Civilian - Military Relations

Since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan and the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, an international military presence has been part of the international assistance being provided to Afghanistan. Thus, the NATO-led International Assistance Force (ISAF), mandated by the UN Security Council to provide security to Afghans, and the activities of the international assistance community have run parallel to the US-led 'Operation Enduring Freedom', under which US and allied forces are fighting Taliban and al-Qaeda remnants as part of the ongoing 'War on Terror'.

The ISAF operation was extended outside Kabul in 2003 through the establishment of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). The mission of these PRTs is 'to assist the Government of Afghanistan to extend its authority, in order to facilitate the development of a stable and secure environment in the identified areas of operation, and through military presence, enable security sector reform and the reconstruction efforts' (http://www.afnorth.nato.int).

The different national armies involved have however adopted very different models for PRT operation. Whereas US PRTs provide humanitarian assistance, carry out physical infrastructure projects and are closely involved in development coordination as part of a military strategy of 'winning Afghan hearts and minds', other nations, such as the UK and Germany, have chosen to distance their PRTs from physical reconstruction projects, have aligned physical reconstruction projects with government priorities, and are focusing PRT efforts on provincial security coordination and support to security sector reform.

These integrated missions - and particularly the introduction of PRTs - however, has blurred the lines between military and civilian engagement in reconstruction and development efforts within Afghanistan. The PRTs' engagement in reconstruction has antagonized civilian actors that maintain a clear division of work between civil and military operations and believe the blurring of this line compromises the image and security of humanitarian workers.

Links:
	International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) http://www.afnorth.nato.int/ISAF/Update/media_faq.htm
Documents:
Publications:
2007
	The Delivery of Humanitarian Assistance in Afghanistan: A Human Security Dilemma for Canada CCHS Bulletin-Afghanistan January 2007
2006
	The Role Assignment of External Armed Forces in Societal Reconstruction Erik Krogh Lauritzen and Gunnar Olesen with Arne Strand
2005
	Bleeding Boundaries: Civil-military relations and the cartography of neutrality http://www.ockenden.org.uk/temp/BleedingspBoundaries.pdf J. Phelan and G. Wood / Ockenden International (2005)
	PRT's in Afghanistan: Successful But Not Sufficient http://www.nps.edu/CSRS/Resources/Civ-mil/Jakobsen%20PRTs_danes .pdf Petter Viggo Jacobsen (2005)
2003
	Briefing Paper on the Devlopment of Joint Regional Teams in Afghanistan http://www.baag.org.uk/downloads/reports/barbara_JRT_report.pdf Barbara Stapleton (2003)
2002
	Civil Military Relations in Afghanistan http://www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR13/fmr13.5.pdf Forced Migration Review (2002)