Civil - military co - operation Civil - military co - operation ( CIMIC ) is the military function through which a commander links to civilian agencies active in a theatre of operations . History . The United States Army has , since the Second World War , maintained Civil Affairs units . Part of their function includes CIMIC tasks , however , they have a much broader function and different focus than most CIMIC organizations . In the mid - 1990s , primarily in response to lessons learned in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo , NATO members began developing CIMIC doctrine . Doctrine . The key document explaining NATO CIMIC doctrine is Allied Joint Publication 9 . It outlines the three core functions of CIMIC , those being : CIMIC is both a function and a capability . As a result , there are soldiers in most NATO armies specifically trained and employed in CIMIC . At the same time , most soldiers on most operations conduct some CIMIC business in their day to day operations . CIMIC Operators do not have a monopoly on CIMIC activities . They are meant to provide commanders with expertise and advice on CIMIC matters . CIMIC works as a Force multiplier . For example , by building relationships with officials from Non - governmental organizations or local government officials , CIMIC personnel might become aware of a specific threat to the mission . In so doing , they have the opportunity to alert the commander , who can then deploy resources to deal with the threat . Rather than having to post patrols on every street corner , the commander ' s access to information gathered by CIMIC teams has allowed him to employ a smaller number of soldiers , and to use the soldiers he does have available in other areas . NATO CIMIC reporting . There is a vital need for translating relevant information into CIMIC knowledge . A NATO working group is trying to solve this problem by establishing a CIMIC Reporting System that allows information sharing by the CIMIC staff from the tactical to the strategic level . In current operations , the CIMIC staffs are overwhelmed by a huge information flow . To facilitate their work , a CECIL Working Group ( see info box ) has developed practical tools . The aim is to improve CIMIC assessments and develop a smoother information flow within the CIMIC “ stove pipe ” as well as a better horizontal distribution and sharing of pertinent info with the rest of the staff . There is a need to improve collaboration between NATO and civilian partners in an operation . Today , the lack of a common database for information sharing is one of the main obstacles . The system has been tested and has also proven to be a useful tool to consolidate / collect data for the Afghan Country Stability Picture ( ACSP , see info box 3 ) . The CECIL Working Group discovered that there are a lot of different formats for CIMIC Reporting . There is a tendency at every HQ to create their own reports in the absence of detailed guidelines . History . During the PfP Exercise VIKING ' 05 , representatives from SHAPE and JFC Brunssum discovered the need for better CIMIC reporting . The ACOS ’ s from ACO at SHAPE and NATO ' s operational headquarters ( JFC Brunssum , JFC Naples and JC Lisbon ) discussed the issue and established in May 2006 the CECIL Working Group ( WG ) . The WG consists of CIMIC staff officers , one from SHAPE and three from the J ( F ) C HQ ’ s . In addition , Subject Matter Experts can be called upon hen needed . The WG meets every second month . A Sub - WG for Training and Education was established and supports the introduction of the CECIL system . Output of CECIL WG . The WG developed a package with proposals , which consists of three “ tools ” : The CIMIC Situation Report itself , the CIMIC Tracking System and a standardised Commander ' s Update . “ These tools are exactly what we need . Our reports are shorter now , mores precise and stick to the essentials , " ISAF CJ9 and JFC Brunssum J9 have used this CIMIC Situation Report on a weekly base since Feb 07 ; the Regional Commands will be introduced to the new reporting system soon . The topic was already briefed at NATO School in Oberammergau , Germany in the new CIMIC Staff Officers Course . Summary . ' This CECIL - tool is ideal for the CIMIC branches to manage their information which assists to stabilize the mission area . Information sharing through one database is essential for civilian and military partners ' . CECIL is designed to focus on the most important issues . The Afghan Country Stability Picture gives operators at all levels the relevant facts in an efficient and convenient package . The output of the Working Group so far is quite promising . The Working Group will be mandated for another year to continue working on the new established CIMIC information - sharing platform . Additional information . CIMIC . Civil - military cooperation ( CIMIC ) refers to the interaction between NATO - led forces and civil actors in Alliance - led operations . Civil Military Overview / Civil Military Fusion Centre . The Civil Military Overview ( CMO ) is an experimental portal supported by a dedicated Information and Knowledge Management organization , the Civil Military Fusion Centre ( CFC ) . Both are part of a development effort conducted by NATO Allied Command Transformation in consultation with various civil organizations . It is designed to improve interaction between civil and military actors . Through the CMO , NATO and its partners are exploring innovative ways to collect and disseminate all relevant civil and military information on Crisis Response Operations in order to begin creating a shared sense of situational awareness among the global community . CECIL . The Working Group CECIL was established to streamline the CIMIC Reporting . CECIL ( Coordinated , Effect Based , CIMIC Information Link ) intends to assist any NATO CIMIC staff and focuses on the CIMIC challenges of the 21st century . The aim is to share CIMIC knowledge proactively in order to facilitate the job of CIMIC staff at all levels . For this purpose , the CECIL platform was created as a tool to disseminate CIMIC related information . ACSP . The Afghanistan Country Stability Picture ( ACSP ) project is an initiative led by NATO ’ s International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF ) to develop and maintain a comprehensive geographic database of reconstruction and development activities across Afghanistan . ACSP holds information about different Afghan National Development Strategy sectors such as Education , Good Governance , Health , Agriculture and Rural Development , Infrastructure and Natural Resources , Private Sector Development , Security , and Social Protection . The data held in the ACSP comes from several sources : the Government of Afghanistan ( GOA ) , Provincial Reconstruction Team s ( PRT ) , and International , Governmental and Non - Governmental Organizations ( NGO ) . To provide efficient access to the ACSP data , NATO C3 Agency developed a web map service . The ACSP web site can be used to consult and query the ACSP database over the internet . NATO , NGOs and the GOA can use it for optimization and monitoring of reconstruction efforts . Abbreviations . ACOS : Assistant Chief of Staff ACSP : Afghan Country Stability Picture CIMIC : Civil Military Cooperation ISAF : International Security Assistance Force ( Afghanistan ) J9 : CIMIC division in a Joint HQ JC : Joint Command JFC : Joint Force Command SHAPE : Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe