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Persistent Engagement Civil Military Support Elements Operating in CENTCOM by Major Ross F

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Persistent Engagement Civil Military Support Elements Operating in CENTCOM by Major Ross F May-June 2010 | Volume 23 | Issue 3 Articles 6 Trauma Training Students in the Special Operations Combat Medic Course work in urban areas and hospitals to learn trauma management firsthand. 10 Preparing for Hybrid Threats Dealing with an adaptive adversary requires that Soldiers out-think the enemy. 14 Persistent Engagement: CMSEs Operating 6 in the CENTCOM AOR Civil-military support elements provide CENTCOM leaders with a unique resource. 24 Back to His Roots An Afghan general revisits the school where he took SF training nearly 40 years ago. 10 DEPARTMENTS 4 From the Commandant ON THE COVER 5 Update Civil Affairs Soldiers conduct decisive military-to-civilian 26 Career Notes engagements in the CENTCOM AOR. 27 Book Reviews U.S. Army photo Special Warfare Commander & Commandant Major General Thomas R. Csrnko Editor Jerry D. Steelman Associate Editor Janice Burton Graphics & Design Jennifer Martin Webmaster Eva Herrera 14 SUBMISSIONS Special Warfare is an authorized, official bimonthly Special Warfare welcomes sub- in a timely manner. Special Warfare publication of the United States Army John F. Kennedy missions of scholarly, independent reserves the right to edit all contribu- Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, N.C. Its research from members of the armed tions. Special Warfare will attempt to mission is to promote the professional development of special-operations forces by providing a forum for the forces, security policy-makers and afford authors an opportunity to review examination of established doctrine and new ideas. -shapers, defense analysts, aca- the final edited version; requests for Views expressed herein are those of the authors and do demic specialists and civilians from the changes must be received by the not necessarily reflect official Army position. This publica- United States and abroad. given deadline. tion does not supersede any information presented in Manuscripts should be 2,500 to Articles that require security clear- other official Army publications. 3,000 words in length. Include a cover ance should be cleared by the author’s Articles, photos, artwork and letters are invited and should be addressed to Editor, Special Warfare, letter. Submit a complete biography chain of command prior to submission. USAJFKSWCS, Fort Bragg, NC 28310. Telephone: DSN with author contact information (i.e., No payment or honorarium is autho- 239-5703, commercial (910) 432-5703, fax 432-6950 or complete mailing address, telephone, rized for publication of articles. Mate- send e-mail to [email protected]. Special Warfare reserves the right to edit all material. fax, e-mail address). rial appearing in Special Warfare is Manuscripts should be submitted in considered to be in the public domain Published works may be reprinted, except where copy- righted, provided credit is given to Special Warfare and plain text, double-spaced, and in a digi- and is not protected by copyright un- the authors. tal file. End notes should accompany less it is accompanied by the author’s Official distribution is limited to active and reserve works in lieu of embedded footnotes. copyright notice. Published works may special-operations units. Individuals desiring private sub- Please consult The Chicago Manual of be reprinted, except where copyright- scriptions should forward their requests to: Style, 15th Edition, for footnote style. ed, provided credit is given to Special Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Special Warfare is also Submit graphics, tables and charts Warfare and the authors. available on the Internet (http://www.soc.mil/swcs/swmag/). with source references in separate By order of the Secretary of the Army: files from the manuscript (no embed- Submit articles for consideration to: George W. Casey Jr. ded graphics). Special Warfare may Editor, Special Warfare; General, United States Army Chief of Staff accept high-resolution (300 dpi or Attn: AOJK-DTD-MP; USAJFKSWCS, greater) digital photos; be sure to Fort Bragg, NC 28310 Official: include a caption and photographer’s or e-mail them to [email protected]. credit. Prints and 35 mm transparen- For additional information: Joyce E. Morrow cies are also acceptable. Photos will Contact: Special Warfare Administrative Assistant to the be returned, if possible. Commercial: (910) 432-5703 Secretary of the Army All submissions will be reviewed DSN: 239-5703 1010203 Headquarters, Department of the Army While Army special-operations forces, or ARSOF, place great emphasis on the selection and training of warriors, it is important to remember the more humanitarian aspects of the ARSOF mission. All of our components have a role in that aspect of our mission. Civil Affairs Soldiers work not only to re-establish government services but also to assist other government and nongovernment agencies in providing humanitarian as- sistance in areas where war and natural disasters have left inhabitants and governments unable to provide for them- selves. Psychological Operations Soldiers use their abilities to deliver messages to the populace regarding public safety and the availability of shelter and supplies. Special Forces Soldiers also provide civic assistance as needed, and one of SF’s most important missions can be the provision of medi- cal and veterinary care by our SF medical NCOs. In this issue, Major Ross Lightsey writes about the role of Civil Affairs Soldiers in the civil military support elements op- erating in the United States Central Command. As a means of unifying the efforts of a number of military, government and volunteer organizations, the CMSE is a valu- able tool in providing security and support. In CMSE operations, Major Lightsey points out, what is impor- tant is not so much the project itself as the community involvement and popular support that it generates. Also in this issue, authors from the Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center describe the training in trauma management given to students in the Special Operations Combat Medic Course. Al- though they are training to be combat medics, our students hit the streets and hospitals of major urban areas, where they receive comprehensive training in a full range of situations, including labor and deliv- ery and management of patients from the ER to the ICU. In the remote areas in which they will operate, they may be the only medical professionals available for any type of treatment. During a recent visit to Fort Bragg, Lieutenant General Sher Mohammad Karimi, chief of operations for the Afghanistan National Army, revisited the Special Warfare Center and School, where he had com- pleted the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1973. After returning to Afghanistan, he lived through a military coup in Afghanistan in 1978, the Soviet invasion in 1979, 15 months of torture and imprison- ment, service with the mujahedeen, a flight to Pakistan to escape the Taliban and finally restoration to active military service. During his visit, we presented him with new certificates of training to replace the ones he had lost over nearly 40 turbulent years. In turn, he shared his insights on the need to counter insurgency by providing security and internal development, ideas perhaps shaped here during the SFQC and certainly tempered by 40 years of experience. “Fighting alone will not bring peace,” he said. “As one of our prov- erbs goes, ‘You cannot build communities by force.’ ” General Karimi’s comments remind us of an important lesson: That the Soldiers we train may have to free the oppressed not only from tyranny but also from poverty, famine and chaos. While we must train warriors, our Soldiers’ nonlethal operations are an important part of ARSOF and, in certain situations, may prove to be some of the most effective and lasting things that we do. Major General Thomas R. Csrnko 4 Special Warfare U P D A T E USAJFKSWCS offers master’s degree proGram Beginning Sept. 7, the JFK Special Warfare writing of a thesis, students will develop strate- collaboration with diverse partners. Center and School, in partnership with the gies for working with other agencies and with The SWCS/NDU master’s program will be National Defense University,or NDU, will offer a members of the international coalition. Through fast-paced and demanding. Students’ education fully accredited program for a master of arts in a combination of academic and practical learn- backgrounds will vary — some may have com- strategic security studies. ing, the program will prepare professionals to pleted their undergraduate degree recently, while The program will mirror the master of arts develop and implement national and interna- others may have completed it years ago. To bet- in strategic security studies, or MASSS, offered tional security strategies for conditions of peace, ter prepare all students for the academic rigors by NDU’s College of International Security crisis and war. of the program, the Education Management Affairs. The NDU program is designed for Students who complete the MASSS degree Division of the SWCS Directorate of Regional students from U.S. departments and agencies, should be able to meet the following learning Studies and Education is coordinating with the congressional staffs and military and civilian objectives: Army Center for Enhanced Performance-Fort representatives of the international community (1) Analyze the 21st-century geopolitical en- Bragg to develop an academic-success program who operate in the Washington, D.C., area. The vironment characterized by the rise of nonstate tailored to the needs of the students. SWCS/NDU program will be offered to NCOs armed groups and the uneven erosion of state Soldiers may still apply for this year’s in grades E7 and above, warrant officers and sovereignty; program, but they should apply as quickly as officers from all special-operations branches (2) Evaluate the roles of power and ideology, possible. Applications should be sent to the SWCS who have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally the rise of newly empowered and politicized Directorate of Force Management and should in- accredited institution.
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