The Foreign Service Journal, March 2006

police unit to assist in the transfer process, the presence of PRT soldiers demonstrated U.S. support for the central government and helped prevent a firefight between the newcomers and the departing police chief’s private militia. PRTs were most effective in relationship-building when they could both reward cooperative local part- ners and hold uncooperative partners accountable. The appointment of an Afghan Ministry of Interior official to each PRT in 2004 was particularly helpful in improving their ability to build relationships and strengthen the reach of the central government. With regard to capacity-building, NGOs frequently criticized PRT assistance projects in general (though never citing specific examples) as unsustainable and lacking in community input, but these criticisms were overstated. PRTs did an excellent job involving local communities, hiring local workers and sometimes try- ing to incorporate training components into their vari- ous projects. An Expanding Security Training Role Despite initial reluctance among some PRT comman- ders, the teams grew increasingly effective in supporting security-sector-related capacity-building in the provinces. As the Afghan National Army began to deploy with coali- tion forces, PRTs often facilitated their deployments. They also supported many officials and contractors implementing police training and disarmament projects, and even conducted some ad hoc security-force training. PRTs worked closely with provincial and district police chiefs to help them prioritize their many resource requirements and to share information on illegal check- points, narcotics trafficking and other criminal activity. The PRTs will likely play a supporting role in the U.S. government’s expanded police training efforts. Congress provided $360 million in Fiscal Year 2005 supplemental funding for these efforts, which include a mentoring pro- gram based on the coalition’s successful Afghan National Army embedded trainer program. It would be beneficial if the PRTs could also play a role in supporting judicial F O C U S M A R C H 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 69