Seabees Play Vital Role in Success of Globally Deployed Maritime Civil Affairs Teams

Courtesy Photo | Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Taylor, an Africa Partnership Station East instructor, teaches a small boat maintenance course to Tanzanian maritime students in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, earlier this year.  

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09.09.2010

Courtesy Story

Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training Command

Each day across a broad spectrum of military operations, Seabees are deployed worldwide on missions to build global partnerships and foster peace and mutual security among partner nations. Whether helping a local community open a water well in the Horn of Africa, vaccinating children from disease in a remote village of Southeast Asia or assessing port damage in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, Seabees serving on Maritime Civil Affairs Teams and Security Force Assistance-Mobile Training Teams are making critical contributions in support of maritime security. More importantly, the actions of these highly skilled Seabee maritime civil affairs specialists are having a lasting impact on the lives of people in these regions.

OPERATIONS SNAPSHOT

The primary purpose of the MCAT is to conduct assessments of the civil environment and provide the supported commander with a common operating picture of the civil context in which he will conduct the mission. In a Global Fleet Station mission, such as Pacific Partnership, Continuing Promise or Africa Partnership Station, these assessments help inform the commander of what is needed or desired by the host nation. This may include medical treatment, infrastructure improvements or projects related to maritime security. By interfacing with non-Department of Defense agencies, regionally focused MCATs help enhance the effects of any one project while ensuring mutual objectives are met with partner nations.

THE BEGINNING

In 2006 the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard adopted “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower.” This new maritime strategy elevated the importance of working with international partners as the basis for global maritime security.

Although forces could be surged when necessary to respond to crises, the three sea services recognized that trust and cooperation could not. Therefore, relationships with nations would have to be built over time, based on mutual understanding and respect.

The new strategy raised the deterrence of war to a level equal to the conduct of war. As a result of the shift in strategic thinking, U.S. naval forces were tasked worldwide with missions to include building confidence and trust among nations through collective maritime security efforts.

Shortly after, the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command was established to support these objectives. The need for a maritime civil affairs presence, as an integral part of that effort, became increasingly evident. The Maritime Civil Affairs Group was created to focus on this mission. In October 2009, MCAG, Security Force Assistance and the Expeditionary Training Command were merged to create the Maritime Civil Affairs and Security Training Command.

MANY [HARD]HATS

The MCAST mans, trains, equips and deploys sailors to facilitate and enable a Navy component or joint task force commander to establish and enhance relations between military forces, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the civilian populace. Accomplished in a collaborative manner across the full spectrum of operations in the maritime environment, MCAST executes civilian-to-military operations and military-to-military training as directed, in support of security cooperation and security assistance requirements.

While other armed services have civil affairs components, the “reach-back” functional specialists at MCAST consist of subject matter experts with professional training and experience specifically tailored for the maritime environment.

This expertise includes port operations, harbor and channel maintenance construction, marine and fisheries resources, international law, and public health.

In addition, MCAST enhances its partner-nation capability by deploying fully qualified individuals and MCATs trained to support civilian-to-military operations. Wherever the Navy needs to engage and establish rapport with international partners, you will usually find an MCAT there to lead the effort. And wherever you find an MCAT, you will find a Seabee due to specialized combat and construction skills.

MCAT SCOPE

Each MCAT is comprised of five personnel: officer-in-charge corpsman, constructionman, coxswain and mass communications specialist. The commander and the team’s chief petty officer are selected from the surface warfare, aviation, Civil Engineer Corps and/or the public affairs community.

MCATs are deployed globally on a recurring basis to support a broad spectrum of missions that support the maritime strategy and the Navy’s core competencies of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and maritime security. These missions have included Haiti relief efforts, CJTF-HOA Operations, Africa Partnership Station, Continuing Promise, Southern Promise and Pacific Partnership.

In order to maximize its effectiveness, each deployed MCAT is regionally focused and trained with the necessary language, regional awareness and cultural sensitivities. The teams are responsible for streamlining and coordinating efforts of the U.S. Departments of Defense and State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The MCATs work closely with local government officials and NGOs, and help community leaders identify sustainable solutions that generate economic development.

READINESS

Seabees selected for duty with an MCAT typically undergo six weeks of rigorous training. The Maritime Civil Affairs Generalist Course consists of three, two-week phases: Basic Individual Training, Intermediate Individual Training and the Operational Planning Course. These courses, based on the U.S. Army Civil Affairs curriculum, but tailored to support the Maritime Environment and MCAs core competencies, are a necessary step to obtaining the Navy’s 90CA-Maritime Civil Affairs NEC and serving on an MCAT. A team of civil affairs experts with many years of experience at all levels of civil affairs, instructs all three phases emphasizing the needed skills that ensure an MCAT’s success in supporting an operational commander’s objectives. All three phases employ MCAT guest speakers to provide perspective between the lesson and the utilization of skills in current missions.

• Date Taken: 09.09.2010
• Date Posted: 09.09.2010 16:37
• Story ID: 55982
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)