Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) was money for military commanders to use for conducting rebuilding and reconstruction during theIraq andAfghanistan Wars.[1]
It was initially money seized during theinvasion of Iraq, but later was alsoU.S. Federallyappropriated funds. The military must use the money for the benefit of the Iraqi or Afghan people, such as public roads, schools and medical clinics orhumanitarian aid. The funds for CERP came from theDepartment of Defense. The use of funds in the field can be authorized by military commanders at the brigade level.[2] The rules governing the use of such funds will be based on any Congressional restrictions in the legislation, and will be tailored to the needs of the particular operation. For the United States military, the use of money through CERP was considered an effectivecounterinsurgency weapon.[3]
By January 2011, the United States Military spent $2 billion on 16,000 projects in Afghanistan over 6 years using CERP to assist the people.[4] The projects ranged in size from renovating schools, building wells to much larger public works and infrastructure reconstruction.[5]