411th Civil Affairs Battalion (Tactical) is a
civil affairs (CA) unit of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. It is based at
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut.
Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...
. The unit includes Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Headquarters (HHC) Companies, all located in Danbury. The battalion has been involved in almost every conflict or major operation since Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989, most recently serving in the Horn of Africa from 2016 to 2017.
History
The history of the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion begins in 1945 with the establishment of the 399th Civil Affairs Group, which served in the
Pacific Theatre. It was later transferred to the
Army Reserve
A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...
and located in Danbury, Connecticut. The 411th Military Government Company was established in 1949 and located in
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census.
The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The C ...
. In 1959 the unit was re-designated as the 411th Civil Affairs Company and transferred to
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
. In 1978, with the drawdown of CA forces after the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, the 399th was deactivated and its personnel assigned to the newly created Detachment 1 of the 411th CA Company, still located in Danbury. In 1991, the 411th was reconstituted as a battalion and consolidated in Danbury the following year.
1980s and 1990s
In late 1989, various 411th soldiers volunteered for service in
Operations Just Cause and Promote Liberty in Panama. In December 1990 teams were mobilized and deployed to Operations
Desert Shield
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
and
Desert Storm
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
in support of the storied
3rd Armored Division, which was part of the
VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to:
* VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars
* VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I
* VII ...
effort to liberate
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
. Several 411th soldiers also participated in
Operation Provide Comfort
Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern ...
to support humanitarian operations in
Kurdistan
Kurdistan ( ku, کوردستان ,Kurdistan ; lit. "land of the Kurds") or Greater Kurdistan is a roughly defined geo-cultural territory in Western Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, Kurdish la ...
(northern Iraq and neighboring Turkey).
Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy was a military intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The operation was effectively authorized by ...
in Haiti during 1994 saw individuals supporting
Special Forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
in humanitarian operations. The following year, 34 soldiers from the 411th deployed to the
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base ( es, Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by members of the U.S. military) is a United States military base ...
in support of humanitarian efforts for Cuban refugees as part of a Presidential Selected Reserve Call Up.
Operation Sea Signal
Operation Sea Signal was a United States Department of Defense operation in the Caribbean in response to an influx of Cuban and Haitian migrants attempting to gain asylum in the United States. As a result, the migrants became refugees at Guantana ...
foretold the growing demand for civil affairs soldiers worldwide.
From December 1995 to January 1997, the 411th provided teams for peace implementation in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
called
Operation Joint Endeavor
The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''.
Background
NATO ...
. This was followed up by peacekeeping operations from 1997 through 1999 in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Operations
Joint Guard and
Joint Forge). This support for peacekeeping operations set the trend for future CA support of international efforts to aid war-torn countries, exemplified by the 411th's participation in
Operation Joint Guardian
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
in Kosovo from 1999 through 2000.
2000s
Immediately following the
11 September 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...
, members of the battalion volunteered to assist in recovery efforts at 'Ground Zero' in lower Manhattan. This effort marked the beginning of the 411th's contributions to the Global War on Terrorism as part of Operations
Noble Eagle
Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks..
...
and
Enduring Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...
.
For
Operation Iraqi Freedom
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
in February 2003, the 411th provided two direct support detachments in support of numerous units including the
1st Marine Expeditionary Force
The I Marine Expeditionary Force ("I" pronounced "One") is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. It is ...
,
3rd Infantry Division,
82nd and
101st Airborne Divisions,
2nd and
3rd Armored Cavalry Regiments,
1st Armored Division and the
Coalition Provisional Authority
)
, capital = Baghdad
, largest_city = capital
, common_languages = ArabicKurdishEnglish (''de facto'')
, government_type = Transitional government
, legislature = Iraqi Governing Council
, title_leader = Administrator
, leader1 = Jay ...
. Bravo Detachment was the first to enter Iraq. Alpha detachment moved into Iraq on 5 April 2003 in support of combat operations, remaining until March 2004.
At
Camp Arifjan
Camp Arifjan is a United States Army installation in Kuwait which accommodates elements of the United States Air Force, US Air Force, United States Navy, US Navy, United States Marine Corps, US Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, US Coast ...
, Kuwait, personnel from Alpha worked closely with Brigadier General Kern (352nd CACOM commander) and his staff in developing the final OIF Civil Affairs plan. At
Najaf
Najaf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف) or An-Najaf al-Ashraf ( ar, ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف), also known as Baniqia ( ar, بَانِيقِيَا), is a city in central Iraq about 160 km (100 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated popula ...
, Alpha was reconstituted and it deployed teams in support of ongoing 2nd ACR field missions in villages surrounding the city. This included establishing a mobile
civil-military operations center
A Civil Military Operations Center or CMOC is a center usually established by a military force for coordinating civil-military operations in an area of operations. This center usually serves as a meeting place for military and non-military entiti ...
.
On 22 April 2003, Alpha established the first
civil-military operations center
A Civil Military Operations Center or CMOC is a center usually established by a military force for coordinating civil-military operations in an area of operations. This center usually serves as a meeting place for military and non-military entiti ...
(CMOC) in Baghdad, located immediately behind the UN compound. Alpha coordinated the development of detailed procedures to address issues raised by the local Iraqi population, including establishing lines of communication with the remaining Iraqi government representatives and local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the area in order to address issues of the local populace. Between its opening on 22 April 2003 and its handover to Iraqi personnel in September, the 'UN CMOC' had over 5,800 visitors and handled over 3,900 reports. Reported issues included reports on
UXOs, looting, missing persons, requests for assistance, security, and a whole gamut of other topics.
Based upon assessments conducted by its Civil Affairs Teams, Alpha developed detailed determinations of work required and secured the funding for over 150 public works projects to address deficiencies in the local infrastructure. Over $1 million in Commander's discretionary funds were allocated to pay for these projects. Alpha generated over 125 humanitarian projects to address the needs of the local populace, including the delivery of 30 tons of food, over 100,000 humanitarian rations, over 5 million litres of water, 8 tons of medical supplies and 8 tons of school supplies.
Alpha took the lead in establishing Baghdad's first
Internal Displaced Persons (IDP) relocation area (then known as Hillsdale). Alpha coordinated the 1st ID's IDP program, including the development of the plans to address IDPs located in various Ministry buildings. This included overseeing the construction of 56 housing units for the relocation of over 50 families to Hillsdale from the ministries.
On 19 August 2003, Alpha was engaged during the terrorist attack on the United Nations compound in Baghdad. Suffering damage to its building and having six soldiers wounded, it immediately reacted to the attack and deployed its personnel to repel a potential second attack as well as to provide aid to the wounded. Alpha personnel were first to arrive at the scene and were instrumental in establishing order out of chaos early at the scene of the attack. Command of the entire operation was the responsibility of Alpha until the later arrival of follow-on units. First Sergeant
William von Zehle's efforts to rescue UN Special Envoy Sergio de Mello were subsequently chronicled in the 2009 HBO film ''Sergio''. The actions of detachment personnel were personally recognized by President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, General
Richard Myers
Richard Bowman Myers (born March 1, 1942) is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force who served as the 15th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As chairman, Myers was the highest ranking uniformed officer of the United Stat ...
(Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), Lieutenant General
James Helmly (Chief, Army Reserve) and
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...
(Secretary General, United Nations).
Bravo Company of the 411th holds the distinction of being the first Civil Affairs company to enter Iraq as a complete unit. While traveling north with the 3rd ID and the 82nd Division, Bravo conducted CA operations in ten major Iraqi cities including Najaf, Hilla and Karbala. The unit was also part of the first U.S. forces to enter
Falujah and
Ramadi
Ramadi ( ar, ٱلرَّمَادِي ''Ar-Ramādī''; also formerly rendered as ''Rumadiyah'' or ''Rumadiya'') is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad and west of Fallujah. It is the capital and largest city of Al Anbar Governorate whi ...
before settling into Baghdad. Bravo completed over 1,000 projects in southern, western and central Iraq worth in excess of $32 million. The unit was also instrumental in removing over 2,000 war hulks, cleaning city streets of trash and sewage while employing thousands of laborers and distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to civic employees.
The two companies redeployed after 13 months, returning in March 2004. The 411th also provided 11 trained civil affairs soldiers for OIF rotation two. In August 2004, the 411th made history again by becoming the first unit to deploy twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were the first unit to enter the country when the war began, and the first unit to return for a second trip.
As a member of Task Force 353 within Special Operations Command Central (Airborne), the 411th began arriving in August with their main body arriving in mid September. The battalion accoutered six tactical Civil Affairs companies for the 1st Infantry Division and 42nd Infantry Division. The unit provided cultural expertise, and was charged with developing the first program of instruction for Iraqi Army Civil Affairs.
The 411th coordinated Operation I CAN, which collected donations of over 20,000 tons of school supplies for direct distribution by maneuver battalions and the Iraqi Army to the children of Iraq. The 411th staffed and ran four out of six ministries at the Regional Reconstruction Operations Center, and scheduled $1,823,371,242 in reconstruction projects. The RROC was recognized by the National RROC as the best in theater and the Pentagon singled it out as the Army's model for Reconstruction Operations Centers. The battalion also operated three Provincial Civil Military Operations Centers, a Civil Military Coordination Center, the Division Projects Coordination Cell, oversaw the division's Civil Military Information Center for detainee operations, and provided staffing to the division G5 and G3-G5 Planning Cell.
Over 725 major humanitarian projects were successfully processed totaling in excess of $81,000,000. 411th personnel developed an effective project which tracked the progress of the programs from inception to completion; and were instrumental in the
Commander's Emergency Response Program
Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) was money for military commanders to use for conducting rebuilding and reconstruction during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.
The program
It was initially money seized during the invasion of Iraq, but la ...
(CERP) obligation rate improvement from 28% in October 2004 to 65% in April 2005.
During OIF III the battalion organized 19 Civil Affairs direct support tactical teams to provide CMO support at the maneuver battalion level. The area encompassed nine major cities and thousands of smaller towns and villages throughout the four provinces in AO Liberty, a total of , overseeing over one and half billion dollars in scheduled reconstruction projects. Companies of the 411th supported operations such as Operations Attleboro, Baton Rouge, City Park, Forsyth Park, Southern Storm, Niagara Falls, King's Mountain, Peacemaker, Ad Duluyah Sunrise, Powder River and others. The battalion was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation for service in OIF III.
2010s
The 411th deployed a company-sized element to Kandahar, Afghanistan in May 2010. During this 10-month deployment, the members of the unit worked alongside the US State Department, USAID, the 1/4 BCT of the 4th Infantry Division and with Canadian Light Infantry and CIMIC forces. The 411th HHC was instrumental in initiating, managing and completing nearly $22 million in infrastructure projects to include numerous road projects, well refurbishments, providing education supplies, delivering humanitarian aid and assisting in school refurbishments. Members of the unit also worked in conjunction with the Provincial Reconstruction Team throughout the city of Kandahar and in nearby rural areas.
The 411th deployed two companies to the Horn of Africa in December 2012. The 411th provided Host Nation Support in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa with sharing of best practices and partner nation building in several countries in the region. No visible sign of the 411th Battalion was made at the operational level until mid-2013 when units from the 448th Civil Affairs Battalion rotated home.
As of July 2019, members of the 411th were stationed at
Niger Air Base 201
Niger Air Base 201 (also known in some sources as "Nigerien Air Base 201") is a United States drone airbase near Agadez, Niger.
The base is about 5 km southeast of Agadez. It is owned by the Nigerien military but built and paid for by the Un ...
in
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages[Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...](_blank)
in 2008 for service in Iraq in 2004–2005.
MUC Orders
/ref>
The unit was also awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2011 for service in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
See also
* Civil-military co-operation
References
{{reflist
External links
* http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/411ca.htm
United States Africa Command
Civil affairs battalions of the United States Army
Danbury, Connecticut
Military units and formations in Connecticut
Military units and formations of the United States Army Reserve