Proof of Concept: Three Takeaways From Keen Edge 2026, Operating as "One Civil Affairs Team"

By: Captain Heather R. Cotter, 351st Civil Affairs Command, Witkowski AFRC at Moffett Field

Introduction

Building upon its success in PACIFIC SENTRY 2025, and to further the Proof-of-Concept effort to integrate Military Government Officers into larger Civil Affairs Operations (CAO), the 351st Civil Affairs Command (CACOM) participated in KEEN EDGE 2026 from late January through early February. This trilateral command post exercise (CPX) was a large-scale and joint force event that focused on multi-domain operations, operational planning, command-and-control integration, and coordination across the Indo-Pacific theater. Participants included Australia, Japan, and the United States.

During this multi-domain CPX, members from the 351st CACOM addressed civilian considerations across sectors (e.g., civil security, civil control, economic and infrastructure stabilization) in the battlefield. In addition, the 351st CACOM managed the Civil-Military Operations Center (CMOC) during KEEN EDGE 2026.

To address the needs of today and while considering future scenarios, the 351st CACOM took a deliberate view of past Civil Affairs Operations (CAO) in the Pacific Theater dating back to World War II. This perspective allowed team members to deepen their knowledge about the geographic, political, historical, and civilian considerations within the area of responsibility (AOR).

This article centers on the 351st CACOM’s participation and lessons learned during Keen Edge 2026. Three key takeaways are provided below that touch on the successes and challenges the team faced throughout the CPX while operating as “One Team” between OCONUS and CONUS. 

1: One Team

Collaboration was crucial to effectively operate as one team. The forward Civil-Military Operations Command (CMOC) team members were located OCONUS at Ft. Shafter, Hawaii and the CONUS at Moffett Field in Mountain View, CA. Below is a breakdown of each team’s composition.

351st CACOM OCONUS Team

The OCONUS, or forward, team was directly embedded in USARPAC operations, comprised of the 351’s CG/CMD Group (COL Keenaghan), DCO (COL Park) and CSM Varela) and led by the CMOC Chief (COL Heal), the group also included a number of specialists and capabilities, including CAP-T (COL Pounds, LTC Mastromarino, MSG Micah Polston) and INDOPOM CAP-T (COL Pulikkathara, MSG Arteaga and others); G1 (SSG Conyers); G2 (LTC Kizito, MAJ Hinson); G3 (COL Tran, LTC Blancaflor, MAJ Wheeler, MSG Rizzi), G6 (MAJ Peelman, SFC Stottmeister), CJA/Legal (LTC Ebach), Civil Knowledge Integration (LTC Van Eerden, MAJ Kim, SFC Terry Ludwick) as well as FxSP embeds (LTC Duczakowski and LTC Roberts).  The CMOC FWD facilitated joint operations among different branches of the U.S. military, alongside international and local partners. Such collaboration is essential security cooperation with partner nations, a cornerstone of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's strategy.

During combat (Phase 3), the CMOC focused on managing civilian populations to support the tactical mission through deconfliction and emergency aid. As the area transitioned to Phase 4 (Stabilize), the CMOC's role expanded to restoring essential services and re-establishing local security and governance with partner organizations. In the final phase, Phase 5 (Enable Civil Authority), the focus shifted to ensuring a smooth handover of responsibilities to a legitimate host-nation government, mentoring new leaders, and enabling their independence.

351st CACOM CONUS Team

The CONUS team was divided into multiple sub-groups to maximize efficiency and build cross-functional consensus.  The CONUS Chief was COL Riffle with Deputy LTC Jeon and NCOIC SGM Lo.  The sub-groups included support personnel (e.g., G1, G2, knowledge management) and three small teams of military government officers, international law officers, and a medical professional. The three small teams were organized as follows: (1) Civil Security and Civil Control, (2) Infrastructure Specialization, and (3) Economic Stabilization.

Initially, there were discussions about dividing the government functional specialty teams by region versus expertise. Ultimately, the CONUS team concluded that it is more beneficial to have experts with similar backgrounds on the same specialty team so they can analyze scenarios, discuss and deliberate, and ultimately improve results of work products versus operating in silos. Below is a breakdown of the team members in each government functional specialty sub-group.

The Civil Security and Civil Control team included MAJ Sant and CPT Cotter as team leaders and LTC Morin, LTC Arentz, MAJ Owens, MAJ Padgette, and SFC Perkins as team members. The Infrastructure Specialization team included LTC Morris as team leader and LTC Aden, LTC Meloy, MAJ Devries, and MAJ Boaz as team members. Team members of the Economic Stabilization team included LTC Watson as the team leader and COL Flosi, COL Lebedeff, LTC Greene MAJ Wojtewicz, MAJ Laroche, and CPT Boyd.

The CONUS support team was crucial in this CPX. Team members included LTC Ahn, MSG Martinez, and SSG Manuel from G1. SFC Byrd from G2. CW3 Schultz, SSG Palaganas, SGT Lu, PFC Hyunh, and PFC Mendoza from G6. And LTC Charles Hurst in charge of Knowledge Management.

The one-team philosophy was instilled prior to the beginning of the exercise. The 351st CACOM’s CONUS and OCONUS participants were using the same common operating picture to address issues and RFI’s. Each team member brought a wealth of knowledge that was not only valuable but leveraged throughout the event. A glimpse of how the 351st CACOM’s functional specialty team was able to apply and advance their technical (and tactical) skills is offered in the below section.

2. Applying technical and tactical skills

FxSP/Military Government Specialists): The CMOC leveraged the unique skillsets of the Government Function Specialty Team (FxSP) team daily during KEEN EDGE 2026. By having FxSP team members at both locations, CONUS and OCONUS, the 351st CACOM was able to seamlessly relay and receive information in near real-time. By acting as “One Team” the FxSP and CAP-T were able to quickly address complex challenges and problem-sets.

What makes the FxSP a valuable asset is the deep-level of knowledge across multiple sectors including, but not limited to nuclear energy, rule of law, public safety and emergency response, critical infrastructure, economics and finance. FxSP team members were able to offer recommendations and robust analyses quickly by using their individual subject matter expertise and leveraging the capabilities of the military’s artificial intelligence systems. 

For example, the team was able to assess what conditions need to be met in order to transition to Phase V. This included analyses across all government services to discern what requirements are needed for civil security, what’s needed for a functional legal system to execute the rule of law and maintaining civil control, an assessment of the elements of infrastructure (e.g., water, sewage, energy, ports) needed for independent sustainment, and determining what economic stability looks like to prevent state collapse.

Shoot, Move, Communicate: In addition to participating in the exercise, the 351st CACOM’s CONUS Team spent time training on small team tactical movements utilizing the unit’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV). With training and oversight from MSG Alvarez (the unit’s master driver), the team trained on moving tactically in small groups and convoys

3: Leveraging artificial intelligence

The 351st CACOM CONUS and OCONUS teams leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) throughout KEEN EDGE 2026. The approach to human-machine teaming was both deliberate and cautious.

The CONUS FxSP team viewed and treated AI-generated outputs as decision-support tools. The team applied their subject matter expertise, operational judgment, and contextual awareness before incorporating AI-insights into work products. The importance of having human subject matter experts, like members of a Civil Affairs functional specialty team, cannot be overstated. There were instances in which AI produced outputs that were either false or required specific expertise in order to generate the correct (intended) output. If the team didn’t have this depth of knowledge to support the findings AI was generating, the results could be dire.

Cross-functional collaboration within the FxSP enabled rapid verification of data, refinement of prompts, and continuous improvement in AI utilization. Over the course of the CPX, this disciplined process increased confidence in AI while reinforcing the need for human oversight. The experience also highlighted the importance of clearly defined roles, training, and standard operating procedures to ensure AI capabilities enhanced, versus replaced, critical thinking.

The successful integration of FxSP Soldiers in CMOC operations during this CPX played a key role in effective human-machine teaming, demonstrating that properly trained personnel remain the decisive element in leveraging emerging technologies within complex operational environments.

Conclusion: Validated Concept

KEEN EDGE 2026 reinforced that operating as “One Team” is more than a slogan — it is a force multiplier. The 351st CACOM demonstrated that synchronized CONUS and OCONUS operations, combined with technical expertise and disciplined AI integration, enhance civil-military effectiveness in multi-domain environments. Future exercises should continue to prioritize unity of effort, shared understanding, and deliberate human-machine teaming to remain ready for complex contingencies in the Indo-Pacific.

KEEN EDGE 2026 served as a proving ground for how the 351st CACOM will fight and win in future large-scale and multi-domain operations. The exercise affirmed that success in the Indo-Pacific requires integrated civil considerations, strong partnerships, and trusted human-machine collaboration. In many ways, this CPX allowed the unit to move from proof-of-concept to concept validation. 

The key takeaway is clear: technology enhances capability, but cohesive teams and professional judgment remain decisive, and is great enhanced by full integration of Military Government Officers into CMOC operations.

Author biography

Captain Heather R. Cotter is in the U.S. Army Reserve and assigned to the 351st Civil Affairs Command in Mountain View, California. She received a direct commission as a 38G military-government officer in 2022. Her secondary AOC is 38A. Captain Cotter holds two master’s degrees (international affairs and criminology) from Arizona State University. Captain Cotter’s civilian profession includes over 20 years of policy and research centered on state, local, tribal, territorial, campus, and international law enforcement agencies on various domestic and transnational issues.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect any official policy or position of the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, of any other U.S. government agency.