BACKGROUND Mattis, commander of U.S. CENTCOM, emphasized that his command's primary focus was the war in Afghanistan. Alongside NATO coalition partners, USCENTCOM is conducting a comprehensive but focused counterinsurgency (COIN) campaign to ensure that Afghanistan does not once again become a sanctuary for transnational extremists.1 This campaign encompasses a broad range of mission objectives such as counterterrorism operations, detention operations, rule of law and capacity development of the Afghan Security Forces and the Afghan National Police. Therefore, Congress has provided a variety of resource mechanisms to U.S. CENTCOM in order to carry out its COIN strategy; such as the Commander's Emergency Response Fund (CERP), the Afghan Security Forces Fund (ASFF), the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund (AIF), and the Afghanistan Reintegration Program (ARP). However, not all funding streams mentioned are used efficiently and effectively; notably ARP. As U.S. support for the war in Afghanistan and Department of Defense budgets decline, U.S. CENTCOM must reassess how to strategically leverage ARP as a key factor in executing COIN. With this in mind, the roadmap for optimization includes eliminating competing funding programs, gaining buy-in from the Afghan government, and increasing leadership focus on the program. The PRA's authority provides the U.S. military with the means to counter violent extremism, as outlined in the CJCS National Military Strategy. , assisting the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) in the peace and stability process. The program aims to convince insurgents, their leaders and supporters to stop actively and/or passively supporting the insurgency and become peaceful members of society.2 Most Afghan insurgents are ...... middle of paper.....Ideally, the United States and its international partners would like to see a peaceful and stable Afghan society capable of protecting and securing itself against insurgency and an environment that prevents the promotion of terrorism. The United States and NATO have invested insurmountable resources over the past decade; Invested countries can no longer afford to provide Afghanistan with lavish budgets. The Afghan government must take full responsibility for the efforts of the United States and its allied partners. In preparation for a possible troop withdrawal in 2014, the United States must now wean Afghanistan away from funding programs that offer no tangible return. Competing programs such as CERP, AIF and ASFF must be eliminated. The ARP is fully capable of being a standalone program, the primary enabler of COIN execution in Afghanistan..