-
CATR #16: What challenges and successes have you experienced as a CA planner?
By Colonel (Ret.) Patrick Pascall 7-minute read My background. I was commissioned into Armor in 1993, commanding Abrams M1A1 tanks and learning the fundamentals of maneuver warfare. Three years later,…
-
CATR Post #15 – Why did you choose to work in Civil Affairs?
5-minute read The Berlin Wall came down. On November 9, 1989, the people of Berlin breached and ultimately tore down the wall that had divided their city since 1961. I…
-
CATR Post #14 – What did you know about Civil Affairs before you became a CA officer/NCO?
7-minute read [Updated with Responses from Teammates on 9 October 2025.] Civil affairs in early military training. When I was a cadet at the United States Military Academy, military history…
-
CATR Post #13 – Is U.S. Army Civil Affairs a SOF branch?
[Updated with Responses from Teammates on 29 September 2025.] 8-minute read A loaded question. This can be a sensitive subject for some. Being a member of special operations forces (SOF)…
-
CATR Post #12 – Is U.S. Army Civil Affairs a corps or a regiment?
9-minute read The answer to this question is found in U.S. Army regulations (ARs) and Army General Orders (AGOs). However, since few have seen these sources, let’s take a few…
-
CATR Post #11 – Why do Regular Army Civil Affairs Soldiers wear a different branch insignia than USAR CA Soldiers?
7-minute read I first heard of the idea to redesign the civil affairs branch insignia from the globe, torch, sword, and scroll described in CATR Post #10 to crossed pipehawks…
The Civil Affairs Team Room
Sharing stories that promote a better understanding of Civil Affairs
Subscribe for updates to the Civil Affairs Team Room Blog
then
Check out these related or affiliated sites
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed in these posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army (DA), U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), the Department of Defense (DoD), or the U.S. government (USG).
The appearance of, or reference to, any commercial products or services on this site does not constitute DA, USSOCOM, USMC, DoD, or USG endorsement of those products or services.
The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute DA, USSOCOM, USMC, DoD, or USG endorsement of the linked websites or the information, products, or services contained therein. The DA, USSOCOM, USMC, DoD, or USG do not exercise any editorial, security, or other control over the information you may find at these locations.
All information and discussion will remain at the UNCLASSIFIED level.