Accession Number ADA560775
Title Army Civil Affairs Functional Specialists: On the Verge of Extinction.
Publication Date Mar 2012
Media Count 36p
Personal Author D. Edwards
Abstract World War II marked the beginning of the greatest use of Civil Affairs (CA) functional specialists in U.S. history. CA personnel utilized civil sector expertise to help rebuild governments in both the European and Pacific theaters. Since its establishment as a U.S. Army Reserve branch in 1955, CA has 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, public health, public safety, agriculture, and public 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 the supply. Since September 11, 2001, the CA force will have more than doubled from an authorized strength of approximately 5,631 to 11,718. Unfortunately, the growth in CA force structure has not been accompanied by a corresponding effort to increase the quality of the force. CA 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 CA functional experts. 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 a partner nations' government in the areas of rule of law, economic development, governance, public health and welfare, infrastructure, and public education. This paper explores the reasons for the capability gap and provides recommendations for a way ahead.
Keywords Army doctrine
Army personnel
Capability gaps
Civil affairs
Civilian response corps
Department of defense
Economic development
Economic stability
Education
Failed states
Force structure
Functional specialties
Governance
Government(Foreign)
Infrastructure
Military capabilities
Military occupational specialties
Military reserves
Personnel development
Policies
Public administration
Public education
Public health
Public safety
Public welfare
Qualifications
Rule of law
Skill identifiers
Skills
Sro(Stability and reconstruction operations)
Stability
Stability operations
United states army reserve
Weak states


 
Source Agency Non Paid ADAS
NTIS Subject Category 70D - Personnel Management, Labor Relations & Manpower Studies
88D - Personnel
92A - Job Training & Career Development
74G - Military Operations, Strategy, & Tactics
Corporate Author Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Inst., Carlisle Barracks, PA.
Document Type Technical report
Title Note Research paper.
NTIS Issue Number 1222
Contract Number N/A

Science and Technology Highlights

See a sampling of the latest scientific, technical and engineering information from NTIS in the NTIS Technical Reports Newsletter

Acrobat Reader Mobile    Acrobat Reader