August 29, 2024

Civil Affairs Foundations: Shaping ARSOF in Large Scale Combat at NTC Part 1 (Ep. 5)

22 minutes

This is the first part of a three-part conversation with CPT

Grant Cook discussing Special Operations Forces (SOF) Civil Affairs (CA) Teams and Civil Military Operations Centers (CMOC) conducting training in Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) across multi-domains at the National training Center (NTC) and across Combat Training Centers (CTCs).

CPT Grant Cook shares his experiences and observations on how best to approach a CTC rotation as a SOF CA professional. Through describing his personal experiences in both training and real-world operations; Grant illuminates how SOF CA is organized, how SOF CA functions operationally on its own and with Special Forces and Psychological Operations, and what SOF CA does for the Joint Force.

CPT Grant Cook recently finished his tour at the National

Training Center as the lead Observer Coach / Trainer (OC/T) for Special Operations Forces Civil Affairs. As the lead SOF CA OC/T Grant took part in 6 rotations at the National Training Center and Joint Readiness Training Center coaching and mentoring CA teams, CMOCs, and SF AOB leadership and staff from across US Army Special Operations Command.

About the Host:

CPT Weston Rich is a member of SOF Plans at the NTC and former member of Burro Team, the Special Operations Training Detachment OC/T Team at NTC. Prior to his time at NTC, Weston served as a Detachment Commander with 1st SFG (A) and as an Infantry Officer with 3-509th IN (ABN)/4/25 ID (now part of 2/11 ABN DIV). Following his time at NTC, Weston will attend Carnegie Mellon University with a follow-on assignment to Army Futures Command.

This episode covers:

- How SOF CA is Task Organized and roles: Civil Affairs

Teams, Civil Military Operations Centers, Company

- The COMREL formal and informal that SOF CA typically works

under operationally

- Overview of the Military Occupation Specialties on a

Civil Affairs Team

- CA is preventative medicine, doing your job throughout

competition, crisis, and conflict

- Value of CA participating in Combat Training Centers

Please like, subscribe, comment and share these episodes with ARSOF any conventional Soldiers and Leaders to spread the knowledge of ARSOF in LSCO.

To provide feedback please email the host, CPT Rich, at [email protected].