Nuristan PRT Provides Base Defense

By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins
Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Navy personnel assigned to eastern Afghanistan’s Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team help keep Forward Operating Base Kalagush secure by manning the Entry Control Point here.

This group of Sailors from different naval stations across the U.S. work as a team every day to perform searches, identify the local civilians and the Afghan National Army Soldiers who work on the FOB, and work with the Afghan military to provide force protection.

Chief Petty Officer Clifford Williams, of Shertz, Texas, the non-commissioned officer in charge of force protection for the PRT, has spent the last 17 years dealing with law enforcement as a master-at-arms in the Navy, he has also been a force protection officer since 2006.

“For the past several years, I have specialized in anti-terrorism and force protection,” said Williams. “I originally volunteered for the PRT to do something else, but coming here to work at the ECP and do force protection everyday was just a natural fit.”

Working at the Entry Control Point puts the sailors at risk if there is an attack on the base. During one incident, Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas Beck of Muskegon, Mich., and Airman Robert Wagner of Knoxville, Tenn., quickly responded and returned fire with 800 rounds of 240B machine gun ammunition after an attack on an observation post.

“It was an early morning when I heard the alarm sound and rushed to the ECP to unlock the ammunition room,” Beck said. “We were the first at the ECP to respond to the attack that morning.”

On a daily basis, the men work closely with ANA Soldiers, Afghan security guards, and local interpreters, to guard the gate.

The Sailors are also working to help the locals by teaching them a trade, and working to create jobs in the area, such as being a part of the ANA or contracted as security guards.

“We’re partnering with the ANA and [Afghan security guards] to help stabilize the region,” Williams said. “This is a primary mission of the Nuristan PRT that we all are a part of: to promote stability and governance, so that the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan can take over once all U.S. troops are out of Afghanistan and help their people.”

The ECP is made up of Sailors with diverse specialties such as logistics specialists, cooks, aviation specialists, and master-at-arms. The Sailors have searched more than 50,000 people and more than 10,000 vehicles while keeping the base secure.

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin Growick, of Voorheesville, N.Y., assigned to the Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team, shows an Afghan National Army soldier the fundamentals of allowing vehicles through the Entry Control Point on Forward Operating Base Kalagush, in eastern Afghanistan’s Nuristan Province, Jan. 20. Growick is one of many U.S. Navy Sailors working together to run the ECP as well as mentoring the ANA and Afghan security guards as they transition into providing security for their people. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins, Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs)

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Clifford Williams, of Schertz, Texas, assigned to the Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team, searches an Afghan's vehicle before allowing entry onto Forward Operating Base Kalagush, in eastern Afghanistan’s Nuristan Province, Jan. 20. Williams is the non-commissioned officer in charge of force protection, which involves running the Entry Control Point as well as partnering with the Afghan National Army and Afghan security guards to stabilize the region. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins, Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs)

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Gladey, of Port Saint Lucie, Fla., assigned to the Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team, scans an Afghan’s fingerprint on a Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment camera on Forward Operating Base Kalagush, in eastern Afghanistan’s Nuristan Province, Jan. 20. The operators of the Entry Control Point use the camera to capture biometric data and prevent hostile forces from gaining entry to the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashley Hawkins, Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs)