If the objective is to help the provincial & local governments in Afghanistan build their capacity for governance, maybe instead of sending more grant administrators, we should recruit people from State & local governments who have hands-on experience in fixing potholes, running water & sewage systems, disposing of garbage, running local police departments, etc. Of course, it would also help if our government & our public were willing to accept the risks inherent in letting these people work in the places where they can make a difference.

The questionnaires in the USAJOBS job announcements don't really give people with these skill sets much opportunity to show how their skills could contribute to the success of the mission. An applicant from outside the Federal government / NGO community doesn't have much opportunity, under the structure of the application process, to detail his experience.

The ITAO applications were at least a little more open to that kind of experience.

If we're going to do this, we ought to at least consider whether there are other assets that might be more effective, and whether we are putting the resources in the places they can be most effective.

I understand the security concerns, but when citizens volunteer to help in a situation like this, most of us recognize & accept the fact that there are some risks inherent in the process.