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Washington D.C.— Today, the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee released a new report on the lessons learned from Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The full report can be found at http://www.house.gov/hasc.
“The brave men and women, military and civilian alike, who are serving on our Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan and Iraq, are making a tremendous contribution and are performing admirably in very challenging and, often dangerous, conditions with less than ideal training, guidance, oversight, and support,” said Subcommittee Chairman Vic Snyder (D-AR).
“We must do more on their behalf. We know they are working very hard, but we can’t tell if they are having the desired impact. Leaders here, and in theater, need to make sure they have the tools they need to effectively carry out their vital mission. It’s critical that we get this right not only for our PRTs today but because we know we are going to be carrying out these kinds of interagency operations in the future. This is just the beginning of a long hard look at how we integrate defense, diplomacy, and development assistance in pursuit of American interests and values.”
Subcommittee Ranking Member Todd Akin (R-MO) commented, “While there are still challenges with getting PRTs to function as well as possible, they are truly making a difference in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think Gen. Petraeus summed it up well last week when he was reporting to Congress:
'The provincial reconstruction teams and the so-called EPRT’s, the embedded provincial reconstruction, which were actually subprovincial in most cases, have been enormously helpful and valuable. They have augmented, at brigade headquarters, division headquarters, the assets of our civilian affairs -- civil affairs personnel, and brought really useful skill sets to bear in a number of different provinces and districts.'”
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