AFCEE deputy director visits Afghanistan projects

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Schneider
  • AFCEE Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Col. David Funk, deputy director for the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment here, recently spent a week visiting AFCEE-managed construction sites across Afghanistan to gain a first-hand perspective on several on-going projects there.

"I was very impressed," Funk said. "The weekly report from our contingency construction division team doesn't do justice to the magnitude and impact of the projects we're constructing there."

AFCEE is currently managing about $1 billion in active construction in Afghanistan. Three of the projects Funk found particularly impressive were the Ministry of Defense headquarters building, Afghan National Security University and new military basic training complex.

"The ministry of defense compound is huge, a five-story building in downtown Kabul that is going to be the equivalent of our Pentagon when complete," Funk said. "The Afghan National Security University is going to be their West Point and includes facilities for power generation, water distribution, waste collection and a wastewater treatment plant, four fitness centers, dormitories, academic training, a headquarters facility and more. It's all coming along very nicely. The expansion to the current military basic training complex will provide the infrastructure necessary for training officers and basic trainees."

The country is receiving benefits that extend beyond built infrastructure, he said. The majority of the workforce for the projects consists of local Afghan technicians and tradesmen. AFCEE manages the projects overall and contracts with oversight officials to see that building code and specifications are met. In many cases, the companies have been mentoring and teaching the local workforce.

"When you're there, you see the magnitude of the projects and the thousands of local Afghans who are employed as construction workers and the skills they're gaining," he said. "This mentoring process helps the contractor meet specification and code and is also teaching lasting skills to the local Afghan workforce. The overall technical trade labor force is improving its mechanical, plumbing, welding, electrical and other skills. This was a common theme at the jobsites we visited."

The infrastructure being put in place supports the Department of Defense's exit strategy, Funk said.

"These facilities and the training they are receiving will help the exit strategy of the United States, by leaving them self-sufficient in organizing, equipping and training their military and police," Funk said.
 
"Sincere appreciation is warranted to our AFCEE contingency construction team, including engineers, contracting officers, legal advisors, financial accounting, etc., for the infrastructure they are bringing to pass and the associated impact."