The Future of U.S. Civil Affairs Forces

The Future of U.S. Civil Affairs Forces
Author: Kathleen H. Hicks
Publisher: CSIS
Total Pages: 60
Release: 2009
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780892065684

Details corrective actions to strengthen the civil affairs capability of the U.S. military.

United States Army Civil Affairs and the Fate of Reserve Special Operations Forces in Support of Current and Future Operations

United States Army Civil Affairs and the Fate of Reserve Special Operations Forces in Support of Current and Future Operations
Author: R. Christion Brewer
Publisher:
Total Pages: 17
Release: 2004
Genre:
ISBN:

Since the late 1980's soldiers holding the Civil Affairs (CA) specialty have been the most heavily mobilized and deployed element of the United States Army Reserve. This community currently supports operations in five different hazardous duty areas around the world and the current operations tempo does not appear to be abating any time soon. The Army has come to a strategic crossroad concerning one of its most utilized assets. The Army must decide how to support future operations when those service members who have been mobilized for the maximum time allowed by law are needed again. This paper will describe the CA mission its deployment history over the past 15 years and CA's current deployment. Additionally the current CA manpower crisis will be analyzed and recommendations offered for continuing support to military operations around the globe.

The Future of U.S. Special Operations Forces

The Future of U.S. Special Operations Forces
Author: Linda Robinson
Publisher: Council on Foreign Relations Press
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2013-04-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780876095508

U.S. special operations forces are doing more things in more places than ever before. They are now active in some seventy countries and, since 2001, have seen their combined budget nearly quintuple -- a trend that seems likely to continue. As the United States seeks ways to tackle a range of security threats worldwide, shore up the resilience of its friends and allies against terrorist and criminal networks, and minimize need for large-scale military interventions, the importance of special operations forces will grow. Yet, the strategic vision for special operations forces has not kept pace with the growing demands for their skills. Most people -- and, indeed, many policymakers -- associate the special operations forces with secret nighttime raids like the one that targeted Osama bin Laden: tactical operations against a particular individual or group. The abilities of special operations forces, however, extend much further, into military training, information operations, civil affairs, and more. As the United States shifts its focus from war fighting to building and supporting its partners, the author argues, it will become critical to better define these strategic capabilities and ensure that special operations forces have the staffing and funding to succeed. The author further calls on the Pentagon to remove bureaucratic and operational obstacles to cooperation among the special operations forces of each service, and between special and conventional forces. She also recommends that all special operations forces commands work to develop a pipeline of talented, motivated officers with expertise in these issues, and that the role of civilian leadership in budget and operational oversight be reinforced.

Civil Affairs - Building the Force to Meet Its Future Challenges

Civil Affairs - Building the Force to Meet Its Future Challenges
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2009
Genre:
ISBN:

Civil Affairs (CA) forces and the capabilities they provide to commanders on the battlefield are critical enablers to winning the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since the beginning of the wars, Army Reserve CA Soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC), the Army's conventional CA force provider, have mobilized continuously in support of these operations. Unable to sustain theater force requirements, other Army Reserve forces and personnel from the Navy and Air Force were cross-trained to perform this mission. Future indications posit an increase in destabilizing factors such as ungoverned spaces and failing states. U.S. policy and doctrine see the Army mitigating these threats through shaping the global environment to reduce instability across the international system. Civil Affairs Operations (CAO), throughout the entire spectrum of conflict, are at the forefront of this doctrine and policy. This paper examines how CA forces have evolved since September 11, 2001, discusses their roles in Afghanistan and Iraq, and provides recommendations for the force to meet its future challenges.

Civil Affairs

Civil Affairs
Author: Harry Lewis Coles
Publisher:
Total Pages: 932
Release:
Genre: Military government
ISBN:

House Divided: The Splitting of Active Duty Civil Affairs Forces

House Divided: The Splitting of Active Duty Civil Affairs Forces
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2009
Genre:
ISBN:

This thesis examines the U.S. Army's current plan to create an Active Duty Civil Affairs Brigade within U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) to provide direct support to general purpose forces (GPF). This thesis analyzes this new alignment of Civil Affairs forces within the U.S. Army, to determine if this is the best course of action considering the current and emerging operational environment, and possible effects on the Active Duty Civil Affairs branch. Recommendations are given to rectify the problems identified, and to suggest alternate courses of action regarding the placement of Civil Affairs forces and their structure within the U.S. Army. With DoD directive 3000.7 stating that Irregular Warfare (IW) is as strategically important as traditional warfare, and Field Manual 3-0 stating stability operations are equivalent to both offensive and defensive operations, Civil Affairs will have a key role in almost all conflicts in the foreseeable future. DoD Directive 3000.7 makes clear that any new Civil Affairs force structure formed now, will affect the U.S. Army's ability to confront threats in the coming years.

2015-2016 Civil Affairs Issue Papers

2015-2016 Civil Affairs Issue Papers
Author: Christopher Holshek
Publisher:
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2016
Genre: Civil-military relations
ISBN:

"Civil Affairs (CA) has long been a major national strategic capability that helps transition from war to peace and from military to civilian lead and control after major conflict. Along with the Joint Force in general, CA is tasked to engage partners in Phase 0 (Shape and Influence), to contribute to conflict analysis, including identifying sources of illicit power. CA serves to shape the distribution and use of political and informal power in order to mitigate the drivers of instability. This instability is not limited to threats. It can be disease, contagion, poverty, illiteracy, etc. In conjunction with Military Information Support and Information Operations (MISO) and Information Operations (IO) as well as Foreign Area Officers (FAOs), CA is the only part of the Joint Force specifically suited for Peace & Stability Operations under Joint Stability Operations Doctrine and a 'force of choice' under the Army Functional Concept for Engagement. All these imperatives raise two questions: One, how as such does or should CA contribute to conflict prevention, in coordination with MISO/IO and FAOs as well as an array of government, non-government, and private sector civilian partners and regional and multilateral organizations? Two, what CA capabilities are required to support engagement in these ways? To look at CA as 'a force for engagement and conflict prevention,' the Civil Affairs Association, in coordination with the National Defense University Center for Complex Operations, U.S. Army Peacekeeping & Stability Operations Institute, Center for the Study of Civil-Military Operations at West Point, Foreign Area Officer Association, Reserve Officers Association, and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, conducted its third Civil Affairs Symposium on Friday, November 20th 2015, at Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston's Mission Training Complex. In addition to speakers and panel discussions bringing forward key lessons from current and past operations, the final five Civil Affairs Issue Papers with observations and recommendations on the future Civil Affairs force were formally presented by the authors for publication after the Symposium"--Executive summary.

The Future of Marine Civil Affairs

The Future of Marine Civil Affairs
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2006
Genre:
ISBN:

The Marine Corps' role in fighting the global war on terrorism involves the extensive conduct of civil military operations (CMO). However, current shortfalls in the Corps' approach to Civil Affairs (CA) force structure and to CMO education, training, and employment impede its ability to use these operations to their greatest effect. The author proposes solutions to these shortfalls which would result in the establishment of a cadre of active duty civil affairs Marines, the implementation of a formal training program for CA personnel, the integration of CMO into the Marine Corps' resident schools and the use of planning procedures that focus on CMO as a line of operation. US military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa involve extensive interaction with the local populations. Reports from the field emphasize the importance of civil military operations in obtaining operational goals. Shortfalls and recommended solutions are discussed under the headings of Structure, Training, Education and Employment.