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The sun is beating down on soldiers in the unforgiving heat of
the Mojave Desert. A crowd of angry civilians are crowding around
the entrance to the U.S. Embassy in the fictional city of Razish,
Erdabil Province, Atropia. The situation has the feel of a powder
keg with a short fuse that could blow at any time.
Luckily,
members of the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team’s (ABCT)
Multi-Functional Team (MFT) have the situation under control as they
evacuate American citizens from the war-torn “country” of Atropia.
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June 2, 2017 - Civil Affairs and PSYOP teams partner with the Mississippi National Guard's 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team during NTC rotation 17-07 in Ft. Irwin. The teams formed a multi-functional team (MFT) that included the Public Affairs Office and the Unit Ministry Teams to meet the needs of citizens they may encounter during the training scenario. (U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. William Hill II)
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The 155th and other enabling units participated in a
National Training Center (NTC) combat training exercise at
Fort Irwin, California. An NTC rotation replicates the
tough, realistic operational environment that America's war
fighters face in combat; the training is relevant and
quickly adaptable to emerging threats and technologies in
the current operational environments and for tomorrow's
challenges.
The MFT consists of the Brigade’s
“non-lethal” elements: Company C, 478th Civil Affairs (CA)
Battalion (Airborne); Detachment 1410, 301st Psychological
Operations (PSYOP) Company (Airborne); 155th ABCT Unit
Ministry Teams (UMT) and Public Affairs Office (PAO). Each
team has a distinct but valuable role in providing aid and
support to the populace after major fighting has moved on
from the city.
“I think CA and PSYOP forces are very
complementary and yet don’t work together as often as they
need to,” said Maj. Matt Morgan, Brigade Civil Affairs
officer and MFT leader. “The UMTs can complement both with
their perspective looking at religious leaders and yet they
are never integrated into our training. It’s something we
need to continue developing for the future.”
This
training exercise, conducted at the NTC, is designed to give
the most realistic training these units will experience
before a potential deployment.
CA teams identify
critical requirements needed by local citizens or crisis
situations. They are primarily responsible for researching,
coordinating, conducting and participating in the planning
and production of civil affairs related documents, while
carrying out the civil-military operations of the commander.
PSYOP uses planned operations to convey selected
information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence
their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately
the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups,
and individuals. The purpose of psychological operations is
to induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior
favorable to the U.S mission.
A Unit Ministry Team
consists of a chaplain and assistant. Their main task is to
provide spiritual support to soldiers in the unit but they
are also able to fulfill that role with civilians they may
interact with. The chaplains provide a connection to the
spiritual leader in the town or village. This brings an
invaluable dynamic, especially in areas where religion is
dominant in the culture, such as Muslim nations.
“It
was a wonderful opportunity being integrated into the MFT.
The CA and PSYOP were very professional and utilized us
right from the start,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Sean McMackin,
155th ABCT brigade chaplain. “It was neat to see us all
function at a high level during our first experience working
with these groups.”
The Public Affairs Office is
responsible for developing a working relationship with
reporters and other media representatives, maintaining a
robust community relations program, keeping contact with
other government agencies, and keeping internal and external
publics informed on issues that may affect them.
These entities played an important role in each mission
during the 155th ABCT’s NTC rotation. One such mission was a
non-combatant evacuation or “NEO.” This involved receiving,
processing, and evacuating American citizens from the
American Embassy in the fictional city of Razish. The CA
team facilitated the different stations that would vet each
individual to insure positive identification and proper
paperwork as well as provide basic medical care.
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June 4, 2017 - Civil Affairs and PSYOP teams partner with the
Mississippi National Guard's 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team
during NTC rotation 17-07 in Ft. Irwin. The teams formed a
multi-functional team (MFT) that included the Public Affairs Office
and the Unit Ministry Teams to meet the needs of citizens they may
encounter during the training scenario. (U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. William Hill II)
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PSYOP used their loudspeaker system to announce
throughout the city that any Americans wishing to leave
should make their way to the embassy. They also provided
security at the site among other essential tasks. The UMT
provided spiritual support to those who may be in need due
to the traumatic nature of the situation while the PAO
engaged the media that were present with interviews of
subject matter experts and a walk-through of the facility
for a first-hand account of the operation.
The
diversity and adaptability of the MFTs was on display at
each mission. One such example was when embedded media
interviewed a PSYOP soldier changing the bandage on a
civilian while the chaplain held the man’s hand and prayed
for him. That short clip alone, seen by seemingly thousands
of people all over Atropia and the world, has an immeasurable maximum effective
range compared to any other weapon in the U.S. arsenal. The positive
effect of these operations is not just the support of the
international community, but more importantly the support of the
host nation to help quell the insurgency that had been a major
problem throughout the province.
Just one day after the NEO
took place the MFT conducted an internally displaced persons (IDP)
mission where they facilitated the evacuation of local citizens to a
safer area in the region using a nearly identical model to the NEO.
It was only a few days later the city of Razish was able to
experience a transfer of authority (TOA) where the 155th gave
control of the city back over to the host nation government.
The value each of these elements brought to the brigade is
immeasurable. Each group has a number of skills and resources to
perform their respective jobs and their experience at NTC was an
opportunity to bring those skills together for the greater good.
Time will tell whether this partnership will become a force
multiplier or just a short-lived training experiment.
By U.S. Army 2nd Lt. William Hill II
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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