Good article, sorry, have to copy and paste, no link sent to me:
Sea Power

September 2005

Hearts and Minds

Marine Civil Affairs Groups take on a larger role in Iraq as U.S. forces vie
with insurgents for loyalties of the local population

By SUE A. LACKEY, Associate Editor

FALLUJAH, Iraq - In a drab building surrounded by sandbags in the heart of
Fallujah, a room is filled with Iraqis filing claims for reparations. Marine
Corps interpreters are surrounded by groups of Iraqi men requesting
assistance, and rows of benches are filled with black-robed women and hushed
children.

A 10-year-old girl, missing four fingers and her face disfigured with burns,
waits patiently with her mother, hoping to get advanced medical care. Next
to her, a lovely young mother, her voice devoid of expression, describes how
her 8-month-old baby was killed in the bombing that injured her daughter and
her husband has not been right since the explosions destroyed their home.

Despite the constant threat of insurgent retaliation against them, these
Iraqi citizens have come to the Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC) in
Fallujah hoping that the 5th Marine Civil Affairs Group (CAG) will help them
rebuild their lives. In the heart of what was once the most notorious
insurgent stronghold in Iraq, CMOC has now become a model for joint efforts
aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the local population throughout the
country. Joining Marine CAGs in the effort are Army contractors and civil
affairs units, Air Force personnel and Navy Seabees.

Unlike the long-term peacekeeping roles usually associated with the Army,
the role of the CAGs is to provide an immediate base of aid and relief in
order to help stabilize the Marines' area of operations. Central to Marine
urban combat doctrine is the concept of the "three-block war:" direct combat
in block one, security and stabilization in block two, and civil affairs and
humanitarian aid in block three.

Former Marine Corps Commandant Charles C. Krulak defined the concept,
postulating that in addition to providing aid, the civil affairs groups
would ensure fighting units had their rear flank covered, and the local
population could be converted to supporters and intelligence assets of the
Marine Air-Ground Task Force. That force coordination is vital in urban
insurgencies, where the battlespace is fluid and enemies are often
indistinguishable from noncombatants.

"Detachment 4/4 was right there with them during the takedown of Fallujah,"
said Maj. Jeffrey Lipson of the 4th CAG. "There was combat two blocks away.
Three days into major fighting, our Marines were setting up civil
operations. The integration of force protection as well as the ability of
humanitarian assistance creates a win-win situation for the Marines. From a
military perspective, we have helicopters and resources a nongovernmental
organization might not have."

But as ground operations in Iraq stretch into a third year, the Marine Corps
has added two provisional CAGs into its normal rotation of four permanent
civil affairs groups.

The CAGs are composed entirely of reservists who are rigorously selected for
civilian expertise outside the normal skillsets of active duty Marines, such
as advanced engineering, linguistic and cultural ability, and legal and
governmental affairs. Far from being "weekend warriors," CAG Marines are
expected to be trained to Marine rifleman standards, and to play an integral
role in the planning and execution of combat operations.

In a combat zone, even providing basic aid is challenging - and dangerous.
Approximately 10 percent of 4th CAG Marines received the Purple Heart in the
battle for Fallujah, and the 5th CAG has already lost one officer since it
assumed the post in March. In the midst of combat, Civil Affairs Marines had
to assess damage and impose curfews, as well as provide immediate
humanitarian relief before long-term reconstruction could begin. Joined by
Army personnel, the job expanded in ways they had not foreseen.

"One of the major concerns of the international press was [the possibility]
that we had a major humanitarian crisis brewing, primarily because the Iraqi
Red Crescent Society starting publicizing reports [about lack of food and
medicine] before they had ever entered the city," said U.S. Army Maj. James
Orbock, 445th Civil Affairs Battalion commander.

"We also anticipated using local contractors for body removal of civilian
casualties, but the [insurgents] started booby-trapping bodies and the
civilians did not want to [do the job]. So we had to implement a remains
removal program. As the animals starting running out of pet food, they
started eating the bodies, and as we started removing the bodies, they
started looking at us as the source of their next meal. So then we had to
start [controlling] the dogs and cats."

CAGs have cleared rubble, rebuilt schools, paid property claims, helped
restore electricity and water utilities, and distributed school supplies and
soccer balls. And the efforts have paid off.

"The battle for Fallujah [Operation Al Fajr] changed a lot of things. It
really broke the back of the insurgency in Fallujah, and they never regained
the combat potential they had," Lipson said. "In August 2004, every time we
went out we got attacked, and they were raining mortars and rockets on the
base every day. By the time we left in March 2005, we were able to go out
among the people and rebuild schools, and the villagers were starting to
call us and tell us about insurgents."

Lt. Col. Bill Brown, then-director of the CMOC, agrees.

"The way to defeat an insurgency is getting the people to believe in what
you're doing. That's one of the reasons we're here," he said. "It's been a
part of Marine Corps planning for a very long time, and we're getting more
and more important to the Marine Expeditionary Force.

"The people of Fallujah have had enough of the insurgents, and the people of
this city are the ones who are going to defeat them in the long run. They
feel they can trust us now, and they feel safe with us. Hundreds of people
come here every day because they feel safe, and a lot of that is the work of
civil affairs Marines," he said.

Despite the notable successes in Fallujah, the expansion of CAG duties has
the Marine Corps hierarchy uneasy over assuming a role normally filled by
the Army. The Army engages in full-spectrum civil military operations that
also include pre-conflict operations. Army Civil Affairs has decades of
experience in large post-conflict reconstruction efforts that require
engineering, construction and governance teams.

The Marine Corps, by virtue of its structure as an expeditionary force,
limits its civil affairs to relief efforts that can be conducted during and
immediately after hostilities. As the war in Iraq lengthens, CAGs find their
missions blending into reconstruction efforts that normally are handled by
the much greater resources of the Army.

The Army civil affairs force contains more than 6,000 soldiers, 90 percent
of whom are reservists. The Marine Corps has less than 10 percent of that
number, and its forces are entirely reserve. Unlike the Corps, the Army
civil affairs force is attached to U.S. Special Operations Command, where
certain units can provide support to Army Special Forces, which specialize
in long-term missions with indigenous peoples.

The Secretary of Defense has indicated a desire to expand civil affairs
training throughout the Army, and some security and stabilization training
has been incorporated service-wide. The Marine Corps lacks the manpower to
sustain such a broad role.

Although the Marines' Small Wars Manual, compiled in 1940, is in part based
on similar missions during the Philippine insurgency a century ago, the
Corps remains leery of peacekeeping, with the memory of the 1983 Beirut
barracks bombing ever-present.

"There is a gap between what the traditional military does and what is
called 'nation building.' The reason the Corps is being called on to do this
is because there aren't any civilian entities that are currently capable,"
said Maj. Jason Johnston, spokesman for the commandant's office. "It's
really a testament to the training and education that the Marine Corps gives
its people that they are able to fill that function, but it's a leap to say
we should not be involved in civil military operations.

"The political-military infrastructure needs to take a look at how we
transition from traditional warfare to fourth phase nation building, and who
is best able to do it. The State Department is currently not in a position
to do it, so the military is placed in that position," he said.

Until Iraq is secure enough for civilian efforts, Marine CAGs struggle to
build some sort of governance and rule of law in Fallujah.

"It's a matter of sustainability," said Capt. Julianne Sohn of the 5th CAG.
"In an expeditionary role you have that one snapshot in time where you have
immediate impact [on peace and reconstruction]. But five years down the
line, it's the Iraqis who have to be able to maintain that."

The Marine Corps is currently studying its civil affairs capabilities, and
no decision has been made as to whether the Corps will retain its expanded
capabilities only for the present conflict, or incorporate them into the
force.

Good read.
It seems that the Corps has the answer to the CA question.
Let it stay with the Reserves.This way they do not use active duty assets as nation builders.CA would be a small part of the Marine mission
The Army has the personnel for CA,being a much larger force,so the Corps can remain as PRIMARILY a 911 force.
If you start getting involved in CA and other duties,it depletes the manpower from the Marines primary mission.
IMHO that would not be a good thing.

Yeah, well, they SAY it is only in the Reserve. However, I spoke with a few of these guys a few years ago (1999?). He told me they might as well be active duty. There were so few of them back then, and a huge workload, that these guys "floated" from assignment to assignment and managed to stay on active duty "full time". I can only imagine the workload now...
The guys I talked with did not seem to mind this, they were making out financially (both Sgts I spoke with did not have "permanent day jobs") and preferred the way things were working out for them. I don't know if that's applicable across the board for these CA guys.

Well,duck,what do you think?
It seems to this old civilian that the Marines sometimes want too big a slice of pie.
The Corps has limited resources,so do they branch out into fulltime CA or do they work piecemeal as they are doing now?
I understand that CA is an integral part of warfare,I just don't think the Marine Corps budget can justify fewer combat related jobs and more CA slots.
My.02

There are a few things you will never hear a Marine say:
"That can't be done."
"We need help from...."
"Money is no object..."
"Of course we'd prefer...fire support over our organic capabilities."

My guess is we'll keep trying to strap it together while it's in flight. Marines almost enjoy that.

Two bonus things you'll never hear:
"The politically correct thing to do is..."
"Michael Moore is da bomb!"

That's why you are the Gunny.
Hope things are going well for you.