Following promotion to colonel and graduation he assumed command of the 360th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in July 2003, he was subsequently mobilized and deployed to the Central Command Area of Operations as the Commander of the Combined Joint Civil Affairs Task Force (Task Force Victory) which provided all civil-military operations throughout Afghanistan from September 2004 to July 2005. Of particular note, Sands oversaw the establishment of 23 Provincial Reconstruction Teams throughout Afghanistan. One of the major achievements Sands was able to accomplish was the restoration and rebuilding of over 500 mosques, 300 schools, and 40 hospitals and medical facilities. Additionally, he was personally thanked by Dr. Ashraf Ghani who was at that time, the President of Kabul University for the efforts Sands made to restore that institution to full operating capacity to include the restoration of the university mosque.