text: Chapter 5
  Civil-Military Operations Working Groups in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM
  During Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (May 2004 through March 2006), the
  Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan recognized the need to
  secure the Shur Ghar Pass in southern Afghanistan. Close collaboration between CA,
  coalition forces, IPI, NGOs, international organizations, USAID, DOS, the
  U.S. Department of Agriculture, the UN, and others produced an excellent example of
  a civil-military operations working group.
  The Shur Ghar Pass is in central Zabul Province in southern Afghanistan. The pass
  sits in a mountain range that splits the province. The surrounding mountains make
  approaches to the pass unobservable. In addition, the rock-strewn sand road makes it
  an ideal location for improvised explosive devices and ambushes. Several coalition
  soldiers lost their lives in the pass due to these threats.
  Through numerous civil-military operations working groups at Kandahar Air Base and
  Zabul Province, CA Soldiers from the 96th CA Battalion (A) and coalition forces
  prepared a concept to secure the Shur Ghar Pass. The concept included placing
  Afghan police in the pass, building a hardened police barracks compound, and
  instituting numerous police checkpoints. Personnel secured Commander’s Emergency
  Response Program (CERP) funding to build the police barracks and checkpoints in the
  pass. CA Soldiers supporting the task force coordinated with the commander of joint
  task force 76 to use CERP funding provided by the provincial reconstruction team
  (PRT) in Qalat, the capital of Zabul Province. CA forces eventually transferred the plan
  to the commander of Joint Task Force 76, specifically 3d BCT, 25th Infantry Division,
  and the Qalat PRT. The DOS contractors from DynCorp ran a police training program
  in Zabul, in conjunction with the 3d BCT, 25th Infantry Division that produced trained
  police to staff the pass.
  When the 3d BCT, 25th Infantry Division redeployed, the plan to secure the Shur Ghar
  Pass was transferred to the 173d (A) BCT. The 173d (A) BCT dedicated virtually all its
  engineer assets to complete the initial road cut and base course. With approval from
  the commander of Joint Task Force 76, the Qalat PRT funded road construction
  equipment and a rock crusher and was able to provide training for Afghans to operate
  them. USAID agreed to fund an asphalt-finish topcoat using a private contractor to
  pave the road.
  This collaborative effort took over a year from conception to completion. It involved
  civil-military operations working groups at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels
  and was composed of elements from SOF and conventional forces, USAID, the DOS,
  the government of Afghanistan, and others to make it successful. The net result
  produced secure access to southern Afghanistan for coalition and Afghan security
  forces. It stimulated the economy in Zabul Province and southern Afghanistan, and
  legitimized the local governments, the provincial government, and the government of
  Afghanistan.
  JOINT INTERAGENCY COORDINATION GROUP
  5-17. The joint interagency coordination group is a staff group that establishes regular, timely, and
  collaborative working relationships between civilian and military operational planners (JP 3-08).
  Note: JP 3-08 provides additional information on the joint interagency coordination group.
  5-18. A CACOM has the capabilities to provide theater-level analysis of civil considerations in coordination
  with the joint interagency coordination group (or equivalent organization) and to develop strategic-level civil
  input to the supported JFC. A J-9 staff section plans, coordinates, and provides staff oversight of CMO and
  civilian component issues through direct coordination with the J-3 of the supported unit. Throughout the