Some Questions about joining Civil Affairs

[farmer]

Greetings, SS. I have some questions about joining CA and would be thrilled if you could walk me through the process a bit.
I know you can sign on directly to a 38b slot in the reserves, but my heart is set on active duty. Which is where I'd like some guidance.
I am not uniquely set on a 38b MOS, I just want to "be part of the team". It seems this leaves one with 2 options
a) sign on for a 68W slot and cross your fingers you get selected in AIT for W2 training
or
b) sign on for another MOS as a SPC (I have a qualifying degree), get a solid year of TIS and try out.

Here are my questions, if you have some time to help a hopeful out

1)Are these two option generally correct? Is there others I'm not seeing?
2) Arguendo you go option "1" and do not get lucky in AIT, can a 68W SPC who meets all the other criteria then try out for a 38b when TIS requirements are met? Is this a way to get "two bites" at the apple?
3)Assuming I go option 2, are all MOS' considered equal? I don't see any de jure rules about which MOS' are eligible/ineligible to apply, but are there informal preferences? Is a 13f genuinely on an equal footing with a, say, food service or the like? Is there a "feeder" MOS you'd recommend? Perhaps something in the 35 series?
4) I see CA has an official APFT requirement of 210, but I also see this forum is full of people who are getting 300+ scores. I'm not going into this with the idea to seek to do minimum, but I am also realistic in my self appraisal and I am never going to be a 300+ guy. Some people have it, some don't. I don't. I've home-tested myself in the 18y/o bracket (forget offhand, i think 17-23?) and got a 260. Is this MOS a field for Supermen or is a 260ish (giving myself room for improvement) going to hack it? The very last thing I want is to be the weakest link.
5) Does it ever happen that your original unit/MOS won't release you? IE you meet the requirements to try out for a 38b slot but your current CoC doesn't let you go for it? If this happens, is this common?
6) I speak a foreign language fluently. Would I be shoe-horned into that slot or could I try to learn a new one?
7) In a similar vein, I grew up for a large portion of my childhood in an allied nation (think UK/ISR/GER). Would I be more likely to be working with that nation? I understand it's needs of the Army and all, but just curious if these sorts of things matter at the margin.
8) If you try out for a 38b and aren't accepted/don't make it, can you try again at a later date?

Thanks in advance for your help, best of luck to you.

 

[Totentanz]

I'll answer as best I can. I don't hold a 38-series MOS, but am currently in the pipeline, so take my advice with a grain of salt; most of what I say is from a student perspective, not an operational one.

1)Are these two option generally correct? Is there others I'm not seeing?
2) Arguendo you go option "1" and do not get lucky in AIT, can a 68W SPC who meets all the other criteria then try out for a 38b when TIS requirements are met? Is this a way to get "two bites" at the apple? Yes, 68Ws are permitted to apply for CA. Most of the medics in the course with us came in this way (not through AIT). Do you want to be a medic? IMO, you're far better off choosing a job you'll enjoy and are more driven to excel at. You'll enjoy your time in that MOS more, and you won't be "that guy who's playing 68W until CA comes through"...
3)Assuming I go option 2, are all MOS' considered equal? I don't see any de jure rules about which MOS' are eligible/ineligible to apply, but are there informal preferences? Is a 13f genuinely on an equal footing with a, say, food service or the like? Is there a "feeder" MOS you'd recommend? Perhaps something in the 35 series? I have no idea. See above. JM2C, select something you'll enjoy and excel at.
4) I see CA has an official APFT requirement of 210, but I also see this forum is full of people who are getting 300+ scores. I'm not going into this with the idea to seek to do minimum, but I am also realistic in my self appraisal and I am never going to be a 300+ guy. Some people have it, some don't. I don't. I've home-tested myself in the 18y/o bracket (forget offhand, i think 17-23?) and got a 260. Is this MOS a field for Supermen or is a 260ish (giving myself room for improvement) going to hack it? The very last thing I want is to be the weakest link. You need to be willing to push yourself for the 300. This isn't a game for slackers. If you're giving up this early...
5) Does it ever happen that your original unit/MOS won't release you? IE you meet the requirements to try out for a 38b slot but your current CoC doesn't let you go for it? If this happens, is this common?
6) I speak a foreign language fluently. Would I be shoe-horned into that slot or could I try to learn a new one? It is a positive. However, be prepared to learn a third language. This is entirely dependent on the needs of the force. If you speak Tagalog, and they need Tagalog speakers, that's where you'll go. If you speak Tagalog, and they need Pashto speakers, that's where you'll go.
7) In a similar vein, I grew up for a large portion of my childhood in an allied nation (think UK/ISR/GER). Would I be more likely to be working with that nation? I understand it's needs of the Army and all, but just curious if these sorts of things matter at the margin.
8) If you try out for a 38b and aren't accepted/don't make it, can you try again at a later date? It depends on the circumstances. I've known people to go through selection twice. It's uncommon, but possible.

Thanks in advance for your help, best of luck to you.

 

[Applebot]

I also have questions about joining Civil Affairs, specifically as an Officer.

Currently, I am a contracted Army ROTC Cadet attending college. I intend to become an Active Duty Army Officer, and I am wondering the following:

1. What kind of measures can I take now (as a college Freshman) to become the kind of person that would prove useful as a Civil Affairs Officer?

2. Which branches would best prepare me for success as a Civil Affairs Officer?

2a. I am currently thinking about applying for MI and volunteering for a branch detail to Infantry. Does participation in the branch detail program somehow inhibit my ability to apply for Civil Affairs as an O-2? If it does not, does it change anything about the process?

3. The FAQ at Civil Affairs FAQ states, "You do NOT have to be a Career Course graduate to submit your packet. Before entering the CA / MISO pipeline, you will go to a basic branch Career Course. However, you will be controlled by CA / MISO Branch and they will manage your Career Course Assignment." - To which Career Course is it referring? Does Civil Affairs have its own Captain's Career Course?

4. To what extent do Civil Affairs personnel work with PSYOPS personnel?

5. Are there any pieces general of advice you would have for someone intending to commission as an Army Officer?

6. If circumstances change, and I get to serve in the Army Reserve or National Guard, what advice would you have for applying to be a Civil Affairs Officer there?

7. What do successful Civil Affairs Officers tend to have in common?

Note: I realize that this may be somewhat out of place coming from a college student, and this is definitely a long term goal. I am currently focusing on doing well in college and in Army ROTC so that I will do well on my OML and become a good Army Officer, etc. My focus on long-term objectives such as this has not detracted from my ability to succeed in Army ROTC and college. Thanks in advance for the information!

 

[Totentanz]

I also have questions about joining Civil Affairs, specifically as an Officer.

Currently, I am a contracted Army ROTC Cadet attending college. I intend to become an Active Duty Army Officer, and I am wondering the following:

1. What kind of measures can I take now (as a college Freshman) to become the kind of person that would prove useful as a Civil Affairs Officer?
VERY open ended question. First off, what's your major? What programs are you already involved in? Any exposure to foreign culture, language, etc. is value added. Just remember your humility and that you're not the only person who's ever been outside the US.

2. Which branches would best prepare me for success as a Civil Affairs Officer?
Any branch will bring something. In general, former Engineer, MP, and Field Artillery officers are the most prevalent - but I'm hard pressed to come up with an ACC branch that wouldn't bring something to the regiment.

2a. I am currently thinking about applying for MI and volunteering for a branch detail to Infantry. Does participation in the branch detail program somehow inhibit my ability to apply for Civil Affairs as an O-2? If it does not, does it change anything about the process?
No (or more accurately, not at present time). Several of my peers were branch-detailed. see also: Military Intelligence: differences in starting earlier or later?

3. The FAQ at Civil Affairs FAQ states, "You do NOT have to be a Career Course graduate to submit your packet. Before entering the CA / MISO pipeline, you will go to a basic branch Career Course. However, you will be controlled by CA / MISO Branch and they will manage your Career Course Assignment." - To which Career Course is it referring? Does Civil Affairs have its own Captain's Career Course?
You can attend any* career course as part of CAQC. The most common (for obvious reasons) is the ARSOF Captain's Course. The vast majority of CA, SF, and PO officers are sent to this course. I went through it myself and would highly recommend it.

*"any" is subject to your branch as a 2LT/1LT and/or CA branch supporting it as well as your career timeline. Don't read that to mean you can just pick any of CCCs and it's yours. As an example: if you happen to be located on Fort Benning, it may be more convenient for CA branch to send you through MCCC if ARSOF slots are tight. Don't over think it. If the ARSOF board picks you up, have a conversation with the assignment manager - that's what he/she is there for.

4. To what extent do Civil Affairs personnel work with PSYOPS personnel?
Personally, my professional interaction with them has been minimal. There are certain times/missions during which that would change drastically.

BTW, the correct terminology is PSYOP (no pluralizing "S")

5. Are there any pieces general of advice you would have for someone intending to commission as an Army Officer?
- listen to your NCOs
- Take care of those who work for you. Those above you will let you know if you fuck them. Those below you are of greater importance, and most of the time they won't speak up until it's too late. This doesn't mean coddling... it means doing the right thing.

Those are the big two for me. There are a multitude of threads on this site about effective and ineffective leadership. Run a search for them and you'll get far more than that; I'm not going to rehash all of them here.

6. If circumstances change, and I get to serve in the Army Reserve or National Guard, what advice would you have for applying to be a Civil Affairs Officer there?
Seek out a reserve CA unit. You won't be a 38A until you hit O-3, but you'll get a better sense of what they do, and by extension whether or not you'll want to pursue that career path.

7. What do successful Civil Affairs Officers tend to have in common?
The ability to work with minimal supervision and/or guidance, and in the same vein, the type of person who doesn't need to be told to seek out something to do. I started to type more, but really... read the SOF imperatives: SOF Imperatives Page. While it's wordy, the type of person who can completely understand an environment, and what actions will have what effects, can think critically about their own actions and the actions of others, and how their own actions need to be shaped through a complex, dynamic system to achieve a particular set of outcomes... that's the person who succeeds in this branch.

NB: all of the above could be applied to any SOF officer in DoD.

Note: I realize that this may be somewhat out of place coming from a college student, and this is definitely a long term goal. I am currently focusing on doing well in college and in Army ROTC so that I will do well on my OML and become a good Army Officer, etc. My focus on long-term objectives such as this has not detracted from my ability to succeed in Army ROTC and college. Thanks in advance for the information!

 

[Applebot]

Thank you very much for your responses!

1. (I am unsure as to whether or not your question here was rhetorical, and will err on the side of caution:) I am currently an Economics major, minoring in Computer Science and taking additional Political Science courses. I have a pending EMT-B license (to be issued when I turn 18) and am a member of my college's EMS club and its mixed martial arts club. I also play trumpet, work out independently, regularly participate in an independent on-campus Christian ministry, and serve as a residence hall Floor Representative. I'm a member of our Student Union's Appropriations Committee. I will be taking an Arabic course next semester, and have the privilege of going to a French-speaking foreign country (at which I will likely be able to practice my French that I took for 4 years) through Army ROTC's CULP program. What activities would you recommend that I add, aside from foreign language and culture related ones? Or should the primary focus be on adding foreign language/culture experience?

2a. I am in the process of reading that thread; thank you for linking to it.

3. Thanks for letting me know.

4. Thank you for the correction about PSYOP not being plural.

5. I will look for the threads you mentioned.

6. Unfortunately, there do not seem to be any Reserve or National Guard Civil Affairs units located in my state. I will likely go to a nearby state to find them and speak with them at a time closer to my date of commissioning.

7. Again, thanks for the information.