The American writer Elbert Hubbard once wrote that wise men, down in their hearts, know this truth: “the only way to help yourself is to help others.”

This cornerstone of helping others to help themselves is what American forces with Special Operations Command Africa have been aiming for with African partners, and nowhere is this more evident than in the recent civil affairs (CA) training in Senegal.

For several months, a four-man U.S. military CA team assigned to SOCAFRICA out of the 91st CA Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C., graduated the first-ever Senegalese CA team on Jan. 27 at Camp Lemonier, Dakar.

The nine graduates make up the enlisted side of three CA teams, marking the culmination of not only trained CA soldiers, but also trainers who will go out and teach internal and foreign forces civil military operations both in times of peace and conflict. They are currently showcasing their skills at their first foreign training event at the annual African-led Flintlock 2014 exercise in Niger from Feb. 19 to March 9, 2014. 

Before graduating, the Senegalese team proved they were ready to go it alone by first holding a CA seminar for 40 other Senegalese troops as an introduction into the program and then hosting their very own Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) Jan. 23 in the remote village of Podor, which has limited medical care.

The CA program encompasses working with the civilian population and, more specifically, the community leaders, to support military operations around the globe; using techniques such as personal engagement with local leaders through supplementing basic medical or educational needs.

“The Senegalese are regularly involved in peace-keeping operations, so are no strangers to Civil Affairs operations. However, the training that we offer them maintains essential doctrine to ensure consistent performance and efforts,” said Capt. Tyler (last name withheld for Operational Security concerns), Civil Military Support Element (CMSE) team leader. During their final training leading up to the MEDCAP, Tyler said, “They are more than qualified to teach the material.”

Civil Affairs is used extensively by Special Operations Force (SOF) troops to develop relationships with key communities, and to better understand their concerns, according to Col. Ken Sipperly, the commander of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trans Sahara. SOF operations typically employ a small footprint, low-cost approach to developing capabilities to combat extremism. This, and all facets of the SOF lifestyle, involves immersion into, and understanding of, the nuance of host nation cultures, societies, regional threats, ethnicities and language. Simply put, seeing the drivers of instability that a community faces requires that the SOF troops see the world as the community sees it.

“As outsiders, we may see that the greatest problem a village may face is a terrorist or criminal threat,” said Sipperly. “To the host nation villagers, they may believe it is inadequate medical care or a drought that has been going on for years that prevents them from feeding themselves. Understanding the conditions, society and the environment allows SOF to bridge that gap with our partner nations and develop those close ties.”

One of the newly trained CA instructors agreed that his 25 years in the Senegal Army had prepared him for this new role within the CA field. “Back then,” Adjutant Chef el Hadji Theo Dieng of the Senegal Army Headquarters reflected on a time he was stationed in Podor in the late 90s to help civil unrest between Senegal and Mauritania, “what we were doing was civil military affairs, but we didn’t know it by that name. We were just doing it.”

Now he said he wonders why he didn’t do civil affairs his entire military career. “I just love it, this job is really the perfect fit for me,” he said.

The importance of employing the “train-the-trainer” approach for partner-nations is to better enable them to defeat violent extremist organizations (VEOs) throughout the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility, which ultimately empowers the Senegalese CA team to help themselves without the need of having an American team by their side, according to leadership.

“Building good relations with the civil populace in remote areas of Senegal, and countries that the Senegalese military operates in as part of an international peacekeeping force, will help develop positive relationships with local key influencers and build civilian resiliency against VEO influence in key areas,” said Maj. David Allen, the Theater Civil Military Support Element commander working out of Stuttgart, Germany.

With these additional tools, Senegalese troops are now better equipped to protect civilians from current and emerging threats, whatever they may be. Added stability allows each community the chance to improve their conditions, which, with time, could resonate throughout the region. As Hubbard also said “The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today.”