If you joined the Navy to see the world, assignment as a liaison officer to the U.S. House of Representatives will take you there. Since coming to the Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs a year ago, my official passport has needed extra pages because I have visited countries in South and Central America, Africa, Europe, the Far East, and Central Asia. While liaison duties are primarily administrative and logistical—and require a good sense of organization—the first-hand knowledge I have obtained "on the road" has carried the assignment to a different level altogether.
A summary of last January's nine-day journey through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Italy should provide a taste of the multifaceted tasks involved in legislative liaison duty. Representative Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) led a delegation that was formed to assess the political and economic situations of the different countries, various aid programs, and need for U.S. financial assistance in the region. I was charged with making travel (and other) arrangements for six members of Congress, one State Department official, and three congressional staff members. We flew 31 hours on an Air Force C-20 Gulfstream V, 15 hours on Air Force C-130s, and three hours on a Navy C-2 Greyhound; we stopped at five hotels and four military bases and dealt in five different currencies.
Before leaving Washington, I spent two weeks obtaining visas for the delegation's visit to each country, coordinating scheduling issues with State Department control officers in the countries involved, and plotting a reasonable flight plan. Because of the war on terrorism, the Gulfstream was not permitted to fly the delegation beyond the initial scheduled stop in Uzbekistan. Thus, many hours were devoted to preplanning C-130 flights from Uzbekistan to Tajikistan, and from Tajikistan to several places in Pakistan. Concurrently, I prepared travel menus, obtained friendship pins for the travelers to wear in each country, and notified each congressman's office of weather predictions and recommended dress.
Early in the morning of our departure, I gathered and tagged the luggage and drove to Andrews Air Force Base to load the plane and help prepare it for the trip. Fourteen hours after departing a rainy and cold Washington, the delegation arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the fourth largest city in the former Soviet Union and its administrative center for Central Asia. The city was rebuilt following a major earthquake in 1966 and its architecture is strikingly different from one city block to the next.
On arrival in Tashkent—as in each country—I quickly ensured that the delegation got checked into their hotel rooms and received their luggage and local currency. Once everyone was settled and a "control room" (complete with computer, fax machine, and copier) was set up, I continued working with State Department officials to smooth any changes in the schedule and make sure that all hands were aware of the latest plan.
The Tashkent schedule ran just short of 24 hours. It included a luncheon with students on an educational exchange program with the United States, a visit to a Women's Health Center, several meetings with government officials, and a human-rights round table. Uzbekistan is a developing democracy with a free-market economy that has profited from foreign investment. The country is adjusting well to globalization and has become one of our allies in the war against terrorism. Before finally going to bed after a long day of official visits, I made calls to verify arrival of the C- 130 for our departure early the next morning and confirm that the requisite embassy personnel would be on hand to help get the delegation to the airport on time.
Our next stop in neighboring Tajikistan was to be just a few hours long, but wintry weather and lack of de-icing equipment altered the schedule. We remained overnight while I contacted State Department representatives to arrange meals and lodging for the delegation and the plane crew and to work out a new schedule. Dushanbe, Tajikistan, is situated at the crossroads of Central Asia and served as a focal point for Northern Alliance travel into Afghanistan. During a brief stay, we met with government officials and toured several U.S.-sponsored development projects. Because of political strife, Tajikistan has not profited from foreign investment in the same way as neighboring Uzbekistan. This developing country in a "tough neighborhood" is trying to position itself to help rebuild Afghanistan.
On day four, the delegation flew to Islamabad, Pakistan, where tensions were apparent from both the war on terrorism and the ongoing struggle with India over Kashmir. The U.S. Embassy personnel—who had evacuated their families in the wake of the 11 September attacks—arranged several delegation visits with high-ranking government officials, including Head of State Pervez Musharaff. (He had just made a momentous speech condemning Islamic fundamentalists and asserting his support for the war on terrorism.) Logistics in Islamabad were difficult because the embassy was busy preparing for the arrival of Secretary of State Colin Powell. As a result, the delegation's schedule was altered at the last minute to meet his requirements.
My most difficult task in Islamabad was coordinating a one-day visit to Kabul, Afghanistan. Prior to leaving for Kabul, it was necessary to call and confirm diplomatic security, airport clearance procedures, and protocol matters. I also acquired snacks, water, box lunches, medicine, sunscreen, and gifts to ensure the delegation was prepared in case the same-day return was delayed. Following our 18-hour stay in Islamabad, we flew to Bagram Air Base. Driving from the base to nearby Kabul gave us an appreciation for the destruction of the war, the poverty of the nation, and the topography. Often referred to as "the other side of Ground Zero," Afghanistan's population has an average life expectancy of 46; there is 50% unemployment and an 80% illiteracy rate. In the six hours allotted, the delegation visited the recently reacquired U.S. Embassy, met with interim leader Hamid Karzai, and toured downtown Kabul. Our embassy personnel were living, working, and eating in a bunker, guarded by 88 sharp Marines. In a private meeting, Chairman Karzai discussed his concerns for Afghanistan, which included the need for a continuing international presence and assistance and the importance of the war on terrorism.
The next stop was at the city of Quetta in the southern Baluchistan region of Pakistan. Getting there was more difficult than originally planned—we had to obtain permission to fly there and confirmation for the C-130 airlift was not received until 0330 of the day of our departure. In Quetta, the delegation visited a center designed to provide informal education and toured sanitation facilities for the estimated 5,000 to 10,000 children who "worked" to help support their families. Actually, the children roamed the garbage dumps and streets of Pakistan in search of recyclable trash. A successful day's collection might bring each hungry child the equivalent of one U.S. dollar.
The seventh day of the trip called for a carrier landing on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). Two weeks of email and messages had ensured the ship was ready for our arrival and the Navy C-2's carrier onboard delivery flight plan meshed with the C-130's. Having been forward deployed since September 2001, the Theodore Roosevelt's men and women had set a record for the number of days under way. Despite the intense operational schedule that the crew and embarked air wing had experienced, it was plain that morale was incredibly high. The delegation watched flight operations, ate with crewmembers, and had photos taken at the memorial display the Theodore Roosevelt had built for a U.S. flag flown over the World Trade Center after the 11 September attacks. Following this visit, the delegation headed for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where we rendezvoused with the Gulfstream for the trip to Rome. The schedule in Rome involved a working luncheon at the World Food Program, a visit with the U.S. ambassador to Italy, and a trip to see the exiled former Afghani King Zahir Shah.
Since this trip I have been to the Demilitarized Zone in Korea, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, and several African countries. Liaison officers are always on the go, but their intense schedules are interesting—and they get the kind of education not available in any graduate school I know.
Lieutenant Morrison is a Navy liaison officer to the U.S. House of Representatives. A surface warfare officer, she was assigned previously to the USS Laboon (DDG-58).