There were some winning articles in this month's Marine Corps Gazette focused on civil affairs in the current operating environment. Three were award-winners in the 2020 Kiser Family Irregular Warfare Writing Contest, and the last won an honorable mention:
The first, “Closing the Gray Zone Gap,” challenges the Marine Corps to engage in civil-military operations to directly confront China’s gray zone strategy in the South China Sea, and to expand thinking beyond the post-conflict re-stabilization or HA/DR molds in which civil affairs are typically placed.
Second place, “Preparing for War among the People in the Indo-Pacific” analyzes gray-zone competition in the Indo-Pacific region and argues for proactive employment of civil affairs capabilities to support persistent engagement.
Third, “Canary in the Coalmine” analyzes force structure, advocates for an increased active-duty civil affairs cohort to meet China’s soft strategies to achieve regional dominance.
Last, “The ‘One Love’ Approach to Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations” provides an anecdotal study of the Jamaican Coast Guard’s camp at Pedro Cay, and how the Coast Guard leverages this outpost to maintain territorial security some 60 miles offshore from Jamaica.
Download all the articles below:
