The Helmand

Provincial Reconstruction Team A Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) was a unit introduced by the United States government, consisting of military officers, diplomats, and reconstruction subject matter experts, working to support reconstruction efforts in unstable states. PRT ...

(HPRT) was established in September 2004. It was led by the US until 1 May 2006, when this responsibility was handed to the UK. HPRT ceased operations in Lashkar Gah on 27 December 2013.

Location

The Helmand PRT was headquartered in the province's capital, Lashkar Gah. It operated district field offices on military bases in Gereshk, Garmsir, Sangin, Nad-e Ali, Now Zad, Marjah, Khan-e shin and Musa Qalah. These offices are now closed.

Structure and staffing

The Helmand PRT was part of the

International Security Assistance Force ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , comman ...

in Afghanistan and was located within

Regional Command Southwest Regional Command Southwest, abbreviated RC(SW), was an international military formation, of roughly division size, which was one of the components of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. It was stood up on 3 July 2010 la ...

. HPRT was funded by the UK, USA, Danish and Estonian Governments. With a core team of over 100 civilian and military staff, the HPRT was one of the largest PRTs in Afghanistan. HPRT was a led by a civilian who outranked the British military commander in Helmand. UK, US and Danish District Stabilisation Teams were located in 11 of Helmand's 14 Districts. A Stabilisation Team typically comprised: civilian stabilisation advisers; civilian specialists (e.g. in agriculture); a political adviser; and working with a UK Military Stabilisation Support Team (MSST), a US Civil Affairs Team or a Danish CIMIC (Civil Military Cooperation) Support Team. The Stabilisation Teams worked alongside the District Regimental Battle Group or battalion headquarters to coordinate civil and military activity.

Activities

The PRT worked to deliver a provincial stabilisation and development plan that had been agreed between the Government of Afghanistan and international partners. The plan coordinated the efforts of 9 themes, or strands: Governance and Politics; Rule of Law; Counter-Narcotics; Population Engagement; Health; Education; Agriculture; Infrastructure and Private Sector Development. To deliver this Helmand PRT worked with the Government of Afghanistan, ISAF, and the

Afghan National Security Forces The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), also known as the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), were the military and internal security forces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Structure The Afghan National Security Forc ...

. Helmand PRT had more resources than any other PRT. The PRT combined with the UK's

Department for International Development , type = Department , logo = DfID.svg , logo_width = 180px , logo_caption = , picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg , picture_width = 180px , picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

and the Danish Governments development agency (

DANIDA Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) is the brand used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark when it provides humanitarian aid and development assistance to other countries, with focus on developing countries. There is no dist ...

) to provide £6m support to poppy eradication initiatives. HPRT closed in 2013 in line with the timetable for PRT closures throughout Afghanistan set by President Karzai.

Notable people

* Henry Bolton, Stabilization Team Leader, now a politician and leader of the

UK Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest par ...

References

{{reflist

Helmand Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...

Location

Structure and staffing

Activities

Notable people

See also

References

External links