Commander's Emergency Response Program

Commander's Emergency Response Program or CERP is money for military commanders to use for conducting rebuilding and reconstruction during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. It was initially money seized during the invasion of Iraq, but later was also U.S. Federally appropriated funds. The military must use the money for the benefit of the Iraqi or Afghan people, such as public roads, schools and medical clinics or humanitarian aid. The funds for CERPs come from the Department of Defense. The use of funds in the field can be authorized by military commanders at the brigade level. 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. Ap