South Carolina Statehouse Blog

The following is the second part of a 2-part story on Representative James E Smith’s military service in Afghanistan. 

Overall peace and stability in Afghanistan is an end that many would like to see. Reaching this goal is however, going to be a very long, complicated task. In discussing how to stabilize Afghanistan, Representative James Smith explained that what his crew did, worked. He asserts that one cannot underestimate the importance of building strong and lasting relationships and to communicate the shared interest of peace and stability.

On the micro level, Rep Smith and his police mentor teams did great work. He sees a lot of progress being made with these small teams and believes strongly that they should be continued; fortunately, they are, in fact, going to be continued. Counterinsurgent work, on a small unit basis, has arguably been the most effective method in Afghanistan.

Henceforward, it is important to remember that the policies enacted are only as effective as those who are carrying them out. Rep Smith notably observed, “It was worth risking my life and my men’s lives to preserve their freedom. And, to establish security there, we help preserve our own freedom. That understanding helped cooperation and relationships, and it can help the operation as a whole.”

The Obama Administration is sending a large troop surge to Afghanistan; the total being sent is upwards of 30,000. Rep Smith acknowledges that these decisions are made by those at a much higher pay grade in the military than him, but agrees there is a need for more troops. There are parts of Afghanistan that are currently not controlled by police or coalition forces, where Taliban are known to freely roam.

However, Rep Smith says that how the troops are utilized is extremely important. “Having large movements of US forces is usually bad.” He further asserts that a small unit operating in similar ways as his teams did, and with larger support for that team, is an effective way to operate. Rep Smith believes that similar tactics that worked in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan.

For the most part, Rep Smith saw US dollars being spent wisely, but did recall one instance where resources were simply wasted. Dyncorp is a private contracted military company that operates in Afghanistan with whom Rep Smith had plenty of contact. The main task of this company is to train police and provide security in some instances. “They were pretty much professional X-Box players.” He further elaborated that they were mostly effortless and didn’t entirely do their jobs. They were apparently not accountable to anybody and Rep Smith could not recall a single instance where a request he submitted to Dyncorp was returned with a “Yes.” He claims Dyncorp had no impact on progress in the province of Zabul.

The private military contractor did do great things elsewhere, according to Rep Smith. He says they were effective in running large regional schools. For example, they did great work in Kandahar. He says “they took police with no experience or training” and the officers “came out with a sense of pride, experience, training and tactics.” The newly trained police were also successful when operating in the field according to Rep Smith.

The opium trade in Afghanistan is a very lucrative business and currently is not very restricted. The policing of it becomes a catch-22 of sorts, in that it is a harmful product with effects felt by the international community, but also a source of much needed income for Afghanis. Rep Smith has experience handling the large opium problem and said he saw many poppy and marijuana fields, which are plentiful in southern Afghanistan, where he spent a great deal of time. One day, Rep Smith even took part in the burning of about $13.3 million of raw black tar opium. He says the whole situation is very complex than needs to be handled through diplomatic channels and through the police.

Rep Smith stresses that for the world’s sake, opium trading needs to be controlled, as Afghanistan’s opium production accounts for somewhere in the vicinity of 90% of the world’s opium. But, one should recognize that this trade is a matter of progress in Afghanistan. Problems further come up because everyone has a stake in the illicit trade: the government, the Taliban and the civilians themselves. He said, “I would like to see it like it was in the late 70’s before the Russian invasion, when they produced real, legitimate crops.” Rep Smith asserts that there may need to be a program enacted to help Afghan farmers to switch to producing other crops.

The war in Afghanistan has a relevant link to South Carolinians, a link that Rep Smith is currently pursuing. The illegal cigarette trade has been associated by some to groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and possibly Taliban. “South Carolina is ground zero for the illegal cigarette trade,” claims Rep Smith. According to Rep Smith and many others who have investigated the subject, the low taxes and lack of a stamp on cigarette packaging create an environment that is conducive to smuggling cigarettes.

He is attacking this situation via H. 3486 that raises the tax of cigarettes. Included in the final product of the bill, he says, will be a mandatory stamp on cigarette packaging to try to regulate the trade better. The bill is currently residing in the House Ways and Means Committee.

In reflection of his service, Representative Smith said that serving his country and state has been one of the greatest privileges of his life. He further added a statement about those who serve and their families; “Thank you. Whether you’re a family member of a service member or you are a service member- whether you are wearing the uniform or not- you are just as much a part of the mission as the family member or loved one in uniform. We couldn’t enjoy our freedoms, and couldn’t be where we are today if not for those who serve.”

To read part one of this 2-part series, click here.