U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Afghanistan's Highways 1960–1967

Abstract

The Corps of Engineers managed construction of nearly one‐third of Afghanistan's modern road network. The Corps carried out the project, which took place in several segments over the period 1960–1967, through field offices in southern Asia. The effort was unusual for the Corps in that part of the world because it was strictly a civil project and had nothing to do with creation of military infrastructure. It also constituted the first face‐to‐face confrontation between American and Soviet foreign aid programs during the Cold War and was seen by American political leaders as a test of the national willingness to compete with the Soviets in a nonmilitary arena. The interconnection between diplomacy and construction continued for the duration of the program, and the border dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan caused the greatest problems. In spite of this dispute and technical difficulties related to the stark Afghan topography and climate and the availability of construction materials, the program was a ...