Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs)

(Revised August 1, 2007)

"We're very focused on the need to return control to Baghdad. But we're also very focused on the need to build capacity in the local and provincial governments and to be able to deliver economic and reconstruction assistance there."
-- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, January 11, 2007

• The Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) initiative is a civilian-military inter-agency effort that is the primary interface between U.S. and Coalition partners and provincial and local governments throughout Iraq.
  
• The PRT mission is helping provincial governments with: developing a transparent and sustained capability to govern, promoting increased security and rule of law, promoting political and economic development and providing provincial administration necessary to meet the basic needs of the population.
  
• All provinces in Iraq are now served by a total of twenty-five PRTs, with the majority of Iraq's population served by ten full-sized teams stretching from Mosul in the north to Basrah in the far south. Coalition participation includes the British-led PRT in Basrah, the Italian-led team in Dhi Qar and the Korean-led team in Erbil. The PRTs work closely with a U.S. or coalition military unit in their area to build capacity in their Provincial governments.
  
• Ten of the twenty-five teams are the new "embedded" PRTs. These civilian-led teams work hand-and-glove in BCTs (Brigade Combat Teams) or Regiments (U.S. Marines) to support the military surge in Anbar Province and the greater Baghdad area.
  
• Manning of the PRTs is diverse: Department of State, USAID, Coalition military personnel, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Gulf Region Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contract personnel. The Office of Provincial Affairs within the U.S. Embassy Baghdad provides policy guidance and support to the PRT program.
  
• As part of the President's New Way Forward, PRT personnel are doubling from 300 to over 600 team members countrywide by the end of 2007. As of August 1, 2007 there are over 450 deployed.
  
• PRT support comes from a variety of sources, including Coalition partners and donor nations with the majority coming from the U.S. Principal programs associated with PRTs include U.S. funded CSP (Community Stabilization Program); the PRDC (Provincial Reconstruction & Development Committee) program; the LGP (Local Governance Program); the Civil Society Program; and the INMA Agri-business Program.
  
• The PRTs are an important tool in achieving our counterinsurgency strategy by bolstering moderates, promoting reconciliation, fostering economic development and building provincial capacity.