Waking up a year older in a strange land...

I'm still in Kuwait, and it appears I will be for 1 more day before I move along to my final destination. It's been very warm here - 95-99 degrees. Back home it snowed, and the picture to the left here shows our maple tree in the back yard covered as it gets its first dusting of snow for this season.

So I've been working here in Kuwiat at what is known as DIDC - or DynCorp International Deployment Center - the entity set up to process deploying civilians working on LOGCAP IV through the military's process for being in a war zone. It's a similar process to what I went through back in Fort Worth, but is focused mainly on bringing 3rd Country Nationals or (TCNs) as they are known through and getting them moving on to the next destination. Problem is - this DIDC is not working very effectively, and we've had to have 2 of the most senior folks from DynCorp "parachute" in to see what the problems are, and how to move them forward. So yesterday I spent the majority of my day with these two gentlemen, writing mission statements, specific tasks, implied tasks, developing a risk register and mitigation plans, etc..and generally pushing people to ge this process moving.

Here's the problem - when the military says they want to turn over a "forward operating base" to us to run - that means we need to get all the staff into Afghanistan and to that base by a certain date. Right now - we need 2,000 people in AFG by the end of October - which if you do the math would indicate 100 people per day for the next 20 or so days. The most we've put into country so far is about 150 a week. There lies the challenge.

We are pulling people from India, Phillipines, the former Yugoslavian countries, Nepal, etc...Before they can even arrive in Kuwait - they need a Kuwaiti Visa - which is not an easy process. Then they must have an Afghan Visa - again a long and tedious process - and up until this point - we have not been able to collectively crack this "code" so to speak. Hopefully the attention given to this process (finally) will result in a much improved process, but up until this point in time - it's been not handled very efficiently. Folks are working hard, but almost like the cartoon character who runs in place.

This morning we will hold the first operations meeting of all the DIDC staff intended to get them moving in the right direction....we'll see how that goes.

Sometime during the day - I'll try to remember its my birthday, and get a chocolate donut or something from the Krispy Kreme in the mall here....