Photo By Ebony Gay | Staff Sgt. Joycelyn Kreil of the 448th Civil Affairs Battalion leans on the hood of a...... read more read more
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YAKIMA, Wash.— According to Field Manual 3-57, “The United States Army Civil Affairs forces are the Department of Defense’s primary force specifically trained and educated to shape foreign political-military environments by working through and with host nations, regional partners, and indigenous populations. These forces, and the operations they conduct, are the commander’s asset to purposefully engage nonmilitary organizations, institutions, and populations.
The mission of CA forces is to mitigate or defeat threats to civil society and conduct responsibilities normally performed by civil governments across the range of military operations by engaging and influencing the civil populace and authorities through the planning and conducting of CA operations, or to enable civil-military operations, to shape the civil environment and set the conditions for military operations.”
Although CA Soldiers have a challenging mission to fulfill, so do the support personnel that assist them. The Soldiers, who are often behind the scenes, are referred to as low-density Military Occupational Specialty personnel. It’s an MOS within an organization or unit that is required but applies to a small amount of Soldiers. These MOSs include personnel/administration, intelligence/security, operations, logistics, communications, paralegal and chaplain. Without these essential skill sets, the completion of various tasks and missions would not be possible.
The 448th Civil Affairs Battalion, a U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) Reserve unit based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, conducted its annual training here at the Yakima Training Center., July 11 to July 26, 2015. During the AT skills and knowledge of the units’ low-density MOS personnel were showcased.
For Maj. James Wherry, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 448th CA Bn., this was an opportunity for the units’ low density Soldiers to gain invaluable experience. “Since I’m the HHC commander, I really want my low-density Soldiers to be able to interact with the line companies as they would during a deployment. We’re really trying to simulate a deployment,” he said.
Wherry described how low-density personnel assisted with the execution of the training. “A lot of it has been in the planning. My supply section served for the past year coordinating barracks that we housed everyone in throughout our time in Yakima. Catering services were also prepped to ensure hot meals are available for breakfast and dinner. My personnel section is responsible for taking care of orders and paperwork which will be vital in completing the Defense Travel System process so my Soldiers can get paid and receive funding for travel as well.”
Various low-density Soldiers throughout the battalion gave descriptions of their role in the 448th AT. They explained what aspects of their duty position aided the completion of the field training.
“My expectation of the exercise was to create unit cohesion,” said Staff Sgt. Steven Jensen, a medical noncommissioned officer. “Getting younger Soldiers on the same page and passing on combat experience from more knowledgeable personnel that have deployment experience”.
With two deployments to Afghanistan, Jensen stated that his tours reflect the CA mission. He was a part of a counter-insurgency group designed to educate leaders in a national political movement downrange. He also conducted medical civic action programs.
“We’ve helped with getting boots on the ground and ensured accountability reports are sent to brigade within a certain timeframe,” said Sgt. Nikki Tunupopo, a personnel NCO. She believes that processing Soldiers’ work evaluations is a key area of improvement to better enable adequate training for her Soldiers. “It’s good for me to get this information so I can teach my Soldiers, so they’ll know how to carryout administrative actions,” she said.
Tunupopo also stated how administrative actions aided with overall unit operations since they are responsible for accountability, awards and other personnel actions. “I don’t think a battalion could function without an S1 shop.”
“For my job specifically,” said Spc. Joshua Jumelet, a chaplain’s assistant, “we really wanted to focus on religious analysis and basic Soldier skills. Being able to incorporate religious analysis into Civil-Military Operations Center training to enable data to be disseminated to Soldiers carrying out missions is key,” he added.
Jumlete explained the link between mental health, religious faith and how it applies to well-being and productivity, which can be a concern for a command team. “Our role involves hearing what the Soldiers have to say…being the ears for the sergeant major and the battalion commander. Being able visit other companies to get our name out there, speaking with all the Soldiers and see how everyone is doing is what we aim for,” he said.
“If it was not for the logistical aspect of the unit, nothing would be completed without the support of the motorpool section. Vehicles enable movement and operation of the unit personnel, said Staff Sgt. Harry Brown, a vehicle maintenance NCO. “When vehicles are down, we ensure the vehicles are operational to continue the mission.”
Brown described how his mentorship aided with the mission. “As the battalion motor sergeant, I stepped back and let my younger Soldiers brief the battalion commander. This will better prepare them for when they’ll brief Col. Michael Howard, brigade commander of the 364th Civil Affairs Brigade. I’m trying to aid my Soldiers with being comfortable briefing a group of personnel or staff,” he said.
Spc. Leif Boyd, a communications specialist said, “as a communications specialist, it’s my job to ensure that we can talk to our Soldiers when they’re outside the wire, out in the field or on training missions. It’s also my job to guarantee communications remain functional regardless of the condition,” he said.
“I’ve learned a lot more about internal systems of the Humvee and how they’re wired for various vehicles and multiple means of communication. We’ve come a long way from where we were 5-years-ago to where it’s a learning curve,” said Boyd.
Spc. Dexter Williams, a supply specialist, stated, “We’re the most important people in the Army, 92Y’s. When it comes to the basic necessities that a Soldier needs to complete a mission, I feel that the Quartermaster Corps is an extension of any mission,” he said.
“Seeing how the Army is not solely about combat…for CA Soldiers to go into various areas, resolve conflict and assess what resources are needed in an area gave a clearer understanding of the CA mission and what they do during a deployment,” he said.
Williams added, “When everyone is on the same accord and can keep the mission in mind a unit is be able to thrive.”
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.24.2015 16:48 |
| Story ID: | 174089 |
| Location: | YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 6,905 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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