First Civil Affairs Squadron Established

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First Civil Affairs Squadron Established
Navy News | PO1 Jen Smith | December 03, 2007

Yorktown NWS, VA. -- Navy Expeditionary Combat Command formally established Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron 2 (MCAS 2) during a ceremony at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown Nov. 30.

MCAS 2 missions include engaging with civil authorities and civilian populations to enhance the effectiveness of ongoing military operations.

"Essentially, what we do, at the request of the host government, is go into underdeveloped and under-governed regions and work with other agencies to assess the local civil infrastructure," said Capt. Ken Schwingshakl, commander, Maritime Civil Affairs Group (MCAG). "We try and see what's not working and offer our expertise and assistance to coordinate improvements to their infrastructure."

Civil affairs operations include humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, evacuation, and providing assistance to restore local infrastructures following military operation or natural disasters.

"We are showing our commitment to help other countries get on their feet in order to create a global alliance," said Rear Adm. Don Bullard, commander, NECC. "We want to help them establish better living conditions in order to fend off terrorist footholds."

Because MCAS 2 is the first civil affairs squadron to be formally stood up in the Navy, they are currently operating throughout the world. When MCAS 1, headquartered at Imperial Beach, Calif., is established in fall 2008, MCAS 2's area of operations will be North and South America, Europe and Africa.

Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,157402,00.html