How would you distinguish between PsyOps and Civil Affairs? Which do you prefer and why?

LTJG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 21:57:30 -0500

I'm considering commissioning into one. Far down the road... I'm aware you need to be a captain at least. Just gathering info and trying to get a better understanding of them. How I look at both, there seems to be alot of overlap between the two so as I said any help distinguishing them and explaining what you liked about each would be great. Appreciate the input guys

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jan 3 at 2016 10:09 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 22:09:05 -0500

OMG, Your are looking for Black and White? LOL! If you want to keep your hands clean to some degree and Black and White is Important to you I might recommend Civil Affairs. Now PSY OPS and Spooks like me are not that hung up on "Right and Wrong" otherwise we couldn't do what we do well "Gentlemen do not read other Gentlemen's Mail". Your talking to a good group to get that advice from. I wish you luck in that decision. Respectfully CTO1 Wm "Chip" Nagel USN(R).

Response by SPC Nathan Freeman made Jan 4 at 2016 12:48 AM

SPC Nathan Freeman — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 00:48:18 -0500

If you're looking for promotion, CA Is far heavier in brass than Psy Op. Psy Op is run by NCOs. We only keep officers to pay the bills.

Response by SFC Stephen Carden made Jan 4 at 2016 1:03 AM

SFC Stephen Carden — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 01:03:33 -0500

It depends on what kind of person you are. If you are more cerebral and like research and writing and international affairs/ culture, then go PSYOP. If you are more hands on and practical, less of an abstract thinker, go CA. Either way, being CA or PSYOP does not make you a "cool guy". Be true to the mission and you will be a success in either job. If you want to be a "cool guy", go SF.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 4 at 2016 3:26 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 03:26:54 -0500

Interesting takes by others.
First, it is important to understand that CA and Psyops (and to some extent, IO and PAO) have the same mission - to influence the civilian population in order to achieve positive military ends. There are a lot of subcomponents to that that are quite a lengthy dissertation depending on the mission. I can answer just about everything you'd possibly want to know about CA, and am fairly knowledgeable in PO if you would like to contact me directly, LTJG Private RallyPoint Member.
But for the good of all, here's a highlight or two.

Generally speaking, what separates CA from Psyops is the methods employed. CA will have much more direct contact with host nation personnel, generally attempting to build rapport with targeted individuals (Spheres of Influence, or Population Nodes, in CA parlance) in order to leverage their influence on their followers to achieve tactical advantage or shape and exploit outcomes in military operations.
Psyops will employ media such as radio broadcast (less often, loudspeakers or leaflets) to influence and sometimes work deception on the population more directly.
CA tends to be more in demand in stability and peace operations; Psyop in more kenetic operations.
CA officers are generally in the field more up to Captain, maybe Major. There is a healthy staff component to their job, but they will work a lot of the KLEs themselves or in support of the Commander.
Psyop officers are much more staff-oriented, with most of the field work going to the NCOs leading the TPTs.
Both are excellent careers. While I am biased towards CA after doing it for over thirteen years now, I have had excellent and productive collaborations with my Psyop brothers in several deployments.
I would say that CA has better prospects for promotion than PO does. A CA battalion has almost as many Major positions as Captain ones.
When you ask around, you will no doubt hear that CA and PO Soldiers have a habit of going rogue and getting in trouble. There is some truth to this, as both are semi-autonomous enablers within a task force or BCT with a lot of opportunity for initiative on the part of an enterprising NCO or company-grade officer. They won't always have the best ideas.
Again, feel free to contact me directly. You'll be hard-pressed to stump me.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 4 at 2016 3:52 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 03:52:41 -0500

The commonality of CA and PSYOP includes areas such as cultural expertise, language capability, cross cultural comumunication and skill in working face to face with civilian populations. Where they differ is in the actual mission and skills involved.

PSYOP is about creating persuasive communications and actions designed to get the target audience to behave in a manner favorable to US interests. To create those effective messages requires in depth knowledge of the science of communications and persuasion, coupled with extensive knowledge of the culture of the target audiences. PSYOP uses communication media such as TV, radio, print and internet to disseminate those messages and then must use social science techniques to assess, evaluate and modify said messages. The target audiiences can include civilian populations, enemy armed forces or political leaders.

Civil Affairs also seeks to influence civilian populations and assists combat commanders with Civil Military Operations. While they also need to employ effective communication skills, the CA teams bring functional expertise in civilian fields such as public health, government, judicial proceedings, public works and other infrastructure programs.

If I were to use an oversimplified analogy, you could consider PSYOP as a marketing organization using media to persuade the audiences to support US operations. CA would be like a team of City Managers who could come in and assess the needs of the local population and have the expertise in the various functional areas to work with the local people to plan and execute various projects that will benefit the locals.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Jan 4 at 2016 9:17 AM

SSG Carlos Madden — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 09:17:01 -0500

I can't speak for the PsyOps side, but CA was some of the most interesting and rewarding time I had in the military. I switched over with a fairly diverse group of people of all ranks and I'd say they all generally feel the same way.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 6 at 2016 11:45 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 11:45:22 -0500

Just looking at your profile, you are a 25B with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. That skill set alone, would be great in a PSYOP unit. Why wait for commissioning? You can get into a CA/PO now and gain valuable experience. The big consideration for most reservists, is the proximity of a unit to their home, and how far they are willing to travel to get to it. Good luck!

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Jan 6 at 2016 8:33 PM

MAJ Javier Rivera — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 20:33:44 -0500

You mentioned commissioning into one of these 2 branches. Here is the scoop: you cannot access into these branches! You would commission into anyone of the accession branches and then, as a 1LT, apply to whichever regiment you prefer. So long there is a reserve unit within your footprint. In the active component is similar.

Response by SGT(P) Christopher Poole made Jan 10 at 2020 3:16 AM

SGT(P) Christopher Poole — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 03:16:09 -0500