Reconstruction and Stabilization Operations: How District-Level Police Transition Teams Can Make Provincial Reconstruction Teams More Effective

Abstract

THESIS: A change in the structure and employment of the district-level police transition teams will make Provincial Reconstruction Team efforts more effective on the overall national stability in current operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and future civil-military operations. DISCUSSION: Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) and Transition Teams (TTs) are scattered throughout the various provinces of Iraq and Afghanistan. They perform a myriad of missions to assist the host country to become more stable and self sufficient. As the requirement for additional PRTs continues to grow, the Department of State is struggling to find qualified personnel to fill positions within PRTs. In order to build on the successes achieved by ongoing transition efforts, the Department of Defense must restructure current police transition teams (PTTs) and employ them to support PRT endeavors at the district level. Restructuring of PTTs can alleviate some of the burden facing PRTs and act as a conduit between local and provincial government officials. CONCLUSION: Current literature on stability operations examines PRTs and TTs as separate entities and provides lessons learned for each respective organization. However, there are no publications to date that examine the relationship between PRTs and TTs. The author argues that an efficient working relationship between PRTs and PTTs will effectively promote interaction between local and provincial government officials, thereby positively impacting the transition process. As personnel shortfalls continue to increase, Department of Defense and Department of State leaders must make better use of existing personnel to meet the transition challenges ahead. Restructuring the Police Transition Teams to work with PRTs provides an interim solution to the personnel shortfalls currently experienced by the Department of State.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA509871

Entities

People

  • G. D. Gaje Jr.

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Employment
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Lessons Learned
  • Local Governments
  • Marine Corps
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.