Engineer conference paves the road ahead

Photo By Staff Sgt. Derek M. Smith | Engineers from across the Afghan theater discuss and review engineer operations at the first senior engineers conference hosted by the 411th Engineer Brigade, Joint Task Force Empire here, July 9.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

07.09.2012

Story by Staff Sgt. Derek M. Smith 

412th Theater Engineer Command

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Engineers from across the Afghan theater met to discuss and review engineer operations at the first senior engineers conference hosted by the 411th Engineer Brigade, Joint Task Force Empire here, July 9.

More than 50 representatives of NATO engineer leadership from throughout the country addressed issues and coordination of operations to synchronize engineer efforts in the combined joint operations theater. Attendees from the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command down through individual regional command levels met with the purpose of consolidating engineering operations and increasing Afghan National Army engineer capacity.

“Our purpose as engineers remains the same; to provide freedom of action,” explained U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Bryan Watson, Director of Engineering, Joint Civil-Military Operations, United States Forces-Afghanistan. “Each commander looks at the battlefield just a little differently. They all serve a single purpose, just a slightly different focus.”

Areas of discussion included engineering lines of effort, RC overviews, ANA development, combat effects, route clearance and base transitions. According to the conference organizer, U.S. Army Maj. Tony J. Struzik, JTF Empire future operations chief, the varying aspects from across the country opened the forum to open discussion and free flowing ideas from many different perspectives.

“It’s a good opportunity to see what (the various units) are thinking, and what their struggles and needs are,” said Struzik, a Waterloo, N.Y., native. “It gives a little more fidelity as to what the focuses are in each RC, so we have a better understanding of what the battle space owners and their engineers are looking for so we can better support them.”

Struzik added that this and future conferences stressed the main effort of engineer operations is still going to be the transition of the ANA to the lead; getting the Afghans out in front as NATO engineers maintain supporting roll.

“We’re going to focus on bringing up their capacity,” said Struzik. “It’s going be a significant point of transition, but the Afghans and IJC have a good plan.”

Watson cautioned attendees to maintain a clear vision the operation. The “puzzle” of military operations, he maintained, is better solved by keeping the overall goal in focus.

“The most important piece of any puzzle is not the corners, it’s not the sides. It’s the box top,” Watson pointed out. “You don’t know what it looks like until you look at the box top. You have to have something that gives it some organization and structure; you have to have the box top.”

Looking ahead, Watson summed up that coalition forces have to finish what was started.

“Building the ANA, we’ve got to be all in. Their success is our success” he asserted. “There’s a tremendous amount of experience here. Now is the time to think about what this is going to look like. What should we do now that sets those conditions?”

• Date Taken: 07.09.2012
• Date Posted: 07.17.2012 08:47
• Story ID: 91663
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF