VZCZCXRO8905
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #3057/01 2740933
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010933Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1779
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003057 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM, DS/IP/SCA 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
USFOR-A FOR POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ASEC AF
REF: KABUL 2996 
 
SUBJECT:  Mobility of Civilians in the Field Mixed; Will be Strained 
by Civilian Increase 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Begin Summary.  U.S. civilian personnel in the field under 
Chief of Mission (COM) authority are getting off their bases and 
engaging with Afghan government (GIRoA) officials and civil society 
with varying frequency.  Those in self-drive locations have the 
greatest freedom of movement, followed by those in U.S.-led PRTs and 
other installations.  U.S. civilians at coalition-led PRTs that are 
not self-drive face bigger challenges, given those PRTs limited 
resources to support travel and the national objectives that may 
take priority.  The increase of civilians in the field will further 
strain resources, and we will closely monitor and report whether our 
COM personnel in the field are receiving the support they need to 
achieve their mission.  The information provided below is based on a 
country-wide survey of COM personnel in the field conducted by the 
Embassy from September 26-29.  End Summary. 
 
Self Drive Posts 
------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In self-drive locations, officers are well-equipped to get 
off the base for meetings and engagements with provincial-level 
government officials.  Getting beyond provincial capitals, however, 
can be challenging in provinces like Badghis, Kunduz, and Ghor. 
Typically, these officers travel daily to meetings beyond the PRT. 
Activities by PRT officers include regular meetings with GIRoA 
officials, project oversight, and engagement with civil society. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) At the self-drive locations, officers often rely on 
coalition partners to move beyond the provincial capital.  In the 
case of Ghor province, the PRT officer noted that the Lithuanians 
have been providing increased support, allowing him to join them on 
patrols out to the districts twice in the past three weeks.  In 
Bamyan, where freedom of movement is good across the Province, the 
PRT officer reports visits to three districts this week with UNAMA 
to undertake rule of law assessments.  As part of this travel, they 
will have meetings with district governors, chiefs of police, 
prosecutors, local shura leaders.  Similarly, in Panjshir, the PRT 
officer reports no difficulty getting off the base and around the 
province.  Typically, though, when he travels to the districts he 
drives his own vehicle with a larger military convoy. 
 
U.S.-Led PRTs 
---------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Embassy is in the process of coordinating with ISAF a 
military order that would implement the August 12 agreement (MOA) 
between Ambassador Eikenberry and General McChrystal on provision of 
secure transport for Chief of Mission (COM) personnel in the field. 
That MOA provides for three missions per day per assigned mission 
personnel at a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) or District 
Support Team unless the local commander and local senior civilian 
jointly agree on a revised mission plan based on security and 
operational requirements.  The military order under discussion would 
require implementation of this agreement by all U.S. Forces.  It 
also would recommend that coalition partners provide similar support 
to civilians based at the PRT or district level. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Currently, officers based at U.S.-led Brigade Task Forces 
and PRTs report movement beyond their respective bases anywhere 
between two and five times per week.  For example in Logar, the 
civilian assigned to the Task Force reports spending a minimum of 
two-three days per week meeting with various Afghan government 
officials.  These visits often include stopping by a new or on-going 
development project with the respective coalition force unit that is 
assigned to the location.  He also spends about one day per week 
talking with average Afghans about everyday events in their local 
markets or other community gathering locations.  According to other 
officers at U.S.-led PRTs, this is fairly typical of their weekly 
tempo of activities beyond the base.  The PRT officer in Paktika, 
who covers USAID programs, reports that she goes on about three-four 
missions per week.  As many of them require land and watershed 
assessments, she often spends about 30-90 minutes walking along 
irrigation canals and through agricultural areas. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Travel can be challenging, however, in many cases. 
Implementation of the new three trips per day requirement will 
undoubtedly test the limits of what is possible given current 
resources.  In Ghazni, for example, the PRT officer notes that he 
travels about two-three times per week, which is much less than he 
would like.  Limiting factors include: justifying a mission that 
requires significant planning and human resources, and the fact that 
many contacts do not want to be seen with coalition forces for 
security reasons.  In many cases, individuals and groups/shuras have 
declined the offer of the PRT officers to visit them and instead 
preferred to come to the PRT. 
 
 
KABUL 00003057  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The officer assigned to Task Force Warrior, based in 
Bagram, notes that the real issue is not whether officers can get 
out, but whether they can get out in a way that allows them to do 
their jobs.  She points out that the military looks at such visits 
in terms of "Key Leader Engagement (KLE)," while civilians think in 
terms of relationships, networking, and partnering with Afghans to 
achieve common objectives.  For example, she noted that a recent 
visit to the Albironi Law School with the Rule of Law officer will 
be meaningless unless they follow up with numerous meetings to 
implement the goals discussed in this original outreach meeting. 
 
Coalition-led PRTs 
--------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) In coalition-led PRTs in the South, mobility can be a 
particular challenge.  The unique issues of the PRT in Helmand are 
reported reftel.  In the Dutch-led PRT in Uruzgan, the PRT officer 
reports that mobility is a major problem.  The PRT officer will 
travel with the Dutch this week to the Chora district for a shura on 
the deteriorating security condition there, and to lend support to 
the Police Chief as he announces a replacement for the district 
police chief who was assassinated.  He also will travel to the 
governor's compound this week for a weekly security meeting.  In 
Kandahar, the PRT officers travelled beyond the PRT four times 
during the past week for engagements with GIROA (e.g. Kandahar 
Governor Weesa and the head of the Provincial Council Ahmed Wali 
Karzai) and a visit to Dand district, where the Canadians have a 
major district development effort underway. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The USDA officer in Helmand Province highlighted the 
mobility challenges faced in Helmand (see reftel).  He notes that 
the USDA and USAID officers travelled from the PRT only once in the 
last week, which took the form of a rotary air flight to the 
district of Garmsir to roll out the Afghanistan Vouchers for 
Increased Production in Agriculture (AVIPA) Plus program in that 
district.  He lamented that the one ground movement scheduled was 
cancelled due to a lack of security assets at the PRT.  The meeting, 
intended to focus on the Governor's Food Zone program, and 
specifically how to deal with saplings and vines, ended up being 
cancelled due to the inability of the U.S. officers to attend. 
 
Comment 
------ 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Mobility in many parts of Afghanistan is highly 
restricted, but on balance our COM personnel in the field are able 
to travel and engage the GIRoA and civil society and oversee 
projects in the field.  The increase of civilians in the field will 
undoubtedly strain resources and test the limits of the possible 
under current circumstances.  Embassy will closely monitor and keep 
Washington informed on whether COM personnel need additional 
resources or other support.  Where self-drive is permitted, our COM 
personnel are well positioned to continue to engage with the GIRoA 
and Afghan civil society in a sustained and regular manner.  In 
those locations where civilians must rely on the U.S. military, the 
new order implementing the August 12 MOA should bring an enhanced 
level of support for civilian missions off the base.  One challenge, 
however, will be ensuring that civilians are given adequate 
authority to shape missions that advance civilian objectives, while 
still fitting into the larger operational and security requirements 
at the PRT.  Mobility of U.S. COM personnel at coalition-led PRTs 
where self-drive is not permitted will likely remain a challenge. 
We can expect limited support for such travel as long as it fits 
into the national objectives and priorities of the nation leading 
the PRT. 
 
EIKENBERRY