Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Paris Capers | Captain Gary Lewis, fire chief for the Quantico Fire Department, explains the command...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – In a foreign land, Marines may serve as the tip of the spear during military operations, but once the fog of war lifts, there is another war that must be fought: the war to win hearts and minds.
The Marine Corps realized this and, rather than continue to send Marines through a 13-week Army Civil Affairs Course as it was accustomed to, Headquarters Marine Corps created a military occupational specialty directly responsible for maintaining and influencing relations between armed forces and their host nations. The Marine Corps Civil-Military Operations School was born in 2009 aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico and the first class graduated Nov. 6 of the same year.
Marines currently enrolled in the civil affairs course at MCCMOS visited the Quantico Fire Department on Aug. 2 as part of an infrastructure assessment, a course requirement for graduation.
“In the course, we analyze structures with the mindset of being on foreign soil,” said Sgt. Sean Hackney, a student at MCCMOS and a team chief for this exercise. “After interior and exterior observations, we discuss how we may be able to use them for humanitarian assistance during disaster relief, as well as how we’d use them during combat operations and military operations with or without an enemy.”
The fire house is an advantageous position based on its multiple structures spread over a small plot of land. Potential humanitarian assistance elements, such as a mobile shelter for food and water distribution, as well as observation and defense elements in the form of raised towers and a flood light system are just a few of the points students picked out during their assessment.
According to Hackney, efficient use of buildings and the space around them are some of the key lessons taught at the school.
“We elaborate on the different ideas in our groups to cover different points of view,” Hackney said. “The team effort is one of the best tools we have during assessments, because it lets us pool a lot of ideas quickly.”
While two teams evaluated the structure itself, others engaged local leaders to tap into available resources and dial in on potential grievances.
“Today, I approached the captain of the fire station for a key leader engagement interview,” said Sgt. Steven Echebarria, also a MCCMOS student and team chief. “We wanted to gather as much information as possible including his role, duties and points of contact for other key leaders.”
According to Echebarria, a civil affairs Marine may approach a tribal leader in a foreign land and the interaction with the key leader would determine the next course of action.
“We get access to their resources and structures and in return they get to air any grievances they may have,” Echebarria said. “We bring awareness to their issues to the higher ups and its mutual growth we share with locals.”
Though nothing can take the place of real world experience, Marines in the Civil-Military Operations School perform as if they were doing the real thing whether assessing structures, engaging with locals or winning the war for the hearts of the people.
Correspondent: paris.capers@usmc.mil
| Date Taken: | 08.02.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2013 17:00 |
| Story ID: | 111840 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 398 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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