Monday, November 02, 2015

The US DOD needs to disband the TFBSO.

The Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO) (click here) was established in 2006 in Iraq to assist in revitalizing that country’s economy and creating jobs. In 2010, TFBSO began operations in Afghanistan aimed at creating economic opportunities for people in order to increase stability, reduce violence, and restore economic normalcy in areas suffering from unrest and insurgency.

DAI is aiding the TFBSO in Afghanistan in establishing a private equity fund for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), developing an investment pipeline to them, and facilitating targeted technical assistance. The project will also work to facilitate larger investment opportunities for larger Afghan enterprises....

Engineers in Pakistan have built a similar facility for one half a million dollars US. The TFBSO is not conducting good business. There is no reason to continue that serve. Afghanistan can always ask for loans to have the locals build a facility they value. There is a good chance the people won't value this and it will become a target rather than a project bringing pride to the people.

The people have no vested interest in a project erected by foreign contractors. That money could be used once again for the DOD budget.

November 2, 2015
By Lee Ferran

American taxpayers (click here) are on the hook for a $43 million gas station constructed in Afghanistan -- a price tag that’s about $42.5 million higher than it should’ve been, and the Department of Defense can’t explain why, according to a new government report. 
“The DOD charged the American taxpayer $43 million for what is likely the world’s most expensive gas station,” Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko said, ahead of the release of the SIGAR report today. “DOD spent $43 million on the gas station, without determining it would be a good idea, and now claims it knows nothing about the project.” 

The SIGAR report details the planning and construction of a compressed natural gas (CNG) station in the Afghan city of Sheberghan, part of a larger Downstream Gas Utilization Project designed to take advantage of Afghanistan’s natural gas reserves. The gas station itself was meant to prove that CNG stations were a viable alternative to imported petroleum for Afghan vehicles....