Photo By Lt. Col. Brett Walker | Military officers from NATO countries visited civil affairs soldiers of the U.S....... read more read more
Ft. Wadsworth, NY – Military officers from NATO countries visited civil affairs soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 353rd Civil Affairs Command in June and July to enhance allied readiness in an unstable world. The training focused on familiarizing U.S. civil affairs soldiers with NATO Civil-Military Cooperation, which is abbreviated as CIMIC.
American civil affairs soldiers and NATO CIMIC soldiers are entrusted with similar missions, but their circumstances differ, prompting distinct tactics. The shared mission is to manage the civilian components of military operations. This includes such tasks as administering governments in failed states, assisting friendly governments with infrastructure development, providing health care services in mass casualty scenarios, and handling refugee crises.
“Polish CIMIC soldiers are trained according to NATO doctrines, but every country adapts its doctrines for their own situation,” said Polish Army Lt. Col. Michot Jankiewicz. “Especially because NATO CIMIC doctrine is expeditionary and many NATO countries are now preparing for domestic CIMIC operations.”
NATO was established in 1949 to advance stability in Europe by both diplomatic and military means. Recent Russian aggression in Ukraine has elevated security concerns in Europe and reminded the world of the importance of the NATO mission.
“CIMIC is getting more and more important,” said Jankiewicz. “It is becoming critical.”
The 353rd CACOM is assigned to support U.S. allies and interests in Europe. Given the threat of Russian activity in Europe, the 353rd CACOM civil affairs soldiers must be ready to deploy to NATO countries and integrate with their respective CIMIC soldiers.
1st Sgt. DuBois, one of the participants, said the training, “provided real world knowledge of our expectations as Civil Affairs to integrate with our CIMIC partners in Europe."
German and Polish Army officers lead the training with supported From Air Force and Navy officers from other NATO countries, including Denmark and Holland. The German officers, Capt. Oliver Dyka and Capt. Dominik Degener, instructed their U.S. allies at Fort Wadsworth, New York. The Polish officers, Col. Adam Włoczewski and Lt. Col. Michot Jankiewicz, instructed the Americans at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Newport, Rhode Island.
The training at Fort Wadsworth lasted four days in June. The CIMIC German officers who served as lead instructors covered the articles of the NATO Treaty, CIMIC formations in Europe, and the focuses of contemporary CIMIC operations. Participants spent the final day engaged in an all-day tabletop wargame simulating the conditions CIMIC and civil affairs soldiers would encounter if conflict expanded in Europe. They were then evaluated on the regional effects of their proposed civil-military actions.
“The training was effective as an exchange of learning between civil affairs professionals and it emphasized the importance of effective communication, understanding the mission, and knowing the country area of operations when engaging in real-world scenarios with our allied forces to achieve NATO unified civil affairs goals,” said Sgt. 1st Class Cassandra Thompson.
The following month, in July, Polish CIMIC officers instructed their American civil affairs counterparts on the history of Poland, its current military composition, how the culture of Poland affects military operations, and keys for American-Polish military integration. They focused that training on the soldiers of C Company, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, because that unit will be deploying to five countries across Europe, including Poland, later this year.
During the deployment, the American civil affairs soldiers will assist CIMIC personnel in their host nation. Civil-military operations in Poland have increased significantly in the past two years. Of particular note, Polish CIMIC soldiers managed the arrival of approximately five million refugees from Ukraine. When the soldiers of the 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, or any other unit in the 353rd Civil Affairs Command, arrive in Europe this Fall, they will need to integrate with their hosts and then share in those same CIMIC missions.
“There is not much difference between American civil affairs and Polish CIMIC,” said Col. Wloczewski. “We are from Europe. The U.S. has a different perspective, but we have a common experience from Afghanistan and Iraq. We have the same focus.”
Col. Włoczewski has worked alongside the U.S. military in both Afghanistan and Iraq. In total, he has completed 14 deployments to locations around the world. He began his career as an infantry officer, but has been specializing in CIMIC since the year 2000. Based on his experience working with the American military, he encouraged C Company, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion to prioritize continuity amidst transitions of one civil affairs unit for another.
"Col. Włoczewski and Lt. Col. Jankiewicz provided great insight on current CIMIC functions of the Polish Army and its relationship with NATO and our allied partners,” said 1st Sgt. Barry DuBois. “Our soldiers were able to develop an understanding of current CIMIC operations in Europe and how those operations are relevant with our civil affairs core tasks.”
Although he will circulate the area of operations to check on his soldiers, DuBois will be assigned to Poland. The same is true of the commander for C Company – Capt. Kreig Martinek.
“The training we received from Col. Włoczewski and Lt. Col. Jankiewicz is important to the mission and operations for our upcoming mobilization as it provides an understanding of the capabilities, structure, and approach of Polish CIMIC and non-kinetic forces our soldiers will be working alongside,” said Martinek. “Also, this training provided us with a foundational understanding of the way Civil-Military Cooperation is practiced by our European Partner Forces.
The 353rd CACOM is a civil affairs unit assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command. It is principally comprised of senior soldiers and officers with particular expertise in a broad range of skills in civil-military matters used for furthering global stability. For more information, visit https://www.usar.army.mil/USACAPOC/353rdCACOM/.
Story by U.S. Army Lt. Col. Brett Walker, Public Affairs Officer for 353rd Civil Affairs Command.
| Date Taken: | 07.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.28.2024 11:13 |
| Story ID: | 476943 |
| Location: | FORT WADSWORTH, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NATO Civil Affairs Officers Hosted by 353rd Civil Affairs Command, by LTC Brett Walker, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
