Building Capacity

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class John Carkeet IV | Soldiers from the Army Reserve Engagement Team-Japan and 332nd Civil Affairs Brigade pose for a group photo with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) service members from the JGSDF Eastern Army's Civil Liaison/Cooperation Division at U.S. Army Japan headquarters in Camp Zama, Japan, Feb. 25, 2016. The group had conducted one of the first bilateral Civil Affairs seminars that focused on the development and implementation of Civil Military Operations Centers whose purpose is to collect information on the infrastructure and civilian population effected by a disaster or emergency. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John L. Carkeet IV, U.S. Army Japan)  

CAMP ZAMA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN

02.25.2016

Story by Sgt. John Carkeet IV 

U.S. Army Japan

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – For centuries, Mother Nature’s wrath has dealt Japan and the U.S. their fair share of calamities. From floods and earthquakes to typhoons and tidal waves, both countries have turned to their armed forces to relieve and sometimes revive communities devastated by disaster.

Although neither service are novices in conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) missions, only in the last decade have these Pacific partners established a separate military capacity focused primarily on the coordination of these complex, altruistic operations.

Most of the U.S. Army’s civil affairs assets reside in its reserve component. These small but robust units have deployed to dozens of countries to respond to local, regional and international emergencies. When the Army Reserve Engagement Team-Japan (ARET-J) and the 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade from Honolulu, Hawaii, offered to share their knowledge and experiences with their Japan Ground Self-Defense (JGSDF) counterparts, an entire regional army leapt at the opportunity.

“During my engagements with the Japanese, our partners in the JGSDF Eastern Army expressed great interest in learning more about the structure and capabilities of the [U.S.] Army’s civil affairs branch,” said Army Capt. Wyatt A. Hughes, civil affairs planner, ARET-J. “Their curiosity and enthusiasm led to the creation of one of the first official bilateral civil affairs seminars between the two armies that culminated in a detailed overview of the role of the Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC).”

Army Col. Luis Pomales, director, Army Reserve Engagement Team-Japan, and Army Lt. Col. Julia C. Hayden, headquarters element chief, 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade, welcomed their guests from the Eastern Army’s General Affairs Department to U.S. Army Japan headquarters in Camp Zama Feb. 25, 2016. Led by JGSDF Maj. Noriyoshi Matsuguma, a planning officer assigned to the Eastern Army’s Civil Liaison/Cooperation Division, the eager students helped Hughes and his team customize a curriculum that benefited both parties.

“Both the [U.S.] Army Reserve and [the JGSDF] sought to create a seminar that offered more than just learning the basic functions of our civil affairs activities,” said Matsuguma. “We instead developed an open dialog that concentrated on common challenges and potential opportunities to enhance our effectiveness in the field.”

The six-hour seminar covered a variety of topics that revolved around disaster response and civilian populace coordination.

“We primarily focused on how to stand up a Civil Military Operations Center [CMOC],” said Hughes, a native of North Augusta, South Carolina. “A CMOC collects information on the infrastructure and civilian population effected by the disaster or emergency … Rather than building CMOCs from scratch for every contingency, our discussion developed ideas on how both sides can construct a universal CMOC template that efficiently implements plans and allocates resources regardless of the type and scope of the disaster.”

Matsuguma and his team also absorbed a few lessons their U.S. Army Reserve partners learned through multiple overseas deployments to unstable regions.

“Although most JGSDF service members spend their entire careers in Japan, there may come a time when the [Eastern Army]’s civil affairs assets are called to support overseas HADR missions,” said Matsuguma. “Because of this, we turn to our U.S. Army partners for advice on how to work with foreign communities that lack the security, stability and infrastructure found in Japan … Specifically, we want to know how the U.S. Army Reserve collaborate with local leaders to establish trust and maintain peace in war-torn communities."

Despite vast differences in culture, history and geography, the JGSDF and U.S. Army also share common civil affairs challenges.

“We’re in a small field with a high turnover rate,” said Hughes. “It’s difficult to maintain consistency and manage projects and programs to their end state when Soldiers are reassigned to another country or unit every two to three years … Our limited manpower [in Japan] would greatly benefit if our FAOs [functional area officers] embedded with the JGSDF regional armies receive civil affairs training to supplement their advanced language skills and cultural knowledge … This would further expand capacity in areas where little current capacities exist.”

“Both the JGSDF and the U.S. Army have worked in areas too remote or congested to move displaced civilians out of the disaster area,” said Matsuguma. “Our training and preparation would greatly benefit if the JGSDF incorporated local [civilian] leaders and NGOs [non-government organizations] to help us reallocate resources and support those who remain in harm’s way.”

As Hughes, Matsuguma and their respective teams from the Eastern Army, ARET-J and the 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade brought this landmark seminar to a close, both sides look forward to expanding the program throughout the JGSDF.

“I foresee hosting similar seminars with every JGSDF regional army in the near future,” said Hughes. “This open dialog and information exchange may lead to the creation of fully staffed, expertly trained civil affairs teams [CAT] that can rapidly deploy to any country or contingency.”

• Date Taken: 02.25.2016
• Date Posted: 03.02.2016 05:08
• Story ID: 190793
• Location: CAMP ZAMA, KANAGAWA, JP