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Adviser Brings Experience from Iraq to Afghanistan

FrontLines - May 2010

By Jan Cartwright

Life and work in a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) is nothing new for Scott Hedlund.

He started serving last November as a development advisor with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan as part of the new wave of civilians who are serving in the country to support development efforts. He plans to stay for three years.

But before deploying to Afghanistan, Hedlund worked in Iraq for five years, including in the Baghdad and Salah-ad- Din PRTs.

“I’ve definitely enjoyed being overseas,” said Hedlund, who spent his early career working as a juvenile court administrator and teaching courses on the U.S. West Coast at Pierce Community College, Saint Martin’s College, and the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Academy.

Hedlund’s first opportunity to work overseas came in 2002, when he was asked to lead a delegation to Sakhalin, Russia, to examine community needs, juvenile justice issues, police practices, and the use of force.

“I saw firsthand how people can make a difference in the perceptions of problems and the solutions to them,” Hedlund said. “Based on this experience, I understood the value of interpersonal relationships in a different cultural setting.”

Two years later, at age 40, he was headed to Iraq. He hasn’t looked back since.

In Baghdad, Hedlund drew on his juvenile justice background, working as an international police trainer on juvenile justice issues for the country. Later, in Salah-ad-Din, north of Baghdad, Hedlund shared his management and administrative skills, serving as the State Department’s chief of governance and infrastructure in the PRT. There, he helped the province establish business processes all the way down to the grassroots level to develop a robust capital accountability system and to prevent corruption and misuse of funds.

“I was lucky enough to be in Iraq for five years and see the changes occur over time as their systems developed to being sustainable,” Hedlund said.

A further asset in his PRT work is his U.S. Army experience— he joined the service while still in high school. “It’s been extremely important. I understand the military language and thinking processes, as well as the rank system,” he said.

In Afghanistan, Hedlund’s most gratifying moments have occurred when the civilian and military aid efforts have come together effectively. He recalls an instance in Jalalabad when an outlying village urgently needed help, and USAID, the State Department, a regular Army unit, and a Special Forces unit worked together to deliver the aid.

“That was a perfect example of total cooperation between agencies and personnel working towards a higher goal, with no thought of trying to control the process,” Hedlund said.

Compared with Iraq, Hedlund believes Afghanistan’s challenges are much more severe, including a largely uneducated population and institutions that are in their infancy. However, he notes that “the tribal mentality is similar in the outlying areas, so understanding the basic concepts of power is essential in order to accomplish your mission and not be culturally inappropriate and lose the key leaders who will help you achieve the village goals for assistance.”

So what does it take to be successful in a PRT?

“I think the most functional people I have dealt with have great interpersonal skills and a high tolerance for change. Being flexible is important and understanding your role in the process of dealing with others. You have to be willing to negotiate but hold firm on what your job role is since you’re a key part of the process and you were hired for your knowledge and input,” Hedlund said.

Hedlund looks forward to bringing more of his experience from Iraq to Afghanistan. “People who worked in the tribal structure of Iraq have knowledge of what works, and they know what they need to do in order to accomplish the mission,” he said. ★

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