Civil affairs teams participate in Mission Readiness Exercise

Photo By Sgt. Sara Graham | Marines of 3rd Civil Affairs Group, Forces Headquarters Group, Marine Forces Reserve, posed for a picture as they participated in the Army’s 97th Civil Affairs Battalion Mission Readiness Exercise, March 28, 2015. The exercise took place in the counties of Perquimans and Bertie, North Carolina, where the civil affairs groups helped increase proficiency in areas such as emergency management and disaster risk reduction. Along with helping the community, the Marines used the training to hone civil affairs skills that could be used during deployment, including serving as liaisons between military forces and civil authorities. (Photo courtesy of 3rd Civil Affairs Group, Force Headquarters Group, Marine Forces Reserve)  

NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

04.15.2015

Story by Cpl. Sara Graham 

Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES)

BERTIE, N.C. - Reserve Marines with 3rd Civil Affairs Group, Force Headquarters Group, Marine Forces Reserve, were invited by the Army’s 97th Civil Affairs Battalion to participate in a pre-deployment Mission Readiness Exercise for the second year in a row on March 28, 2015.

MRX is a culminating exercise that prepares civil affairs teams for deployment while providing benefits to American citizens. Two Marine civil affairs teams worked with six Army civil affairs teams, in the counties of Perquimans and Bertie, North Carolina. The teams worked for county managers while providing their civil affairs expertise in areas such as emergency management and disaster risk reduction.

“It is essentially a dress rehearsal for us,” said Sgt. Alexander O’Connor, a civil affairs noncommissioned officer with 3rd CAG. “The unique aspect of the exercises is that we work with the local government and address legitimate needs of the community.”

One of those needs included making the Perquimans special needs registry more efficient. O’Connor and his team helped improve the system by making sure it identifies locals who need support during an emergency.

“This helps emergency medical responders to know who in the community has special needs, in the case of a catastrophic event or weather related instances,” said Jonathan Nixon, the Perquimans County emergency services director. “The teams helped stimulate the
process, they were very resourceful and respectful and they were a great group to work with.”

The training helped the communities and allowed the Marines to work in different situations they could face during a deployment. The teams must be prepared to serve as liaisons between military forces and civil authorities, and use their skills to build relationships between the military and host nation governments.

“It’s important because it gives Marines and soldiers a realistic opportunity to practice skills like talking to key civil leadership and other leaders in the community,” said Capt. Ryan Munoz, Civil-Military Operations Center officer in charge with 3rd CAG. “It allows them to talk
to a real person and inject realistic scenarios.”

In conjunction with providing benefits to citizens and developing their skills, the Marines were given the opportunity to learn from the soldiers of 97th CAB who conduct this exercise before deployments to ensure they are qualified and prepared to go in-country.

“Over the past several years, we have developed a relationship with 97th CAB so that we can learn from their standard operating procedures, tactics, and techniques,” said Munoz. “We had two teams and our own Civil-Military Operations Center, so we were really running parallel operations with the Army instead of just having a team attached to their operation.”

MRX provided the opportunity for Marines to receive civil affairs skills training and work jointly with the Army while providing them with the tools to remain ready, relevant and responsive.

• Date Taken: 04.15.2015
• Date Posted: 04.15.2015 15:03
• Story ID: 160081
• Location: NORTH CAROLINA, US