The Commander's Emergency Response Program

Immediately following major combat operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom, commanders were faced with the Herculean task of stabilizing a war-torn country whose people and infrastructure had suffered from years of debilitating sanctions and neglect. Regrettably, commanders lacked the means to address the vast humanitarian issues confronting them. Fortunately, the large sums of currency captured on the battlefield provided commanders the means to begin to restore essential services to quell what was becoming increasing unrest. This initial program formed the foundation for what is now known as the Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) that has proven to be an invaluable non-kinetic tool in both Iraq and Afghanistan.