Interim CA Symposium Report: “Redefining Civil Affairs”

The Civil Affairs Association has posted its interim report from this year’s Civil Affairs Symposium, which was originally scheduled to take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in November.

However, due to the government shutdown and limitations on travel of U.S. military personnel, the Association postponed that on-site event until November 2026, and hosted a virtual event on Saturday, 15 November. The abbreviated Symposium featured the two timeliest workshops and the presentation of five papers selected for publication in Vol. 12 of the Civil Affairs Issue Papers.

For more, see the report.

Since Among the Conference’s major findings:

• The dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been a hard blow. The implications for CA are not yet fully understood, although many were addressed at this Symposium, especially with regard to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) and stabilization missions.

• Nevertheless, there is a significant opportunity for CA to redefine itself beyond its role in preserving “lethality” and in leveraging and developing its unique capabilities and capacities, as well as AI and emerging tools, to fill the sudden gaps as well as redefine its role in irregular warfare.

• In addition to refocused training and education, CA needs stronger and more direct steady-state institutional relationships with non-profit and for-profit consulting organizations, where many former USAID colleagues can share their knowledge.

• CA should also re-emphasize “building a global civil-military network” through an extensive civil network development and engagement (CNDE) effort for operational mission preparation and CA campaigning.

• Funding streams such as using Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) appropriations can help fill some of the gaps, but there is an immediate need for a CA “champion” in Congress and through congressional staff.

• NATO civil-military coordination (CIMIC) efforts exemplify how CA can work with civil organizations and private sector entities to gain positional advantages in support of deterrence and LSCO planning.

• This window of opportunity is narrow for CA institutions and commands. Given the limited time available, the Association is ready to support the process, even beyond its established programs and platforms.

The entire report is downloadable from the Association website. The final version of this Report will appear in the 2025-26 Civil Affairs Issue Papers (Vol. 12), out in February online and later in March in print.

The next event, the online CA Roundtable, will be in mid-April 2026—date to be announced soon.

The next Civil Affairs Symposium will be at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum on 13-14 November 2026, organized in coordination with the 358^th Civil Affairs Brigade. Mark your calendars!

To read the Eunomia Journal articles cited in the Report and more, see the Civil Affairs Association website and remember to subscribe or update your member profile—and consider joining the Association!