Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Specialist?

Question

Can someone explain these jobs in a little more detail? Can you explain your/ or your friend's/family's experience in them? Thanks if you can help.

Answer 1

Here are the job description. Hope this helped. I spent some time in Vietnam as a 96C Translator/Interpreter, which is a 97L now.

Answer 2

37F- -Psychological Operations Specialist

The psychological operations specialist supervises, coordinates, and participates in analysis, planning, production, and dissemination of tactical, strategic, and consolidation psychological operations.

E-1 to E-4 will be be the ones who trains and maintains proficiency in all major duties. Assists in collection and reporting psychological operations related information and processing that information into intelligence to support psychological operations. Assists in evaluating and analyzing current intelligence, psychological operations studies and estimates to determine psychological operations targets. Operates psychological operations dissemination equipment and assists in the delivery of psychological operations products. Assists in the packing of psychological operations products for delivery by various means. Prepares, stores and retrieves information on psychological operations related intelligence, plans, campaigns and products. Assists and performs intelligence functions as required.

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/enlistedj...

38A- -Civll Affairs Specialist

The civil affairs specialist supervises, researches, coordinates, conducts, and participates in analysis, planning, and production of civil affairs related documents and actions encompassing both strategic and tactical civil affairs operations for Army, joint, and combined military commands.

E-1 to E-4 will be the be the ones who trains and maintains proficiency in all major duties. Assists in routine coordination, conducts research, analysis and production of civil affairs related products and actions supporting functional specialty missions.

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/enlistedj...

I have worked with both MOSs and know several Soldiers who do the job (I had one of my Soldiers reclass into 37F while we were in the 82nd ABN). They are important jobs due to their nature of work. Truly winning 'hearts and minds' vs. kinetic fighting. Someone has to approach civilians on the battlefield and let them know we are trying to help and tell the enemy to surrender. If we had more of these Soldiers, things will and can be easier in all of places. Most of the CA folks are older and have the same civilian trade they bring to the table. Most jobs fall under the SOCOM community and normally, PSYOPS especially, means jump status as a means of employment to get you to the area of need.

Here is more info for your research or questions:

CA

http://www.bragg.army.mil/ca/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/95th_Civil_...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Affai...

http://www.civilaffairsassoc.org/

PSYOPS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologic...

http://www.globalspecialoperations.com/c...

http://www.military.com/ContentFiles/tec...

Answer 3

Both fall under the realm of SOCOM/JSOC (Special Operations Command/Joint Special Operations Command) .. which means you'll have pretty good funding and cool gear ... although you aren't really cool you yourself (but you'll think you are).

Basically put ... the PSYOPS guys just try to get into the heads of the enemy. Whether its leaflets that are telling the enemy to give up and we won't hurt them, or it could be the PYSOPS guys blaring speakers saying "You guys are a bunch of *******, come out and find us like real men" ... which yes, we actually had PSYOPS guys do with us.

The Civil Affairs guys ... they pretty much talk to the local populous, and as said, try and win the hearts and minds of them. They'll talk to them and figure out why their area isn't doing so well, what can be improved, how the sanitation, schools, water system, etc., is .. and pretty much they're just trying to get them on our side.

Neither is really all that cool, but they hype it up to be. My squad leader actually just re-classed to CA just a few months ago.  

Answer 4

it depends on where that unit is deployed to. i have a buddy in Iraq and he deals with things including combat, logistics, interpreting, and sometimes passing out candy to the kids.

When I was in Honduras the Civil Affairs Personnel that were there mainly just passed out things to the locals (food, water, toys for the kids) as well as coordinated with the local village leaders to get information about what was needed.

I would contact a recruiter or go to military.com and search for more info there. i dont think they are the same mos but i could be wrong  psych ops is 37F and civi aff is 38B.

37F PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

CIVIL AFFAIRS (RC)

38B CIVIL AFFAIRS SPECIALIST (RC)