Supplemental bill to improve quality of life Published Nov. 18, 2003 By K.L. Vantran American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Part of the $87.5 billion supplemental-appropriations bill for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan signed earlier this month by President George W. Bush will go toward improving quality of life for servicemembers there."We want people to have air conditioning," Dov S. Zakheim said here Nov. 17. He is the undersecretary of defense (comptroller) and chief financial officer. "We want them to have running water. We want them to have decent facilities to sleep in."Zakheim said the servicemembers who deployed to Afghanistan started out in "pretty miserable conditions." He said he has visited the country several times and can testify that things are improving every day."We want to do the same for our forces in Iraq," he said. "They're going to be there. We don't know for how long. We need to ensure that given the very difficult environment they're functioning in that they at least have the decent standards of living in terms of basics: water, electricity, heating and air conditioning."The bill provides $64.7 billion for military operations in Iraq, in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Of this, about $51 billion is for Operation Iraqi Freedom and $10 billion for Operation Enduring Freedom. The remaining funds will cover costs with Operation Noble Eagle and support for allies in the war on terror.Besides providing pay and benefits for servicemembers, the bill will pay for such things as spare parts and flying hours -- things that keep day-to-day operations going.It also assigns funds for force-protection measures. This includes protective vests and ceramic inserts for the vests, as well as upgrades for Humvees and sensors that will allow detection of attacks, Zakheim said."It's a whole array of programs that are geared (toward) protecting our forces," he said.The enemy's use of improvised explosive devices has been a concern, Zakheim said. To help counter this, funds will be used for unmanned aerial vehicles that can track when the devices are being placed.The bill also includes about $19 billion for reconstruction projects in Iraq. The basic objective is not just to transfer sovereignty to Iraq but also to "put them on their own economic feet," Zakheim said.This includes funding various security forces -- civil defense forces, facilities protection forces and the new Iraqi army."We want to build up the judicial system," Zakheim said. "We want to build up the constitutional system. We want to build up a prison system. We want to create the environment of security that is so important for an everyday Iraqi to live in and function in."Billions of dollars will be spent on electricity, water, health and getting the oil industry "up to speed," he said."If they are to recover economically," he said, "they've got to have some kind of wherewithal to do it with. That is what we're focusing on -- the most urgent infrastructure needs and of course, security."If the average Iraqi sees that the new environment will create a better future for him or her, then he or she will buy into the larger ideas for a democratic future for Iraq, Zakheim said.Another $1.2 billion is for rebuilding Afghanistan. It will go toward the Afghan’s national army and police, as well as some infrastructure such as schools, roads and hospitals.Afghanistan is a very mountainous country and is "tough to get around," Zakheim said. One project has been the road from Kabul to Kandahar. It used to take 30 hours to get from one city to the other, now it takes six, he said."We want to get it to two,” he said. “This is the way the country gets on its own economic feet."Zakheim acknowledged there are still some internal difficulties in southeastern Afghanistan, but added, "People may not realize that Afghanistan has its most stable government in 30 years. For the average Afghan to have peace (and) not have their cities blown up by their own people is new. It's novel, and we've done that for the Afghan people."