In a combat zone where we just occupied a country, CERP funds are and were essential to restore essential services, but that isn't development.
Exactly! But I would go further to say that in a more mature combat zone where we have occupied terrain for some time, CERP still isn't development. It gets misconstrued as such, and then all sorts of bad things tend to happen when it is expected to be applied as such.

I have similar questions regarding what development is. I think that is as instrumental to finding solutions as defining what COIN is.