Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs)

Click on images for larger versions and captions.

"I do believe that we learned an important lesson during our time in Iraq which is that we don't want to just try and build and help the Iraqis build a stable, democratic society from the top down, but also from the bottom up."

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
March 23, 2007

The front-line operatives in the campaign to stabilize Iraq are the American and Coalition members who comprise the Provincial Reconstruction Teams, or PRTs. These are relatively small operational units comprised not just of diplomats, but military officers, development policy experts (from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Justice), and other specialists (in fields such as rule of law, engineering, and oil industry operations) who work closely with Iraqi provincial leaders and the Iraqi communities that they serve. While PRTs dispense money for reconstruction projects, the strategic purpose of these civil-military field teams is both political and economic. By building provincial governments' ability to deliver essential services and other key development projects to local Iraqis, PRTs help to extend the reach of the Iraqi government to all corners of the country and help build the stability necessary to complete the transition to full-Iraqi control. Some notable projects are:

-- 10/18/07 Provincial Reconstruction Teams
-- 06/11/07 Salah ad Din Provincial Council Approves 2007 Budget for Capital Reconstruction Projects
-- 04/08/07 PRT Economic Development Team at the Baiji Oil Refinery, Salah Ad Din Province 
-- 03/25/07 Launch of the Independent Radio & Television Network (IRTN) of Diyala
-- 03/14/07 Jones Takes Helm of Diyala Reconstruction Team
-- 02/01/07 GO Team Visit to Central Baghdad Elementary School
-- 02/01/07 Regional Reconstruction Team Holds Inauguration Ceremony
-- 01/11/07 Helping Iraqis Rebuild Iraq: Two Provincial Reconstruction Teams

Related Information

-- 03/18/08 Dispatch from Iraq: Winning the Peace
-- 03/06/08 Recent USAID Developments in Iraq
-- 01/16/08 Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Leader Louis Lantner on Progress in Iraq
-- 01/08/08 Fact Sheet: Helping Iraq Achieve Economic and Political Stabilization
-- 01/08/08 President Bush Participates in Video Teleconference with Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Team Leaders and Brigade Combat Commanders
-- 01/08/08 Briefing on Reconstruction Progress in Iraq
-- 12/17/07 Briefing on This Year's Progress in Iraq
-- 12/17/07 Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs)
-- 12/20/07 Secretary Rice Interview With Sylvie Lanteaume and Lachlan Carmichael of Agence France Presse
-- 11/30/07 Briefing on Reconstruction Progress in Salah ad Din
-- 11/29/07 Special Satellite Video Conference Briefing on Reconstruction in Salah ad Din, Iraq
-- 11/13/07 Briefing On Reconstruction Progress in Iraq
-- 08/24/07 Provincial Reconstruction Teams: Working at Grassroots Level
-- 08/23/07 On-the-Record Briefiing on Reconstruction Progress in Ramadi, Iraq
-- 08/01/07 Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs)
-- 03/06/07 Pursuing a Strategy for Success in Iraq
-- 01/11/07 Helping Iraqis Rebuild Iraq: Two Provincial Reconstruction Teams
-- 01/11/07 Microfinance Builds Iraqi Economy
-- 01/11/07 Provincial Reconstruction Teams: Building Iraqi Capacity and Accelerating to Iraq Self-Reliance
-- 01/10/07 The New Way Forward in Iraq
-- 01/10/07 Highlights of the Iraq Strategy Review