KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – The 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne), 16th Military Police Brigade Female Engagement Team held a meeting with two female Afghan Uniformed Police officers in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Aug. 9.

The Fort Bragg, N.C.-based 503d MP Bn (ABN) is deployed to southern Afghanistan as Task Force Ripcord and member of the Combined Task Force Lancer, led by the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

The FET, led by Capt. Erin K. Barrett regularly meets with women living in Kandahar, Afghanistan to help bridge a cultural divide that their male counterparts often cannot facilitate.

The Aug. 9 engagement was held to discuss the AUP Professionalization Program being developed by the TF Ripcord FET.

The program will seek to partner select female members of TF Ripcord with female AUP to share with them their professional and personal experiences working as military policewomen.

The Afghan policewomen stated they would like to receive instruction in community policing operations and how to effectively move and protect civilians when fired upon.

According to the Afghan policewomen, female soldiers have a wealth of knowledge and experience they would like to benefit from for themselves.

The Professionalization Program is still being developed and coordinated with the AUP leadership.

The TF Ripcord FET will continue to train and assist their Afghan female counterparts in reaching professional success while the program continues through the development and implementation process.

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