What Armed Development Means

Last month I had the problems of the relationship between the military and aid and development work on my mind. This past week, a daring British military operation in Afghanistan illustrates the possibilities that open up when the army gets involved in building power plants:

How do you move a 200-tonne hydroelectric turbine to a remote corner of Afghanistan? You can't fly it - there is no airstrip. There is a road, of sorts, but only in places and it is probably mined. Oh, and we have trucks, but they were made for the M1. They get testy in the sand.

This was the problem facing 16 Air Assault Brigade in Helmand this summer.

The troops successfully trundled the massive turbine up through the mountains to a remote village and fought their way back. A highly recommended read.

It's questionable how enduring the feat will be - whose to ensure that the Taliban doesn't find some way to sabotage or destroy the turbine once it's operational? Will the Afghan government be able to simply maintain and operate the installation? Was this the best use of scarce resources?

But at least an operation like this is an option when a high-quality army like that of the British is involved - something that would not be the case in most other countries.