Wielding Words as Nonlethal Weapons

Egyptian Armed Forces teams hone their information skills

Inside a closed situation room, with a tense and busy atmosphere, 24 Egyptian officers work as a team, divided into five groups to brainstorm a solution to an impending security and humanitarian crisis.

Each group plans for all possible scenarios within its mission. Sometimes the conversation gets loud at one table, contrasting with the quiet concentration at a nearby table. Some officers are drawing plans on a board; other are crafting media strategy.

The busiest table, surrounded by young officers waiting their turn to receive orders, is occupied by Brig. Gen. Essam Khalil, head of the Egyptian delegation. He shares the table with Col. Essam Abdelfattah, Col. Mohamed Sharkawy and Col. Ali El Said Elgand.

It’s all part of a joint information exchange hosted by U.S. forces at Fort Bragg in the United States for the Egyptian Armed Forces’ civil affairs and psychological operations branch. The purpose of the exchange was to strengthen military-to-military partnerships while enhancing regional security and stability by responding to security challenges.

“Egypt faces asymmetrical and unconventional threats; therefore, we require nonlethal training,” Brig. Gen. Khalil said. “The Egyptian Army will benefit from the training we received here, and we will be able to face these threats.”

Because of the current security environment near Egypt, this information-based exercise employed a scenario of a terrorist attack in a neighboring country that caused civilians to escape en masse over the border to Egypt.

Security and logistical teams prepared to host the refugees while special operations forces deployed to patch border breaches, control the flow of civilians and prescreen them for possible embedded terrorists. Civil affairs and psychological operation teams assumed responsibility for preparing refugee camps, under the assumption that the civilians would return to their homeland when the crisis ended.

The planning phase was well-detailed and based on real world events. The teams provided for a small clinic, a school, vocational programs and recreation areas, keeping the refugees’ culture and traditions in mind during the design of the living areas and bathrooms.

Many officers and noncommissioned officers from U.S. Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) participated in the exercise as observers and advisors. The Egyptian and U.S Soldiers worked as one team in response to a complex mission that matched the reality on the ground in the region.

Egyptian officers upheld high standards of professionalism with their sharp uniforms and efficient management of planning and daily briefings. Admiration and satisfaction clearly showed on the faces of attendees. The U.S. team expressed appreciation for the outstanding performance of the Egyptian team.

“The true sufferers in any conflict are the civilians on the battlefield,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Todd Leggroan of SOCCENT. He noted that this is exactly why the employment of nonlethal counterterrorism options during civil unrest and in response to humanitarian crises is becoming increasingly more important. “The astute and well-trained corps of officers under Brig. Gen. Khalil’s leadership learned that Military Information Support Operations (MISO) partnered with Civil Affairs (CA) has become an important ‘weapon system’ for their country.”

Perhaps one of the most moving moments of the exercise was the Eid prayers that took place at the mosque inside Fort Bragg, where many U.S Muslim Soldiers and Egyptian Soldiers stood together to pray and hugged to wish each other a happy and blessed Eid. Brig. Gen. Khalil expressed his appreciation that the U.S team had arranged the Eid observance to make the Egyptians feel at home. Eid Al-Adha is a very special celebration for Muslims.

The exercise was the result of a yearlong series of Joint Combined Exchange Training events with the Human Development and Behavioral Sciences Center and the Egyptian Armed Forces, the first in Egypt in more than 15 years. The training was conducted by personnel assigned to the 9th Military Information Support Battalion (Airborne) and the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne). It concentrated on sharing information while providing “lessons learned” on the use of MISO and CA forces and the integration of these nonlethal forces into the combined arms approach to warfare.

At the conclusion of the exercise, Brig. Gen. Khalil engaged the auditorium audience in casual Egyptian conversation.

“I don’t want to read a speech. I would like to talk to you heart to heart. I would like to thank the tremendous efforts of my American counterparts who tirelessly advised and assisted us to accomplish a totally successful exercise,” he said.

“I also want to thank the Egyptian team who worked hard and faithfully to reach the milestone. I would like to take the moment to appreciate the Egyptian warriors who are carrying out a furious fight against terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula. Our Soldiers show the entire world their heroism and sacrifices in their battle against terror.

“We are fighting an unconventional war against an enemy that has no human values and no remorse for the lives of innocents. Our military is fighting not only for Egypt, but for world peace, because terrorists are enemies of the civilized world. This exercise gives us the opportunity to meet many people, as well as learn advanced tactics. At the personal level, we made many new friends in the United States.”