Civil Affairs (CA) is the official name for military units that conduct civil-military operations.

According to the U.S. Army, "Civil Affairs units helps military commanders by working with civil authorities and civilian populations in the commander’s area of operations to lessen the impact of military operations on them during peace, contingency operations and declared war." With their expertise in civil matters, they are the principle unit in assisting a commander in the conduct of civil-military operations. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...

CA units act as a liaison between the civilian inhabitants of a warzone or disaster area and the military presence, both informing the local commander of the status of the civilian populace as well as effecting assistance to locals by either coordinating military operations with non-governmental organizations (NGOs)and IGO's or distributing directly aid and supplies. “NGO” redirects here. ...

Comprised primarily of civilian experts such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, police, firemen, bankers, engineers, computer programmers, farmers, and others, CA special operators provide critical expertise to host-nation governments and are also able to assess need for critical infrastructure projects such as roads, clinics, schools, power plants, water treatment facilities, etc. Once a project has been decided on, a contract is put out at a Civil Military Operations Center for local contractors to come and bid. CA teams will periodically check up on the status of the project to make sure the money is being well spent.

CA provides the commander with cultural expertise, assesses the needs of the civilian populace, handles civilians on the battlefield, refugee operations, keeps the commander informed of protected targets such as schools, churches, hospitals, etc., and interfaces with local and international NGOs and private volunteer organizations, which provides the commander with a unique battlefield overlay of all civilian activity, ongoing infrastructure projects, and the presence and mission of NGOs in the area.

History of Civil Affairs

Main article: History of Civil Affairs

Civil-Military Operations, or CMO, have been conducted in every war in some capacity. ...

Civil Affairs Worldwide

United Kingdom

The British Army has a Civil Affairs Group, formed in 1997 and consisting primarily of Territorial Army personnel. Most personnel are members of the Royal Engineers and the group is administered by the Central Volunteer Headquarters Royal Engineers (CVHQ RE), based at Gibraltar Barracks, Blackwater, Camberley, Surrey. Members of the group have been deployed operationally in Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... The Territorial Army (TA) is the principal reserve force of the British Army, the land armed forces of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at the same rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents. ... The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. ... Blackwater can refer to: Blackwater River, the name of numerous rivers. ... , Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. ... This article is about the English county. ... This article is about the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... For other uses, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ...

The British Army first formed CA units in 1943, and by August 1944 there were 3,600 CA personnel in France with the 21st Army Group. Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The British 21st Army Group was an important Allied force in the European Theatre of World War II. // Normandy Commanded by General (later Field Marshal) Sir Bernard Montgomery, it initially controlled all ground forces in Operation Overlord. ...

United Nations

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affiars provides Civil Military Operations (CMO) support through their trained Civil Affairs Officers. Under the overall guidance of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Principal Deputy SRSG, Civil Affairs Officers assist and facilitate the reconciliation process at grassroots level and support the establishment of a culture of peace in the country and support post-settlement peace building in conflict areas, establishing and maintaining contacts and effective relations with local bodies, universities and faith based organizations. Under the guidance of the Director of Civil Affairs, a UN Civil Affairs unit will organize workshops on governance and responsibilities of civil administration, implement quick impact projects, work with international partners in identifying areas for assistance, monitor and support civilian activities arising out of peace agreements and work closely with military colleagues and concentrate on conflict analysis and reconciliation, providing operational and other regular reporting from various field offices.

United States

United States Air Force

The Air Force has deployed united in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom that have directly integrated into Army Civil Affairs Battalions. Such units include the 16th Squadron, 732nd Expeditionary Air Wing (Civil Affairs/Public Works) which was assigned to the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion.

United States Army

Spc. Danielle Curtis with the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion, Webster, N.Y., demonstrates to students the proper way to apply a field dressing during a basic first aid class at the Mehry Girls School in the city of Herat, Afghanistan, April 29, 2004.

96% of the Civil Affairs personnel come from the United States Army Reserve and are usually assigned to support regular Army units. The remaining 4% are highly trained active duty soldiers assigned to the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. The 95th CA Brigade contains three battalions (96th, 97th and 98th). The 95th is a rapidly deployable unit that supports the Army Special Operations Command detachments including the United States Army Special Forces Groups and the 75th Ranger Regiment. Spc. ... Spc. ...

CA is task organized between four reserve Civil Affairs Commands (CACOMS) which integrate at the strategic and operational level with theater commands and joint/combined task forces (JTF/CJTF). CA brigades comprise these CACOMS and integrate at the corps. At the tactical level, active duty maneuver divisions are augmented by the CA battalions. The four CACOMs are the 350th CACOM, the 351st CACOM, the 352nd CACOM, and the 353rd CACOM. The 353rd Civil Affairs Command recently moved to Ft. ...

Typically, a CA battalion will contain a headquarters company, and one CA company for each maneuver brigade. Each CA company contains CA teams (known as CAT-As) which integrate at the maneuver battalion level. There will usually be one CA team per maneuver battalion. In this manner, the division will have OPCON (operational control) over a CA battalion, a brigade will have OPCON over a CA company and an infantry battalion will have TACON (tactical control) over a CA team. The CA battalion retains ADCON (administrative control) for its elements deployed in theater.

The CA battalion and its subordinate companies and teams become organic parts of their maneuver unit, augmenting the unit's S-5/9 or G-5/9 Civil Military Operations Cell, providing cultural expertise, functional specialty expertise, direct support tactical civil affairs, and establishing CMOCs for the geographic area the maneuver unit is responsible for.

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

USACAPOC(A)

Iraqi farmers stand outside a rural school while it's inspected by a U.S. Army Civil Affairs team for possible reconstruction funds (near Baghdad, April 2005).

Main article: United States Army Civil Affairs Psychological Operations Command (Airborne)

Within the United States Army, CA units are administered through United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), or USACAPOC(A), a subordinate of U.S. Army Reserve Command. USACAPOC(A) contains psychological operations (PO) and civil affairs (CA) units, consisting of Army reserve elements [active duty CA and PO units are direct reporting units subordinate to the Army Special Operations Command (USASOC)]. USACAPOC(A) was founded in 1985. It is headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1363 × 1022 pixel, file size: 306 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Iraqi farmers stand outside a rural school while its inspected by a U.S. Army Civil Affairs team for possible reconstruction funds(Baghdad, April... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1363 × 1022 pixel, file size: 306 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Iraqi farmers stand outside a rural school while its inspected by a U.S. Army Civil Affairs team for possible reconstruction funds(Baghdad, April... Farmer spreading grasshopper bait in his alfalfa field. ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... The United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC) was founded in 1985. ... The United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC) was founded in 1985. ... The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. ... Psychological Operations (or PSYOPS) are techniques used by military and police forces to influence a target audiences emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately behavior. ... This article is about the year. ... Troopers of the 82nd training on Fort Bragg Paratroopers in training at Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, USA, near Fayetteville. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ...

On 01 October 2006, USAR Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations units realigned from falling under the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) to the United States Army Reserve Command (USARC) for ADCON (administrative control). Training and doctrine relating to USACAPOC(A) is still provided by USASOC's subordinate commmand, the United States Army John Fitzgerald Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS). Despite this move to USARC, CA continues to conduct periodic special operations missions in support of special operations forces.

US Army Civil Affairs Training

Army Reserve Initial Entry Training (IET)

Upon completion of Basic Training, a soldier slotted in a Civil Affairs Unit will attend the 16 week long Civil Affairs Advanced Individual Training (AIT) course at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School (Airborne) located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The 4th Battalion of the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) is responsible for the training. Both Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations trainees are assigned to Delta Company. Upon completion of the eighteen week course, the student will be able to interpret us and foreign maps; conduct civil, governmental, humanitarian, and defense assistance; apply organizational and leadership skills required in field operations; and conduct research on documents and other aspects of urban and regional studies. lecture, discussion, and practical exercises include map reading; land navigation; administration; communications; civil affairs; disaster aid; and domestic security, defense, and control. The American Council of Education recommends college credit be awarded in the lower-division baccalaureate/associate degree category 2 semester hours in map reading, 3 in public administration, and 1 in military science for this training. The soldier is awarded the MOS designation of 38B1O. All active duty enlisted will attend airborne school and Language school, while reservists will have a chance to compete for these slots.

Active Duty Reclassification

Only soldiers in the rank of SGT and SSG who have a valid Secret Clearance are considered for training, enlisted soldiers selected to reclassify to Civil Affairs must attend the 44 week Qualification Course(CA SPEC), offered at Fort Bragg, NC. During this couse soldiers learn to prepare, execute, and transition CA core tasks, CA operations (CAO), and civil-military operations (CMO). Training is mission oriented and encompasses language and culture, allowing for maximum hands-on use of CAO/CMO doctrinal procedures during practical exercises (PEs) and a culminating exercise (CULEX) that exposes students to realistic operational situations and environmental elements.

Officer's Training

For officers, Civil Affairs is considered a Functional Area and therefore newly commissioned officers are not eligible to begin their career as a CA officer. Once an officer has completed their Officer’s Basic (OBC) and Officer’s Advanced (OAC) course in their respective branch, they may apply for selection to the Civil Affairs Qualification Course, which is located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The training consists of a distace learning phase 5 weeks of resident learning. Upon graduation, active duty Civil Affairs officers will be assigned to the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) which reports directly to United States Army Special Operations Command (Airborne). Reserve Officers may forgo the language training and be assigned directly to a TPU Reserve Civil Affairs unit.

United States Marine Corps

In April 2006, the United States Marine Corps realigned their Military Occupational Specialty structure to permanently create enlisted and officer Civil Affairs MOSs.^[1] The Marine Corps currently has two permanent CA units: 3rd Civil Affairs Group (3d CAG) and 4th CAG. Both units are in the Marine Corps Reserves. 5th and 6th CAGs were created provisionally for Operation Iraqi Freedom, but each were stood down after one deployment to Iraq.^[2] In February, 2007, 5th Battalion, 10th Marines, an artillery battalion based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, deployed to Iraq after retraining and reorganizing to take over the Civil Affairs mission in Al Anbar Province. They are slated to be relieved in early 2008 by 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, an artillery unit based at Camp Pendleton, California. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ... A Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) is a job classification in use in the United States Army and Marine Corps. ... 3rd Civil Affairs Group (3rd CAG) is a civil affairs (CA) unit of the United States Marine Corps. ... 4th CAG at the USMC War Memorial, Washington, DC in August 2004 4th Civil Affairs Group (4th CAG) is a civil affairs (CA) unit of the United States Marine Corps. ... For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq arguably without the explicit backing of the... 5th Battalion 10th Marines (5/10) is an artillery battalion comprised of four firing batteries and a headquarters battery. ... Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is near Jacksonville, North Carolina, on the Atlantic seaboard of the United States. ... Al Anbar (Arabic: ‎ ) is an overwhelmingly Sunni Arab province of Iraq. ... 2nd Battalion 11th Marines (2/11) is an artillery battalion comprised of four firing batteries (Echo, Fox, Golf, Kilo 3/12) and a Headquarters Battery. ... Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is near Oceanside, California. ...

United States Navy

The Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) officially established its newest command, Maritime Civil Affairs Group (MCAG) during a ceremony at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Little Creek, March 30, 2007.

Other Organizations

New York Guard

In the New York State Guard (not to be confused with New York Army National Guard), the term 'Civil Affairs' has a slightly different connotation. The Civil Affairs units include lawyers, judges, engineers, doctors and other professionals and paraprofessionals committed to voluntary, part-time military service in support of the New York National Guard and U.S. Military Reserve Units from all branches. When soldiers are called up for duty, the New York Guard makes sure their legal needs are attended to so that they can do the important job of protecting our country with the peace of mind of knowing that their affairs are in order. Civil Affairs soldiers draft their wills, prepare powers of attorney and other necessary documents, and advise them of their rights as soldiers under federal law and as citizens of the United States. There are five units, one in each brigade of the Guard, including the 5th Civil Affairs Regiment, Yonkers, NY; 7th Civil Affairs Regiment, New York City, NY; 13th Civil Affairs Regiment, Garden City, NY; 23rd Civil Affairs Regiment, Latham, NY; and the 209th Civil Affairs Regiment, Buffalo, NY. New York Guard MPs on post in New York City. ... Seal of the Army National Guard The Army National Guard consists of the land force of the United States National Guard, or organized militia, of the several States and Territories, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, active and inactive, as defined in Title 32, USC Section 101. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Headquarters Marine Corps, MARADMIN 160/06, 6 April 2006 USMC.mil website, accessed September 26, 2007.
2. ^ Marines magazine. "Unit Profile: 6th Civil Affairs Group, 2nd Marine Division", 34, no. 4, October-December 2005. Marines magazine website, accessed September 3, 2007.

External links

• USACAPOC Home Page
• Civil Affairs Association
• Tales from a Member of a JOINT Civil Affairs Unit {405th CA Bn (A)}
• US Army Field Manual 41-10 Civil Affairs Operations