Army Civil Affairs Functional Areas
Army Civil Affairs Functional Areas
Army Civil Affairs Functional Areas
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14. ABSTRACT
World War II marked the beginning of the greatest use of Civil Affairs (CA) functions in the United States history.
CA personnel utilized civil sector expertise to help rebuilt governments in both the European and Pacific theaters.
Since its establishment as a United States Army Reserve branch in 1955, CA/Military Government has traditionally
been conducted by Army Reservists who employ their civilian acquired skills to provide expertise in civil sector
systems and functions such as public administration, economics and commerce, public health, public safety, food
and agriculture, and public works and utilities. CA has been touted as a key capability since the Department of
Defense elevated the importance of stability operations to be on par with major combat operations. In the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, the demand for CA units has far outpaced supply. To this end, Army Civil Affairs forces will
have more than doubled between 2001 and 2014. At the same time; however, the U.S. Army has reduced the
emphasis on Civil Affairs civil-sector functional expertise resulting in a serious capability gap. This paper explores
the reasons for the capability gap and provides recommendations for a way ahead.
by
This SRP is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Strategic
Studies Degree. The U.S. Army War College is accredited by the Commission on
Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 3624
Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (215) 662-5606. The Commission on Higher
Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of
Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
The views expressed in this student academic research paper are those of the author
and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army,
Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified
World War II marked the beginning of the greatest use of Civil Affairs (CA)
functions in the United States history. CA personnel utilized civil sector expertise to help
rebuilt governments in both the European and Pacific theaters. Since its establishment
traditionally been conducted by Army Reservists who employ their civilian acquired
skills to provide expertise in civil sector systems and functions such as public
administration, economics and commerce, public health, public safety, food and
agriculture, and public works and utilities. CA has been touted as a key capability since
with major combat operations. In the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the demand for CA
units has far outpaced supply. To this end, Army Civil Affairs forces will have more than
doubled between 2001 and 2014. At the same time; however, the U.S. Army has
serious capability gap. This paper explores the reasons for the capability gap and
The United States’ post conflict efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq have generated
new initiatives to prepare the United States Government (USG) and the military,
particularly the Army, for stability operations. The effort to create USG capabilities to
conduct stability operations in a more unified and coherent fashion rests on the central
idea that, as part of the United States strategy to deal with transnational terrorist groups,
the U.S. must have the capabilities to assist governments or regions under serious
stress. Weak or failed states and ungoverned territories can create a threat to U.S.
national security or interests as we have seen with the terrorist attacks of September
11th and piracy off the coast of Somalia.1 During stability operations, the primary focus
of U.S. policy carried out by U.S. military forces, civilian government agencies, and
government in building new security, economic and political institutions and processes.
military mission and assigns it the same priority as combat operations to be integrated
exercises, material, leadership, personnel, facilities, and planning.2 A key policy point is
that U.S. military forces shall be prepared to perform all tasks necessary to establish or
maintain order when civilians cannot do so. The DOD will have the capability to ensure
that when directed, it can establish civil security, civil control, restore or provide
spectrum operations as the central tenet of how it applies its capabilities. Stability and
civil support operations are no longer something that the Army conducts “other than
war.” Army forces must address the civil situation directly and continuously by
specialized activities and civil-military operations that are of equal importance to offense
and defense operations.4 Stability operations are military missions, tasks, and activities
conducted outside the United States to maintain or reestablish a safe and secure
reconstruction, and humanitarian relief.5 Additionally, the Army must plan for and be
prepared to govern on an interim basis when conditions are not favorable for the
The Army capability that plays the most crucial role in stability operations is Civil
Affairs (CA).7 Years ago the primary role of CA was reducing foreign civilian interference
with U.S. military operations. Now Civil Affairs accelerate stability by helping to restore
and maintain public order; safeguarding, mobilizing and using local resources;
facilitating the equitable distribution of humanitarian supplies and services, and other
critical functions involving essential services and governance.8 If the Army and DOD
want to increase their capability to perform stability operations, then Civil Affairs is
clearly a capability to focus on. When examining how well DOD and the Army have
number of Civil Affairs forces has been touted as one of the organizational efforts
2
dedicated to the development of stability operations capabilities.9 A significant
investment has been made in CA force structure for this low density, high demand
capability. Since September 11, 2001, the force will have more than doubled from an
Unfortunately, the growth in Civil Affairs force structure has not been
accompanied by a corresponding effort to increase the quality of the force. Civil Affairs
gaps in capability and capacity are evident by difficulty filling requirements in multiple
theaters, use of “in lieu of” fills from other services for current operations, the stand-up
of ad hoc CA-like capabilities, and the unavailability of Civil Affairs functional experts.11
This paper will address the challenges associated with fielding fully trained Army
Reserve CA functional specialists. The Army CA force lacks the functional specialist
capacity and capability required to support stability operations activities of the Joint
Force Commander as well as broader USG programs aimed at building the capacity of
governance, public health and welfare, infrastructure, and public education and
information.
resides in the Army due to the fact that interaction with the civilian sector is primarily
associated with land warfare.12 The majority of these forces, approximately 90%, are
currently in the U.S. Army Reserve. There are no CA units in the Army National Guard.
Programmed growth in the Active Component (AC) to rebalance the CA force will
change the ratio to 72% Reserve Component (RC) and 28% AC by 2014. Traditionally,
the majority of CA units have been in the Army Reserve to capitalize on the unique
3
capabilities of citizen soldiers who can offer high levels of civilian expertise in functions
education appropriate to their grade.13 The significant difference between Army AC and
Generalists are well versed in common CA skill sets CA such as preventing civilian
interference with military operations, providing CA staff augmentation, analyzing the civil
component of the area of operations, and planning and managing small scale quick
impact projects and programs. Most active duty CA staff personnel and personnel
additional areas of expertise, normally acquired through civilian education, training, and
experience. Functional specialists leverage their civilian skills and expertise to assist
specialty skills in areas normally the responsibility of civil government to enhance the
conduct of Civil Military Operations.15 By their very nature, these tasks require skills that
must come from the reserve component because they cannot be cost effectively
4
Current CA doctrine lists 14 functional specialties organized into six functional
specialty areas. The functional specialists are organized into teams that plan and
enable host nation government operations across the following six areas: rule of law,
economic stability, infrastructure, governance, public health and welfare, and public
The Army designates skill identifiers (SI) for 11 of the functional specialties some
of which are no longer in CA doctrine: Civil Defense Officer (5Y), Economist (6C), Public
Education Officer (6D), Civilian Supply Officer (6E), Public Transportation Officer (6F),
Public Facilities Officer (6G), Public Safety Officer (6H), Public Communication Officer
(6R), Agricultural Officer (6U), Cultural Affairs Officer (6V), and Archivist (6W). The skill
identifiers were intended to establish standards and qualifications for the specialties and
allow identification and tracking of officers with specialties in the CA force. The
standards for awarding of a skill identifier are generally based on some combination of
education and/or experience broadly related to the specialty. For example, the
5
qualifications for a public safety officer are “bachelor degree in criminology, fire science,
public safety field or equivalent private industry position.”16 Only 309 or 40% of the 780
positions designated as functional specialties within the reserve force structure have
skill identifiers associated with them. Army Medical and Judge Advocate General
Branches fill 294 or 31% of the specialty positions. Twelve percent of the positions are
filled by CA plans or operations NCOs for which there are no functional specialty skill
identifiers. The remaining 11% of the positions are filled by CA officer generalists for
USAR CA Command (CACOM) Functional Specialties Cell, 31 personnel per cell, 3 cells per CACOM
O6 38A, Team Chief/Plans Officer
E9 38B 2S, Operations NCO
Rule of Law Section Economic Stability Section Infrastructure Section Governance Section Public Health Section Public Education and
-O5 38A 6H, Public Safety -O5 38A 6U, Agriculture -O5 38A 6G, Public Works -O5 38A , Public -O5 60C, Public Health Information Section
Officer Officer Officer (Utilities) Administration Officer Officer -O5 38A 6D, Public
-O5 27A, International Law -O5 38A 6C, Commerce -O5 38A 6G, Public Works -O5 38A 6E, Civil Supply -O5 64B, Vet Education Officer
Officer Officer Officer (Facilities) Officer Preventative Medicine -O5 38A , Civil
-O5 38A 6E, Property -O5 38A 6C, Economic -O5 38A 6R, Public -O5 27A, International -O5 70H, Medical Plans Information Officer
Resource Control Officer Functions Officer Communications Officer Law Officer & Operations -E7 38B402S, Plans
-E7 38B402S, CA Plans -O5 38A 6C, Price -O5 38A 6F, Public -O5 38A 6V, Cultural -O5 70K, Health NCO
NCO Control/Rations Officer Transportation Officer Affairs Officer Facilities Planner
-E7 38B402S, CA Plans -E7 38B402S, CA Plans NCO -E8 38B502S, CA Plans -O5 72D, Environmental
NCO NCO Sciences
-O5 66B , Community
Health Nurse
-E8 38B50W42S, Public
Health NCO
USAR CA Brigade Functional Specialties Cell, 16 personnel per cell, 1 cell per brigade
O6 38A, Team Chief/Plans Officer
E8 38B2S, Operations NCO
Rule of Law Section Infrastructure Section Governance Section Public Health Section
-O5 38A 6H, Public Safety -O5 38A 6G, Public Works -O5 38A 6E, Civil Supply -O5 60C, Public Health
Officer Officer (Utilities) Officer Officer
-O4 27A, International Law -O4 38A 6G, Public Works -O4 38A, Public -O5 64B, Vet
Officer Officer (Facilities) Administration Officer Preventative Medicine
-O4 38A 6E, Property -O5 38A 6R, Public -E7 38B2S, Plans NCO -O5 70H, Medical Plans
Resource Control Officer Communications Officer & Operations
-O4 72D, Environmental
Sciences
-E8 68W, Public Health
NCO
USAR CA Battalion Functional Specialties Cell, 8 personnel per cell, 1 cell per battalion
O4 38A, Civil Affairs (Generalist)
-O4 27A3N, International -O4 38A 6G, Public Works -O4 38A 6E, Civil Supply -O4 60C, Public Health
Law Officer Officer (Utilities) Officer Officer
-O4 38A 6H, Public Safety -O4 64B, Vet
Officer Preventative Medicine
-E8 68W2S, Public
Health NCO
6
The functional specialties are organized into functional specialty cells as shown
in table 2. A Civil Affairs Command (CACOM), which serves as the theater level CA
asset for the Geographic Combatant Command (GCC), provides three, 33 personnel
functional specialty cells with all six of the functional specialty areas represented with
(CAO) depending on the mission. There are four CACOMs in the USAR inventory that
are regionally aligned with the GCCs. One CACOM covers both the U.S. European
Two major functions of the CACOM are to provide a CA/Civil Military Operations
planning and coordination capability to the GCC and the ability to form the core of a
Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force (JCMOTF). The functional specialty cells are
specialist capability at the strategic level to provide the CA Commander the flexibility to
battalion organizations have one functional specialty cell with limited capabilities in four
of the six functional areas. Economic stability and public education and information are
To understand why the Civil Affairs functional specialty capability gap exists, we
must review some of the history of how we got here. There are four main issues that
have contributed to the CA functional specialty capability gap: high operational demand,
changes in force structure and doctrine, proponent challenges, and restrictive personnel
practices.
7
Operational Demand
Civil Affairs personnel and units have been in high demand for over two decades.
In the 1990s, CA soldiers deployed to Kuwait, Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo. By the end of
2003, nearly half of the Army CA force strength (96% of which was in the Army Reserve
2004, it was evident that operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would last longer and
require more reconstruction and stabilization efforts than originally envisioned. The
demand for CA Soldiers in support of OIF and OEF plateaued at over 1100 personnel
per rotation (every nine to ten months) or approximately 20% of its assigned strength.19
This was a compromise that reduced the support for OEF and OIF by more than 50% of
what was desired by conventional force commanders and required for support to
the tactical level. Consequently, CA support was focused on tactical level support to
maneuver commanders.20
While it was unknown how long OEF and OIF would last, it was clear that the
projected demand for Civil Affairs would continue to outpace supply.21 To meet the
demand, internal cross leveling, the use of in lieu of individual augmentees from the
Navy and Air Force, and rapidly retrained personnel from the Army Reserve to include
the individual ready reserve were used heavily from 2005 to 2010. In 2007, the
Secretary of Defense established planning objectives for utilization of the total force in
order to provide predictability to service members, families, and for the RC, employers.
The goal for the AC was established at one year deployed to two years at home (1:2)
and involuntary mobilization for the RC at one year mobilized to every five years
demobilized (1:5). As of 2008, the dwell ratios for Army Civil Affairs were active
8
component at 1:08 and reserve component at 1:2.22 It is important to note that the dwell
ratio above can be misleading because it is for units not individuals. The spin rate for
some individuals is likely higher. RC CA forces have not been fully manned and have
used extensive cross leveling to fill battle rosters of unit flags that meet dwell
requirements.
While growth has increased the number of units, particularly at the tactical level,
there has not been an equivalent increase in the number of personnel at the mid-grade
ranks. The potential negative impact of the sustained use of CA assets on recruiting and
retention were identified as early as 2004.23 The high operational demand caused many
USAR Civil Affairs officers to leave the force in favor of focusing on their civilian
professional careers and family.24 Likewise, the high operational tempo was
undoubtedly a barrier to recruiting the mid-grade civilian professionals needed to fill the
majors/captains were at 54% and 24% strength respectively. 25 Civil Affairs officer
shortages mirror the officer shortage in the USAR writ large that has reached a critical
level and threatens the long term health of the organization.26 Because CA units cannot
procure personnel directly from commissioning sources or civilian life, the pool of
talented management level officers shrinks.27 Officers in the reserves are increasingly
likely to come from a narrow band of civilian backgrounds.28 The experienced civil sector
experts that are needed to fill functional specialist positions are in the category of
persons that have the most conflict with the increased demands for reserve service.29
Civilian skills that have traditionally been found in the RC vice the AC because of the
9
availability of professional civilian acquired skills that can’t be maintained in the AC may
At the same time that CA was struggling to meet sourcing requirements for
contingency operations, a force design update was approved that further deemphasized
the functional specialties. The CA force converted from the “A-Series” to “G-Series” unit
structure which “modularized” CA formations to better support the brigade combat team.
Army transformation from a division centric force to a brigade centric force had wide
ranging implications for the enabling forces. The conversion to a modular force pushed
CA force structure to the tactical level by expanding the number of CA Companies while
doctrine that allocated each Brigade Combat Team (BCT), Theater Sustainment
support unit when deployed. The CA force structure change was necessary in light of
broader Army transformation and to better posture the force to meet high operational
demand on a rotational basis. However, there were consequences for the CA functional
specialist capability. In 1992, the functional specialties were approximately half of the
CA force structure.30 In 2001, the functional specialties were 36% of the total CA force
structure. By 2015, when planned growth has been completed, the specialties will be
9% of the total CA force structure. The net loss of functional specialties positions as a
result of the force design update and most recent growth is 998 positions or 18% of the
2001 authorized strength. The force design update deliberately concentrated functional
specialists at the CA Brigade and CACOM levels to provide the CA Commander the
10
flexibility to support Joint Commanders in full-spectrum operations.31 Doctrinally, this
construct provides an eight person team at the division level and no specialties at the
BCT or provincial level where civilian support has increased to fill the gap.32 Even if the
functional specialists from a CA Battalion were pushed down to the BCT headquarters,
this would only provide an eight person cell representing four of the six specialty areas.
For the 1st Calvary Division in Iraq, winning the peace involved “local
fundamentals of democracy, and creating long lasting jobs that would carry beyond
program with the Texas cities of Austin and Killeen, to deal with the complex tasks of
maintaining a functioning city system as well as promotion of both the legitimacy and
capacity of the Iraqi Government. Establishing basic local services and providing
employment reduced the insurgent base of support and decreased attacks on U.S.
Soldiers.
Basic Field Manual of Military Government, published in July 1940 to present reveals
major changes.34 The 1940 manual deals primarily with the policy of military government
manuals contained less content for how the military is to exercise its responsibilities to
Army doctrine returned to its preferred role of conventional warfare. The Army focused
on the singular possibility of conventional combat in Germany against the Warsaw Pact
11
forces. The civil military relationship was treated as a problem at the margins. Civil
interference with military operations. Most of the Civil Affairs units were configured to
meet these requirements. CA doctrine still included aspects of low intensity conflict and
civil administration; however, as priorities changed doctrine for full assumption of civil
functions in enemy and friendly territory withered away.35 Cold war thinking in the
nuclear era suggested that there would be fewer total victories that would result in
specific doctrine on the functional specialties. More recently, CA doctrine has not kept
pace with current national security requirements for a strong CA functional specialty
Proponent Challenges
The Civil Affairs proponent has not been an adequate champion for updated
doctrine, training and education, and personnel policies for the functional specialties.
The current proponent for CA is the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center
responsibilities for Special Forces and Military Information Support Operations (formerly
execute the proponent functions are principally responsible for the Special Forces
community who are naturally focused on their core special operations missions and
primary interest has been in Special Forces with low priority placed on force
12
purpose force (GPF) or interagency support.38 In the proponent’s defense, CA
with the requisite qualifications related to the functional specialties.39 To make matters
(USASOC), United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command
functional lines rather than by branches further diluting CA branch advocacy within the
similar changes in organization, training, leader development, and the equipment and
the type of forces built. Current CA manuals contain only a few paragraphs on support
to civil administration in friendly and occupied territories and a few pages devoted to
explaining the functional specialty areas but no doctrine on how to perform the
functions. CA special texts that provided detailed guidance for the execution of each of
the functional specialties in separate manuals were last published in the 1980s. In 1991,
functions was in progress.40 The manual, developed primarily by reserve personnel, was
13
Current issues concerning CA functional specialists are not new. Concerns were
are still valid to this day, and have not been answered, some 20 years later.
“Are the current 20 functional specialties what CA and the military require for the
future?
specialties?
issues and made recommendations on the functional specialties, doctrine tasks, skill
previously, the doctrine was never published so sustainment training standards were
not published or implemented. The only lasting legacy from the functional specialty
review is the revision or development of skill identifiers for some of the functional
specialty positions.44 An issue that remains today is how best to define the standards for
awarding the SIs to capture the skills required at each level (local, provincial, national)
and how best to track the functional specialist skills resident in the force.45 For example,
a bank teller who may qualify for awarding of skill identifier 6C Economist by virtue of
meeting the minimum experience requirement of five years in banking is probably not
14
The functional specialty review working group felt that the skill identifiers were
the best method for identifying and tracking the skills in the force. In order to be able to
accurately track the skills, officers that meet the standards and qualification must submit
for award of the appropriate SI. As of February 2010, there were only 38 officers
assigned to Army Reserve CA units that had been awarded SIs for one of the 11 SIs
that are currently in use on the USAR CA modified table of organization and equipment
(MTOE).47 Without polling the force, it is impossible to determine if all officers who meet
the qualifications for one of the SIs have applied for and been awarded one. To fill the
authorized CA functional specialty positions to 100% with true experts according to the
current standards, the Army would need to recruit 271 officers covering all the specialty
areas.
Personnel Policy
In 2005, the Defense Science Board, recognizing that DOD was “not sufficiently
tapping into the capabilities and patriotism of our mid-career professional population”,
called for a change to the Army Reserve Civil Affairs recruitment process that would
target more experienced professionals (35-45 years old) with the right skills needed for
the Army CA branch severely restrict the reserve force’s ability to recruit and retain true
following WWII and Korea, the CA/MG USAR branch was established on August 17,
1955.49 In 2006, the CA branch became an Army branch, recognizing the key role that
both AC and RC CA officers play in not only fighting the war but winning the peace.50
The new Army branch was heralded as a positive development to give active army
officers greater career potential, more rewarding assignments, and greater recognition
15
for their unique expertise at a time when the active component force was growing to
meet demand. The branch concept was designed to create interchangeability between
AC and RC officers so that the origin of one was indistinguishable from another.51 This
is consistent with other Army branches and the total force concept. However, the
application of a “one size fits all” approach to the accession and management of CA
generalist and specialists negated the unique aspects of the former Army Reserve CA
specialist capability in the AC CA force. Within all of the military services, force structure
that is unique to Army Reserve Civil Affairs.53 Army Reserve Civil Affairs’ true value
should be in its ability to access the necessary civilian acquired skills for stability
operations, put those Soldiers in uniform and deploy them to do specific technical
missions.54
falls on the USAR CA unit commander.55 Too often unit commanders are “happy just to
have bodies with the correct rank to fill slots, regardless of the civilian skills brought to
the table.”56 The key to any human capital recruiting effort, civilian or military, is the
application of appropriate resources to the effort proportional the results desired. The
U.S. Army Recruiting Command recognized this when they stood up the Special
Operations Recruiting Battalion (SORB) in 2005 to actively recruit candidates for service
in Special Forces. In FY 2007, the mission was expanded to include active duty CA
officers and enlisted. Unfortunately, since the USAR CA force had been realigned from
16
USASOC to the United States Army Reserve Command (USAR) in 2006, the SORB did
A consequence of the lack of true CA functional experts has forced the Civil
community recognizes that it has oversold its capability to deliver the required civilian
skills; most CA soldiers are actually generalists.57 The CA community should ask
whether it is satisfied with CA operators who are primarily generalists and may have a
yesterday or does the 21st century operating environment required true civil sector
experts to conduct stability operations across the full spectrum of conflict? The choice is
clear. Stability operations are not a game for amateurs.58 There is no substitute for
skilled, experienced, and trained civil sector experts. The Army must address shortfalls
Way Ahead
There is no doubt that we must update doctrine, relook force structure, and
More important, though, is the effort to procure and develop human capital. The CA
force must be able to obtain and develop highly qualified personnel to rebuild the
creation of a distinct system for accessing and managing RC specialists. The creation of
model may best way to manage CA functional specialists. The RC CA specialists like
17
AMEDD officers require the development of single highly specialized skills rather than
multiple skills identified in the dual track concepts of the Officer Personnel Management
with appropriate development and promotion opportunities given the small number of
recommendation could also address the issues identified with certifying, stratifying, and
tracking the various specialty skills. It would also establish a framework against which
the Army could apply recruiting resources to include incentives. The Army’s current
approach toward CA functional specialists is based on the flawed assumption that that
Army Reserve CA units will be able to acquire enough highly qualified civil sector
experts with the skills and experience required for one of the specialties in the absence
The CA proponent should first examine the position descriptions that the State
Department’s Civilian Response Corps (CRC) developed for its Active Response Corps
in order to determine the specialty skills that are required.60 Once those specialty skills
have been determined, the proponent should ascertain the functional specialties
required, determine from where to draw the civilian acquired skills, and develop
qualification standards for the individual specialties. One excellent aid in this process
could be data from a Rand Study which developed a methodology to identify the civilian
skill sets required for stability tasks across each of the stability sectors, and then
The CRC has transformed to better integrate with the military in terms of
sustainment, operations and planning, and force protection. Army CA should transform
18
its functional specialist capability to better align with the existing civilian framework
interoperability for civ-mil teaming, allow for a common set of training standards,
common techniques and procedures, and allow the USG to direct scarce civilian
cooperation with the agencies it’s most likely to work with in future operations.
As the Army shifted from an AirLand Battle doctrine focused on resisting the
numerically superior Warsaw Pact armies to a post-cold war doctrine that treated
combat and other operations separately to full spectrum operations doctrine that
stresses the essentiality of integrating security, stability, and reconstruction with combat
actions, Civil Affairs doctrine has not kept pace. Consideration should be given to better
aligning the functional specialties and specialty areas with the five stability sectors and
five essential stability tasks and articulating the role that functional specialists play in
successful accomplishment in each of the five tasks across the full range of military
operations as opposed to the traditional civil administration mission for which the
advise, train, and assist at the local, provincial, and ministerial levels across the five
which the functional specialists and CA in general have been underutilized primarily due
to contingency operations demand and the GCC’s inability to access the RC for more
than a few training days at a time. As the Army implements the RC as an operational
19
force concept and draws down from large scale stability operations, building partner
capacity is a mission for which the functional specialties are particularly well suited.
However, to be most effective, the CA force and specialties may need to be adapted to
the primary military role in this area. Doctrine analysts should examine the question of
whether Civil Affairs functional specialties should have greater capability to support
stability tasks in the security sector. The CA force could provide specialists (advisors,
trainers, mentors, and liaison staff) in border control, law enforcement, legal and
governance related to the ministries of defense, justice, and interior to help reform the
HN security sector and build partner capacity to make it an enabler for long-term
security.63
and capacity to support the Army through all phases of Full Spectrum Operations in a
operations at the strategic and operational level. The concept called for transforming the
with regionally focused civ-mil teams designed to train, assist, and advise host nation
ministries across the stability sectors. It is not clear where the civilians would come from
for these teams. Nonetheless, the concept has merit. CA reservists with high level
professional skills and advanced degrees formed ad hoc CA ministerial advisory teams
Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.65 At the strategic level, the MAT is a tool of the
20
commander or ambassador to maintain stability, to assist in accomplishing foreign
Conclusion
Army can continue to go down the current path toward a generalized CA force or it can
decide to protect and preserve the specialized and uniquely valuable skills that citizen
soldiers can bring to the fight for stability. In an era of persistent conflict with a
CA force at large are the preferred means to implement an “innovative, low cost, small
foot print” approach that relies “on exercises, rotational presence, and advisory
Endnotes
1
U.S Department of Defense, Military Support to Stabilization, Security, Transition, and
Reconstruction Operations, Joint Operating Concept Version 2.0 (Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Defense, December 2006), 13.
2
U.S. Department of Defense, Stability Operations, Department of Defense Instruction
3000.05 (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Defense, September 16, 2009), 2.
3
The Department of Defense capabilities required follow from the Department of State
(DOS) detailed stability focused, post conflict reconstruction task matrix that helps planners
identify the specific requirements to support countries in transition from armed conflict or civil
strife to sustained stability. The DOS stability sectors are security, justice and reconciliation,
humanitarian and social well-being, governance and participation, and economic stabilization
and infrastructure. The matrix offers visual proof of the complexity of stability operations, the
multitude of tasks involved, and the difficulties inherent in forming an interagency approach to
such operations. Office of Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, Post-conflict
Reconstruction Essential Tasks (Washington, DC: Department of State, April 2005).
4
U.S. Department of the Army, Operations, Field Manual 3-0 (Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of the Army, 2008), viii.
5
Army Stability Operations include five essential tasks: establish civil security, establish
civil control, restore essential services, support to governance, and support to economic and
infrastructure development. U.S. Department of the Army, Unified Land Operations, Army
Doctrine Publication 3-0 (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Army, October 2011), 4.
21
6
U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, The United States Army Full Spectrum
Operations Unified Quest 2007, Training and Doctrine Command Pamphlet 525-5-300 (Fort
Monroe, VA: U.S. Army Capabilities Integration Center, April 22, 2008), 37.
7
The bulk of the Army’s non-security related expertise in stability operations can be found
in the Civil Affairs branch. An analysis of the 54 sectorial tasks in the DOS Essential Task Matrix
(ETM) shows that Civil Affairs is the Army fallback capability for performing 75% of the tasks.
Thomas S. Szayna et al., Integrating Civilian Agencies in Stability Operations (Washington, DC:
The Rand Corporation, 2009), 11. A review of the subtasks associated with the five stability
tasks in FM 3-07, reveals that CA has primary jurisdiction over four of the five tasks by virtue of
the skills and experience demanded. Furthermore, these four tasks require skills that are not
typically possessed by the combat arms branches that provide the bulk of the forces to the
BCTs. The four primary stability tasks demand a high level of technical competence obtained
through formal education and experience. Overall, the CA has branch primacy over 30 of the 38
subtasks. Kevin Burk, Strategic Leadership in Stability Operations: A Challenge to Army
Enterprise, Strategic Research Project (Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, March
30, 2010), 13.
8
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Report
of the Defense Science Board on Institutionalizing Stability Operations Within DoD (Washington,
DC: Defense Science Board, September, 2005), 15.
9
U.S. Department of Defense, Report to Congress on the Implementation of DoD Directive
3000.05, Military Support to Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction Operations
(Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Defense, April 1, 2007), 5.
10
Chuck Donnell, “The Civil Affairs Force,” briefing slides presented at 58th Annual
Conference of the Association of Civil Affairs, Washington, DC, October 30, 2009.
11
Simon Wosley, “Civil Affairs Future in the Stability Operations Environment, Army G-3/5-
SSO Stability Operations,” briefing slides, Washington, DC, November 3, 2007.
12
U.S Department of Defense, Report to Congress on Civil Affairs (Washington, DC: Office
of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, Low Intensity Conflict &
Interdependent Capabilities, April 29, 2009), 6.
13
The Department of Defense has recognized that civilian skills are a core competency of
the reserve component at large. Citizen Soldiers, many of whom are corporate and community
leaders bring their civilian acquired skills, talent, and experience with them. The blend of military
and civilian skills possessed by reservists can be valuable not just to the Department of Defense
but to other government agencies in their overseas missions, especially in stability activities.
Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, Transforming the National Guard and
Reserves into a 21st-Century Operational Force, Final Report to Congress and the Secretary of
Defense (Arlington, VA: Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, January 31, 2008),
10. Soldiers involved in stabilization and reconstruction “must have a jack of all trades versatility
and resourcefulness.” Bruce B. Bingham, Daniel L. Rubini and Michael Cleary, “U.S. Army Civil
Affairs-The Army’s Ounce of Prevention,” The Land Warfare Papers, No. 41 (March 2003): 3.
The application of skills gained in the civilian sector in the performance of a military mission are
usually serendipitous; however, and not the result of a systematic effort to apply a particular
civilian skill for a specific military mission at a certain point in time. Despite identifying it as a
22
core competency, the Department of Defense has done little to track civilian skills to take full
advantage of them for missions.
14
U.S Department of Defense, Report to Congress on Civil Affairs, 12.
15
CA core tasks are populace and resource control, foreign humanitarian assistance, civil
information management, nation assistance, and support to civil administration. U.S.
Department of the Army, Civil Affairs Operations, Field Manual 3-57 (Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of the Army, October 31, 2011), 3-1.
16
U.S. Department of the Army, Military Occupational Classification and Structure,
Department of the Army Pamphlet 611-21 (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Army,
January 22, 2007), Chapter 4.
17
Kenneth R. Moore, “U.S. Army Reserve Civil Affairs Redesign FDU 05-01,” briefing
slides, Fort Bragg, NC, February 17, 2005; U.S. Department of the Army, Civil Affairs
Operations, Field Manual 3-57 (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Army, October 31,
2011), 1-8.
18
Hugh C. Van Roosen, Implications of the 2006 Reassignment of U.S. Army Civil Affairs,
Strategy Research Project (Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, March 30, 2009), 3.
19
Hugh C. Van Roosen, Implications of the 2006 Reassignment of U.S. Army Civil Affairs,
4.
20
David N. Blackledge, “Commanders Emergency Response Program”, briefing transcript,
Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq, January 14, 2004,
http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=1417 (accessed January 23,
2012).
21
Kathleen H. Hicks and Christine E. Wormuth, The Future of U.S. Civil Affairs
(Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, February 2009), 40.
22
U.S Department of Defense, Report to Congress on Civil Affairs, 18.
23
R. Christian Brewer, U.S. Army Civil Affairs and the Fate of Reserve Special Operations
Forces in Support of Current and Future Operations, Strategy Research Project (Carlisle
Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, March 19, 2004), 5.
24
William R. Florig, “Theater Civil Affairs Soldiers A Force at Risk,” Joint Forces Quarterly,
no. 43 (4th Quarter 2006): 61.
25
U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Directorate of Special
Operations Proponency, “Civil Affairs Growth,” briefing slides, Fort Bragg, NC, December 9,
2010.
26
Ernest Erlandson, An Institution in Crisis: The Army Reserve Officer Corps, Strategy
Research Project (Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, February 16, 2009), 13.
23
27
George B. McDonnell, Civil Affairs – Vanguard for the Emerging Army Reserve
Profession, Strategy Research Project (Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, January
3, 2009), 18.
28
Charles C. Moskos, The Sociology of The Army Reserves: Final Report Army Research
Institute Research Note 90-88 (Alexandria, VA: U.S. Army Research Institute for Behavior and
Social Sciences, July 1990), 7.
29
Dallas D. Owens, “From Reserve to Full Partner: Transforming the Reserve
Professionals” in The Future of the Army Profession, 2nd edition, ed. Don M. Snider and Lloyd J.
Mathews (New York, McGraw Hill, 2005), 567.
30
Douglas K. Meyer, Civil Affairs Functional Specialty Review (Fort Bragg, NC: U.S. Army
John F. Kennedy Warfare Center and School, December 9, 1993), 3.
31
Kenneth R. Moore, “U.S. Army Reserve Civil Affairs Redesign FDU 05-01,” briefing
slides, Fort Bragg, NC, February 17, 2005.
32
Richard Unda, Rethinking the Use of Specialized Civil Affairs, Strategy Research Project
(Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, November 5, 2009), 9.
33
Peter W. Chiarelli and Patrick R. Michaels, “The Requirement for Full-Spectrum
Operations,” Military Review (July-August, 2005): 4.
34
Hugh Van Roosen, Should Military Government Return to its Roots?, Student Issue
Paper (Carlisle Barracks, PA: Center for Strategic Leadership, U.S. Army War College, August
2009), 1.
35
Thijs W. Brocades Zaalberg, Soldiers and Civil Power (Amsterdam: Amsterdam
University Press, 2006), 68.
36
Wally Z. Walters, The Doctrinal Challenge of Winning the Peace Against Rogue States:
How Lessons from Post-World War II Germany May Inform Operations Against Saddam
Hussein’s Iraq, Strategy Research Project (Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, April
9, 2002), 26.
37
The United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
(USAJFKSWCS) has been the Civil Affairs proponent since the early 1970’s when the U.S.
Army Civil Affairs School, which had been at Fort Gordon, GA since 1955 was moved to Fort
Bragg and consolidated with the U.S. Army Institute for Military Assistance (USAIMA). The
USAIMA later became the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. On
June 20, 1990, USAJFKSWCS was reassigned from TRADOC to the U.S. Army Special
Operations Command. The department of the Army assigns force modernization proponents to
be the change agents for particular functions or branches in order to transform the Army. Force
modernization proponents are responsible for determining and integrating doctrine,
organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF)
requirements. A branch proponent is the commandant or the chief of a branch of the Army with
responsibility for execution of training, leader development, education, and providing
recommendations on the personnel life cycle appropriate to their branch. Civil Affairs, an Army
Reserve branch since 1959, and an Army branch since 2006, is one of only three branches that
24
does not have a branch chief to serve as an advocate on its behalf (the other two being special
forces and psychological operations). U.S. Department of the Army, The Army Force
Modernization Proponent System, Army Regulation 5-22 (Washington, DC: Headquarters
Department of the Army, February 6, 2009).
38
The Civil Affairs Association, Civil Affairs Issue Papers, (Columbia, MD: The Civil Affairs
Association, November 2007), 3-1.
39
CA proponent shortcomings received the attention of the Army only after it was directed
to stand up a new AC CA Brigade to become part of the general purpose force (GPF). The
Army Staff examined the appropriateness of CA proponent placement as well as its resource
requirements to properly support the total force. Army G3/5/7 concerns about the Civil Affairs
(CA) proponent issues which could negatively impact projected CA growth led to Army
Campaign Plan (ACP) Decision Point (DP) 136 in June of 2009 to look at where the force
modernization responsibilities for the CA force should reside. Rather than attempting to move or
shift the proponent and potentially impact the force generation schedule through 2014, it was
decided instead to provide the USAJFKSWCS with the resources necessary to successfully
execute the required force generation and proponent functions. DP 136 was closed and the
Army staff opened DP 153 titled Enabling Civil Affairs in January 2010. DP 153 resulted in a
decision to implement a resourcing strategy for CA that included an increase in personnel for
proponent support and unfunded requirements budget estimates to resource the proponent
through FY 13. A request for a General Officer billet to serve as the Army CA Branch proponent
was not approved. The deficiencies in the Army Reserve functional specialties were not a
subject of either DP. There are still concerns at Department of the Army Secretariat level that
the current proponent situation has separated the active and reserve component CA force and
is therefore no longer tenable. U.S Department of the Army Assistant Secretary Manpower and
Reserve Affairs Thomas R. Lamont, “Subject: Military Government and Civil Affairs Force
Management and Branch Proponent, Washington, DC, June 1, 2011.
40
David J. Baratto, “From the Commandant,” Special Warfare 4, no. 1 (Winter 1991).
41
Douglas K. Meyer, Civil Affairs Functional Specialty Review, 11.
42
Brad Striegel, Civil Affairs Functional Specialty Review (Fort Bragg, NC: December 17,
2009) 17.
43
Douglas K. Meyer, Civil Affairs Functional Specialty Review, 1.
44
Brad Striegel, Civil Affairs Functional Specialty Review, 9.
45
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr. “Subject: Civil
Affairs (CA) DOTMLPF Change Recommendation,” Washington, DC, December 1, 2011.
46
Mark L. Kimmey, “Transforming Civil Affairs,” Army, March 2005: 17-25; William R. Florig,
“Theater Civil Affairs Soldiers A Force at Risk,” Joint Forces Quarterly, no. 43 (4th Quarter
2006): 60-63.
47
Jeremy Burque, “Civil Affairs Skill Identifiers,” briefing Slides, Fort Bragg, NC, U.S. Army
John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School DSOP, February 2010.
25
48
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics,
Report of the Defense Science Board on Institutionalizing Stability Operations Within DoD
(Washington, DC: Defense Science Board, September, 2005), 48.
49
In 1959, the Army redesigned the branch Civil Affairs dropping the military government.
The branch retained the skills and experience of CA officers that previously were required to
serve with their basic branches if mobilized. Stanley Sandler, Glad to See Them Come and
Sorry to See Them Go: A History of U.S. Army Tactical Civil Affairs/Military Government, 1775-
1991 (Fort Bragg, NC: U.S. Army Special Operations Command History and Archives Division,
n.d.), 337.
50
Previously, the AC equivalent to the USAR CA branch had been Functional Area 39.
Curtis Boyd, “CA and PSYOP: Major Changes in Personnel, Training Upcoming for Officers,
NCOs,” Special Warfare (July 2005): 20.
51
Boyd, “CA and PSYOP: Major Changes in Personnel, Training Upcoming for Officers,
NCOs,” 21.
52
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics,
Report of the Defense Science Board on Institutionalizing Stability Operations Within DoD
(Washington, DC: Defense Science Board, September, 2005), 48.
53
The Civil Affairs Association, Civil Affairs Issue Papers, (Columbia, MD: The Civil Affairs
Association, November 2007), 2-2.
54
Bingham, Rubini and Cleary, “U.S. Army Civil Affairs-The Army’s Ounce of Prevention,”
8.
55
In the Army reserve, time is perhaps the most precious resource of all. Recruitment of
Soldiers with specific civilian acquired skills competes with the myriad of other important
command responsibilities. Unlike all other accession programs, there are no institutional
resources devoted to the effort of recruiting Army Reserve CA Officers. Furthermore, Civil
Affairs is a non-accessions branch with no direct commission authority to bring in specialists
directly from civilian life. The candidates must already be a member of the Army Reserve in
another Army branch and be willing to transfer to Civil Affairs. Personnel policies further restrict
the pool of candidates by requiring that they be in the grade of First Lieutenant or Captain. In
the RC, recruiting is also limited by geography. Members of the RC are limited by policy to
membership in units within 50 miles of their home of record unless they are willing to travel
greater distances at their own expense. Functional specialty positions in the USAR are
concentrated at eight brigades, two of which are located outside of the continental U.S (Hawaii
and Germany), and four CA Commands further limiting the number possible locations where
members could serve in positions related to their civilian specialty.
56
Florig, “Theater Civil Affairs Soldiers A Force at Risk,” 61.
57
Mark L. Kimmey, “Transforming Civil Affairs,” Army, March 2005: 17-25; William R. Florig,
“Theater Civil Affairs Soldiers A Force at Risk,” Joint Forces Quarterly, no. 43 (4th Quarter
2006): 60-63; Richard Unda, Rethinking the Use of Specialized Civil Affairs, Strategy Research
Project (Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, November 5, 2009).
26
58
Robert M. Perito, “Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq,” United States Institute of
Peace Special Report, no. 185 (March 2007): 10.
59
U.S. Department of the Army, Army Medical Department Officer Development and
Career Management, Department of the Army Pamphlet 600-4 (Washington, DC: Department of
the Army, June 27, 2007), 1.
60
Todd Goehler, “G-35-SSO Internal Study Army Civil Affairs in Full Spectrum Operations,”
briefing slides with scripted commentary, Washington, DC, HQDA DAMO-SSO, February 21,
2008.
61
Thomas S. Szayna et al., Integrating Civilian Agencies in Stability Operations (Arlington,
VA: RAND Corporation, 2009), 66.
62
Ibid.,154.
63
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Stability Operations, Joint Publication 3-07 (Washington, DC:
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, September 29, 2011), C-1.
64
Todd Goehler, “G-35-SSO Internal Study Army Civil Affairs in Full Spectrum Operations,”
briefing slides with scripted commentary, Washington, DC, HQDA DAMO-SSO, February 21,
2008.
65
U.S Department of Defense, Report to Congress on Civil Affairs, 12.
66
Bingham, Rubini and Cleary, “U.S. Army Civil Affairs-The Army’s Ounce of Prevention,”
9.
67
Barrack Obama, Sustaining US Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense
(Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Defense, January 2012), 3.
27
28