The Qalat Provincial Reconstruction Team hosted the first ever PRT vendor fair in Qalat, Afghanistan, reports Capt. Kevin Tuttle with the PRT. More than 40 contractors attended the fair, whose primary purpose was to reach new contractors in Zabul. The PRT hopes to encourage local contractors to help support and build-up their country and to provide services that are costly to import from overseas. “It’s cheaper and timelier to get it here in Qalat, and we’re trying to see if that possibility exists,” said PRT engineer Capt. Rockie Wilson.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.