That Thing You Do

By now, some of you are probably thinking "Dan, all these stories about the DFAC and the gravel and the showers are interesting enough, but what is it you actually do in Kabul?"

That's a good question, and if I've been slow to answer it's only because it took me a while to figure it out myself. The first week or so, I spent a lot of time just learning my way around camp, attending orientation briefings and meeting people. But now I'm getting a handle on the actual job.

ISAF HQ

Officially, I'm the Chief of the ISAF Joint Visitor Bureau (JVB), or as I like to call it, the ISAF Escort Service. When NATO VIP's (heads of state, defense ministers, generals & admirals, etc) want to come in to the country, they send their visit requests to me. I take a look to make sure the size, scope and duration is within certain limits, then I brief it at a decision-making meeting. If the trip is approved, we help arrange security, transportation and billeting, and of course we escort people in, out and through the compound (thus the Escort Service title). It's sort of like being a wedding planner, except with helicopters.

I've got a great team of international escorts officers working under me. They're all dedicated, smart, friendly, funny and hard working - and none of them have protocol backgrounds. We've got a pilot, an aircraft maintenance officer, a comms officer and an artilleryman. They're from Croatia, Romania, Canada and the Czech Republic. We've even got a US Navy guy, which is a whole other kind of foreign. And then there's me - the AF engineer. 

Together, we make sure people can safely get where they need to be, talk with the people they need to talk with, and do the things they need to do. We even do the "ground guide" gig whenever our visitors come onto our compound in a vehicle (i.e. walk in front of the car and lead them from the gate to the meeting location). Sometimes we travel with the visitors to different locations, although I haven't done that yet. I also make sure the receiving location is able to support the visitors and that we're not sending a dozen Prime Ministers to the same FOB (Forward Operating Base) on the same day. That's a pretty important thing to be sure of.

And as the Chief, a lot of my job involves helping take care of my guys - making sure they've got the stuff they need in order to do the job, keeping an eye on how they're holding up, etc. Although the truth is, so far they've been helping me a lot more than I've been able to help them. As I learn more about the job I'm sure that'll change.

This protocol gig is worlds away from my science & technology background, and I'm discovering it's a different kind of hard work than I'm used to. There's a lot to keep track of, a lot of people to coordinate with and a lot of information to monitor and share. I spend a fair amount of time generating, updating and delivering briefings on who is coming when & where. You'd think that wouldn't be hard, except for when people arrive without telling anyone... or show up even though their trip was disapproved... or change the date / location / both without telling anyone. I mean seriously, who just shows up in a war zone, without coordination, expecting to be taken care of?

Anyway, at first glance (and even at second glance), it may seem a little bit stupid to put me in this job. After all, the AF paid for me to get 3 engineering degrees, and now here I am in Kabul working as a highly paid escort. Doesn't quite seem like a very efficient use of a technical dude like myself. However, I remind myself that a) it's only for a few months and b) it's a good exposure to NATO operations. Of course, I bet there's a job or two out here which would provide NATO experience AND use my technical skills, but they probably gave that job to a protocol guy already.

But regardless of whether this is really the best fit for me, it's where I am for now so I'll aim to do it and enjoy it as best I can. Who knows, I might even learn something in the process.