Nearly two decades ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) arrived in Afghanistan with a mission rooted in tragedy, forged in urgency, and driven by hope. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, American forces entered Afghanistan to dismantle al-Qaeda, remove the Taliban from power, and deny terrorist networks a safe haven. What followed was not only a military campaign, but one of the most ambitious reconstruction and infrastructure efforts in U.S. history.
USACE played a central role from the beginning, tasked with building the backbone of both the U.S. war effort and the institutions meant to support a new Afghan government. From 2002 until the final withdrawal of American forces in 2021, the Corps delivered hundreds of critical projects across the country—often under fire, in unforgiving terrain, and within an ever-shifting political and security landscape.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built and managed a vast amount of infrastructure in Afghanistan, including facilities for both U.S. and Afghan forces, as well as projects aimed at improving Afghan infrastructure and supporting governance. The scope of work included military bases, barracks, training ranges, hospitals, dining facilities, airfields, and water and sewage treatment plants for U.S. troops and Afghan National Security Forces. In support of the Afghan security apparatus, USACE constructed training compounds, border patrol headquarters, police stations, and regional law enforcement centers for the Afghan National Army and National Police.
Beyond security-related infrastructure, the Corps undertook ambitious civil works projects aimed at connecting and strengthening the country. Major roads such as the Kabul–Kandahar highway and the Kandahar–Spin Boldak spur helped link remote regions and enable commerce. USACE also oversaw the construction of power plants and border crossings, facilitating economic development and cross-border trade. Ministries and governance-related projects included regional Ministry of Interior buildings, police headquarters, and administrative facilities designed to support the rule of law and local governance.
In parallel, USACE made significant investments in Afghan capacity building. Many projects were designed to include or train local contractors, boosting Afghanistan’s construction industry and creating employment opportunities at a time of national transition.
Despite enormous logistical and security challenges, USACE operated with a long-term vision: to support a self-sufficient Afghan state with the infrastructure needed for stability and governance. That vision was tested often—by insurgent attacks, internal corruption, and the realities of shifting U.S. policy—but the engineers pressed forward.
In 2021, as the United States completed its military withdrawal and shuttered its final installations, the USACE mission in Afghanistan formally came to a close. The Transatlantic Afghanistan District, which had carried the burden of this work for years, merged with Task Force Essayons—another forward-deployed engineering command supporting operations in Iraq and Syria—to form the Transatlantic Expeditionary District.
Today, headquartered in Kuwait, the new district carries with it the legacy of two decades of construction in conflict zones. Though the U.S. no longer operates in Afghanistan, the bridges, roads, airfields, and institutions built by USACE remain a testament to what was achieved under some of the most difficult conditions imaginable.
The chapter in Afghanistan has ended, but the Corps’ mission continues—“Always Forward,” prepared to meet the next challenge, wherever it may be.