PRTs Closing Down in Afghanistan

ANP graduates of an academy in Bamyan practice
their skills. New Zealand  members of the
Bamyan PRT taught  the students police tactics.
(Photo SGT Chris Bonbrake Mar 1, 2013)

As ISAF withdraws its forces from Afghanistan it is methodically shutting down the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) that have been in existence for a number of years. The first PRT was established in Gardez, Afghanistan in early 2003 around the nucleus of a Special Forces Operational Detachment A (SFODA) from 20th Special Forces Group. The twelve-man ODA provided the medical, combat, communications, intelligence, and engineer skills that allowed other specialities such as Civil Affairs, Psyops, and medical specialists to start working development, governance, security, and ANSF training issues. A second PRT was established in Bamyan under the same construct commanded by a Special Forces major. Eventually many provinces would have a PRT - many of them manned by different ISAF nations. These PRTs had an average assigned strength of 100 personnel although some were quite larger.

Many personnel were attached to the PRT to include USAID, agricultural specialists, Afghan Hands, State Department, law enforcement professionals (LEPs), and others. Much of the aid money flowed through the PRTs much to the dismay of Karzai and the ministries (MRRD, MAIL, DAIL, etc.) who wanted to be able to skim money off the top of much of the aid money at the national level before the provincial and district Afghans could get to it.

Within the last year many of these PRTs have been closed down. see "U.S. Winds Down Afghanistan Aid Program", The Wall Street Journal, October 10, 2012.