Civil Affairs Issue Papers Volume 1, 2014-2015 Civil Affairs Issue Papers | Page 62

CA Officer ASIs are notoriously understaffed, and limiting these opportunities to officers further restricts the overall effectiveness of teams ranging from Functional Specialty Cells to the lowest level CAT. These programs, left alone, will only continue this myopia by recognizing the concern only at the officer level, making the assumption that a unit is defined by the skills and qualifications of its officers and not by its members as a whole—another tenet that highly effective SOF elements would find disagreeable. This issue can be mitigated by combining our recommendations to consistently and regularly enhance the skill sets of CA soldiers (quality is better than quantity), and by cataloguing and reorganizing team structures based on existing civilian skill sets. In addition to allowing for enlisted ASIs beyond the currently required Battle Staff, the CA Proponent could easily identify or contract for training courses and certifications to further develop and recognize the capabilities of CA elements as a whole. These courses would align with CA functional areas, and be open to AC/ RC officers and enlisted members to mitigate the gap between skills offered and mission needs. These rank-immaterial ASIs would truly embrace the intent of Reserve Component CA to not just bring in individuals with civilian skill sets, but to also develop its own Soldiers, just as every other branch of the military does from the grade of E-1 onward. Additionally, these courses would allow Active Component CA troops the opportunity to expand their capabilities, further diminishing the gap between them and their RC counterparts. It is fully understood that new courses cost money and manpower, so measures must be undertaken to utilize distance-learning options, as well as tie these courses in with existing organic skills, 43