Marines are known to go into foreign lands and win battles. They have earned the reputation of being fierce fighters and the toughest branch among the American armed services. While these accolades are more than warranted, Marines also strive to create relations and understanding with the local populations in areas they serve. This is a job designated for a unique unit of Marines known as civil affairs.
Often times, different cultures struggle to understand each other, leading to more conflict at the fault of innocent misinterpretations. Through the efforts of Marines like Capt. Christine Batten, the team leader for the Civil Affairs Detachment, Regimental Combat Team 8, the regiment’s upcoming mission stands a better chance of working with the local population, rather than against them.
On Nov. 30, Batten executed training operations along with other RCT-8 assets in the Mobile Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MMOUT) facility on the base. Her mission was to navigate through the dust and potential threats to introduce herself and fellow Marines to a simulated Afghan population that was designed to replicate the area RCT-8 will be operating in during their upcoming deployment.
Dust swept through the air, seemingly alive with the almost eerie music that was playing off in the distance. The streets were flocked with cloaked women and grisly Afghan role players in various assortments of peculiar hats. The Marines began their initial patrol, and engaged the role players with a curious caution.
“We gained atmospherics of the village and conducted a tactical survey to assess the needs of the village and how they can best be addressed,” said Batten. “We also conducted a key leader engagement with some of the local leadership and interacted with the role players.”
Civil affairs’ goal is to overcome the vast social differences and understand the cause of problems or injustices within a local population, then attempt to correct any discrepancies or misunderstandings within the local leadership.
“We are searching for the root causes of instability,” Batten said. “It is our role to interact with the population and build on the knowledge base of the teams that have gone before us to identify the root causes of instability and to address them. We will be measuring the progress on a monthly basis of what the locals see as their base needs and how they are changing.”
The Marines and sailors moved with heightened senses as they patrolled their way past the large shipping crates which had been made to resemble buildings. The training provided during the exercise in the MOUT facility proved to be both beneficial and eye opening for Batten and many of the Marines present.
“It was our first opportunity to really interact with a large group of role players,” said Batten. “For us I think the training was invaluable, mainly in the mistakes that we made and in the mistakes that we realized we were making right as we were making them. It’s really hard when you’re trying to do interviews and conduct surveys because it is so easy to get on tangents.”
The training was part of a series of patrols that are primarily performed by augments to RCT-8 in preparation for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan and will continue through the rest of the week.
Marines have a philosophy of no better friend, no worse enemy. While missions are carried out and threats are neutralized, the Marines with Civil Affairs epitomize the statement no better friend.