not only make a difference at the tactical level but will also have a strategic impact.

Notes:
1 McCullough, “Petraeus: Strategy shift possible in Afghanistan,” Army Times, 5 October 2009, YourArmy section, 20-21.