In the last two weeks, there has been a rash of road traffic accidents within KFOR - 22 in the last two weeks, resulting in 12 injured, and two deaths.
In winter, I expect a small increase in minor accidents as people adjust to icy conditions. In the middle of summer, it tells me something else entirely, and I am worried. My message to every KFOR soldier is SLOW DOWN and be careful.

Unless you are headed to the scene of an emergency, there is no reason to speed on Kosovo roads - you and I both know they are not built to handle steering adjustments at speed. Moreover, the heavy rains we have been getting turn the roads into summertime ice, so please drive on them like it's the middle of winter. I don't want to lose KFOR soldiers to senseless accidents. I expect all of you to carry this message far and wide: no more RTAs.

There is another area, however, where I must praise the men and women of KFOR for the risks they took. Last week, the Kosovo Bravo power plant had a devastating fire that started when lightning struck a transformer at the plant, igniting cables and setting the plant on fire. Were it not for the quick and professional response of KFOR, the power plant might well have been completely destroyed, at much greater loss of life.

Special recognition has to go to the soldiers of MNB-Center, who were the first responders and formed the core of the effort. However, when MNB-Center asked, brigades sent assets to the fight, and they came together in the middle of the night at the scene of a crisis and made it work. That is what we train for; that is why we are here. Congratulations to all on a job well done.

What this means for most of KFOR is that we are going to put our installations on generator power to the greatest extent possible to minimize the load on the civil electric grid. We will be looking for creative ways to save energy, so look around and see how you can contribute to the effort.

In this issue of the KFOR Chronicle, you will see stories about everything from parachute jumps to primary school. KFOR is busy this summer with CIMIC projects to repair damaged roads, get toys to needy children and put traffic signs on Kosovo streets. Several articles are dedicated to the training KFOR is doing: RAPID GUARDIAN exercises our ability to quickly deploy over-the-horizon forces into theater; the mass casualty exercise conducted by the FINBAT and the MEDEVAC exercise conducted by a multinational team prepare us for exactly the kind of disaster we had at Kosovo Bravo.
If the teams that responded that night hadn't been constantly training for just such an event, the outcome could have been much worse. Are you ready to handle a disaster in your area?

KFOR cannot rest on its success - we must redouble our efforts to train and prepare for any crisis, from fires like that of last week, to natural disasters like the earthquake in Gjilane, to a mine accident that could happen anywhere. Is your team ready? Are you as good as you can be? Can you do it better? Take some time and find out - train hard, and keep KFOR ready for anything.

A lot of people lay back, relax, and think, "What's the worst that can happen?" In KFOR, we need to be asking ourselves the exact same question, and then plan for it. I know you're the best - now go be better. All of us have to be ready to face the unexpected!