1. Oct 17th Meeting SynopsisThe conflicts in Iraq and Afghansitan are the first time since Vietnam where engineers have been tasked with nation building in an unsecure environment. In Afghanistan in particular, USACE, USAID, and other execution agencies must navigate the complexities of human terrain, manage the risks associated with building outside of security zones, and understand local challenges, in order to deliver projects on-time and on budget.This brief will explain, through a series of vignettes, how in the remote northeastern province of Badakhshan, Afghanistan, USACE moved from zero construction placement and no projects completed to surpassing monthly placement projections by 28%. The brief will discuss how engaging local stakeholders and building local capacity are essential to not only the construction mission but the larger counterinsurgency mission. We will also touch on some of the local challenges of building in a developing country and how market mechanisms that we take for granted are paralleled in Afghan society.