Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Debra Richardson | KABUL, Afghanistan (Sept. 8, 2018) -- Representatives from 21 coalition forces...... read more read more
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KABUL, Afghanistan – Approximately 100 command personnel were on hand as U.S. Army Robin Fontes, Deputy Chief of Staff for Security Assistance and Commanding General of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (DCOS-SA/CSTC-A), participated in a facility opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting Saturday at Hamed Karzai International Airport (HKIA). The event recognized the official opening of a new coalition command headquarters complex. For the first time in years, nearly all DCOS-SA/CSTC-A HQ assigned personnel will be co-located in a single command complex.
“This newly renovated facility will help us be more efficient and effective at accomplishing our mission,” said Fontes. “This facility will enhance our coordination of effort and strengthen the unity of the CSTC-A command.”
The cutting of the blue felt ribbon is more than a tradition, it is symbolic of CSTC-A’s efforts to support the development of an effective, affordable and sustainable government in Afghanistan. CSTC-A’s mission, to train, advise and assist the Afghan Security Institutions (ASI) is at the core of the entire coalition effort in Afghanistan.
President Trump announced a new South Asia Strategy in 2017 which relies on a conditioned-based approach guided by circumstances rather than arbitrary timelines.
The new strategy is “rooted in realistic expectations, including that a stable Afghanistan can secure its own territory so that terrorists cannot use the country as a safe haven to threaten other countries in the region, or elsewhere in the world,” said Fontes during her ceremonial remarks Saturday.
Fontes said CSTC-A’s forward momentum will enable it to build on its many accomplishments. These include facilitating a sustainable, effective and affordable Afghan National Defense Security Force (ANDSF). DCOS-SA/CSTC-A is comprised of representatives from twenty-six North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and coalition countries. Personnel conduct training, partner with Afghans as advisors, and assist with the allocation of material and financial resources from donor nations.
“I have lived and worked in this region for 13 of my 32 professional years in the Army and can tell you with sincerity that there is no other time I would rather be in Afghanistan than right now,” said Fontes.
Fontes said she is optimistic about the near and long-term future of Afghanistan and that the, “The relocation of DCOS-SA/CSTC-A elements to HKIA will allow the command easier access to their Afghan partners, particularly the new Ministry of the Interior (MoI) complex, and more quickly transition to an effective, affordable, and sustainable ANDSF in Afghanistan.”
| Date Taken: | 09.08.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.08.2018 10:09 |
| Story ID: | 291922 |
| Location: | AF |
| Web Views: | 404 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, All Roads Pass Through CSTC-A, by SFC Debra Richardson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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