95th Civil Affairs Brigade (United States)

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95th Civil Affairs Brigade
95th Civil Affairs Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	2006-present
Country	United States
Branch	Regular Army
Part of	United States Special Operations Command
Garrison/HQ	Fort Bragg
Commanders
Current commander	COL Ferdinand Irizarry

The 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) is the only active component Civil Affairs brigade within the Department of Defense. The concept for a brigade had been under consideration for years, but was finally approved as a result of the latest Quadrennial Defense Review.

On 16 March 2006, LTG Wagner (commanding general, United States Army Special Operations Command), signed the formal activation document authorizing the unit and placing it in carrier status. Anticipating this decision and taking some operational risk, LTC Jay Wolff (commander of the 96th Civil Battalion (Airborne) – the only active component civil affairs unit within the DoD), reconfigured his battalion to expedite the creation of an austere brigade staff. Upon authorization, conducted with a small ceremony in the Hilldring Conference Room of the United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, LTC Wolff assumed duties as the interim commander of the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) and retained command of the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne). On 23 May 2006, as a result of United States Army Reserve component Civil Affairs elements being reassigned from the United States Army Special Operations Command to the United States Army Reserve Command, the brigade became a direct reporting unit to the United States Special Operations Command.

Its primary mission will be to provide operational and tactical Civil Affairs support to special operations forces and to rapidly deploying contingency forces. It must also maintain the ability to provide operational and tactical Civil Affairs support to conventional forces in collaboration with Army Reserve Civil Affairs forces. A functional tactical guide will provide assigned CA personnel the tool to assist them in transitioning into their prospected duty assignment. This tactical CA guide is needed to create nation building priority initiatives in a local community of operations.

Over the next several years, the brigade will expand from one operational battalion, the 96th, to four: the 96th(CENTCOM); 97th(PACOM); 98th(SOUTHCOM) and 91st(EUCOM/AFRICOM). Presently all units will be stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. On 17 August 2006, COL Ferdinand Irizarry assumed command of the brigade at Meadows Field, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) and the 97th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) were activated at Meadows Field, on Fort Bragg, N.C., March 16, 2007. The 98th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) will be fully operational on March 16, 2008. The 91st Civil Affairs Battalion will enter carrier status on March 16, 2008¹

External Link to 95th CA BDE page on the USASOC website: http://www.soc.mil/ca/ca_default.htm