United States Army Civil Affairs And Psychological Operations Command Article Index for
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United States Army Civil Affairs And Psychological Operations Command




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During war time, the primary mission of Civil Affairs is to minimize civilian interference in military operations. Civil Affairs soldiers are responsible for identifying non-governmental and international organizations operating in the battlespace, handling refugees, civilians on the battlefield, and determining protected targets such as schools, churches/temples/mosques, hospitals, etc.

Civil Affairs is the commander’s sole link between the US Army and host nation authorities. The soldiers provide general support functional specialty teams which interface and provide expertise to the host nation government. The CAPOC soldiers are particularly suited for this mission since they are operations during raids and military operations, warning civilians of imminent danger.

These special operations soldiers were primarily responsible for keeping the Iraqi and Afghan public informed about their elections, providing directions to polling places via print and broadcast. ' PSYOP ' is only used in the host nation country. It is not to be confused with Public Affairs, directed at the American Public, and is not a part of CAPOC.

Some proponents of CAPOC point to its success in humanitarian aid operations, and also in its ability to spread information to civilians. Its special operators are some of the most highly trained soldiers in the U.S. Army, and are responsible for many good news stories each day.
USACAPOC (Airborne) is one of four major subordinate commands comprising the U.S. Army Special Operations Command .


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