97th Civil Affairs Battalion ( Airborne ) The 97th Civil Affairs Battalion ( Airborne ) is a civil affairs battalion of the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade ( Airborne ) based at Fort Bragg , North Carolina . It is a member of the only Active duty civil affairs brigade in the United States Department of Defense . The concept for a civil affairs brigade had been under consideration for years , but was finally approved as a result of the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review . Tracing its lineage to a military government group that was active after World War II , the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade was not officially activated until 2006 , and remained a provisional unit until 2007 . Its creation was part of a US Army plan to increase civil affairs units , and special forces units overall . The brigade is a direct reporting command of the United States Army Special Operations Command , and as such , is airborne qualified . It commands four geographically aligned civil affairs battalions , with a fifth planned to be activated . Organization . The 97th Civil Affairs Battalion is directly subordinate to the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade Command based at Fort Bragg . The battalion commands five subordinate companies all headquartered at Fort Bragg along with the battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company : The 97th Civil Affairs Battalion ( Airborne ) is the only active component , airborne Civil Affairs asset available to the United States Pacific Command . Its lineage and structure extend back to the formation of those small groups of uniquely trained and qualified individuals who comprised the Allied Military Government of the Occupied Territory , or AMGOTs . History . Origins . Originally designated as the 97th Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment , Military Government Group , the unit was activated on 25 August 1945 at the Presidio of Monterey , California to help capture Army Civil Affairs expertise gained during World War II . The unit served in various theaters until 25 January 1949 , when , while located in Korea , it was inactivated . In November 1961 , the unit was re - designated the 97th Civil Affairs Group and allocated to the Regular Army . The formal activation ceremony took place on Okinawa , on the 15 December 1961 . The unit was stationed on Okinawa until it was inactivated in June 1969 . The personnel and equipment from the old civil affairs group were used to form the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion . On 16 September 1992 , 97th Civil Affairs Group was re - designated as the 97th Civil Affairs Battalion . Through the demonstrated need for specially trained , culturally aware soldiers , the 97th Civil Affairs Battalion was placed in a Provisional status on 1 September 2006 as a part of the growth of Active Army Civil Affairs from 96th Civil Affairs Battalion to the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade and four regionally - oriented battalions . Activation . The 97th Civil Affairs Battalion ( Airborne ) was activated on March 16 , 2007 . Called upon to support both conventional and special operations units , the battalion has a tradition of maintaining a high state of readiness and support to a wide range of contingencies . Today , the battalion ' s personnel serve in countries around the globe . Deployment . The 97th Civil Affairs Battalion ( Airborne ) has been deployed worldwide in support of Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines , Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan , and Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as several countries in the PACOM AOR . The battalion has suffered casualties which were rehabilitated through the new Wounded Warrior program .