Civil Affairs

From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.

Civil Affairs, known commonly as CA, is the official name for particular units which execute civil affairs operations.

Maj. Joseph Charles Sasso, civil affairs officer, 411th Civil Affairs Battalion, Danbury, Conn., assesses the reconstruction of sewage lines in Baghdad June 11, 2003.

According to the U.S. Army, "Civil Affairs units help 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 (CMO).

Civil Affairs 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 NGOs or distributing directly aid and supplies.

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.

Within the United States Army, Civil Affairs units are administered through United States Army Special Operations Command, of which United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command is subordinate. USACAPOC contains Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs units, consisting of both active duty and reserve elements.

Marine Corps Civil Affairs

There are currently three Civil Affairs units in the United States Marine Corps: 3rd Civil Affairs Group (CAG) and 4th CAG, and 5th CAG. Both 3rd and 4th CAG are in the Marine Corps Reserve (specifically, MARFORRES). 5th CAG was newly created for the March–September 2005 Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment.

External links

• USACAPOC Home Page (http://www.soc.mil/usacapoc/capoc_default.htm)
• Civil Affairs Association (http://www.civilaffairsassoc.org/)
• Unofficial Civil Affairs Page (http://my.athenet.net/~bestul/ca.html)
• US Army Field Manual 41-10 Civil Affairs Operations (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/41-10/)

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