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Purpose and mission of Civil-Military Engagement
The recently published national defense strategic guidance states, "Whenever possible, we will develop innovative, low-cost, and small-footprint approaches to achieve our security objectives, relying on exercises, rotational presence, and advisory capabilities.1 Small, flexible and centripetal forces by nature, special- operation s Civil Affairs teams fit the bill for this strategy. CA elements plan and execute CA operations that range from integration into tactical missions with other special-operations forces to strategic deployment within a foreign country at the direction of a U.S. Ambassador. It is the latter scenario that will be the focus of this article.
U.S. Special Operations Command deploys civil-military support elements that are "SOF CA teams who plan, coordinate, facilitate, manage and lead programs and projects that support U.S. and host-nation objectives" under the Civil- Military Engagement Program.2 This program allows global combatant commanders to deploy, with the approval and endorsement of U.S. Ambassadors, small SOF CA teams to U.S. Embassies to conduct operations that are concurrently beneficial to U.S. defense, diplomacy and development objectives. The types of operations vary by region and country but FM 3-57, Civil Affairs Operations, offers a succinct summary:
Best described as nation assistance, CME operations identify and address critical civil vulnerabilities in un der govern ed and ungo ver ? ed areas or high- threat environments where indigenous authorities or the interagency (specifically the country team and especially U.S. Agency for International Development) cannot engage... CME as a concept is USSOCOMs contribution, and part of the Department of Defense's strategy, to building partner capacity in a preventive, population - centric and indirect approach to enhance the capability, capacity and legitimacy of partnered indigenous governments. The successful execution of CME identifies the causes or drivers of instability or popular grievances of the indigenous population that violent extremist organizations can exploit by destabilizing the civil component of the operational environment.3
A typical CMSE deployment would seem to be very routine and bland in its lack of notable controversies and standout achievements, especially if viewed from standard weekly reports that describe interagency coordination meetings, key leader engagements, site visits and opening ceremonies for humanitarian assistance construction projects. What these reports do not capture, however, are subtle and un quantifiable measures of effectiveness such as...