State Department lags in Iraq redevelopment staff

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad at the formal inauguration of a PRT in Iraq in November, 2005. "Think of the tourism potential here," he said.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- The State Department has provided only 60 percent of the required personnel for 15 provincial reconstruction teams in Iraq, according to a new government report.

PRTs are teams of civilian and military personnel who are supposed to mentor the nascent Iraqi provincial governments to develop their political systems as well as their economy. They are considered the linchpin of U.S. Iraq policy -- the positive, constructive effort to get the Iraqi government on its feet and providing for its people.

However, the austere and dangerous conditions makes it difficult for the State Department to attract qualified personnel, leaving even some key positions unstaffed. It is short of staff in every province except Dhi Qar, according to a new report from the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.

Some of the shortfall is made up by the U.S. military, which has provided 99 percent of the staff is authorized, but the military has glaring staff vacancies as well. In violent Anbar province it is authorized for 24 PRT members but has provided only four.

To address shortfalls, the report suggests the staffs be transferred from the Anbar and Basrah Provincial Reconstruction Teams to other functioning but short-handed PRTs. The security situations there are so dire the staffs can rarely if ever meet with the local government and business leaders they are supposed to be helping. The Anbar Prvincial Council actually meets in Baghdad.

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