Recent News

02.12.10

West Africa support exercise
From February 5 - 9, Development Transformations supported a West Africa-focused culmination exercise for members of the U.S. Army's 95th Civil Affairs Brigade in Ft. Bragg, NC. Led by Amb. Joseph Melrose, former U.S. ambassador to Sierra Leone, DT advised and trained Civil Affairs teams on interagency coordination and briefings, cultural awareness, and working in a civilian-military environment. This culmination exercise was one of the last steps to prepare the CA teams for their upcoming deployments to U.S. embassies in West Africa.

01.04.10

Stabilization Training at Kabul COIN Training Center
On behalf of USAID/Office of Transition Initiatives, DT is delivering stabilization training in January and February for the Afghanistan Stabilization Initiative at the Counterinsurgency Training Center in Kabul, Afghanistan. The training is focused on effective stability operations, development vs. stabilization programming, and how to create District Stability Plans based on identified sources of instability. Trainees include Afghan nationals and Government officials, USAID staff, and military personnel. This work is supported by a subcontract from DAI.

12.14.09

Afghan Star Documentary
On behalf of the Council on Foreign Relations, DT’s Sloan Mann moderated a panel discussion on “Afghan Star,” a film profiling the rise of the reality television program by the same name. Daoud Sediqi, former host of Afghan Star, provided background on the show, where contestants compete for a music deal, and its incredible popularity. For many Afghans, who vote for contestants via cell phone, it is their first experience with the democratic process in a country where television, music, and dancing were once forbidden under Taliban rule. Alexander Thier from U.S. Institute of Peace, presenting on behalf of CFR, emphasized the broader cultural realities of Afghanistan where well over half the population is below the age of 25. For more information on the film, please see www.afghanstardocumentary.com.

10.09.09

Stabilization training for USAID
Development Transformations continues providing training and technical assistance based on USAID's Tactical Conflict Assessment and Planning Framework (TCAPF). The project, designed by USAID/Office of Military Affairs, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense, delivers stabilization training to civilian and military practioners.
TCAPF is used to identify the causes of instability, develop activities to diminish them, and evaluate the effectiveness of the activities in fostering stability at the tactical-level. DT's work on this program is supported by a subcontract agreement with Lockheed Martin, and is conducted in Afghanistan, Georgia, and the United States.

10.01.09

Continued support to Civil Affairs teams
In late August and September, DT continued its support to the U.S. Army's 95th Civil Affairs Brigade in Ft. Bragg, NC. In advanced of their deployment to U.S. embassies in Southeast Asia, DT conducted an advanced interagency skills training and culminations exercise for members of the 97th Battalion. Joining DT's advisory and training team were representatives from USAID, the Department of State, Georgetown University, and the International Organization for Migration.

09.14.09

Support to USAID's Afghanistan Stabilization Initiative
Operating under a subcontract from DAI, Development Transformations is providing stabilization training for the USAID/Office of Transition Initiatives-funded Afghanistan Stabilization Initiative.
In partnership with David Kilcullen, Crumpton Group, DT co-developed the Stabilization Course Program of Instruction and delivered a four-day training on counterinsurgency, development, and stability operations at the Counterinsurgency Training Center in Kabul, Afghanistan.

09.07.09

Afghan Elections
DT's Tim Fairbank provided support to Democracy International's international election observation mission for the August 20^th Presidential and Provincial Council elections in Afghanistan. Working under a cooperative agreement given to Democracy International by the U.S. Agency for International Development, he focused and reported on the local political climate, election-related violence, and the role of civil society in the pre-election period.

07.09.09

DT completes Africa pre-deployment training for Civil Affairs teams
From June 22-26, Development Transformations conducted a five-day advanced interagency skills training for members of the U.S. Army's 95th Civil Affairs Brigade in Ft. Bragg, NC. The training, the last step for Civil Affairs teams prior to their departure to US embassies in Africa, focused on working with community leaders, civilian perspectives on development and humanitarian assistance, emerging trends in development in Africa, engaging stakeholders, overview of USAID and the Department of State, assessing good governance, working with the media, and various interactive role play exercises. DT's training and advisor team was joined by leading experts from Democracy International, SSG Advisors, and the US Agency for International Development.

05.18.09

DT conducts interagency exercise for Civil Affairs teams
Development Transformations conducted a five-day West Africa pre-deployment culmination exercise for members of the U.S. Army's 95th Civil Affairs Brigade in Ft. Bragg, NC. Amb. Joseph Melrose, former U.S. ambassador to Sierra Leone, led the DT team. He was joined by Dr. William Moore, a member of the board of directors of International Medical Corps (IMC), and Glenn Cowan, a co-founder and principal of Democracy International. DT designed exercise scenarios, evaluated participants' performance, and provided simulations of interagency briefings to prepare the CA teams for their upcoming deployments to U.S. embassies in West Africa.

05.01.09

DT publishes article on civ-mil and interagency cooperation
DT published an article in the latest issue of Journal of International Peace Operations. The article, titled "Blurring the Lines: The Importance of Civilian-Military and Inter-Agency Cooperation," discusses the overlapping roles of military and civilian agencies in stability operations, and suggests that the military should focus on enabling a safe and secure environment and work in a supportive role for civilian agencies and organizations that specialize in democracy and governance, human rights, health, education, and improving economic livelihoods.

03.11.09

Sloan Mann provides remarks on foreign assistance reform in post-conflict settings at Carnegie
On February 26, Sloan Mann spoke on foreign assistance reform in post-conflict settings at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in a forum organized by the Center for Global Studies at George Mason University.

02.04.09

Tim Fairbank lectures on democracy promotion at University of Maryland
Tim Fairbank was a guest lecturer at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, speaking to faculty and graduate students on the issue of democracy promotion. The February 4, 2009 event, the bi-weekly Development Circle forum, was titled "Promoting Democracy Abroad: Challenges Facing the New Administration."

01.26.09

DT works with U.S. Army Civil Affairs Brigade
Development Transformations, under a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, conducted a week-long training, 26-30 Janurary, for 30 members of the active duty Civil Affairs brigade in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. The program focused on U.S. foreign policy objectives, interagency planning and cooperation, democracy promotion, humanitarian assistance, principles of development, working in a diplomatic community, civil society, media training, and conflict resolution. The training, designed as a pre-deployment program for Civil Military Support Element Missions, was conducted in cooperation with experts from the Department of State, USAID, Oxfam America, and the U.S. Institute of Peace.

01.16.09

Sloan Mann speaks at USIP on civilian-military integration in Afghanistan
Sloan Mann was a panelist at a public event at the U.S. Institute of Peace on the state of civilian-military integration in Afghanistan. The panel, held on January 16, 2009, examined civil-military operations and provided perspectives on whether the U.S. Government and ISAF are reaching the people through local-level engagements.

12.15.08

Sloan Mann discusses progress in Afghanistan
On December 15, 2008, Sloan Mann was a panelist at an event sponsored by the Peacebuilding, Development and Security Program at the Institute of World Affairs on assessing progress in Afghanistan. The event focused on the effectiveness of an integrated civilian-military approach and how to enhance future operations.

10.08

DT teaches course on Civil Society at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy
Tim Fairbank, on request from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Azerbaijan, taught a course on "The Role of Civil Society in Diplomacy" to members of Azerbaijan's diplomatic corps. The October 2008 course, held in Baku, was part of the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy's Advanced Foreign Service Program.

08.02.08

Article on Stability Operations in Afghanistan
Sloan Mann published the article, "Taking Interagency Stability Operations to a New Level: The Integration of Special Operation Forces and USAID in Afghanistan" in Small Wars Journal. The article describes a successful interagency model and the benefits of civilian-military integration.