civil affairs vs special forces

Clayton Hudak is a civil affairs officer in the US Army. The T&E branch conducted remote indirect support without overseeing the process. The annual Adamant Serpent exercise involves a nonstandard infiltration of ODAs to Gotland Island, Sweden. Jan 10 Minutes. Used during peacetime, contingencies and declared war . These CATs will enhance persistent presence missions in mountainous or Arctic countries. Civil affairs forces provide a unique capability to help in population-influencing operations. As Olavi Alakulppi (1915-1990,) a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel of the Quarter Master Corps once told me, "A mountain climber without a rifle, is not a soldier". , (See the Wilson Center publication Kennan Cable No. 6, 20192020 (Arlington, VA: AUSA, April 2020), 6. Tactical, highly-trained, and physically fit, these four roles each bring a specific expertise to any mission: The face and voice of the team, this Officer is the highest-ranking member and is responsible for planning, coordinating, and leading missions, The most senior enlisted Soldier on the team, the Team Sergeant is responsible for security and protection of the team, This enlisted Soldier leads the team to safely conduct civil engagements, infrastructure evaluations, and day-in-the-life analysis. Section 303 (a) Veterinary Corps Officer Special Pay. Lessons learned here can be applied to any isolated organization operating in extreme conditions. 0000018301 00000 n The CCoE Director presented the CCoE, its main objectives and its LoEs. There is also the so-called liberal idea, which has outlived its purpose. Today, however, the military is contending with a shift in policy priorities to focus on strategic competitors like China and Russia. How should I decide between Psyops or Civil Affairs? Civil affairs forces serve as a natural bridge among the interested parties. Therefore I'd have to disagree that "The Civil Affairs Teams in the 85th CA Brigade are ready-made Security Force . But when you pass Selection Go civil affairs the play close with sf. Good luck. Christopher B. Dennis. Civil Affairs/Military Government was established as an Army Reserve Branch on 17 August 1955. . hA 04w\GczC. The DOD should consider how civil affairs forces might be relevant within each of the three main elements of the continuum as laid out in Joint Doctrine Note 1-19 : cooperation, competition below the level of armed conflict, and armed conflict. b. The low profile and small size of CATs make them ideal for the implementation of such concepts. Some of this is changing closer to the frontline with CA and CIMIC collaboration through joint public information operations, in coordination with civilian governments; similarly, this was done during the Cold War to inform the population of exercise impacts and to assist with messaging in support of NATO interests and objectives. Meanwhile, it is nested in a wide-ranging comprehensive network that helps it to further develop and improve overall NATO CIMIC capability. Also whats the day to day like (hours, days in the field, family time,etc)?? In order for American (and our allies and partners) special operations forces to adequately compete with our near-peer adversaries in the polar and other regions. Concept Development. Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Coggin, left, commanding general of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, administers an oath to U.S. Army Reserve Capt. How and why partisan warfare reemerged coincides with the current irregular and/or unconventional warfare origins of U.S. Army Special Forces Branch as a Psychological Warfare and Civil Affairs capability on 11 June 1952 (First Special force unit activated, 10th Special Forces Group, Ft Bragg). Having a robustly synchronized civil-military enterprise for NATO that contains interoperable elements from CIMIC and CA at institutional levels will produce more adaptable and effective civil-military capabilities for battles for influence in hybrid warfare, adaptable to every type of operation that NATO might face in the future. Today, we know these activities as civil military operations, typically conducted by civil affairs forces. FREE shipping . Special Forces battalion, and regional Civil-Military Support Element (CMSE) at the tactical level. Skis and snowshoes replace foot movement. In each echelon of the spectrum, these cross-functional teams play different roles. This created issues in managing the perceptions and attitudes of the local population, resulting in overall operational effects that confused rather than positively influenced the same communities they worked ini.e., engagement fratricide.. The 92nd must address this gap. Training on equipment you do not deploy with and deploying without equipment you trained with greatly hinders the efficacy of this proposal. The CCoE director is engaging with key leaders of CA institutions in order to reenergize instructor exchanges such as the addition of a CA officer and a senior NCO to the full-time staff at the CCoE. Training. High north CAT certification will focus on two closely entwined competencies currently absent from the training progression: military mountaineering and winter warfare. The 21st TSC G9 has been active across the U.S. European Command AoR in building and maintaining relationships with NATO allies and partners. The lack of Arctic-oriented CA capacity can be filled through specially trained and equipped high north CATs, the establishment of a winter warfare section within the 92nd, and increased engagement in the US Special Operations CommandNorth (SOCNORTH) and Special Operations CommandEurope (SOCEUR) areas of responsibility. I like both missions and feel like i would excel in both places. On 7 April 2020, for the first time, the CCoE presented the CCoE and CIMIC-CA Synchronization Project at the virtual Association Roundtable. 10 Civil-Military Cooperation Center of Excellence, CIMIC Handbook, April 2019, 2021Association of the United States Army, https://www.civilaffairsassoc.org/ca-issue-papers-reports, Underfunding the Army Has Risky Implications, The 1973 Arab-Israeli War: Insights for Multi-Domain Operations, People Who Know, Know MDO: Understanding Army Multi-Domain Operations as a Way to Make It Better, Profile of the United States Army: Direct Reporting Units, Profile of the United States Army: Army Service Component Commands. This isn't like hunting moose that slowly trudge around. The 92nd Civil Affairs Battalion (US Special Operations Command's Europe-aligned CA unit) is uniquely suited to fulfill the mission set illuminated by Stringer's essay. Capt. Level I certification is the same level of certification most members of a mountain ODA earn. This is key to success going forward. Time to Plan for Drones in Other Domains, An Urban Warfare Experts Christmas Wish List, The MWI Top Ten: Our Most Read Articles of 2022, Frank Sobchak Joins MWI as Chair of Irregular Warfare Studies, Announcing the Modern War Institutes 202223 Senior and Research Fellows, Call for Submissions: Civil-Military Relations and Modern War, Call for Applications: MWIs 202223 Fellows Program. V. Manning, January 1945. Probably notand for that the attackers need to cover the most ground in the least possible time via snowmobiles, vehicles, or even jetpacks and hoverboards. Therefore, maintaining an accurate common operational picture of these environments requires persistent access and presence. As home to many autonomous indigenous groups who participate as peers to nation-states in intergovernmental organizations, the Arctic presents both an opportunity to apply the governance expertise of a CA team and an opportunity for a team to hone its craft. 0000008209 00000 n McMurdo Station, run by the National Science Foundation, serves as the primary hub for the three thousand Americans conducting research operations across Antarctica every summer. Just gathering info and trying to get a better understanding of them. 8 NATO Allied Joint Publication 3.19, Joint Doctrine for Civil-Military Cooperation, ed. The CAT was actively involved in the S-9 CIMIC daily line of work and took part in planning and operations. Failure to invest in specialized skills severely inhibits full cross-functional team integration. In 2021, the Veterans Health Administration hired the most employees titled Nurse, with an average salary of $101,469. Civil affairs forces provide a unique capability to help in population-influencing operations. Meanwhile, following a 2007 stunt planting of its flag on the North Pole, Russia has expanded its military presence in the Arctic and seeks to establish itself as the preeminent power in the region. 832 0 obj <>stream Uniform and packing lists transform from questions of comfort to questions of survival. 0000009963 00000 n The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense. Using the same nonstandard infiltration lanes, a CAT could advise the local government on managing the incursion-induced crisis, with minimal modifications to the exercise. I'm considering commissioning into one. As the "natural enemies" of the conservative elements of the world's populations, these liberal folks are who our special operations forces must learn to work with. 0000001873 00000 n Issues of training, mission, and purpose raised in the 2017 Civil Affairs Captain's survey are still prevalent and are costing the Army talent. Because of this, the interoperability of U.S. forces with other allies matters, whether that means communications capabilities, fitting Lithuanian fuel nozzles onto an M1 Abrams tank, and anything in between, such as understanding the differences and similarities between U.S. and NATO doctrine. The cruel realities of life below zero require relearning fundamentals. Relationships and networks being critical, if not decisive, strategic and operational capital in competition, greater institutional and operational CA and CIMIC synchronization makes more sense than ever. The Arctic Council, an international organization for intergovernmental cooperation and coordination in the Arctic region, is one of the few international organizations where indigenous groups participate at the same level as nation-states. with Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations (PSYOP) lines of efforts. Since 2014, developments in the Euro-Atlantic security environment, especially the Russian annexation of Crimea that year, caused a sharp focus shift back to deterrence and defense. The troops were inserted about 200 meters from the position of the PAVN 9th Battalion, 66th Regiment. Wording may differ between the doctrines, but many concepts are similar enough to require only a translation to enable greater interoperability. This scenario could easily be adapted for a cross-functional team. The CCoE performance statement utilizes the NATO CIMIC familiarization course (NCFC) for identified NATO internal (e.g., U.S. CA) and external (partner nation) stakeholders, which in turn would lead to the development of a NATO requirement for synchronization. One such engagement would be realistic military training conducted with organizations such as the Alaska State Troopers and others within the Alaska state government. The CCoE has taken a mostly bottom-up approach in its U.S. CA and NATO CIMIC synchronization project; top-down procedures result in a long and arduous process. To specialize in winter warfare will not come with a diminished ability to map networks or identify and employ civil networks. Here are the attrition rates: AFSOC's STO selection has a 79% attrition rate and the qualification course has a 17% attrition rate. Insurance in Japan, Manes, Alfred, January 1945. Canadians have stated that it's so cold in Canada that no one wants to or cares to conquer it because there is literally nothing there of value that can be had really quickone has to dig for gold and diamonds. This will require that American (and our allies and partners) special operations forces be trained, equipped, deployed and tasked to work more by, with, and through the more liberal elements of the populations of the world to include these elements in the states laying claim or having ambitions in the polar regions. Civil Affairs (CA) Soldiers operate in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments utilizing specialized tactics, techniques, and procedures. Curriculum sharing needs to be discussed, determined and programmed, as does the sharing of best practices such as analysis and assessment procedures, TTPs, engagement with civilian actors, etc. Mutual doctrinal recognition at a minimum is paramount; the upcoming 2021 NCKLC and COIWS could be the platform to start the process. Within the civil affairs community, pundits invariably propose the same two solutions to every problem with the Army Reserve civil affairs force: move Army Reserve civil affairs back to US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), and send Army Reserve civil affairs officers and NCOs through the active component qualification pipeline. Like the specialization seen in Special Forces companies, the 92nd should develop one high north CAT per company capable of operating in a polar environment, either independently or integrated with a mountain Special Forces team, or ODA (operational detachment alpha). Ive got a good understanding of SF but not CA. The Civil Affairs Association hosted its annual web-based Symposium, sponsored by Third-Order Effects, Valka-Mir Security and Conducttr, on 8-10 November 2021. It is one of only two active duty civil affairs brigades, reducing nearly half of the force structure for the Army's active duty civil affairs. In addition to these opportunities, the high north is rife with exercises primed for CA participation. For example, in the 2018 Joint Concept for Integrated Campaigning , the Joint Chiefs of Staff accept that the United States is not well suited for operating outside of a war-peace duality, and propose a continuous campaign approach for operating within a competition continuum. In sum, civil affairs forces present great potential for helping the United States to compete effectively this new strategic era, across the competition continuum. The combined SEAL pipeline has a 73% attrition rate and the . The Special Forces, Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs community named 20 new soldiers, civilians and veterans as distinguished and honorary members during induction ceremonies this . Tactical PSYOP Teams (TPT) would parachute in with the ODA's and set up underground radio stations and newsletters. Combines Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training and focuses on combat tactics and reconnaissance, Learn to safely jump from an aircraft and how to conduct airborne military operations, Complete intense mental and physical conditioning to prepare for the Civil Affairs selection process, Find out if youre selected to join Civil Affairs based on your character, courage, commitment, and intellect, Learn the basic skills needed to lead small teams of Soldiers and the skills needed to advance to the rank of Sergeant, Study Army doctrine and conflict operations, field training exercises, organized problem-solving, and a foreign language, Get assigned as an enlisted Soldier to the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade at Fort Bragg; get assigned as an Officer to either the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade or the 83rd Civil Affairs Battalion at Fort Bragg, To become a Civil Affairs Medical Sergeant, youll attend 44 weeks of additional Special Operations Medic training, with an emphasis on trauma medicine field care. Simply put, attaching a CAT to a mountain ODA and expecting the resulting cross-functional team to retain its full capability is impossible. The areas most affected would be doctrine, organization and training; how do they need to change in both CIMIC and CA? Mountain warfare specialization remains relevant outside polar regions. 0000010530 00000 n The Blitzkrieg in the snow via vehicles can easily bypass any SOFs hidden and entrenched as scouts or snipers. CA, with its extensive institutional training capacities and vast deployment experience, can share best practices and assist in building partner CIMIC capacities, given uneven training and deployment experience among allied civil-military forces. Implementation of a robust synchronized civil-military capability would require several changes across doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities and policy (DOTMLPF-P) spectrums. Another priority is having cooperative relationships with civil and military institutions for institutional capitalization, including professional associations, CCoE CIC members have previously provided lectures about NATO CIMIC and taken part as panelists during Civil Affairs Association events, providing a special NATO/European perspective for the primarily U.S. CA stakeholders. How I look at both, there seems to be alot of overlap between the two so as I said any help distinguishing them and explaining what you liked about each would be great. Introduction United States Army civil affairs (CA) and NATO civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) forces are key to countering or minimizing threats that hybrid warfare imposes, especially within the battle of influence to control the narrative. "I knew that there's Special Forces and these other kinds of branches in the special operations community, but I wasn't aware of Civil Affairs," he says. 0000013091 00000 n New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. He holds a BA in international relations from Boston Universitys Pardee School of Global Studies, where the late professor Michael Corgan ignited his interest in all things Arctic. What is the difference between physically training for Civil Affairs versus Special Fo? Reach out and we'll help you get there. 0000019204 00000 n CA guys can go to a much larger set of schools and training than your normal soldier can. A subject matter expert exchange with the administration of McMurdo Station would grant the team increased awareness of the challenges and best practices associated with governing and maintaining critical infrastructure. July 26, 2022 by Marty Skovlund, Jr. Icelands coast guard is administratively a law enforcement agency and the nation lacks any other military branch. 0531: Civil Affairs Noncommissioned Officer. Ideal in countering this, CA and CIMIC are two very similar capabilities that operate within human domain, where they must assess and engage the same members of civil societies and establish robust and complex liaison networks. 0000001696 00000 n Little had a similar experience. However, as the Army's Arctic strategy, . Well explained. When it comes to CA and CIMIC, doctrinal differences are significant, even though their civil considerations are practically the same. Yes, during training you will learn the language youre assigned, which could include Russian, French, Indonesian, and Spanish, multiple dialects of Arabic, Chinese-Mandarin, Persian-Farsi, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu, and Brazilian Portuguese. The first Civil Affairs units in the Army were formed during World War II. For example, the United States provides approximately 70 percent of NATO force capacities and capabilities. Civil affairs forces sustained and utilized in more novel roles in cooperation and competition would still be available for their traditional roles at or near the end of armed conflict: to conduct stability operations and rebuild civil institutions following the cessation of major hostilities. 2 0 obj q(8c4+oo*}%IW")qN1ePF1Vx+Ex.A% ?^b4|irp/N/+|(7ep#"#Ly~SHGK[dfyebSiTkY4S1h;fOA?qG8byUc>e4 C}~X6r5IsV|"y :=7;&2Jd=VlQy 3 8qiqtRCn$s"-i#jC$*&c^_-kblAFbtK|"c'qjqOlVn{*5_LqoqVgl. Starting in 2014, NATO has had to redirect focus on countering hybrid warfare in its own AoR rather than out-of-area. Hybrid warfare, although not new, works below the threshold of conventional war.4 It is complex, and adaptive to culture, historical legacies, geography and available political, economic, informational and military means.5 There is increasing evidence that hybrid warriors are waging war via the internet against civil society in the Western world, sowing societal divisions and promoting hyper-polarized politics.6 The major lesson of warfare from the past two decades is that hybrid warfare focuses on population centers.7 Its center of gravity are target civil societies. Especially in engaging non-military actors in a more coordinated manner, better adjusted to host-nation constraints and situational demands, NATO-U.S. collaboration of civil-military activities on the ground would also help to enhance host-nation government responses and civilian resilience and preparedness in the face of hybrid and other threats. In addition to in-house mountaineering training conducted within 10th Special Forces Group, both the Black Rapids Training Site in Alaska and the Army Mountain Warfare School in Vermont offer the basic military mountaineering course. The essential and enduring role of Civil Affairs. Although these capabilities have seemingly wide application, current guidance does not yet reflect a full exploration of where and how to employ civil affairs forces in strategic competition with a near-peer like China or Russia. 0000017120 00000 n Supporting this impetus, last years Civil Affairs Issue Papers advised: Fostering a learning organization both within and beyond military command structures and the CA Corps, including allies and counterpart civil-military organizations and JIM [joint, interorganizational and multinational] partners, must be a major CA force development goal.2. Without commonly accessible training and education solutions to utilize and build on the synchronized doctrine background, the existing gap between the two civil-military enterprises cannot be bridged. Where they differ is in the actual mission and skills involved. 1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption - U.S. Army Sgt. This is the right moment to pursue interoperability, to exploit synergies and to make these two vital transatlantic civil-military and information-related capabilities more relevant, visible and impactful. With the emerging hybrid threats in the Euro-Atlantic Area from Russia and their impact especially on eastern flank NATO Allies, NATO deployed battalion-sized eFP battle groupswith troop formations from Germany to Lithuania, from Canada to Latvia and from Great Britain to Estoniato instill confidence among these frontier states as well as deter further Russian aggression. This would provide a champion on the NATO side. TIAS. This is not the case now, as current allied military forces are operating in realms where they have functional authority and capability; U.S. planners have had to relearn, for example, how to obtain host-nation authorizations for movements under stringent Status of Forces Agreements rather than operating with relative independence. Depending on which path you take, there are different requirements youll need to meet in order to become part of a Civil Affairs team: A Civil Affairs Soldier is someone who is physically fit, tactically skilled, and culturally aware of their surroundings. Additionally, they would serve as a force capable of attaching to other SOF elements in the event of contingency operations in the polar regions. The United States also increased troop presence across Eastern European countries, from Poland to Bulgaria. I am an 11b at fort Polk! If you want to be a "cool guy", go SF. Together, these civil affairs forces support relationships with allies and partners through theater security cooperation, disaster response and other, largely peaceful efforts not tied to armed operations. Anything you can realistically think of army school wise is pretty much at your fingertips as well of more SOF related stuff . Todays civil affairs forces belong to the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps, numbering about 15,000 personnel, along with a contingent of over 1,200 soldiers under U.S. Special Operations Command. Be true to the mission and you will be a success in either job. In principle, NATO policy and doctrine serve as foundational references for allied interoperability within NATO. Additionally, they will serve as an institutional link to other military and civilian organizations to ensure that units receive the most modern, safe, and tested techniques and methodologies available. The CCoE strives for efficient and effective enhanced cooperation platforms. As a reminder, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, as the cornerstone of NATO, states that an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all its members. 5 General Philip Breedlove et al., NATOs Response to Hybrid Threats NATO Defense College, Forum Paper 24, December 2015, 35. Among the issues hindering this contribution is the disparity between CA and CIMIC doctrines. A significant commonality was how both operated in failing or failed states outside of the NATO area, with non-existent or non-functional governments. These missions provide the opportunity for CA units to cooperate and collaborate with CIMIC operators mostly on a tactical level, but not exclusively. Expecting interoperability because of a task organization chart, at best, breeds animosity between units and, at worst, turns an ad hoc addition to the team into a liability. DA Pam 600-3 lists qualifications for entry and promotion in . My two options are CA and SF. The CA Corps needs to address this. 0000006650 00000 n Both units require the most up-to-date technology and weaponry available in order to directly support all Special Missions Unit (Delta and DEVGRU) operations. Without the NATO/SHAPE ACOS J9which is the requirement authority in the field of NATO CIMICand the CA proponent and T&E elements at USAJFKSWCS and Special Operations Center of Excellence, this project cannot gain needed traction. The project officer is supported by a Soldier who serves at the 21st Theater Sustainment Command (TSC), a U.S. two-star logistics command based in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Civil affairs forces support activities of both conventional and special operations forces, and are capable of assisting and supporting the civil administration in the area of operations. The Army's Special Forces are capable . The views expressed are those of the authors, and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.