CJTF-82 bids farewell to U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan

Courtesy Photo | U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ronald Neumann thanks Combined Joint Task Force-82 Soldiers during his farewell ceremony March 31. Ambassador Neumann's father was also the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, the father and son duo has not been seen since John Adams and John Quincy Adams both served as ambassadors of the same country.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

04.01.2007

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

Story and Photos by Army Sgt. Timothy Dinneen
CJTF-82 Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Military leaders of Combined Joint Task Force-82 met with the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan March 31 to discuss strategies and challenges as well as show appreciation for the ambassador's 18-months of service in Afghanistan.

Ronald Neumann and his father are the first father-son-duo to serve as U.S. ambassadors in the same country since John Adams and John Quincy Adams served as American ministers to the Court of St. James in Great Britain.

Topics of discussion ranged from security, governance, development and operations before Neumann was given a departing gift from Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, commanding general of CJTF-82.

Rodriguez stressed the need to continue operating as trusted partners with the Afghan people, encourage Afghan leadership to live up to their own values, and to build Afghan capacity to gain and sustain positive momentum.

"We have to go forward," said Neumann. "It will be a real struggle to constantly change operations to meet the threat of the day."

Neumann said the main focus of development is to improve health care, reconstruction and the economy. He went further, saying the national government is totally dependant on foreign aid and it's essential Afghanistan begin to build up an independent national monetary reserve.

Although there has been strong progress by provincial governors and the Afghan National Army that has increased optimism of the Afghan people, there are still challenges to overcome, according to Neumann. The Afghan National Police are three years behind the ANA developmentally; insurgents are intimidating civilians through the use of suicide attacks and threatening night letters as well as persistent corruption in the national government.

"There has been a bazaar morality because for 30 years they've had to take what they could get to survive," Neumann said. "Until the [Afghan] people believe in the government to take personal risks and sacrifice for it corruption will continue."

Rodriguez thanked Neumann for his service to the U.S. and Afghanistan, concluding the meeting.

"As a military man, I can respect it when you leave a place better than when you found it," Rodriguez said. "We all have a lot of respect for the job you've done here."

Neumann is a former a deputy assistant secretary and twice an ambassador to Algeria and Bahrain. He has also served in Baghdad with the Coalition Provisional Authority and then as Baghdad embassy's principal interlocutor with Multi-National Command. He has served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan since July 27, 2005.

"I'm appreciative and humbly aware things don't get done by themselves and that the risks I run are quite small compared to the men and women in uniform," Neumann said. "We are at a fragile stage with no glide path or guarantees. If we don't persevere, failure is quite possible and if Afghans do not continue to build a unity government we may fail despite our best efforts."

"While we have accomplished much we still have a lot to do," explained Neumann.

• Date Taken: 04.01.2007
• Date Posted: 04.02.2007 15:42
• Story ID: 9729
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF