KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Leaders from 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div. met with leaders of the Afghan National Security Forces in Kandahar city to discuss security and economic development of Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Aug. 2.
As International Security Assistance Forces prepare to end their combat mission in Afghanistan later this year, two major issues facing the country are economic development and securing the population. The Aug. 1 meeting was geared toward raising awareness of the strategic implications the airport in Kandahar city holds for the future.
The shura (meeting) brought leaders from each of the Afghan security elements, to include Afghan Army, Afghan National Police and National Directorate of Security. The cross-pillar dialogue, planning and coordination are important elements to forging a secure environment for the city that set conditions for economic development. One challenge ISAF faces is convincing their Afghan partners of the importance of the relationship between airport security and international funding.
“To them, the security of Kandahar City is really important but the airport, not so much,” Lt. Col. Dave Voorhies, commander, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment. “We are trying to help them to see that the airport is just as important and that it could make a lot of money for this community.”
ISAF, along with Afghan agencies, have worked tirelessly to develop a sustainable economic model in Kandahar for the Post-2014 era. Despite those efforts, one of the major money makers for the region continues to be poppy and opiate production. One aim of the development of the airport is to replace that illegitimate income source with a legal, stable funding source for the local populace.
“The airport here is about the same size as the airport in Colorado Springs. Kandahar city has a population of about 490,000, about the same as Colorado Springs, but our airport back home makes about $5.5 billion dollars a year and employs 60,000. The airport here employs 200 and makes a profit of zero in foreign investment. If we get the security right, we can get the investments right,” Voorhies said.
In the past several months a number of foreign governments, to include France and Germany, have pledged funding to Kandahar province to support education and vocational advancements. These pledges, according to their representatives, were due to the sizable security gains made in the area.
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.21.2014 06:03 |
| Story ID: | 140007 |
| Location: | KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF |
| Hometown: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 134 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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