The principal goal of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan remains a durable and inclusive political settlement to the war that protects the United States homeland from terrorist attacks.  The Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, leads the effort for a political settlement with the Taliban.  The military mission in Afghanistan remains in support of diplomatic efforts to achieve such a political settlement and conduct counterterrorism operations.

During this reporting period, the Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, pursued an agreement with the Taliban until President Donald J. Trump suspended formal negotiations in September 2019, and announced a restart of talks with the Taliban in November.

During this reporting period, United States Forces-Afghanistan and Coalition allies and partners supported the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in a focused military campaign against the Taliban to pave the way for reconciliation and counterterrorism efforts against al-Qaida and the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K).  These efforts have helped prevent these groups from exporting violence and the Taliban from seizing any provincial capitals in 2019.

Challenges within the ANDSF such as corruption, attrition and executing logistic planning remain a focus of advisory efforts at all levels.  This reporting period, Resolute Support took steps to optimize its advising mission to better align advisors across Afghanistan.

Improved communication between the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior helped minimize violence during Afghanistan’s presidential election and led to successful operations against ISIS-K in Nangahar province.  The Afghan Special Security Forces remain the most capable force in the ANDSF and their capabilities continue to grow.

Terrorist and insurgent groups also continue to present a formidable challenge to Afghan, U.S., and coalition forces. ISIS-K, operationally limited to South and Central Asia, maintains the ability to conduct attacks and sought to retain territory in eastern Afghanistan despite pressure from U.S. forces, ANDSF and the Taliban.

The United States remains fully committed to the Resolute Support mission and our Afghan partners, as we work to ensure Afghanistan never again become a safe haven for terrorists. 

See the full 1225 Report - Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan. 

On March 12, 2019 KBR was awarded three contract under the new $82 billion LOGCAP V task order.

KBR President and CEO said, "These awards are a direct result of the excellent work of our people and our unmatched track record providing reliable mission critical services to U.S. and allied troops," said Stuart Bradie, KBR President and CEO. "We are honored to continue our long service to the U.S. Army as a trusted LOGCAP partner."

"We believe these awards in aggregate will ultimately provide an increase to our business levels compared to the work we are currently performing. However, given the complexity of this procurement and attendant transition times, we do not believe this will have a material effect until 2020 and therefore is not expected to change our 2019 outlook," Bradie continued.

KBR LOGCAP History
 
Kosovo

In 1996, Brown & Root was awarded a contract to support U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops as part of the SFOR operation in the Balkan region. This contract was extended to also include KFOR operations in Kosovo starting in 1999. Camp Bondsteel in Ferizaj, Kosovo was constructed by the 94th Engineer Construction Battalion together with the private Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) under the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Afghanistan

KBR was awarded a $100 million contract in 2002 to build a new U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, from the U.S. State Department. KBR has also been awarded 15 Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) task orders worth more than $216 million for work under Operation Enduring Freedom, the military name for operations in Afghanistan. These include establishing base camps at Kandahar and Bagram Air Base and training foreign troops from the Republic of Georgia.

Cuba

KBR has also been actively involved in the development of works in Cuba. Most notably sections of the U.S. Naval base in Guantanamo, completed in 2006. Camp 6, the newest facility built for detainees at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, is designed after a maximum-security penitentiary in the U.S.

Iraq

In the 2000s, KBR employed more American private contractors and holds a larger contract with the U.S. government than does any other firm in Iraq. The company's roughly 14,000 U.S. employees in Iraq provide logistical support to the U.S. military.

In November 2012, a dozen Oregon National Guard soldiers sued KBR for knowingly exposing them to hexavalent chromium, and were awarded more than $85 million; the soldiers were providing security to civilian workers at the Qarmat Ali water facility in 2003.

In January 2019, a case brought against KBR by hundreds of veterans, who claimed the company's practice of burning trash near barracks had sickened them, was refused by the supreme court, which let stand a lower court's ruling against the veterans.