“Exercises and training make everything better because we are able to see our downfalls, especially during the after action review when we all come together.”
— Col. Mohammad Soroush
By Staff Sgt. Neysa Canfield
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Brig. Gen. John W. Lathrop, commanding general for Train, Advise and Assist Command-South, speaks to an Afghan senior leader, March 19, 2018, during a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response exercise in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Neysa Canfield)
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — With the constant discussion of low precipitation, drought is a major concern for Afghan leaders and civilians, according to local Afghan media outlets.
Keeping concerns such as this in mind, Resolute Support – Headquarters (RS-HQ) coordinated a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HA/DR) exercise with the support of Train, Advise and Assist Command-South (TAAC-South), March 19, 2018.
Lt. Col. Ken Smith, strategic plans officer for RS-HQ, said leaders of TAAC-South, which is comprised of members of the 40th Infantry Division, California National Guard and 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, were specifically selected to participate in the training.
RS-HQ is a NATO-led organization focused on helping Afghan security forces and institutions to develop the capacity to defend and protect the country of Afghanistan.
The two-day exercise consisted of scenarios involving floods, drought, earthquakes and a mass refugee crisis and was led by Afghan leaders and planners.
The purpose of the HA/DR exercise is to test Afghan leaders on their ability to react at a national and regional level with contingency plans for HA/DR events, according to Smith.
“Many of the (Soldiers) of TAAC-South are members of the California National Guard back in the states,” said Smith. “They have experience with disaster response, whether it’s part of their civilian job or as members of the guard, so this was a great opportunity to have them share what they have learned (during those events) with our (Afghan counterparts).”
Soldiers with TAAC-South advised Afghan leaders on HA/DR events through discussions before the exercise and provided feedback on the courses of action from the exercise.
Two Soldiers served as subject matter experts, Maj. Nathan Wall and Sgt. Maj. Aaron Cardoza, both members of the 40th Inf. Div.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Leaders from Afghanistan interact with each other, March 19, 2018, during a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response exercise in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Neysa Canfield)
“No one plans for a disaster to happen on their doorstep,” said Wall, deputy logistics officer, TAAC-South. “Reaction time is key, (our partners) don’t have to suffer with not knowing what will and won’t work because we can bring that to the discussion and help them not have to start from ground zero.”
Wall, who is a preventive medicine officer in the California National Guard, said his biggest concern during the humanitarian assistance and disaster response was planning for displaced individuals and non-battle injuries such as disease, which he wanted to share his knowledge with Afghan allies.
“More people die after a disaster than during … in my experience,” said Wall. “Things like cholera, E.coli, loss of food … all of these things can be prevented, or at least reduced by planning where to stand a field sanitation station, dining facility, sleeping quarters, latrines … planning is crucial.”
Cardoza, the operations sergeant major for TAAC-South, also emphasized the importance of planning to the senior leaders.
“Over my years of service I have participated in floods, fires and earthquakes as part of the guard,” said Cardoza. “You can’t plan for every scenario but by staging vehicles, equipment, having Soldiers or personnel trained, food or water packaged you can speed up the reaction time and ultimately be able to save people’s lives and homes.”
For Col. Mohammad Soroush, plans officer, Afghan Ministry of Defense, the exercise was extremely helpful for him and his fellow leaders.
“It’s important for us to go over these types of scenarios,” said Soroush. “Any course of action we decided to conduct takes effort and coordination and we always need to have a contingency plan or else we could fail and lose lives.” Soroush said the best part of the exercise was learning from subject matter experts such as Wall, Cardoza and other 40th Inf. Div. Soldiers.
“You really have to think about everything: shelter, food, equipment, personnel,” said Soroush. “Myself and the rest of the leaders were very excited to get to hear and learn from what they have gone through.”
Along with the disaster planning, Wall also emphasized the importance of working as a team regardless of whether members are military, law enforcement or national or regional level representatives.
“To be able to bring people together from north, south, east and west Afghanistan and go over what each of their capabilities are during a disaster is amazing,” said Wall. “When disasters happen, the military usually plays a small role in a very big operation, and to build a relationship with everyone and come together is just the beginning of a much bigger partnership.”
Wall said he hopes they are able to build a partnership similar to what California has.
“If there is an event in southern California, those who live in the area are expected to take care and comfort their Families, while the guys up north come over and take care of us and what is happening around us,” said Wall. “We help each other as a state, and I hope we were able to relay the importance of that relationship today during the exercise.”
Soroush said he saw the importance of partnership between governmental organizations because of the exercise.
“Exercises and training make everything better because we are able to see our downfalls, especially during the after action review when we all come together,” said Soroush. “We are now able to see what worked and what didn’t. So when a tragedy happens, we can select the best course of action to be successful as a team.”
Wall said events similar to this mission, make him proud to be part of the National Guard.
“To be able to come … half (way) around the world to represent my country, state and the guard with our expertise, that’s what being a National Guard Soldier is about,” said Wall.
“We are not just Soldiers with specific (military occupational specialties), we are also civilians with regular jobs and that, I believe, helps us with the way we think and plan for things.”