455th AEW Commander discusses wing operations, Airmen's sacrifice Published March 5, 2010 By Staff Sgt Richard Williams 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- The 455th Air Expeditionary Wing commander spoke with civic leaders from across the United States during a video teleconference, Feb. 25, 2010. Brig. Gen. Steven Kwast gave stateside civilians a feel for what Airmen are experiencing in Afghanistan and reinforced the importance of and appreciation for community support shown to those deploying and returning. The video teleconference was hosted by Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff. "Your Airmen are a part of a tapestry of peace-loving countries from around the world who are part of a grand experiment to see whether nations can stand together to ensure that extremists and radicals do not hijack our future of freedom and liberty," said General Kwast. There are many differences in accomplishing the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the key to success here is the Afghan people, he said. "This society has lived through trauma after trauma," he added. "This is important to understand because you must understand the environment in which we are working." The general explained that since the time of Alexander the Great, the Afghan people have been driving out or adapting to invading forces. This has caused an almost fearful approach to outsiders who have attempted to devastate the Afghan way of life. General Kwast explained that over the past eight years the coalition had taken a heavy handed approach to combating the insurgency which had at times alienated the coalition from the communities it is trying to help. The implementation of a new counter-insurgency philosophy is designed to gain the respect and trust of the local communities and teach them how to develop their economy and control their future. The general touched on four major changes in coalition policy designed to improve relations with the Afghan communities. The first is to do things differently. "The fact is this war is not about killing insurgents; we have proven we can do that, but there would always be a wealth of insurgents to choose from as long as there are unemployed Afghans who can be intimidated by the insurgency," he said. General Kwast pointed out that understanding and complying with cultural and societal norms is essential to success. "We must embrace the population and build respect and trust, even if it is something as simple as not interrupting the flow of traffic when we perform convoy operations." The second change to doctrine is combined action. "We, as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, integrate with the Afghan National Security Forces to build their capacity to complete a mission on their own," said General Kwast. He explained that the ability for the Afghans to sustain their military once coalition forces draw down starts with training from the highest level commander to the lowest ranking service member. Thirdly, unified action is imperative to success. "Unified action is blending the civilian surge in Afghanistan with all things operational so that it is nested and integrated into a congruent vision of how it will make the Afghan people safer and more secure, by developing their economy and rule of law," he said. The fourth major change is reintegration and reconciliation. "We must understand that of 20 insurgents, only one may be an extremist. The other 19 are fighting due to financial gain or the protection of their family," explained the general. "We must reintegrate these individuals into the society and give them the means to provide for their families. We must also help them to reconcile with the Afghan government and become viable members of society." General Kwast said Airmen are an essential part of Afghanistan operations and are making daily contributions. "Our Airmen are extremely powerful in this multi-faceted, joint environment because they integrate and adapt like no other service," he said. "They are natural teachers and natural thinkers." The general pointed out that the Air Force culture is very good at building Airmen who think, who are willing to make decisions and ask the second- and third-level questions to better understand, improve and ensure mission success. "As I travel to different areas around Afghanistan and speak with the battle space owners who are leading our Airmen, the one constant is 'I love your Airmen, I would like to keep them forever, I want 100 just like them,'" he said. He explained to the civic leaders that air power is perfectly suited to complete a mission in which the coalition is trying to win the trust of the Afghan people and not just kill the enemy. It can be kinetic or non-kinetic, which is important. "We bring a robust air transportation program to this country which gives us the capability to air drop food and supplies to outlying areas that are difficult to navigate over land." The general also pointed out that Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities allow battle space managers to identify the enemy but also identify the pulse of the people and better understand the needs of a community. Many Airmen are mentors for the Afghan people, he said. "Our civil engineers are teaching them to build. Our security forces are teaching them how to secure themselves. Our doctors and lawyers are operating mentorship programs designed to build the infrastructure needed to sustain a successful, prosperous Afghanistan." "One of the most powerful things I have seen is the marriage between our Aeromedical Evacuation teams and the Afghan medics," General Kwast added. "We are teaching them the skills and giving them the capabilities to save Afghan lives." He cited the recent avalanche in the Salang Pass in Afghanistan to which coalition and Afghan forces responded. U.S. Army and Afghan helicopters evacuated Afghan nationals from the scene and brought them to Bagram. Coalition and Afghan doctors saved Afghan lives. Ongoing support and partnerships like this one, the general said, are essential to the success of operations in Afghanistan. He added the support our coalition shows with humanitarian assistance goes a long way in gaining trust of local communities to show them the ultimate goal of building Afghanistan and not just being an occupying force like so many before. General Kwast also emphasized the ability to meet training and security requirements comes at a cost to Airmen. "Our Airmen are seeing a war that is not pretty. Our medical professionals see things that put extreme mental and physical stress on them. Our explosive ordinance disposal teams are out there working to neutralize improvised explosive devices and are seeing a toll on humanity that no one should have to experience," he said. He also pointed out due to the current operations tempo, which is so accelerated, Airmen are forced to deploy more often than is prudent to maintain a strong, stable family life. "When I was at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., I was watching a Security Forces Airman come home and I was speaking with his wife and three-year-old daughter. As I was speaking to them about their background and life, the wife explained to me that due to the deployment rate, this Airman had only spent four months with his daughter in those three years," he said. General Kwast expressed the need for communities to understand and provide support for the Airmen on the ground who in some cases have deployed more than 20 times in support of ongoing operations. "You are tapped into the reality of how we need to support these great patriots who put on the uniform--you see them in a way we as commanders cannot because you see them in the community, you see them in their real life and not in the life where they are forward fighting this battle," said General Kwast. He asked that civic leaders understand the environment in which their Airmen are working and living on a daily basis. He asked them to be aware of the stressors as Airmen return home and understand how these stressors affect servicemembers and their families and influence their ability to balance service to their country and duty to their families. "Your voice can provide the guidance to build the structure and the knowledge to help our nation support not only our Airmen but all servicemembers."