An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Jan. 4, 2010

Oklahoma Guard gains agri-business authority in Paktya and West Paktika provinces

By Maj. Deidre D. Musgrave Oklahoma National Guard

GARDEZ, Afghanistan - In a brief ceremony today, the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 1-45th Agri-business Development Team (ADT) took control of the ADT mission in the Paktya and West Paktika provinces of eastern Afghanistan from the 1-16th ADT of the Tennessee National Guard.

The transfer of authority ceremony was commemorated by the casing of Tennessee's ADT guidon and the uncasing of Oklahoma's ADT guidon.

Commander of the Oklahoma ADT, Col. Mike Chase of Chandler, Okla., held the guidon as Master Sgt. Bobby Howard, of Depew, Okla., uncased it as a symbolic representation of the unit's potential, and the faith and trust that the command has in this unit's ability to serve and protect.

The 1-45th ADT has assumed responsibility for all on-going agriculture projects that the 1-16th began and will soon begin new projects based on the needs of the Afghan people in their area of operation.

Agriculture makes up 80 percent of the Afghan economy and approximately 85 percent of the population is engaged in some form of agriculture. Current ADT projects include watershed restoration, cool storage facility construction, as well as, training on the care and harvesting of livestock and poultry. Additional projects will progress during the spring planting season.

The 1-45th is comprised of more than 60 Guardsmen from various places throughout Oklahoma. The ADT members have talent and expertise in areas such as agronomy, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine and are part of an initiative to help educate and empower the Afghan people by sharing their knowledge and training.

 

 

Related Articles
Air Force Staff Sgt. Bram Sanders, a medic with the 181st Medical Group Search and Extraction element assigned to the 19th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high-yield Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package, Indiana National Guard participates in training at a simulated disaster site during a pre-external evaluation sustainment year collective training event at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Ind., Aug. 10, 2022.  Airmen from the 181st Medical Group are embedded with S&E teams to provide immediate on-scene emergency medical support during the search and extraction phase of emergency and disaster incidents.
Indiana Guard Airman Honored for Lifesaving Efforts
By Senior Airman Nicholas Momotiuk, | July 14, 2025
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Indiana National Guard Technical Sgt. Bram Sanders, a medic from the 181st Medical Group, was honored July 10 for his lifesaving response to a plane crash at the Terre Haute Regional Airport.Indiana State...

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt, the Adjutant General of North Carolina and His Excellency Mpho Churchill O. Mophuting, the Republic of Botswana’s Ambassador to the United States, greet each other during an official state visit to the Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, May 22, 2025. The visit was part of the National Guard’s State Partnership Program and allowed leaders from both Botswana and North Carolina to discuss future engagement opportunities.
North Carolina Guard Creating Shared Experiences
By Paul Agada, | July 14, 2025
RALEIGH, N.C. – What does the Republic of Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, have in common with North Carolina, an American state bordered by the Atlantic Ocean? Initially, one may find very little in common...

Task Force Aviation, of Kentucky National Guard, assigned to 256th IBCT and KFOR RC-E drops water over a wildfire threatening the Devic Monastery in Kosovo, July 8, 2025. Crews worked 19 hours to suppress the fire using Water buckets.
Kentucky National Guard Helps Fight Wildfire Threatening Historic Kosovo Monastery
By Capt. Shy Garden, | July 14, 2025
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Kentucky National Guard’s Task Force Aviation helped fight a wildfire July 8 that was threatening the Dević Monastery, a centuries-old Serbian Orthodox religious site in the Drenica Valley. The...