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Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) are an experiment in civil-military engagement in Afghanistan. They attempt to address the security needs of Afghans through a comprehensive approach involving military, development and political personnel. This paper examines and analyses the contribution of the PRTs to the security situation in Afghanistan to date. Using a visit to Afghanistan as background, as well as discussions and e-mail exchanges, I have drawn mainly on existing literature - books, journals, web-based documents - to back up my findings. This paper concludes that, whilst there are some positive features of the PRT's work in Afghanistan, the thinking behind the concept is flawed. Primarily due to a lack of clarity in defining their strategic objectives, PRTs are unlikely to make a significant contribution to the security needs of Afghans.
I should like to thank the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) for allowing me access to a wide range of material on the PRTs in Afghanistan and for their last-minute screening of this paper for security purposes. Thanks in particular to Barry Kavanagh, Laurie Lee and Siobhan Sutton of DFID’s Western Asia Department. Sincere thanks should also go to all others who took time out of their busy schedules to meet or correspond with me on the work of the PRTs. Thank-you to my brother, Dr Francis Watkins, for his generous donation of office-space and for his keen eye during the editing process. Thanks lastly to James Lattimer for his intellectual input, advice and unfailing moral support.
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