Win Friends, Kill Enemies: An Unyielding Call for Warrior-Diplomats in Modern Warfare | Small...

"The point here is that CMO is not a function of post-combat operations anymore. To be truly effective in today’s war the combatant commander must take into account the vast number of civilians that often occupy his area of operations. Mission first…the skillful application of maneuver, mass and firepower are the foremost consideration in combat. But they are not the only consideration. Maneuver, mass and firepower will always be impeded by the presence of civilians and the issues those civilians bring to the battlefield. For that reason the U.S. military has an entire set of planning considerations known as “non-lethal effects”, one of which is CMO. There is no ideal profile of a Civil Affairs soldier but the fact is that to conduct CMO effectively there has to be an equal balance of soldier and aid worker. CMO is a multi-faceted job in which the CA soldier builds a somewhat schizophrenic resume. One minute you are shooter and the next minute a diplomat. On any given day a Civil Affairs soldier is also a construction contractor, a governmental aide, a trainer, a bearer of humanitarian assistance, a safeguard of innocent civilians, a pay agent, and a mediator. The individual CA soldier has to be someone who is skilled and imbued with what the US Army has dubbed the “warrior ethos”. At the same time that CA soldier has to be able to recognize the time and place to change his tone and become “approachable”. There is obviously a fine line there and that fine line is walked every single day by those who are tasked with Civil Military Operations. CA soldiers, in the military lexicon, serve as “force multipliers” meaning that they enhance the military effort by creating an effect bigger than themselves. So to effectively shape the maneuver commander’s battlespace, at any level, requires consideration of the civilians in the area of operations. This requires: 1. an ability to competently and confidently navigate the battlespace; 2. A SOF warrior who will maintain a proficient level of combat efficiency and; 3. The ability to meaningfully develop real relationships with civilians that have a mutuality of interest and a bond of trust. If the SOF soldier can accomplish these three then CMO will be a force multiplier. "