SAN ANTONIO, TX – In his keynote address at this year’s
Civil Affairs Symposium, TRADOC Deputy Commanding General of Futures LTG H.R. McMaster remarked that
the Civil Affairs (CA) community of practice “must help the
broader Army think, learn, analyze, and implement solutions to
the Army’s Warfighting Challenges that help the Army and the
Joint Force consolidate gains and achieve sustainable outcomes
in future conflict.”
Recognized in Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential
people in the world in 2014, LTG McMaster reminded the 100
plus symposium attendees that the nature of war is immutable,
is essentially a human endeavor, and spans the range of conflict.
Accordingly, he underscored some irrevocable truths: war is an
extension of politics; war is not confined to winning battles but
rather is the consolidation of operations leading to a sustainable
and lasting political outcome; war is a contest of wills and is
fundamentally as much psychologically taxing as it is physically demanding; and war involves uncertainty, thus requiring
adaptability, endurance, and a willingness to learn. Because of
the political, human, and uncertain dimensions of conflict, LTG
McMaster viewed CA as a critical component of the Joint Force
to address enduring challenges and expectations in conflicts.
He concluded by saying that “Civil Affairs does not need to
do everything, but it does need to be involved and able to help
everyone else do things better.”
Setting the tone for this year’s theme, LTG McMaster’s
thoughts invoked the need for a deeper understanding of Civil
Affairs’ broader role: engaging partners, shaping and influencing the environment, consolidating gains, and contributing to
conflict analysis—before, during, and after full-scale war. As
Civil Affairs Association President Colonel (ret.) Joe Kirlin
explained, "By developing a deeper understanding of the strategic context for their work, the Civil Affairs community can
provide comprehensive support to commanders at all levels by
striving to identify the sources, distribution, and use of political
and informal power in order to mitigate the drivers of conflict
and instability and not just the threats. This helps CA further
its longtime role as a major national strategic capability to win
wars and to prevent them.”
As the luncheon guest speaker, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs Anne Witkowsky, observed that CA “remains more capable and relevant than it was on 9/11, a key capability in comprehensive,
whole-of-government transition management.” Despite recent
Department of Defense force cuts in Civil Affairs units, particularly in the U.S. Navy, Witkowsky believes Civil Affairs remains
a necessary specialty, ideally suited for 21st century war and
peace.
Civil Affairs’ mission to “secure the victory” in consolidating
political as well as military objectives was forged from nearly
two centuries of engagement in military government, in which
it engaged with local leaders, as well as interagency, multinational, non-government, and civil society partners. Despite a
reduction in numbers from Iraq and Afghanistan, the demand
for CA has continued to rise. As Brigadier General Austin
Renforth (USMC), Commanding General, Training Command noted, Marine CA has nearly doubled in size, bucking the
DoD trend. A growing number of military leaders, among them
geographic combatant commanders who manage U.S. theater
security cooperation strategies, recognize the need for CA
engagement in the early planning phases to help frame political-military problems in terms of understanding the enemy and
the local environment.
At the annual dinner, Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI) Director Col. Daniel Pinnell received
the Association’s Colonel Ralph Temple Award for his contributions to Civil Affairs. A career artillery officer with extensive
time in both civil-military and military information operations,
Pinnell stressed that “peace and stability operations are a core
Civil Affairs competency.” Expressing the views of many at the
Symposium, he urged that Civil Affairs—among the least understood military capabilities—must do more to be an integral
part of all planning and operational activities. This requires
aggressive education and training of commanders and staffs on
CA missions and capabilities. Further, it requires a special effort
to overcome legal, budgetary, programmatic, and policy impediments to leverage the Reserve Component CA, whose background and talents are ideally suited to such missions under the
Army Engagement Concept. This includes the use of functional
specialists currently being revitalized by the Institute for Military Support to Governance at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
The symposium occasioned the recognition of the top five
Civil Affairs Issue papers of 2015-16. Selected from among two
dozen submissions, the audience awarded the following presentation:
• First Place: "Renewed Relevance: CA Develop Human Networks for Effective Engagement," by Maj. Arnel P. David.
• Second Place: "From Green to Blue: U.S. Army Civil Affairs
and International Police Engagement," by Capt. Rob Kobol, and
"Civil Engagement as a Tool for Conflict Prevention: A