To those who don't know the language, Spanish speakers seem to talk really fast, but for the civil affairs teams assigned to the 98th Civil Affairs Battalion, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., Spanish is the language they are accustomed to, and during a recent validation exercise in Puerto Rico, speaking the language was the way to open doors to a unique training environment.
"When reviewing validation exercises in the past, battalion leadership recognized the limitations of using U.S. locations in simulated key leader engagements and other activities," said Capt. J.C. White, mission readiness officer for the exercise and former civil affairs team leader. "Our concept of operations hasn't changed, but our quality of training needed a better setting."
Limitations and exercise expectations led the planners to think outside the locality box and Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, where Spanish is the dominant language, was the first choice for the battalion leadership.
"We cannot replicate this training in the United States," said Lt. Col. David A. Strauss, commander of the 98th Civil Affairs Bn. (A). When we do this same exercise in the United States, we use role players who speak Spanish, but the factors of culture, environment and language usage are not the same. [Here] In Puerto Rico, the civil affairs teams use their skills in real situations that are similar to the conditions they will experience when they deploy."
Validation exercises are the final assessment for civil affairs teams before deployment. The battalion is regionally assigned to Southern Command that covers Central and South American and Caribbean locations.
This validation exercise was a fast paced exercise that tested the skills of the teams as they conducted meetings with civil authorities, city mayors, representatives of government, law enforcement officials, hospital and care centers and social service directors.
"This was a test of their skills as civil affairs Soldiers. When they conduct their meetings they discuss vulnerabilities that a community or region may face," said Maj. Clayton D. Curtis, 98th Civil Affairs Bn. (A), S3 Operations Officer. "Identifying vulnerabilities is the key to the success of civil affairs teams when working with the populace in their deployed areas."
Ten teams took part in the exercise in Puerto Rico. The four-person civil affairs teams are comprised of a captain, the team leader, and three noncommissioned officers. Accompanying the teams during the exercise was an observer/controller who evaluated the team's actions and reported back to leadership how well each team handled the key leader engagements.
Coordinating the teams was the responsibility of the White Cell, a team of Soldiers whose actions duplicate that of the Theater Special Operations Command (TSOC). Their day-to-day activities provide leadership and guidance to the teams.
Several members in the battalion had recently graduated from the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare & School Center and this was their first opportunity to test their skills," said Curtis. "The school house graduates the Soldiers at about 70 percent qualified in knowledge and practical experience in civil affairs operations. Then it is up to us, in this type of training, to take those skills, knowledge and abilities up to higher standard."
For one of the newly assigned team leaders, who is fluent in Chinese, the language learning curve was dramatic. "I am learning Spanish on the run and with the assistance of my other team members I am looking forward to our deployment," she said.
"Puerto Rico is the ideal bridge between the language and cultural environment in the United States and that of the locations where our teams will deploy," said Strauss. "Our customer, United States Southern Command, deserves the best product we can give them. Our teams are ready for the deployment."
The 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) and regional focused battalions, organizes, trains, equips and deploys forces worldwide conducting civil affairs operations. The 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) is actively recruiting Soldiers from within the U.S. Army for active duty service in Civil Affairs. For more information about the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, go to Civil Affairs Recruiting at http://www.bragg.army.mil/sorb/CA.htm.
The SOUTHCOM Area of Responsibility (AOR) encompasses 32 nations (19 in Central and South America and 13 in the Caribbean), of which 31 are democracies, and 14 U.S. and European territories.
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