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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (October 27, 2008) - Every
servicemember and Department of Defense civilian in Kuwait is an
ambassador," said Lt. Col. Rodney P. Rose, director, Host Nation
Affairs, Area Support Group-Kuwait. "We must all understand what we
must protect."
The mission of Host Nation Affairs is to build and maintain good
relations with Kuwait while providing support to Operations Iraqi
and Enduring Freedom.
"One of my directives is to build goodwill capital by treating
everyone with dignity and respect," said Kuwait Ministry of Defense
liaison, Staff Sgt. Jose Zarate, Host Nation Affairs, ASG-KU.
In order to operate within Kuwait, a relationship must be built
and maintained. Most host nations and the U.S. military operate
under a Status of Forces Agreement.
According to the Global Security website, a SOFA allows the U.S.
military to operate within a host nation and allows for entry and
exit of forces to that nation.
"The SOFA does not apply in Kuwait," said Rose.
Kuwait and the U.S. have a Defense Cooperation Agreement. The
DCA has an indefinite timeline for U.S. presence in Kuwait and
allows for cooperation between the two countries. Either nation can
give one year notice to terminate the agreement.
As part of the current DCA, Kuwait provides almost a half
billion dollars worth of goods and services and the U.S. military
provides training for the Kuwaiti Army.
"The Kuwaiti military depends on the training that it gets from
the U.S. Army," said Kuwait Army Chief Warrant Officer Al-Shamari
Sabih, liaison, Kuwait Ministry of Defense.
In turn, the U.S. military depends on the mission-critical goods
and services that Kuwait provides, such as use of ports, bases,
ranges and training facilities.
The Kuwaiti government also provides host nation and third
country national labor force, the use of Kuwait City International
Airport, use of bands and frequencies for communication, funding
for facility maintenance, dining facilities, free use of facilities
and a customs fee wavier for equipment passing through Kuwait on
its way to Iraq or Afghanistan.
"We could not do all the things we are doing in Iraq and some
parts of Afghanistan if we did not have Kuwait as a place to stage
personnel and equipment," said Rose.
Maintaining good host nation relations between ASG-KU and Kuwait
is essential to OIF and OEF.
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