The Foreign Service Journal, March 2006

his maneuver elements, dispatching units as small as 40 soldiers to live in Afghan villages rather than conducting raids from the large Coalition base at Bagram. He adjust- ed the chain of command by putting a senior colonel in charge of all the forces and PRTs in each of five areas of responsibility (including a NATO area). Barno also moved his military headquarters to Kabul to facilitate the integration of military, political and economic efforts. NATO recognized the utility of the PRTs and used them to extend ISAF operations — previously restricted to Kabul — to northern Afghanistan, operating five teams by fall 2004. ISAF operations extended into western Afghanistan in the summer of 2005 through four addi- tional teams. Because PRTs emphasized flexibility in approach, their structure and operations could vary depending on their location and national leadership. The ISAF’s adoption of the PRT model brought much-needed additional personnel and funding from other govern- ments to the effort, as well as the greater perceived legit- imacy that increased multinational participation carries. But such participation also created challenges in main- taining a common mission and coordinating an increas- ingly diverse group of stakeholders. NATO — operating in the more secure north and west, where NGOs and other reconstruction actors have been able to operate more freely than in the coalition area of operations — has focused more on the role of PRTs in supporting a secure environment and on security sector reform (police, army, judiciary) than on assistance pro- jects. The U.K.-led PRT in Mazar-e-Sharif has taken pains to distance itself from the reconstruction compo- nent of its mission: “There is a common misconception that the PRT is all about the physical reconstruction of Afghanistan. This is not the way we do business. Our con- cept of operations and development priorities are primar- ily concerned with: government institution-building and security-sector reform.” The German-led PRT in Konduz actively and skillfully implemented assistance projects but kept a strict separation between the military and civilian components of their team, with the civilians reporting F O C U S 66 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 0 6 SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE AMERICA S I NCE 1 9 7 1 2006 represents our 36 th year helping to maintain America’s fleet of vehicles throughout the world. All of us at D & M consider it an honor to have worked with all of you through these years. We are aware of the importance of your official and private vehicles, forklifts, generators, tools and equipment. We look forward to continuing this service in a professional manner. We are here to help, just ask! Gary Vlahov www.dmauto.com (516) 822-6662; FAX: (516) 822-5020; E-mail: info@dmauto.com