Courtesy Photo | U.S. Army Master Sgt. Joseph Buth, right, team sergeant assigned to Civil Affairs Team...... read more read more
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VICENZA, Italy – Soldiers assigned to Civil Affairs Team Botswana, Bravo Company, Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) conducted country program monitoring assessments of 14 medical clinics in various locations throughout Botswana, May 5-19.
CPM assessments represent in-person audits, often conducted by U.S. State Department employees or military personnel, to ensure host nations have applied money or resources allocated for humanitarian aid toward an agreed purpose. These assessments usually involve U.S. employees examining buildings or programs, as well as interviewing relevant individuals, as part of the verification process.
If assessors discover that resources have not gone toward the intended purpose, those resources are typically discontinued and applied elsewhere.
U.S. Army Capt. Dylon Sheffer, team leader for CA Team Botswana, explained that country program monitoring is a process the Pentagon uses to evaluate a country's strategic conditions and how U.S.-funded projects affect those conditions.
“It involves three main groups: military personnel who conduct the CPM, the security cooperation organization of an embassy’s military group, and a combatant command reviewer,” Sheffer said.
Originally built for COVID-19 isolation and treatment, the prefabricated medical facilities erected in Botswana continue to support primary hospitals and clinics by providing space for medical care, isolation, post-surgery recovery and office space.
“Our mission involved assessing the physical condition, the past and current use, and the strategic impact of these investments within Botswana's healthcare system,” Sheffer said. “Our secondary goals included collecting information and assessing the primary hospitals where most of the clinics were located.”
CA Team Botswana split into two teams to conduct their assessments of the facilities.
“Our assessments validated a high return on U.S. investment,” Sheffer said. “[Since] the COVID-19 pandemic, clinic staff and primary hospitals have resourcefully repurposed the modular units to alleviate space shortages at primary hospitals. The clinics are actively used for maternity and pediatric care, tuberculosis and cholera treatment, HIV testing and counseling, as well as outpatient overflow.”
Sheffer noted that not only did the assessment data validate the U.S. government’s return on investment, it justified further opportunities for future civil affairs operations and humanitarian funding, based on Botswana's commitment to staffing and sustaining the facilities.
From a diplomatic standpoint, humanitarian investments help establish (or in certain cases, reestablish) an American presence in host nations, which provide opportunities to learn and build rapport by engaging with key leaders.
“Investing in host-nation healthcare resilience and independence will further our bilateral relationship and demonstrate that the U.S. is the reliable partner of choice,” Sheffer said. “Local medical staff and civilians are highly appreciative of the U.S. medical facilities and do rely on them.”
Sheffer emphasized that although CA operations are nonlethal in nature, they have historically been a significant combat force multiplier.
“The civil environment is present in all operations, whether those operations focus on large-scale combat, counterinsurgency or humanitarian assistance,” Sheffer said. “CA teams train to increase freedom of movement for maneuver elements by, in part, countering the influence of bad actors on local populations. They also collect information through civil engagements and conduct civil reconnaissance to give commanders a greater understanding of their area of responsibility and consolidate gains through stability operations.”
Going forward, Sheffer said his team plans to propose new funding requests based on their findings that support U.S. Africa Command’s objectives of promoting resilience and independence for Botswana’s Ministry of Health. Short-term goals include procuring critically depleted medical supplies such as antibiotics, specific prescription drugs and medical consumables. Other options include point-of-care diagnostic tests for tuberculosis, HIV and bacterial infections.
“Long term, we would like to propose medical capacity training through subject matter expert exchanges with a focus on advanced training for local nurses, midwives and lab technicians who conduct most primary care,” Sheffer said. “We also noted a few primary hospitals that would significantly benefit from the construction of more prefabricated clinics or permanent building additions on the hospital grounds.”
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2026 08:53 |
| Story ID: | 570388 |
| Location: | BW |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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