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Most of us in the Special Operations Force community can recite the name of every single Civil Affairs unit in the country and can tell you where or when each unit has been deployed and or to which Combatant Command the units are normally assigned to.
Question: Where in New York can you find a group of civil affairs types; doctors, police officers, lawyers, judges, engineers, nurses, professionals, paraprofessionals and master trade crafters committed to voluntary, part-time military service who are not part of the National Guard or the Army Reserves from all or no branches of the Armed Forces, commanded by a Brigadier General ?
Answer: The 353rd CA Command.
Answer: A US Marine Civil Affairs Group (CAG).
No, both wrong answers. This is a not a trick question.
Answer: The New York Guards (NYG) 54th Civil Affairs Brigade, led by Brigadier General Joseph Maltese. The subordinate units include the 5th Civil Affairs Regiment, NYG (New York Guard) in Yonkers, New York. The 7th Civil Affairs Regiment, NYG in New York City. The 13th Civil Affairs Regiment, NYG in Long Islands Nassau County, New York. The 23rd Civil Affairs Regiment in Albany, New York and the 209th Civil Affairs Regiment in Buffalo, New York.
The New York Guard is one of four components of the State's Military Forces, which are under the supervision of the Division of Military and Naval Affairs. The others are the New York Army National Guard (NYARNG), New York Air National Guard (NYANG), and the Naval Military Forces (NYNMF). The NYG provides augmentation and support to other State Military Components in the execution of their State Missions and their in-state federal training.
They support the mobilization and deployment of New York National Guard units as well as performing other missions as assigned by the Adjutant General and the Governor of the State of New York. The NYG also has a be prepared mission to assume the State Defense Missions of other State Military Components upon their federalization.
The NYG's CA units provide Aid to Civil Authorities and Humanitarian Support to the State Emergency Management Office, State and Local Governmental Agencies during domestic emergencies as well as a host of other duties associated with their members occupational expertise.
To learn more about these Civil Affairs units and the New York Guards history, mission, vision, organization, Mission Essential Task List (METL), recruiting or to get the answers to frequently asked question (FAQs) visit their website at www.dmna.state.ny.us/nyg/nyg-glo.html.
I knew there was a 1023 rd Civil Affairs Brigade, Reinforcement Training Unit (RTU) in the Army Reserve, and of course I was familiar with the National Guard, but I never knew about the State Guard.
CA folks may be very surprised to find there are similar units in their home states. -- Marc A. Garcia (Lieutenant Colonel Marc A. Garcia, USAR is a Drilling Individual Mobilization Augumentee on the Joint Staff, Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. He is a SOF officer formerly with USACAPOCs 404th CACO, 353rd CACOM, 350th CACOM and USSOCSO. Currently he is in Afghanistan as a US State Department, Foreign Service Specialist, Special Agent in Charge of President Karzai's Protective Operations.)