The Civil Affairs Issue Papers Committee has selected the five papers for presentation at the Civil Affairs Symposium on “Optimizing Civil Affairs” at Ft. Bragg, NC on Saturday, 3 November. The papers include:

• “Optimizing Civil Affairs through Reorganizing the Force”

- Captain Patrick Casserleigh

• “Developing Civil Affairs: Increasing Soldier Flexibility and Doctrinal Specificity”

- Major Mazi Markel and Sergeant First Class Max Steiner

• “The Evolution of Civil Affairs and Interagency Partnerships in Sub-Saharan Africa”

- Mr. Ryan McCannell

• “Civil Affairs 38G Functional Specialists: From Strategy to Reality”

- Major Giancarlo Newsome and Captain Jesse Elmore

• “Optimizing Civil Affairs through Branding and Narrative Strategies”

- Major Shafi Saiduddin and Sergeant First Class (Ret.) Robert Schafer

These papers will also appear in the 2018-19 Civil Affairs Issue Papers, the fifth such volume, for release at the Civil Affairs Roundtable in the Washington, D.C. area next spring.

The five papers were among nearly 20 submitted this year. “These were all really fine papers,” noted Committee Chairman Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Bruce B. Bingham. “It gets tougher every year because the papers are getting that much better.” Other members of the Committee include Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Kuehrs, Col. (Ret.) Mike Cleary, Col. Leonard DeFrancisci, Col. (Ret.) Christopher Holshek, and Col. (Ret.) Larry Rubini. Holshek and Rubini also serve as the paper editors.

The Association is offering two options to the authors of papers not selected. One is to have the authors re-cast their papers into an article for publication in the Civil Affairs Journal on the Association website over the winter. Another is for the authors to have the new Professional Development Advisory Board review a paper as a potential article in a professional military journal such as Joint Forces Quarterly, Prism, or Military Review.

Because the issue papers will be revised and edited following the Symposium in preparation for publication, copies are not available until next spring. However, the authors will prepare a one-page summary of their papers for those attending the Symposium to read prior to presentation.

More on the Symposium, including the updated agenda, is available on the Association website at www.civilaffairsassoc.org/events/

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