Photo By Sgt. 1st Class David Bruce | Navy Cmdr. Bradley Brewer, commander of Provincial Reconstruction Team Khost, meets...... read more read more
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - Provincial Reconstruction Teams have been at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Ind., preparing for their mobilization to Afghanistan this summer.
The PRTs are joint-service teams composed of Air Force, Army and Navy personnel that are dispatched to the provinces of Afghanistan to help rebuild the infrastructure and to connect the people of Afghanistan to their government, said Navy Cmdr. Bradley Brewer, commander of PRT Khost.
“The purpose is to take the people and get them to connect with their government,” said Brewer. “This will separate the insurgents from the people, whom they receive support from. By addressing these issues of instability, it will allow the withdrawal and meet the needs of the people.”
To do this, the PRTs are composed of civil affairs, medical personnel, engineers and other specialties to help extend the reach and authority of the central government into the provinces.
“I have spoken with previous PRT commanders and they said it was the most rewarding thing they had ever done. I’m really looking forward to this,” said Brewer.
The biggest challenge, said Brewer, was to bring the various elements of the team together.
“We have people from different setting coming together; active duty, National Guard and reserve components of the military. We had to get non-Army personnel trained up on Army skill-sets,” he said.
“The teams’ mission is to help develop the provinces of Afghanistan. A team is assigned to a province and is part of the counter-insurgency guidance,” said Massachusetts Army National Guard Sgt. Dan Pelletier, with B Company, 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry.
The Massachusetts Army National Guard unit provides security for the PRTs during their deployment to Afghanistan. As the PRT’s security force, the Army National Guard soldiers are responsible for security of the team as they travel, engaging with local leaders and beginning reconstruction projects, said Pelletier.
The PRTs combined with other non-kinetic operations, such as the Agri-business Development Teams are necessary for success in Afghanistan, said Pelletier. “Participating in the PRT complements the overall mission in Afghanistan,” said Pelletier.
One area of the PRTs engagement with the population is to address women’s issues. Under the Taliban, women were subject to draconian laws governing all aspects of their life.
“We are going to reach out to the female population by making efforts to work with the Afghan Department of Women’s Affairs to address these women’s issues,” said Lt. Cmdr. Elizabeth Greenwood, executive officer for PRT Khost. “The current PRT and ADT in Afghanistan held a women’s shura that was well attended and received. We are going to focus on healthcare, government involvement and literacy for the women of Afghanistan.”
Ultimately, the success of the PRTs will be instrumental in the eventual reduction in troops in Afghanistan.
“We work with the [Afghanistan] government in the provinces to reach out and enable the population to use their own governace,” said Greenwood. “It’s our job to work [airmen, soldiers and] sailors out of a job, in a way.”
The PRTs will continue to train at Camp Atterbury until mid-June, when they will depart for their respective provinces.
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 05.23.2011 16:40 |
| Story ID: | 70909 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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