The U.S. Army Civil Affairs Branch is having a birthday today – Friday, August 17, 2018. It is 63 years old – having been established on August 17, 1955. The branch had its origins in World War II when the U.S. Army formed up units to do the Civil Affairs mission across Europe. The Civil Affairs / Military Government was formally established as a U.S. Army Reserve branch. It was redesignated as the Civil Affairs Branch in October 1959. In October 2016 Civil Affairs was established as a basic branch of the Army.
The history of Civil Affairs extends back far further than World War II. The roots can be traced back to the Revolutionary War ” . . . when elements of the Continental Army helped re-establish governance in areas formerly occupied by the British forces . . .” CA units help military commanders and staffs work with civil authorities and populations and to assist and support the civil administration of a unit’s area of operations.
The Civil Affairs force structure is found in the U.S. Army Reserve and active components. CA units have deployed continuously during the Global War of Terror (GWOT) since 2001. The Civil Affairs units support conventional and special operations forces during peacetime and conflict in all areas of the world.
References:
U.S. Army Civil Affairs Regiment, USASOC
www.soc.mil/SWCS/RegimentalHonors/CivilAffairs.htm
U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command
(Airborne) (USACAPOC)
www.usar.army.mil/USACAPOC/
USACAPOC Facebook
www.facebook.com/usacapoc/
Civil Affairs – Go Army!
https://goarmysof.com/civil-affairs/
Civil Affairs – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_affairs
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Image: From USACAPOC Facebook page.
