A re-unification, under any proposed structure,
would not only support continuity within the branch,
but also place CA in a position to more effectively
support its aligned GCCs in joint and interagency missions. This reorganization would benefit training and
force generation, as well as CIM data sharing, through
more streamlined chain of command and focus areas.
As outgoing USACAPOC Commander Major General
Jeffrey Jacobs noted in his retirement speech in June
2014, “unless and until we can fix that disconnect, we,
USACAPOC, cannot provide the best possible Civil
Affairs support to the United States Army and the
Army will not truly interest itself in CA and Civil Affairs will not achieve full equality as a branch of the
Army.”3 While completely true, it is also telling that
this message from the Army’s senior CA officer only
applied to his outgoing command within the Reserve,
and not Army Civil Affairs as a whole.
Reacting to Austerity
The current drawdown of all components of the
armed forces (Active, Reserve, and Guard) dismisses
fears of a shrinking capability by assuming that the
operational nature of the Guard and Reserve forces
will continue into the future. This is at odds with the
prior, strategic use of those forces, which historically
expected to rely upon them for massive mobilizations
of national interest. The continuing era of low-intensity conflict throughout the world has the potential to
quickly degrade and distract the Active forces from
their traditional missions without regular assistance
from the Guard and Reserve forces. This is particularly true for CA forces. While Reserve CA provides
ongoing support of the continuing joint mission in the
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