The U.S. war in Afghanistan is also a broad infrastructure building effort, according to military officials who talk about a rail building effort known as the Silk Road Initiative
"[O]nly 7% or the roads in Afghanistan are paved; about 90% of crops there rot before they make it to market; the country is rich in coal and mineral deposits, but without rail those resources are virtually moot. Last summer, a 75-kilometer rail line opened from the country's northern border to the city of Mazar-e-Sharif-the first rail line in the nation's history-but more track is needed, and the Afghanis need training on how to operate and maintain a railroad."
Transportation Nation talks with Colonel Ted Hodgson, of the US Central Command and a member of the Afghan Future Working group, about the rail building efforts.
FULL STORY: From Aid to Trade in Afghanistan: How the U.S. Military is Helping Develop Rail
SimBaghdad
New video game-like programs are enabling the U.S. military to train for deployment in the middle east. One program is modeled off the urban planning computer game SimCity.
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City of Kissimmee - Development Services
City of Kissimmee - Development Services
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Park City Municipal Corporation
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City of Santa Fe, New Mexico
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