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NECC Establishes First Civil Affairs Squadron

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS071130-16
Release Date: 11/30/2007 4:04:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jen Smith, NECC Public Affairs

YORKTOWN NAVAL WEAPONS STATION, Va (NNS) -- Navy Expeditionary Combat Command formally established Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron 2 (MCAS 2) during a ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown Nov. 30.

MCAS 2 missions include engaging with civil authorities and civilian populations to enhance the effectiveness of ongoing military operations.

"Essentially, what we do, at the request of the host government, is go into underdeveloped and under-governed regions and work with other agencies to assess the local civil infrastructure," said Capt. Ken Schwingshakl, commander, Maritime Civil Affairs Group (MCAG). "We try and see what's not working and offer our expertise and assistance to coordinate improvements to their infrastructure."

Civil affairs operations include humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, evacuation, and providing assistance to restore local infrastructures following military operation or natural disasters.

"We are showing our commitment to help other countries get on their feet in order to create a global alliance," said Rear Adm. Don Bullard, commander, NECC. "We want to help them establish better living conditions in order to fend off terrorist footholds."

Because MCAS 2 is the first civil affairs squadron to be formally stood up in the Navy, they are currently operating throughout the world. When MCAS 1, headquartered at Imperial Beach, Calif., is established in fall 2008, MCAS 2's area of operations will be North and South America, Europe and Africa.

"Civil affairs to me is about displaying a deep respect for foreign cultures," said Cmdr. Jeffery Whitaker, commanding officer, MCAS 2, "and engaging the civilian populations to help them gain ownership of their government and countries."

Once the squadron is fully manned, it will consist of 16 five-man teams. Eight of the 16 teams will be reserve personnel stationed out of Yorktown, Va., Ft. Dix, N.J., and Miami. Each team will include a coxswain, communications specialist, hospital corpsman, Seabee and a command element that will provide direction and leadership to the team.

Since the Navy was established more than 200 years ago, it has been conducting civil-military operations through port calls and community relations, said Bullard.

"So this is nothing new for us. But what is new is the Navy is now showing a dedicated effort by using specially trained Sailors to provide their expertise in the maritime environment," continued Bullard.

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) is a global force provider of adaptive force packages of expeditionary capabilities to joint warfighting commanders. NECC serves as a single manning functional command to centrally manage the current and future readiness, resources, manning, training and equipping of the Navy Expeditionary Force.