ABSTRACT
Civil Affairs combat involvement began when the Army’s only active duty civil affairs unit, the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, deployed to Panama with the combat troops. Army Reserve civil affairs volunteers were requested and on December 22nd, a twenty-five-person United State. Army Reserve Civil Affairs Task Force staff was selected from 875 volunteers. Meanwhile, Task Force civil affairs Reservists supported combat, airmobile, and infantry sweeps and other tactical operations with Army Infantry, Marines, and Special Forces units. Service war colleges and foreign service schools should provide seminars to enhance the general understanding of civil affairs doctrine. A short course on civil-military operations for other Reservists, especially those technical personnel living and working in Third World countries, would make them more valuable in future crisis situations. The Civil Affairs Task Force contributed significantly to achieving US goals and objectives in Panama.
