SIGAR’s Lessons Learned Program (LLP) identifies and preserves lessons from the U.S. reconstruction experience in Afghanistan, and makes recommendations to Congress and executive agencies on ways to improve efforts in current and future operations. To date, LLP has issued 13 reports, including 11 full lessons learned reports. To produce these reports, LLP staff conduct hundreds of interviews—in Afghanistan, Europe, and throughout the United States—and review thousands of documents. These reports have identified over 100 specific findings and lessons and made over 100 recommendations to Congress, executive branch agencies, and the Afghan government.
The goal of the program is to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of current and future reconstruction efforts through comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of the U.S. engagement in Afghanistan since 2001. Our reports show what has and has not worked over the course of the U.S. reconstruction experience. They offer detailed and actionable recommendations to policymakers, and respond to the needs of U.S. implementing agencies—both in terms of accurately capturing their efforts and providing timely and actionable guidance for future efforts.