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Foreword

Regional Response Forces ::

VALIANT SHIELD:
Building Trust and Security

GREEN LIGHTNING: Providing Security in the Asia-Pacific Region

Transnational Operations ::

KHAAN QUEST 2006:
Enhancing Multinational Peacekeeping

Humanitarian Support ::

USNS Mercy Bringing Hope to Asia-Pacific Nations

C-17 Aircraft Marking A New Airlift Era in the Pacific

New Zealand Defence Force Providing Security and Reconstruction in Afghanistan

From BALIKATAN to Mudslide Relief

Happenings ::

Happenings

The women and others from the PRT have “adopted” the privately run orphanage and visit regularly, talking and playing with the children. “It seems well run, and the children are doing well with their studies. You just wish you could give them what our New Zealand children have,” observed Chaplain MacDonald.

Back at the New Zealand base, a five-vehicle convoy practises counter vehicle ambush drills in preparation for another patrol under the watchful eye of Sgt. Maj. James Moohan. The language is colourful as Sgt. Maj. Moohan insists they practise again and again what they should do if things go wrong.

The PRT’s four patrols head out from the main New Zealand base for three-week stints in their assigned areas. With their vehicles loaded with fresh rations, and accompanied by a medic, they look after themselves in small makeshift bases. In daylight they patrol. “That’s the best part,” said PTE Young, who provides protection for the patrol commander. “There’s always something different to do.”

Their duties vary: they constantly watch for combatants or suspicious activity, but also deliver aid such as clothing, school equipment, and food. They also meet with the local “sub-governors” and chiefs of police to drink tea and hear what’s going on.

Sometimes pleas for assistance are made, and if the patrol can’t help immediately, the request is relayed back to the team headquarters for further consideration. It may be that a water pump needs repairing, a cache of weapons needs to be destroyed, or part of a local classroom rebuilt.

The PRT’s commanding officer, Naval Captain Ross Smith, said the signs are “very encouraging.” The PRT is making a significant impact in Bamyan. “There are frustrations: what job doesn’t have those? Each PRT rotation is here for only six months, and there are good reasons for that but you can lose a bit of continuity,” he noted. “The construction season is short, and there is so much assistance needed here. We’d like to help everyone who asks, but that is unrealistic.”

“The best part of all this is you can see where you have been – you can see the effect of the work you have done, and what it means to these people,” continued Capt. Smith. “This team is very young, but that’s the nature of our military. I think their enthusiasm stems from seeing that they are able to make a difference to people who really need it. For me, that makes it all worthwhile.”

New Zealand Training Afghan Police

According to New Zealand Police Inspector Simon Perry, learning to read and write is one of the biggest hurdles Afghan policemen and women face. Inspector Perry is one of three New Zealand police officers in Bamyan training and mentoring local police. The development and up-skilling of the Afghan National Police, which will ultimately increase security and stability, is one of the New Zealand government’s key areas of assistance in Afghanistan.

New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID) has funded seven new police vehicles for the local police, and five new stations are being built throughout the province. An NZAID-funded literacy program is also in place, as are several other smaller police-related projects.

Inspector Perry trains trainers in order to build capacity in the local force. He has covered a small amount of criminal investigative training, but has mainly concentrated on ethics, the meaning of democracy, corruption, law, human rights issues, and the use of force.

“The police here are keen, and that’s good. They just need formal training to bring them up to speed,” observed Inspector Perry. “We even have a couple of Afghan women under training. That was unheard of until recently.” He noted, “You can’t overlay how we police in New Zealand with how it’s done here – there is no comparison.”

Emerging from the graduation ceremony of a room of senior police officers, Inspector Perry said he feels positive about what the New Zealanders have imparted. “I feel optimistic about what these [Afghan policemen] will take out into their communities. If we can change the way senior [Afghan] staff do things here, then hopefully they’ll pass that on to their junior counterparts. Eventually they should be self-sufficient.”

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