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# U.S. Army Reserve Engagement Team-Japan, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force to Host Bilateral Civil Affairs Course

By  Sgt. John Carkeet IV

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – Throughout its 108-year history, the U.S. Army Reserve has actively engaged with international communities, civilian organizations and local authorities to accomplish complex missions on land, air and sea. From liberated French towns on the Western Front to beleaguered Afghan villages engulfed in the War on Terror, U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers have coordinated with civic leaders to aid and protect citizens in their quest to restore peace, reestablish communication and rebuild infrastructure. Today, hundreds of Army Reserve Soldiers expertly trained in the art of civil affairs deploy in harm’s way to build mutually beneficial relationships with their military and civilian counterparts stationed throughout the world. 

A series of productive engagements ranging from casual conversations to official conference calls paved the way for the U.S. Army Reserve to share its wealth of civil affairs knowledge, experience and resources with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). Beginning in May at Camp Zama, the U.S. Army Reserve Engagement Team-Japan (ARET-J) will host the first official Bilateral Civil Affairs Course on Japanese soil. 

“The JGSDF does not yet have a branch nor training program solely dedicated to civil affairs,” said Army Capt. Wyatt Hughes, civil affairs planner, ARET-J. “Our five-day course aims to introduce approximately 30 JGSDF personnel to the theories based on U.S. Army Civil Affairs doctrine and practices taught in the [Army’s] Civil Affairs Qualification Course.”

The emergence of the Bilateral Civil Affairs Course required meticulous planning and careful coordination among numerous units to include the JGSDF, ARET-J, U.S. Army Japan, 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade and the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. 

“This collaboration among various talent pools from both countries will assure this course provides practical information that JGSDF and U.S. Army personnel can implement during natural disasters, humanitarian relief missions and other contingencies,” said Hughes. “Our combined effort will also enhance JGSDF’s civil affairs capabilities as its forces expand their role as an international peacekeeping force.”

As the first course of its kind, next month’s Bilateral Civil Affairs Course serves as a pilot for future courses and certifications. 

“The JGSDF’s Ground Staff Office (GSO), Japan’s equivalent to the Department of the Army Headquarters, will closely review the course,” said Hughes. “If approved, the course may groom a comprehensive, civil affairs curriculum that will earn a place in the JGSDF’s select list of official qualification courses.”

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