Courtesy Photo | Army Brig. Gen. Tom Cosentino, deputy commander for Regional Support, NTM-A/CSTC-A,...... read more read more
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By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mike Andriacco
CAMP MIKE SPANN, Afghanistan – The deputy commander for Regional Support, NATO Training Mission- Afghanistan, just completed a visit to Camp Mike Spann, June 9, to assess current Regional Support Command – North operations and to recognize two outgoing commanders.
Army Brig. Gen. Tom Cosentino awarded the Bronze Star Medal to Lt. Col. John Livingstone, deputy commanding officer of RSC-N, June 6, and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal to German army Col. Gert-Johannes Hagemann, co-commander of RSC-N, June 7.
Livingstone redeployed to the United States for a Pentagon assignment. Hagemann redeployed to Germany where he will be promoted to brigadier general and assume a new command.
“I wanted to recognize Col. Hagemann and Lt. Col. Livingstone before they departed,” said Cosentino. “This was a change of command-level recognition ceremony and it was fitting that I be here for it.”
During his trip, Cosentino also visited several operational locations in RSC-N which included a recent expansion to the police regional training center.
“I was very pleased with the progress I’ve seen on this visit,” he said. “The progress is steady and that’s the main thing about the mission.”
Cosentino noted that the progress included an increasing Afghan role in functions like logistics that are relatively new to the Afghans but which they have taken on.
Another measure of success for any growing organization is how it handles a crisis. A recent fire put the Afghan National Army residents of Camp Shaheen, adjacent to Camp Spann, to the test.
“The positive response of the ANA to the fire was impressive,” said Cosentino. “They were extremely proactive in their efforts to protect the other tents, remove and secure ammunition. They even worked with the forward supply depot to get new bedding that night and ordered replacement tents from Kabul.”
Cosentino completed his trip with a visit to the new ANA outpost at Hazrat-e-Sultan. The camp was recently turned over to the ANA by the RSC-N engineers after construction was completed in May. The Ministry of Defense will now have a foothold in that district that can accommodate up to 800 soldiers.
“The facility is fantastic and we will continue to work with our Afghan partners to sustain such sites,” Cosentino said.
He also said the strong NATO effort in the North region epitomizes the effort to gradually transfer security to the Afghan National Security Forces, while maintaining a long-term partnership with the Afghan people.
NATO and Afghanistan committed to a new partnership at the summit in Lisbon – a partnership that highlights enduring international support for Afghanistan.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2011 09:14 |
| Story ID: | 71848 |
| Location: | CAMP MIKE SPANN, AF |
| Web Views: | 230 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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