SHINDAND AIR BASE, Afghanistan –
The Virginia National Guard’s Virginia Beach-based 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion has been instrumental in reaching an important milestone for sustainment operations in Afghanistan with the successful establishment of the Afghan Transportation Network. The first five trucks of the ATN departed Shindand Air Base Jan. 15, 2011, loaded with cargo for support of units of the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division located in Herat, Afghanistan.
“ATN is an initiative to bring economic development back into the hands of the local population,” said Lt. Col. Michelle Rose, commander of the 529th. “Out of all the other sustainment battalions in Afghanistan, the 529th CSSB was chosen to execute this important contract in support of the counter insurgency fight because our reputation of bringing sustainment operations into the austere environment of western Afghanistan made us a good candidate to oversee this important initiative. I am proud of my support operations staff who embraced this concept and flawlessly executed getting these first trucks on the road on time and without incident.”
Maj. Mike Waterman, the support operations officer for the 529th, and Capt. William Johnson, the battalion’s transportation planning officer, have been extensively involved with the establishment of the ATN, said Maj. Matthew Lutz, the battalion executive officer.
“The support operations section performs the contract officer representative duties that oversee the civilian commercial trucking company that will manage the contract for the ATN,” Waterman said. “The ATN was started to facilitate the development of locally-owned regional trucking industries, and the goals are to promote cohesion and trust among tribes, provide a method for the regional command to strengthen key regional tribal leaders, and to decrease or eliminate the reliance on private security companies.”
Prior to the establishment of the ATN, U. S. Soldiers have been moving cargo in convoys like the one that departed Shindand Jan. 15. For every two containers of cargo carried on ATN trucks, two less Soldiers are required to operate trucks in a convoy, Waterman said. In some cases entire convoys will be removed from the road, taking as many as 20 Soldiers out of harm’s way for a cargo movement.
“We’re glad to see local Afghanis establishing the framework for their own transportation operations,” said 1st Lt. Victoria Wynn, executive officer of the 104th Transportation Company, Regional Command-West’s only transportation company. The company will likely see a reduction in operations as a result of the ATN, Wynn said.
A key component to economic growth in Afghanistan is a dependable transportation network, Waterman said. In time, the guarantee of reliable trucks and drivers will create a market for movement of civilian cargo, impacting the local and national economy far beyond the movement of military cargo.
After leaving Shindand each truck, outfitted with an In-Transit Visibility GPS tracker, was viewed on a computer system that displayed their individual locations in near-real time. After departure, “Stoney” Stonebraker of Eastern Silk Route, Phil Parham, a Department of Defense civilian and several officers and NCOs from the 529th huddled around a computer that showed the trucks’ locations.
“This one is almost halfway there! This one ... well he must be stopping for gas since he’s not moving,” Stoney told the group as he pointed out each truck’s location on the screen. Within three hours, all five trucks had arrived at their destination outside of Herat City with no breakdowns or impediments en route.
Shindand and Regional Command-West serve as the “proof of principle” or test-bed for the ATN, a concept that will be spread to all other Regional Commands if the system proves successful.
“The true measure of success will be when these drivers begin showing up with new trucks and trailers, and that will tell me that the money is ending up in the right hands,” Parham said.
The Afghan-owned and operated trucks had been requested by contacting the Shindand village elder, who because of his influence and authority could guarantee the successful delivery of the cargo to its destination.
An added benefit of the ATN is that instead of a large contractor taking the majority of the income from cargo movements, the truckers themselves, all local residents, receive a larger portion of the profit, Waterman said. As well, the local village elder receives a percentage of the profit; and the remainder goes into a fund that is set aside for local humanitarian projects to be allocated based on the collective decisions made by a meeting of several elders.
“Once these elders start to see the money hit their accounts, they’ll realize the benefits of this system,” Parham said. “The economic incentive would prove to be a powerful motivator for success and will help to decrease pilferage and attacks.”
The 529th deployed in May 2010 to the remote forward operating base at Shindand Air Base in Afghanistan and operates in Regional Command-West Afghanistan where they are the first U.S. sustainment battalion to locate in the area and conduct operations. Working directly with Italian, Spanish and Afghan forces, the unit’s mission is to provide supply, maintenance and transportation support to U.S. and coalition warfighters throughout the region that covers the four large western provinces of Herat, Farah, Badghis and Ghor.
The battalion has command and control over several active duty units to accomplish their mission: the 104th Transportation Company from Fort Benning, Ga., the 183d Maintenance Company from Fort Carson, Colo., and the 226th Quartermaster Platoon from Fort Stewart, Ga.