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MCAG Displays Capabilities at NAVEXFOR 2009

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090314-06
Release Date: 3/14/2009 8:27:00 AM

By Mass Communication Speciliast 2nd Class (SCW) Paul D. Williams

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- Maritime Civil Affairs Group (MCAG) participated in the Naval Expeditionary Forces (NAVEXFOR) Symposium and Expo at the Virginia Beach Convention Center March 10-12, as one of the three commands representing Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) forces.

The symposium is designed to provide a forum for NECC forces and top defense contractors to share information and technology advancements that will support forces engaged in maritime operations around the globe.

For the NAVEXFOR, MCAG constructed a Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC) to demonstrate the central command where MCAG units meet during a crisis or instability, and coordinate a responsive action.

"There has been a wide variety of people who have come in here and been amazed at the capabilities we deliver," said Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate (EXW/SW) Christopher Jackson, assigned to Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron 2.

MCAG's mission within NECC is to assess, plan and execute civil affairs operations in the maritime environment. These operations include humanitarian assistance and disaster relief; non-combatant evacuation operations; refugee operations; assistance with restoration of local infrastructure in the aftermath of military operations and natural/man-made disasters; and regional engagement activities.

The CMOC featured new software that, according to Lt. Rayburn Massiah, will make it easier for MCAG members to input information about a new location while deployed. This allows the information to be kept in a centralized database and can be viewed by partner services.

"We can take all this information that we collect out in the field and put it into a display from which the commander can see and then base his or her decisions," said Massiah. These decisions, he explained, determine which type of undertaking would be most beneficial to the site, like building a school or repairing a road.

Although the NAVEXFOR symposium provided a platform for the participants to learn about new technologies, it also provided a means for contractors to learn how to better understand the capabilities of NECC forces.

"We have had people come in here that actually want to work with MCAG now because they did not understand what our capabilities were before," said Jackson. "I would say our presence here at the NAVEXFOR has been very
successful."

For more news from Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/necc/.