KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Afghan Government needs to quickly respond to a disaster or risk increasing Taliban influence in the region. Extensive springtime flooding destroyed homes, damaged roads, and flooded fields. Your mission is to coordinate Humanitarian Assistance to ease suffering in the affected area.
This was the situation developed by Detachment 57 of the 352nd Civil Affairs Command and tackled by Afghan National Army officers during a recent Civil-Military Cooperation exercise in Kabul. When Detachment 57 arrived in Kabul, they met with the ISAF Joint Command Stability Operations section and were tasked with developing a practical exercise for a CIMIC course being conducted at the ANA Ground Forces Command. In three days, Detachment 57 produced a Civil-Military Operations driven, scenario-based capstone exercise for the ANA's CIMIC training.
The week-long CIMIC seminar, conducted by the IJC Stability Operations, formalized how the ANA developed civil-military support plans. During the exercise crafted by Detachment 57, senior Afghan officers reacted to the natural disaster by using standard mission planning tools. They developed military plans that incorporated civil affairs, civil-military operations, information operations, public affairs, and humanitarian assistance. Response plans prepared by the Afghan officers were then to be given to ANA brigade-sized units for implementation at the tactical level in support of their overall "clear, build, hold" model.
"It was a very successful mission in which everyone involved, ANA, IJC, German CA, civilian CAAT teams and Active Duty CA were all extremely happy and impressed with the product," said Master Sgt. Joshua Bacon, Detachment 57.
CIMIC participants at the GFC also included representatives from various U.S. Civil Affairs assets in theater such as IJC Stability Ops, the 83rd and 92nd Civil Affairs Battalions, Maritime Civil Affairs Group and Department of Defense Civilian Commander ISAF Advisory and Assistance Team members, as well as CIMIC trainers from Germany and the UK.
"This definitely was a good step forward with training the ANA on CIMIC," said Detachment 57 Team Chief Lt. Col. Jeremy Crist. He added that the ANA officers impressed everyone with their efforts and final products.
This first CIMIC training is only the beginning according to Crist. From here, the ANA leaders take their lessons learned and begin training their counterparts throughout the ANA. Several Regional Commands with assistance from the 83rd CA BN and Coalition partners, have already started their own CIMIC training. Detachment 57 continues its mission by assisting the 83rd CA BN with the on-going CIMIC mentorship.
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