It’s Official: New Brigade, Battalion Recognized during Ceremony

Story by Army Staff Sgt. Gregory Sanders
85^th Civil Affairs Brigade PAO

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Amid the furl and pop of Old Glory, the United States Army recognized the first civil affairs brigade assigned to U.S. Forces Command during a ceremony here Sept. 30 at III Corps Headquarters.

  The 85^th Civil Affairs Brigade, accompanied by the 81^st Civil Affairs Battalion, uncased their colors marking the beginning of a new era for the Army, FORSCOM and Fort Hood.

  “The civil affairs Soldier is a unique and highly valuable force multiplier to all commanders.” Lt. Gen. Donald M. Campbell, Jr., commander, Fort Hood and III Corps, said during an address.   “The establishment of a second active-duty civil affairs brigade is a testament to your value to our Army and our nation.”

  The brigade will be made up of five regionally aligned battalions throughout the country, each assigned to a major command. The 81^st Civil Affairs Battalion will be located here and serve U.S. Southern Command.

    An official assigned to the 95^th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) said the addition of the new brigade increases the overall operational capability and global coverage for the civil affairs community.  Having more units improves upon the Army’s ability to legitimize and support local national government entities while deployed.

   The wide ranging skills of civil affairs teams are highly sought after within deployed environments and are often viewed as a precision type tool.

“The government, economics and commerce, public facilities, special functions and linguistic teams within your units all provide critical capabilities that not only allow our combat forces to conduct full spectrum operations, but are instrumental in building the foundations of Iraq and Afghanistan to be self sufficient,” Campbell said.

  The mission of civil affairs Soldiers is one requiring a varied skill set.  They are asked to engage local government leaders to facilitate their needs while supporting the requirements of commanders and allowing strategic maneuverability.

  Newly assigned soldiers within the civil affairs community undergo extensive training.  According to the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion Web site, civil affairs training can take nearly one year for some Soldiers when including airborne and language schools. 

  With units to activate at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; Fort Stewart, Ga.; and Fort Bragg, N.C. 85^th Civil Affairs Brigade expects to complete the growth process by 2013.