because it can help us 

optimize our effectiveness 

and predict the second and 

third order impacts of our 

actions.

 In “Afghanistan 101,” 

Entezar uses the results of 

Hostede’s survey and some 

additional research to 

c o mp a r e a n d c o n t r a s t 

American values with those 

of Afghanistan. The author, 

who spent three years 

lecturing U.S. military 

personnel operating in 

Afghanistan, also suggests 

behaviors that can help CF 

operating in Afghanistan 

better achieve the desired 

effects.

 This article leverages the 

information in “Afghanistan 

101,” along with direct 

o b s e r v a t i o n s b y t h e 

Missouri Agri-Business 

Development Team IV, to 

identify and examine the 

characteristics of Afghan 

culture that appear to 

impede governance and 

redevelopment efforts here. 

 It also describes some of 

the practices ADT IV has 

(Continued on page 2)

In 1 9 8 0 , a D u t c h 

Sociologist named 

Geert Hostede published a 

b o o k “ C u l t u r e ’ s 

C o n s e q u e n c e s : 

International Differences in 

Work-Related Values” 

that, in the opinion of 

many, revolutionized the 

w a y i n w h i c h s o c i a l 

scientists view and study 

cultural differences. 

 The book was based on 

a s u r v e y o f I B M 

employees from countries 

a r o u n d t h e w o r l d . 

Although Afghanistan 

itself was not specifically 

targeted, the survey did 

include participants from 

Iran and Pakistan, whose 

cultures share many of the 

same characteristics.

 According to Dr. Ehsan 

E n t e z a r , a n A f g h a n 

immigrant to the United 

States and author of the 

book “Afghanistan 101,” 

Hostede’s work provided 

these scientists with some 

empirical data and a robust 

method for systematically 

analyzing deep cultural 

p a t t e r n s t h a t g u i d e 

behavior. 

 H o s t e d e ’ s b o o k 

suggests that there are four 

interrelated, underlying 

f a c t o r s o r c u l t u r a l 

dimensions that shape the 

values and belief systems 

of any culture:

• The extent to which 

people expect and accept 

differences in power and 

status among individuals in 

their society

• The ways in which they 

deal with uncertainty, risk, 

and ambiguity

• The degree to which they 

favor collectivis m or 

individualism

• Their views on gender 

equality or inequality 

 B ot h H of ste de a nd 

E n t e z a r a r g u e t h a t a 

thorough understanding of 

these factors allows one to 

make predictions about the 

way people in a given 

c u l t u r e w i l l r e a c t t o 

d i f fe r e nt st i mu l i a nd 

situations. For Coalition 

Forces working to increase 

the legitimacy and capacity 

of the Afghan government 

a n d r e d e v e l o p t h e 

i n f r a s t r u c t u r e a n d 

e c o n o m y , s u c h a n 

understanding is important 

C omm a n d e r ’ s C o r n e r

C u l t u r a l d y n a m i c s t h a t h i n d e r g o v e r n a n c e 

a n d r e d e v e l o p m e n t e f f o r t s i n A f g h a n i s t a n

The Muleskinner Report

Mo Agri-Business Development Team IV

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6 N O V E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 0

D R I V I N G 

T H E T E A M

Commander 

Col. Fortune

Deputy Commander

Lt. Col. Charles

Senior Enlisted 

Advisor 

Senior Master Sgt. 

Blankenship 

I N S I D E 

T H I S I S S U E :

Cultural 

Dynamics cont.

2

Interagency 

Integration

3

Agriculture 

Section at Work

5

Cultural 

Dynamics cont.

7

Mentoring AEAs 8

American 

Women and 

Afghan Girls

10

www.facebook.com/

MONG.ADTIV
Cultural dynamics that hinder governance and redevelopment efforts in Afghanistan

P A G E 2

adopted to help mitigate the impact 

of these characteristics. 

 Understandably, much of what 

the Afghans value and do seems to 

be centered on improving their own 

safety and coping with a long 

history of violence, poverty, 

oppression, and lack of control.

 The first cultural dimension 

discussed n “Afghanistan 101” is 

formally named “Power-Distance.” 

Entezar argues that compared with 

the U.S., Afghanistan has a high 

Power-Distance Index. This means 

that Afghans view their society as 

having multiple layers, with actors 

in each successive layer having 

mo r e p o w e r , i n f l u e n c e , a n d 

privileges as one moves from 

bottom to top. He says that Afghans 

not only accept this as a fact of life 

but they actually expect it. 

 Using the author’s exact words, 

“Tolerance for inequality is higher 

a m o n g A f g h a n s t h a n i t i s 

Americans.”

 Unfortunately, the Afghan way 

of thinking manifests itself in ways 

(Continued from page 1)

that negatively impact governance, 

development, and progress. 

 For instance, the Afghans tend to: 

• Use force and intimidation to 

establish dominance and power. They 

respect the power of the person and 

their connections, not the power of the 

position or rule – and they obey rules 

only if the person in charge is 

a u t h o r i t a r i a n a n d f o r c e f u l . 

Competence and knowledge are not 

generally rewarded, especially in the 

government.

• Try to gain power and wealth by any 

means possible, which explains the 

rampant corruption problem here.

• H i re pe o pl e b as e d o n t h eir 

relationships rather than their 

qualifications or level of competence, 

w h i c h n e g a t i v e l y i m p a c t s 

productivity.

• Rarely fire government officials no 

matter how incompetent. Even in 

cases where people frequently 

c o m p l a i n a b o u t a p a r t i c u l a r 

government official, the employee is 

often just moved to another position 

o r pro mo te d to eli mi nate th e 

complaints.

• Judge people on “their position of 

power, wealth, and connections more 

than character, education, expertise, 

or any other intellectual or artistic 

achievements”, which helps explain 

the “brain drain” that has taken place 

here, according to the author.

 E n t e z a r s t a t e s t h a t t h e s e 

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s h a v e s e v e r a l 

implications for CF working with or 

supervising Afghans. 

 First, it is very important that 

Western leaders establish authority 

immediately. 

 Second, these leaders must 

emplace and document very clear 

policies, rules, and standards; must 

strictly enforce them; and must 

reprimand violators in a quick and 

decisive manner. 

 Finally, these leaders must 

encourage and reward “teamwork, 

hard work, and a willingness to 

learn.” 

 The author goes on to say that 

Westerners must strive to be a model 

of work ethic, dedication, honesty, 

integrity, and professionalism. 

 They must also put management 

c o n t r o l s i n p l a c e t o e n s u r e 

reconstruction funds are not misused 

or embezzled.

 Since our arrival in Nangarhar, 

ADT IV has emphasized a policy of 

transparency and anti-corruption 

with the provincial Director of 

A g r i c u l t u r e , Ir r i g a t i o n , a n d 

Livestock, his staff, and his districtlevel Agriculture Extension Agents. 

As a result, the DAIL seems to have 

embraced this policy and has offered 

up his support in eliminating 

corruption from his department. 

 The ADT has also taught classes 

to the AEAs on fundamentals of 

leadership and has worked with the 

DAIL to develop and document clear 

standards of conduct for his 

subordinates.

 The second cultural dimension 

discussed concerns the manner in 

which the people of a culture cope 

with uncertainty and manage risk. 

 Based on Hostede’s work, the 

author says that cultures, in general, 

l e v e r a g e t h r e e c o n s t r u c t s –

technology, rule-of-law, and religion 

– to do this. 

 Compared with Americans, 

Afghans tend to favor religion over 

technology and rule-of-law. This is 

(Continued on page 7)

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

Capt. Joh Paluczak participates in a key leader 

engagement with the Nangarhar Director of 

Refugees at the Governor’s Palace on Nov. 

24. A solid understanding of the cultural dynamics optimizes effectiveness and can help 

predict the second and third order impacts of 

our actions. 
P A G E 3

The Department of 

Defense and the United 

States government must 

continue integrating and 

i n s t i t u t i o n a l i z i n g 

interagency capabilities 

i n t o m i l i t a r y 

organizations conducting 

Stability Operations. 

 M a n y c r i t i c a l 

interagency capabilities 

a r e p r e s e n t i n 

Afghanistan; however, 

D o D do es n ot ful l y 

integrate those civilian 

partners into military 

units. The majority of 

t h e m o s t e f f e c t i v e 

c i v i l i a n - m i l i t a r y 

integration occurs due to 

w e l l - m e a n i n g 

commanders and staff 

implementing ad hoc 

solutions on the ground. 

 The Nangarhar Agribusiness Development 

Team IV has outstanding 

c i v - m i l w o r k i n g 

relationships with a 

number of extremely 

capable interagency 

p a r t n e r s h e r e i n 

Nangarhar; however, 

those are personalityb a s e d w o r k i n g 

relationships. 

 Institutional design is 

not the driving factor in 

this type of civ-mil 

i n t e g r a t i o n . T h r e e 

significant factors stand 

i n t h e w a y o f 

organizational integration 

of interagency capabilities. 

First, the design of the force. 

Second, the inability of 

civilians to fill military 

positions. Third, different 

manning models.

 M a n y m i l i t a r y 

organizations operating here 

in Nangarhar are organized, 

m a n n e d a n d e q u i p p e d 

according to a long-standing 

M o d i f i e d T a b l e o f 

Organization and Equipment. 

Despite the modified title, a 

unit’s mission does not 

generate any adjustment to 

these tables. Thus, a Military 

Police Company mentoring 

the Afghanistan National 

Police is organized, manned 

and equipped exactly the 

same as every other like-type 

M.P. company in the Army 

inventory. 

 This presents unique 

challenges in attempting to 

i n t e g r a t e i n t e r a g e n c y 

c a p a b i l it i e s i n t o t h es e 

organizations. In our case of 

the M.P. company mentoring 

the ANP, there is no room or 

space in the unit to integrate 

any civilian law enforcement 

trainers into the military 

organization. 

 Thus, the unit simply 

tacks on any interagency 

p a r t n e r s o r o p e r a t e s 

alongside them here. 

 In the past, the U.S. Army 

has solved similar challenges 

by creating augmentation 

positions in deployed unit. 

Perhaps the most famous 

progra m is the K orean 

Augmentation to the United 

States Army. 

 Thus, one solution would 

be to create positions to 

a u g m e n t d e p l o y i n g 

formations. Civilians with 

the requisite skill set would 

fill these positions.

 Where no MTOE design 

e x i s t s t h a t m e e t t h e 

commander’s requirements, 

DoD uses a Deployment 

Manning Document or Joint 

Manning Document to create 

a s p e c i a l p u r p o s e u n i t 

designed to fill a specific 

operational requirement. 

 ADTs are organized using 

a DMD. In the case of units 

organized using a DMD to 

participate in Stability 

Operations, it would seem 

e s p e c i a l l y l o g i c a l a n d 

relatively easy to create 

manning requirements that 

could be filled by interagency 

partners. 

 Admittedly, a whole host 

of institutional barriers stands 

in the way of this logical 

approach; however, DMDs 

(Continued on page 4)

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

Interagency integration during stability operations

By Lt. Col. North Charles

Mr. George 

Roemer, 

USAID, and 

Staff Sgt. 

William Fox, 

agriculture 

specialist for 

ADT IV 

conduct a 

quality 

assurance visit 

to the Cash 

For Work 

project in Shin 

War district on 

Nov. 27. Fox 

is also a civilian 

hydrologist, 

Understanding 

water flow is 

important but 

the next ADT 

may not have 

that skill set 

available on 

their team. 
V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6 P A G E 4

“DMDs 

appear to be 

prime 

candidates for 

initially 

integrating 

some 

interagency 

capabilities 

into military 

organizations.”

a p p e a r t o b e p r i m e 

candidates for initially 

i n t e g r a t i n g s o m e 

interagency capabilities into 

military organizations. 

 As an interim step, DoD 

could code certain branchi m m a t e r i a l a n d r a n k -

immaterial positions as 

eligible for fill by civilians 

in lieu of military. 

 In the case of ADTs, our 

agriculture team subject 

matter experts are a good 

e x a m p l e o f p o s i t i o n s 

eligible for military or 

civilian fill. Currently the 

N a n g a r h a r A D T ’ s 

agriculture teams is manned 

only with military members 

as there is no mechanism 

for integrating civilians into 

the team.

 Different military and 

civilian manning models 

also present challenges to 

fully integrating civilian 

p ar tn er s in to mil ita ry 

organizations. For optimal 

integration, civilian and 

military members of the 

same organization must 

operate under very similar 

manning models. 

 While current manning 

m o d e l s d i f f e r , t h o s e 

d i f f e r e n c e s c a n b e 

reconciled. Army National 

Guard ADTs mobilize for 

400 days. Of that time, 365 

days are on duty and the 

remainder are on terminal 

leave. 

 During that one-year on 

duty, ADTs typically spend 

30 to 45 days training at 

C a mp At ter bu r y J oin t 

Maneuver Training Center 

in Indiana, ten months in 

theater and the remaining 

time in transit. Most Active 

Component and Reserve 

Component Army units 

operate along very similar 

timelines. 

 Some civilian partners 

assigned to Provincial 

Reconstruction Teams 

mobilize with their PRT, 

but the majority of civilians 

i n t h e a t e r d e p l o y a s 

individuals. Thus, civilian 

arrive and depart on varying 

schedules that do not align 

w i t h t h e m i l i t a r y 

organizations they are 

presumably integrated with. 

 Eventually, civilian and 

military manning models 

should align to provide the 

right civilian, in the right 

place at the right time to 

meet the requirements of the 

military unit conducting 

stability operations. Until 

that goal is achieved, no 

i n s t i t u t i o n a l b a r r i e r s 

currently exist to prevent 

a l i g n i n g c i v i l i a n a n d 

military mobilizations. 

 As an interim solution, 

civilian volunteers should 

mo b i l i ze on t h e s a me 

schedule as the military unit 

they will work with. The 

civilians could train and 

deploy with their military 

partners. 

 Currently a number of 

extremely capable civilian 

partners operate with the 

Nangarhar ADT; however, 

all of those civilians operate 

under different manning 

models, meaning they arrive 

a n d d e p a r t o n w i d e l y 

varying schedules.

 Integrating civilian and 

military capabilities is 

essential to achieve success 

during Stability Operations. 

DoD and other civilian 

partner agencies in the USG 

m u s t d e v e l o p a n d 

implement both interim and 

long-term solutions to 

institutionalize this key 

enabler. 

 A s t h e m i l i t a r y 

t r a n s i t i o n s s t a b i l i t y 

operations to a civilian-led 

effort, this same argument 

h o l d s t r u e . C i v i l i a n 

organizations should have 

an efficient mechanism to 

i n t e g r a t e m i l i t a r y 

capabilities as appropriate.

Interagency integration cont. from page 3

Dr. Gary Hart, USDA veterinarian, has 

nearly completed his year tour to Afghanistan and will return to New Mexico in a few weeks. He will be the second veterinarian to have worked with 

ADT IV– Dr. Tom Vermeersch departed last week after completing his tour.
P A G E 5

A

DT IV has shifted its 

emphasis from the 

large-scale infrastructure 

projects built by previous 

ADTs to training and 

s u p p o r t i n g t h e 

Agriculture Extension 

Agents in the ten key 

t e r r a i n d i s t r i c t s o f 

Nangarhar Province. 

 F r o m f o r m a l 

classroom training to 

hands on experience, 

ADT IV is challenging 

the AEAs to become 

more proficient and 

professional providers of 

government services. 

 In addition to training, 

A D T I V i s a l s o 

continuing construction 

projects that provide the 

AEAs with the essential 

tools to provide those 

services.

 In order to maximize 

the impact of classroom 

training provided to 

A E A s , A D T h a s 

encouraged the AEAs to 

identify, nominate and 

manage small Cash-ForWork projects. 

 The identification and 

management of these 

small CFW projects is 

t h e m o s t v i s i b l e 

component of ADT’s 

Leadership Academy for 

AEAs. 

 CFW projects are 

small projects that cost 

no more than $5,000. 

While the total dollar 

amount for each project 

is small, much can be 

a c c o m p l i s h e d i n a 

c o u n t r y w h e r e t h e 

average laborer makes 

only three dollars per 

day. 

 CFW projects are one 

of the major components 

of ADT IV’s mission to 

build agricultural and 

governance capacity in 

Nangarhar. The projects 

also provide additional 

income to individual 

villagers. 

 Capt. John Paluczak, 

the ag section officer-incharge said, “Cash-forwork projects strike at 

the heart of the Afghan 

people who experience 

the direct benefit of the 

proj ect’s successful 

completion.” 

 The involvement of 

villagers, maliks and 

d i s t ri c t go ve r n me n t 

officials results in a 

synergistic effect that 

c r e a t e s a l a s t i n g 

i m p r e s s i o n o f a 

legitimate and responsive 

government. 

 C F W p r o j e c t s 

increase the leadership 

capabilities of AEAs by 

applying the principles of 

the project management 

class they attended in 

September 2010. 

 W o r k i n g i n 

conjunction with ADT, 

the AEA obtains project 

n o m i n a t i o n s f r o m 

villagers. The nominated 

projects are reviewed by 

d i s t r i c t g o v e r n a n c e 

officials and approved by 

t h e D i r e c t o r o f 

Agriculture, Irrigation 

and Livestock. The 

CFW nomination and 

a p p r o v a l p r o c e s s 

involves all levels of 

provincial government in 

providing direct services 

to the Afghan people. 

 CFW projects also 

familiarize AEAs with a 

f o r m a l s t r u c t u r e d 

b u d g e t i n g p r o c e s s . 

Before ADT agrees to 

fund a project, the AEA 

must provide an itemized 

b u d ge t s h o wi n g th e 

number of workers and 

their daily pay as well as 

a n y s u p p l i e s a n d 

ma teri als need ed t o 

complete the project. 

Each project proposal 

includes a work schedule 

that shows a start and end 

date. 

 A representative 

o f t h e d i s t r i c t 

g o v e r n a n c e c o u n c i l 

conducts a shura with the 

local village explaining 

the scope and cost of the 

project. 

By Lt. Col. Raymond Legg

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R R E P O R T

Agriculture Section at Work

Sgt. Guadalupe Rios inspects 

a proposed Cash-for-Work 

project to clean a karize in 

the Boti Kot district on Oct. 

20 with the assistance of 

Staff Sgt. William Fox and an 

interpreter. Rios is the LNO 

for Boti Kot and works 

closely with the AEA who is 

standing by and observing 

the process of how to 

manage a project. 
 When the project is complete, a 

district official meets with the local 

village again to explain how the 

projects funds were spent. Pre- and 

post-project fliers provide a telephone 

number villagers can call if they feel 

funds for the project were not used 

properly. 

 The CFW process is designed to 

in stituti on ali ze a tr an spa rent 

government spending process that 

d e mo n s t r a t e s c or r u pt i o n -f r e e 

government programs to affected 

villages. 

 The management and supervision 

of these CFW projects are key steps 

in ADT’s efforts to mentor the AEAs 

t o b e c o m e m o r e r e s p o n s i v e 

government servants and extending 

the reach of AEAs to villages in their 

district. 

 The most commonly submitted 

CFW projects are irrigation, karize 

and canal cleaning and repair 

projects. These projects increase the 

district’s agriculture capacity by 

increasing essential water inputs 

allowing the Afghans to farm 

previously underutilized farmland. 

 Another popular CFW project 

submitted for approval is planting 

demonstration orchards to provide 

agriculture training opportunities for 

youth who are the future farmers in 

Afghanistan. 

 Six ADT sponsored CFW projects 

are currently underway in Nangarhar 

Province. Irrigation canal and karize 

repair projects have begun in the Kuz 

Kunar, Bati Kot, Shinwar, Surkh 

Rod, and Muhmand Dara districts. 

Additional projects in the Muhmand 

Dara and Surkh Rod will replace and 

repair irrigation canal sluice gates. 

 The total costs of these six 

projects are just under $27,000. 

While CFW projects are not intended 

as an employment mechanism, each 

project employs 15 to 50 Afghans for 

up to 30 days for 6,450 total man 

days of employment.

 A d diti o nal ir ri gat io n CFW 

projects in the Dari Nor, Kuz Kunar, 

Bati Kot, Behsood, Muhmand Dara 

and Khogyani will begin before the 

end of November. A demonstration 

orchard in Shinwar and a greenhouse 

for the Jalalabad agricultural high 

school are in the initial planning 

stages. 

 CFW projects are not the only 

projects for the ag section. ADT IV 

continues to supervise the completion 

of several large Commanders’ 

Emergency Response Program 

projects that were started by ADT III. 

 At least once every 30 days, ag 

section members visit the project sites 

to conduct a quality control and 

a s s u r a n c e i n s p e c t i o n . T h e 

inspections ensure the contractor is 

complying with the technical 

specifications of the project’s 

statement of work. 

 Agriculture Extension Centers 

provide a central location in each 

district for AEAs to work and provide 

services for farmers. To support the 

AEAs efforts new Agriculture 

E x t e n s i o n C e n t e r s a r e u n d e r 

construction in the Achin and Rodat. 

The AECs will provide the AEAs 

with a space for a soil testing lab and 

a large classroom. The AECs are 

scheduled to be completed in January 

2011. Additional AECs are planned 

in the Dih Bala, Behsood, Muhmand 

Dara and Surkh Rod districts; ADT 

anticipates beginning those projects 

in January 2011.

 While ADT IV has stopped 

building new solar wells, solar well 

projects in Achin and Setudeh Village 

are scheduled for completion by the 

middle of December. 

 The reclamation of 175 hectares of 

land in Sangui Village was completed 

in October. The project drained 

swampland and dug drainage canals 

to reclaim the swampy area as 

farmland. A cold storage facility in 

the Surkh Rod District and solar wells 

in the Nazyan and Shinwar districts 

were also completed in October.

 Section members have been 

d e ve l o p i n g T r a i ni n g S u p p o r t 

Packages that AEAs can use to teach 

classes in their AECs to local 

f a r m e r s . S m a l l b a g s i l a g e , 

composting, drip irrigation, small 

ruminant health, row cropping, 

experimentation by farmers, record 

keeping, fruit tree management, soil 

enhancement, food preservation, food 

safety, flood irrigation and potable 

water are some of the TSPs under 

development. 

 A D T i s al s o w or ki n g w i th 

Afghanistan Water and Technology 

Transfer, a USAID implementing 

partner, to develop additional TSPs to 

s u p p o r t t h e F a r m R e s o u r c e 

Management program. FRM seeks to 

improve the lower watershed through 

the establishment of forage crops and 

restricted grazing of ruminants. 

 One of the most difficult aspects 

of TSP development is adding 

illustrations and keeping the contents 

simple and straight-forward so that all 

levels of education can understand 

the material.

 The work has been challenging, 

forcing the team members to embrace 

challenges and work unlike anything 

they have previously done in their 

military or civilian careers. Instead 

of buildings and wells, ADT IV will 

leave Afghanistan with better trained 

and motivated government officials. 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6 P A G E 6

Agriculture Section at Work continued from page 5
Cultural dynamics cont. from page 2

P A G E 7

because most Afghans have little 

access to technology and have lived 

in an environment where rule-of-the

-ruler and rule-of-the-gun have 

taken precedence over rule-of-law. 

 Although they don’t necessarily 

like it, Afghans are used to seeing 

police, judges, government officials, 

and warlords operate above the law.

 Thus, because Afghans feel they 

have little control over their safety 

and treatment, they tend to rely on 

religion to help them cope. 

 The phrase “Insha’ Allah” is very 

common and means “God willing.” 

Afghans believe that God has a plan 

for them and that they are somewhat 

helpless to influence it. 

 Afghan reliance on religion tends 

to have some negative consequences 

for governance and redevelopment: 

• Afghans sometimes see Western 

w a y s , i n c l u d i n g W e s t e r n 

technology, as undermining Islam.

• They don’t put much stock in ruleof-law and rely on their own tribal 

councils, rather than government 

courts, to resolve disputes.

• They don’t see any point in long 

term planning because God does that 

for them. They therefore focus 

much more on the present than they 

do the future and tend to be 

unwilling to defer gratification. 

• They are risk averse and therefore 

hesitant to try new technologies. 

T h is i s b e c a us e a n y l o s s i n 

productivity can impact their nearterm ability to feed their families.

• They tend not to hold themselves 

or each other accountable for their 

failures or actions because they 

believe that God is in control of 

everything that happens.

 Entezar points out that their lack of 

familiarity with planning and their 

tendency not to hold themselves 

accountable implies that a Western 

supervisor or mentor of Afghans 

should put heavy emphasis on 

d e ve l o p i n g g o a l s , s t r a t e gi e s , 

performance criteria, teamwork, and 

work ethic.

 ADT IV has helped the DAIL 

document a vision for an “end state” 

and is actively working with him to 

develop short- and medium-range 

plans intended to get him to that end 

state. We are also helping him build 

an operations and maintenance budget 

which will allow him to sustain his 

current infrastructure. 

 Finally, we are developing 

Training Support Packages that we 

think will convince farmers to try out 

some simple but effective new 

technologies despite their aversion to 

risk.

 The third cultural dimension is 

people’s recognition of and respect 

for individual rights versus the needs 

of the community at large. 

 Just as many youth in urban 

A me r i c a j o i n g a n g s t o k e e p 

themselves safe, Afghans find safety 

in closely aligning themselves with 

family, clan, tribe, and ethnic group. 

In doing so, they put the needs of the 

group ahead of their own needs and 

remain loyal to that group no matter 

what the circumstances. These 

values drive them to:

• Try to weaken and undermine rival 

groups and strengthen their own 

groups; primarily along ethnic lines, 

b u t a l s o t e m p o r a r i l y a l o n g 

ideological, sectarian, tribal, village, 

clan, and familial lines as the 

situation dictates. 

• Rely more on family and other 

groups for safety, opportunity, and 

advancement than they do on the 

government because government 

officials have their own agendas and 

alliances, and the government sees 

them more as “subjects” than 

citizens.

• P u t a l o t o f e m p h a s i s o n 

relationships because they view close 

relationships as a form of protection 

and power.

• Dismiss any notion of nationallevel unity or pride. Even when 

occupied by unwelcome foreign 

forces, Afghans tend to respond 

based on local objectives and 

alliances, and not in any nationally 

u n i fi e d or co h e si ve ma n n e r . 

During the Soviet occupation, Sunni 

and Shia Mujahedeen groups fought 

the Russians separately, and 

occasionally, even fought with one 

another. 

• Practice nepotism to an extreme 

due to close alliances with, and 

loyalty to, family, tribe, etc. 

Afghans in positions of power tend 

to hire based on family, tribal, and 

(Continued on page 9)

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

Sgt. Guadalupe Rios interacts with villagers, workers and elders at a Cash-for-Work project site in 

Bati Kot on Nov. 20. ADT members take the Afghan cultural dimensions into consideration during 

each mission.
P A G E 8

Mentoring AEAs

 M e n t o r i n g t h e 

Agriculture Extension 

Agents is critical to the 

success of ADT IV’s 

Leadership Academy. 

 T o f a c i l i t a t e a n 

e ff e cti ve me n t or in g 

program a primary and 

s e c o n d a r y L i a i s o n 

Officer from ADT IV has 

been designated for each 

AEA in Nangarhar’s Key 

Terrain Districts. 

 T h e L N O s a r e 

r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e 

m e n t o r i n g p r o c e s s . 

Mentoring opportunities 

occur during visits to the 

AEA’s office or project 

sites, AEA meetings at 

Forward Operating Base 

Finley-Shields, or during 

telephone calls. 

 D u r i n g t h e s e 

mentoring sessions with 

the AEAs, the LNOs 

cover several topics Cash

-for-Work programs to 

teach management and 

supervisory techniques, 

a n t i - c o r r u p t i o n , 

transparency, the AEA’s 

relationship with farmers, 

and leadership. 

 T h i s a r t i c l e w i l l 

address these separate 

t a s k s o f A D T ’ s 

mentoring efforts.

T h e C F W p r o g r a m 

requires the AEA to 

identify suitable small 

projects to improve the 

district’s agriculture 

i n f r a s t r u c t u r e a n d 

m a i n t a i n d e t a i l e d 

accurate records for the 

project. The purpose of 

t h e p r o j e c t s i s t o 

l e g i t i m i z e t h e 

government through the 

ability of the AEA to get 

work in his district done. 

 While the AEAs are 

ver y kno wled gea ble 

about the problems of 

their district, they require 

mentoring in identifying 

and planning suitable 

p r o j e c t s w i t h i n t h e 

capabilities of villagers 

to complete. 

 The records ADT IV 

requires as part of the 

cash-for-work program 

often require detailed 

explanation so the AEA 

c a n c o m p l e t e i t 

a c c u r a t e l y . L N O s 

explain to the AEAs, the 

r e c o r d s s e r v e a s 

d o c u m e n t a t i o n o f 

expenditures and work 

performed to establish 

transparency within the 

cash-for-work program.

Mentoring the AEAs on 

anti-corruption will make 

them a successful and 

respected government 

employee. ADT IV’s 

goal is to have the AEAs 

realize the negative 

effects taking bribes or 

extorting money from 

people have on the ability 

of the government to 

obtain the support of 

ordinary Afghan.

 Col. Mike Fortune, 

N a n g a r h a r A D T 

commander, says, “The 

ADT will track every 

dollar the team spends to 

make sure it goes to the 

people who earn it.”

 The LNO makes sure 

the AEA embraces the 

anti-corruption concept 

a n d a p p l i e s i t t o 

everything else he does. 

 Because corruption 

h a s g o n e r e l a t i v e l y 

u n c h e c k e d i n 

Afghanistan, the LNOs 

explain to the AEAs that 

a government official has 

t o b e a b o v e t h e 

c o r r u p t i o n . W h e n 

villagers see the AEAs 

are not out to take money 

from the government, but 

rather make sure the 

m o n e y i s s p e n t t o 

advance agricultural 

opportunities in the 

village, they will see 

t h e i r g o v e r n m e n t 

working hard for them. 

 T h e A E A s h o u l d 

make sure every afghani, 

the national currency, the 

government provides 

g o e s t o t h e p e o p l e 

(Continued on page 9)

By Capt. John Paluczak

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R R E P O R T

Sgt. 1st Class Dannie Thompson, 

LNO to Muhmand Dara district, 

reviews the Scope of Work for a 

Cash-for-Work project with 

Rahmatullah, the district AEA.

“Through the 

mentoring 

process, the AEAs 

will learn 

management and 

supervisory skills, 

anti-corruption, 

transparency, 

improve the 

relationship with 

farmers and 

develop 

leadership.”
Mentoring AEAs continued from page 8

P A G E 9

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

ethnic ties and not on qualifications. 

T h i s n e g a t i v e l y i m p a c t s t h e 

effectiveness of many government 

organizations and businesses. 

 The author of “Afghanistan 101” 

says that when working with Afghans, 

it is important to study and learn their 

e t h n i c , t r i b a l , a n d f a m i l i a l 

relationships. He claims that this 

k n o w l e d ge w i l l a l l o w a d e e p 

understanding their allegiances, 

behaviors, attitudes, and motivations. 

 He also says that Western leaders 

should be careful in befriending 

Afghans as they expect special 

treatment and favoritism from their 

friends. He recommends treating all 

Afghans equally but rewarding them 

for good performance; especially 

teamwork and professionalism. 

 The fourth and final dimension, 

according to the author, is the degree 

to which a culture sees and treats men 

and women as equals. In Afghanistan, 

men are expected to be assertive and 

women, nurturing. 

 “Women are perceived to be kind 

and affectionate by nature and men 

rational and logical,” according to 

Entezar, and the many widows in the 

country “need education and training, 

and mini-bank loans to engage in 

small businesses.” 

 Accordingly, ADT IV is planning 

to develop a set of Training Support 

Packages to further engage Afghan 

women in agriculture-related activities 

such as poultry farming.

 In conclusion, Afghan values do 

not appear conducive to developing 

leaders that care for and support 

people outside their own family, tribe, 

or especially, their ethnicity. In fact, 

the opposite tends to hold true – they 

see Afghans who reside outside these 

groups as competition and try to 

undermine their leaders – without 

regard for the health of the nation as a 

whole. 

 For Afghanistan to develop into a 

true nation-state, it requires leaders 

who are willing to transcend their own 

ethnicity and embrace all Afghans as 

brothers. Although ADT IV does not 

operate at the national level, we are 

leveraging AEA leadership training 

and developing public service 

announcements to encourage Afghans 

to come together as a team and take 

charge of their own development at 

the provincial and district levels. 

Cultural dynamics continued from page 7

because it is people who will 

u l t i m a t e l y r e j e c t a c o r r u p t 

administration.

 One way to show the villagers a 

corruption free government is to have 

the AEA operate in a transparent 

manor. 

 ADT IV requires the AEAs to 

document and show how they spend 

their operational funds. ADT IV 

holds the AEA accountable for every 

dollar provided for cash-for-work 

projects, because the money is 

intended to assist the people of 

Afghanistan. 

 T h e L N O s a r e t e a c h i n g 

transparency to the AEAs through the 

cash-for-work process. The LNOs 

also emphasize that the AEAs will 

have to continue these practices on 

their own to create a responsive, 

transparent government to improve 

the lives of the Afghan people.

 In Afghanistan, relationships are 

everything. When the AEA operates 

in a transparent manner the farmers 

of the district create a long lasting 

relationship built upon trust and 

mutual respect. The perception of 

o p e n n e s s a n d t r a n s p a r e n c y 

establishes the foundation upon 

which the people perceive the AEA 

and how they are going to treat the 

AEA. 

 Each LNO must inspire his AEA 

to get out to all of the villages in the 

district and establish a relationship 

with the village maliks and farmers. 

These relationships are important 

because the villagers need to trust 

what the AEA is telling them. Unless 

the villagers trust the AEA, they will 

not listen to his advice on agriculture 

improvement.

 A f t e r e s t a b l i s h i n g a g o o d 

relationship with the farmers, the 

AEA can demonstrate his leadership 

abilities. Each AEA has the potential 

to influence the individual farmers in 

his district. 

 The AEA can influence farmers 

through training and demonstration 

plots. For example, farmers will not 

adopt new methods and technology 

from the AEAs unless they trust their 

AEA. AEAs must work hard to 

connect with the farmers. When the 

people of the district trust and respect 

their AEA, the AEA can lead the 

villagers of his district to a better and 

more fruitful future. 

 Through the mentoring process, 

the AEAs will learn management and 

supervisory skills, anti-corruption, 

t r a n s p a r e n c y , i m p r o v e t h e 

relationship with farmers and develop 

leadership. ADT’s hopes the lessons 

the AEAs learn will show the rest of 

the government that with a little 

mentoring, the rest of the Afghan 

government can work just as well. 

T h i s w i l l g i v e t h e p e o p l e a 

government worth fighting for.
P A G E 1 0

Ne a r l y e v e r y 

S a t u r d a y t h e E n t r y 

C o n t r o l P o i n t o f 

Forward Operating Base 

F i n l e y - S h i e l d s i s 

overrun, leaving the 

g u a r d s s o m e t i m e s 

confused about what just 

happened. 

 O n e n e w g u a r d 

recently arrived with the 

Provincial Reconstruction 

T e a m s t a r e d 

incredulously and asked, 

“ T h i s i s o . k . , r i g h t 

ma ’ a m? T h e y h a ve 

p e r m i s s i o n ? ” a s h e 

w a t c h e d a h u n d r e d 

s m i l i n g , w i g g l i n g , 

p u s h i n g , g i g g l i n g , 

children stream through 

the ECP to line up for 

their weekly meeting. 

 Two weeks after the 

Finley-Shields Girls 

Outreach Program was 

s t a r t e d a t F o r w a r d 

Operating Base FinleyShields, ADT IV arrived. 

 S i n c e t h e n , A D T 

females have continued to 

join the other female 

volunteers in a field, 

which is also a goat 

pasture. It is part of the 

FOB, but is within full 

view from three sides to 

 She continues to say, 

“I hope they know that 

despite the different 

languages we speak, the 

different beliefs we hold, 

and the different worlds 

we live in, we can still 

communicate, have fun, 

and become friends and 

sisters; because really, in 

the end, we’re not that 

different.”

 At the first scheduled 

meeting, no one showed 

up. But after speaking 

with a few of the girls, 

and with full permission 

from the village malik and 

elders, the next meeting 

was successful. The 

f e ma l e S o l d i e r s a n d 

A i r me n c a me t o t h e 

meetings to play games 

with the girls and do art 

and craft projects. 

 Word spread, and by 

the time the ADT arrived, 

3 0 t o 3 5 g i r l s w e r e 

p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n t h e 

meetings. 

 S p e c . C o u r t n e y 

Armour, security force 

platoon, said she wasn’t 

p r e p a r e d t o b e 

overwhelmed with the 

girls. Armour, who also 

served in Iraq, said, “This 

is the most rewarding 

thing I’ve done so far. “

(Continued on page 11)

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R R E P O R T

By Capt. Marie Orlando

A crowd of girls 

wait to be 

checked by 

Capt. Mary 

Danner-Jones at 

the entry 

control point 

while the boys 

hang behind 

wanting to join 

the girls for 

their weekly 

meeting held at 

FOB FinleyShields.

American women and 

Afghan girls

the villagers. 

 The goats became a 

part of the meetings as 

the girls routinely drive 

them off; the billy goats 

seemed to have the same 

idea about the women 

and girls. 

 The meetings evolved 

after a member of the 

civil affairs team started 

an Afghan Boy Scout 

troop. The girls watched 

the boys from behind the 

fence, and Maj. Jocelyn 

L e ve n t h a l , t h e P RT 

executive officer, asked 

Air Force Capt. Mary 

Danner-Jones, the PRT 

public affairs officer, to 

establish a meeting for 

the girls to coincide with 

that of the boys. 

 Danner-Jones says, 

“Women and children in 

Afghanistan are often 

severely neglected. This 

girls program allows the 

girls to be the most 

important people in the 

world for just one hour. 

These girls have nothing, 

ask for nothing, and have 

low expectations. But 

they come alive as soon 

as they enter through the 

gates and when they see 

us giving time to them 

each week. It makes a 

difference to these girls.” 
American women and Afghan girls

P A G E 1 1

 In October, the holiday of 

Ramadan ended and the girls 

were going back to school. A 

special Afghan meal was 

ordered, s’mores were cooked 

over a fire, and with the 

assistance of civil affairs, 

backpacks were put together 

with school supplies, a stuffed 

animal, and a winter coat along 

with a few small personal 

hygiene items. The details 

were kept secret right up to the 

start of the meeting, but 

sensing that something special 

was about to happen; that 

meeting had over 50 kids. 

 As expected, the meeting 

grew the following week. But 

even though the girls were told 

in the future gifts would not be 

handed out, the numbers 

continued to swell and the 

n u mbers ha ve sta bilize d 

between 85 to 115 kids ranging 

in ages from 1 to 12 years, and 

include many young boys. 

 While the incr eas e of 

children is a positive sign for 

the volunteers, it also presents 

challenges to the female 

Soldiers and Airmen that 

volunteer each week. 

 The girls often times bring 

along much smaller brothers 

and sisters which are their duty 

to care for, but which are too 

young to participate. It is 

normal for a few of the girls to 

have babies under a year old on 

their hips. The older toddlers, 

not used to such activities and 

so many new faces, sometimes 

cry and fuss. 

 Everything takes twice as 

long to organize, no matter 

how simple it seems when 

planned before the meeting. 

L a n g u a g e i s o n l y o n e 

challenge, and not as great as 

one would expect- a lot can be 

c o m m u n i c a t e d t h r o u g h 

demonstration and tone of 

voice. And usually, there is at 

le ast on i nter prete r th at 

volunteers to help.

 But, for example, explaining 

the rules of a relay race, the use 

of glue (and that it has to dry), 

or how to tie a friendship 

bracelet are not so simple to 

those that do not have the 

concept of what is being 

taught. Nothing can be taken 

for granted; these children have 

n o t h a d t h e e d u c a t i o n a l 

experiences of U.S. youth. 

 The lack of communication 

brings interesting twists to 

traditional school yard games. 

For example, “Ring Around the 

Rosie” becomes- “swing Capt. 

Orlando by both arms until you 

fling her to the ground,” and 

leap frog becomes a boisterous 

game of “Pile Up on Capt. 

Orlando.” They never did get 

the idea of the jumping over, or 

happily decided their version 

was more entertaining. 

 The program volunteers are 

reluctant to turn girls away at 

the gate, but the various ages 

pose a challenge on the kinds 

of activities that are planned. 

One solution is to set up 

games for free play- they love 

to color, play volleyball, jump 

rope, and to play duck-duckgoose. 

 Another is to attempt to 

organize the children by ages. 

This is much more difficult to 

do than one might expect. The 

younger siblings are so used to 

the older girls’ presence, and 

the military uniforms are so 

foreign, that the kids were 

reluctant to leave their older 

siblings. 

 It took weeks of practice 

u s i n g c o l o r e d p a n e l s t o 

separate the age groups, but 

f i n a l l y , a m e e t i n g w a s 

successfully conducted with a 

story book session for the 

younger kids and the older girls 

were allowed some peaceful 

time together to talk about the 

different ways their families 

s p e n t E i d a l - A d h a , a n 

(Continued from page 10)

(Continued on page 12)

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

Spec. Virginia Fletcher, ADT SECFOR member, helps the girls glue feathers on a drawing of an outlined hand, making turkeys the 

week of Thanksgiving. Some of the girls gave 

the project an Afghan twist, and decorated 

their drawn hands with designs like henna 

they paint on their own hands. 
P A G E 1 2

American women and Afghan girls

Continued from page 11 

important Islamic holiday. 

 This kind of exchange between the girls and female volunteers allows the 

volunteers to reach out to the girls, learn about their lives and needs, and to share 

aspects of Afghan and American culture with each other. 

 The meetings have developed a routine. The group sings songs, exchange English 

and Pashto phrases, and the volunteers introduce some learning topic followed by an 

activity. 

 The songs were taught to the group using the talent of Capt. Alison Salerno, a 

physician’s assistant with Task Force Spartan, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 101st 

Airborne Division, whose mother was a music teacher, along with two two guitarists, 

Capt. Ken Huenink, ADT S-3, and Dr. Tom Vermeersch, USDA veterinarian. They 

played “I’m a Little Teapot,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and 

Toes,” to an enthusiastic group. 

 In one meeting the girls were introduced to Maj. Robert Paul, a visiting 

veterinarian from Cooperative Medical Assistance, Task Force 62d Medical Brigade, 

and veterinarian technician Staff Sgt. Catherine Miles. The team spoke to the girls 

about animals and they had an activity to demonstrate ways to avoid aggressive stray 

dogs by being a “tree” or a “log”; in Afghanistan rabies is a widespread problem.

 The volunteers are working to introduce civic responsibility to the group by letting 

them select their own group name, letting them vote on leadership positions and 

having them participate in the selection of future group activities. 

 The irony is that the boys are hanging onto the fence and watching the girls, 

begging to be allowed in. Sometimes a few of the older boys sneak in and sheepishly 

promise to behave and help if allowed to stay. This reversal is encouraging for the 

women that have come to love and cherish the hour spent each week with the girls 

and their young siblings. 

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R T E A M

Contact Information

The Muleskinner Report provides insights and analysis on the Nangarhar 

Missouri National Guard Development Team’s mission. 

If you have questions or comments on the Muleskinner Report,

please contact Col. Mike Fortune at 

mike.fortune@afghan.swa.army.mil

The Muleskinner is an unofficial publication authorized by AR 360-1. It is 

published monthly by the Missouri Agribusiness Development Team IV to 

provide important information related to their deployment for the Soldiers 

and Airmen, their Families, units and commands, the Army, DOD and the 

public. Views and opinions expressed in the Muleskinner are not necessarily 

those of the Department of the Army or DOD. 

MONG 

ADT IV

Spec. Courtney Armour 

and Spec. Ashley Soles, 

both ADT SECFOR 

members, sit and play 

with a group of girls, 

with the goats lurking 

behind.