Major Andy Hill and Territorial Army Captain Rachael Davies are two of 40 individuals that make up a Civil Military Co-operation (CIMIC) group.
It is their job to understand and work with the ordinary people of Helmand; the kind of folk who simply want to get on with their lives in peace.
This CIMIC group, like others across the province, provide the link between the security effort on the ground and the strategic plans for reconstruction and development:
"We are forward based in each district in Helmand working alongside the routine patrols," said Major Hill. "We repeatedly get caught in situations involving kinetic activity."
To you and me, that's hostile fire. The officer continues:
"We engage with the locals and help them to work out what their development priorities are - and they are all different."
CIMIC teams and locals consider the need for schools, clinics and mosques. Is there adequate water and food? Do people have freedom to move? The teams then advise the local and provincial authorities and, between them, try to make good things happen.
But to attract cash, plans must be sustainable:
"We wouldn't suggest or fund the construction of a new school, for example, unless it was in the authorities' district plans and unless they were able to supply teachers," says Major Hill.
There are six people in each tri-Service CIMIC team, and they usually include reservists who bring special skills from their civilian lives.
All teams have at least one female, making liaison with women easier, and a Royal Engineer to help with infrastructure improvements. Captain Davies, in civilian life a 23-year-old student of disaster management, spent three weeks in Nad e-Ali during Operation Sond Chara, a successful effort to secure the area around the town.
Major Hill's and Captain Davies' CIMIC team followed close behind Marine patrols to make contact with community elders, explain what was happening, and promise that compensation could be paid for any damage:
"I was on the second wave of helicopters," said Captain Davies. "I had to tell the locals that we were going to live in their compound as guests of their government. It was really difficult. I'd never had to deal with people who were genuinely scared of me before."
Fellow CIMIC member and Royal Naval Reserve Richard Byrne is a senior lecturer in countryside and environmental management in civvy street, 'a tractor spotter' as he describes himself:
"I offer advice on what crops could be grown, and I help to solve problems like salination of the soil and overwatering."
Helmand used to be the breadbasket of Afghanistan and could be again says Byrne:
"The future here is a mixed economy. In the urban centres, people want the goods that can be produced in the rural zones. There is great scope for beef and sheep farming, eggs and dairy. People back home may have heard of Afghan pomegranates, and there is a huge demand for this superfruit."
The challenge is huge, and it is probably better not to think too much about the bigger picture. Just convincing locals to trust the CIMIC groups can be hard enough. But if that goal is achieved, and if local government cooperates, Helmand farmers could have a promising future.
This report by Ian Carr was first featured in the May 2009 issue of Defence Focus magazine - For everyone in Defence.