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Marines

Photo Information

Capt. Christopher Banweg, a reserve Marine civil affairs officer, teaches a local Afghan farmer how to operate a radio here Dec. 10, 2009. Banweg recently returned from a seven-month tour with the 4th Civil Affairs Group in Afghanistan. (Published with permission of The Christian Science Monitor, not authorized for republication)

Photo by Ben Arnoldy

Reserve Marine officer finds niche civil affairs

1 Jul 2010 | Maj. Paul Greenberg U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve

Second Lt. Christopher Banweg walked out of his staff platoon commander’s office in a state of shock in November 2000.  

During his six months of hard work at The Basic School, he had aspired to become a combat arms officer; to lead Marines in small unit tactics, both in training and real-world operations.

“Financial Management Officer, 3404,” the captain had pronounced casually. 

Banweg couldn’t believe his ears.  Infantry, artillery and combat engineer were at the top of his preference list of military occupational specialties.  He’d put financial management and administrative jobs at the bottom. 

Most of the other officers in his TBS class got one of their top five preferences.  He never expected that he’d end up with his 18th choice.

“I was disappointed, as I had always wanted to lead Marines in the field and be a part of the boots on the ground,” said Banweg.  “I did feel it was a challenge to have the best finance office around; and it was still an honor to be leading Marines.  It takes Marines doing a good job in every area to make a successful Marine Corps.  I'm just more field-oriented.”

In the classic Marine Corps tradition of “grow where you’re planted,” Banweg completed a successful three-year tour as a financial management officer at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.  He then got out of the Corps in 2004 to pursue a career as a general manager at a large corporation in Chicago, Ill.

Civilian life back home in Chicago enabled Banweg to spend a lot of time with his family, but it didn’t provide him with all the camaraderie he’d experienced as a Marine.  He simply missed the Corps.

Now a captain, Banweg decided to join Marine Aircraft Control Group 48, a nearby Marine Forces Reserve unit in Great Lakes, Ill. 

The control group provides high-tech communications capabilities and air defense support for active duty and reserve Marine Corps aviation units, both in training and real-world operations.

Banweg cross-trained in air intelligence and served as the unit’s intelligence officer, drilling on weekends and attending summer training sessions for about a year.  He also served concurrently on the Marine Corps Reserve Rifle Team. 

In 2008, Banweg was working as vice president of a human resources department in his civilian career.  He divided his weekends between training drills at MACG-48, marksmanship practice in Quantico, Va., shooting matches throughout the United States and spending time with his wife, young daughter and parents. 

But he still had unfinished business.

He had kept abreast of Marine Corps operations in Iraq and Afghanistan over the previous six years, but he had never deployed in support of overseas contingency operations himself. 

In the process of looking around for opportunities to deploy, he learned about the Marine Corps Reserve’s civil affairs units and upcoming deployment to Afghanistan with the 4th Civil Affairs Group, based in Washington, D.C.

“I wanted to serve the Marine Corps in Afghanistan in a capacity that I felt my background would support well,” said Banweg.  “On the civilian side I work in international business and interact with many foreign cultures.  I also have experience with project management in both the Marine Corps and civilian sector.  Though project management is a part of civil affairs and a required skill, it is just one of the tools available in a civil affairs team.  I wanted to be on the ground out with the Marines and the people of Afghanistan.  It's the place to be.”

In August 2009, Banweg said good-bye to his family, which now included his newborn twin sons, and headed to Anacostia, Md. to meet up with his detachment for pre-deployment training, which included an intensive 10-day civil affairs course and field training.  The program culminated with a trip to Bridgeport, Calif., for Mountain Warfare School.

“I thought the training was good,” he said.  “It touched on many of the core skills needed in counterinsurgency and civil-military operations.”

Banweg explained that the reserve Marines on his team brought additional skills sets to the unit from their professional experiences in their civilian careers.  

“CAG teams are small (usually less than ten Marines and U.S. Navy medical personnel) and typically support a Marine Corps battalion,” explained Banweg.  “It is necessary for (a CAG team) to cover down on enormous expanses of area.  It was critical to develop a team that could work together, but had members also equally capable of working individually supporting company or greater sized elements directly.

“Team members must be tactically proficient enough to work side-by-side with infantry Marines and technically proficient enough to provide advice to their battlespace commander that enables him to make decisions that will win the (counterinsurgency) fight in Afghanistan.  Professional knowledge is critical to developing credibility with the command and the local people.  The teams are tight and flexible.  I knew all of my Marines and trusted each of them to make judgments on the ground.  They were prepared and ready for the challenges we've faced.”

Banweg arrived with his team in Helmand Province in November 2009.  They were designated 4th Civil Affairs Group, Detachment M, Team 4, Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Afghanistan. 

Team 4’s mission in the southernmost Khan Neshin District was been to foster the development of local Afghan leadership structures at various levels of government and to ensure educational opportunities exist for all children in order to raise the overall level of sophistication in their region. 

The team has also supervised infrastructure development projects such as a comprehensive health clinic, the Khan Neshin School and road construction across the district.  In addition, they worked to facilitate the approval of the Helmand River Bridge project to link southern Helmand Province with the rest of Afghanistan.

His team worked closely in Afghanistan with 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, another Marine Forces Reserve unit which is headquartered at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

According to Banweg, his team, in direct support of 4th LAR, made great strides over the course of their seven-month tour in fostering a safe and stable environment in their region, where the people trust and rely on their local and provincial governments. 

The hope is that this, in turn, will help further establish the credibility of the fledgling Islamic Republic of Afghanistan central government amongst the population of Khan Neshin. 

“We helped the people across the district come together and form three Community Development Councils and a higher District Community Council.  With this leadership structure in place it enables them to discuss challenges and opportunities as a collective and drive positive change for the district.  It has brought them together to discuss how poppy is a dead investment and what alternatives they have in the future.  The councils meet with the district government and the Marines and discuss their thoughts and ideas.”

Banweg explained that the greatest obstacle the members of his team faced during their tour was a lingering doubt, both in and outside Afghanistan, that the Afghan people can not sustain their current democratic system of government after international security forces leave. 

He said that both his Marines and the local Afghans he worked with were aware of this sentiment.  However, Banweg insists the relationships and trust he and his team attained with the Afghan people and their leaders, working in close cooperation with 4th LAR and other ISAF personnel, fostered a relationship of trust in Khan Neshin and a strong resolve of the citizens there to work toward a brighter future.

“People here are no longer just concerned with food for tomorrow.  They are thinking about how to enhance their lives through business ventures and different crops….  Boys and girls are going to school where there were no schools before.  That’s not just a happy, feel-good thing.  Education is critical to the long-term development and sustainability of the government.”

Banweg and his team returned to the States in mid-June.  He looks forward to spending quality time with his family; especially his sons, who were only six weeks old when he left for Afghanistan. 

He plans to attend the Marine Corps basic intelligence officer course and continue drilling in the Marine Corps Reserve with MACG-48. 

Additionally, he intends to pursue a master’s degree at a civilian university in international relations and conflict resolutions.

The gratification he feels as a result of his CAG experience, however, has whetted his appetite to deploy again at some point in the future, possibly with another civil affairs team.

“I believe that Captain Banweg is one of the brightest prospects for continued service in the CAG that I have had the fortune to get to know.  He is a fine leader who uses a strong intellect, a problem-solving mindset and values-based work ethic to accomplish the mission while taking care of his Marines,” said Lt. Col. Martin Croxton, the Detachment M commander. 

A 24-year-Marine Corps veteran with 19 years in the reserves, Croxton served as Banweg’s supervisor and mentor during their tour in Afghanistan. 

To illustrate Banweg’s character and dedication, Croxton narrated a story about the morning of March 24, 2010, when Sgt. Maj. Robert J. Cottle and Lance Cpl. Rick J. Centanni of 4th LAR were killed in action while on a convoy with Banweg.
“While on the way to conduct an engagement with a key tribal leader, the convoy that Capt Banweg was travelling in struck an IED, resulting in a catastrophic kill to the vehicle in front of his, and two Marines (killed in action).  They were both men that Capt. Banweg had worked with frequently and extensively. After assisting to the extent possible with the immediate on-scene response, Captain Banweg proceeded to the key leader engagement, conducted a productive meeting that resulted in some important agreements that enhanced the cooperation between the Marines, (Afghanistan National Security Forces), (Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) officials and leaders from the local tribes.  The fact that (Banweg) was able to follow through with the meeting despite the earlier loss was indicative of his strong leadership, mission focus and desire to honor his fallen comrades in the best possible way.”

As Croxton, Banweg and their other team members reacclimate to their lives back in the States, other Marine Corps Reserve CAG teams are currently out conducting operations in Afghanistan, Panama, Romania, Peru and in rural Alaska.

“Civil affairs is a low-density, high-demand capability that is fundamental to winning the (counterinsurgency) fight,” said Croxton.  “Reserve Marines are uniquely qualified for service in this functional capacity because they bring skills and experiences from the civilian sector, in addition to their military qualifications. Possessing the ability to work within the military chain of command, but also showing the flexibility to work with people from other services and coalition partners, civilian agencies, and foreign countries clearly demonstrates an intellectual agility and cultural maturity that is needed as Marines progress in their reserve careers.”

Civil affairs has been a key Marine Forces Reserve asset for more than 20 years.  For the past eight years, CAG Marines have been on constant deployment rotations to Iraq, Afghanistan and many other countries in Europe, Africa and South America.

For more information about civil affairs deployment opportunities in the Marine Forces Reserve, visit our website at www.mfr.usmc.mil and click on the link, “Global Billets.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: Capt. Banweg received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal in June 2010 for superior performance of duty as team leader for Detachment M, Team 4, 4th Civil Affairs Group, Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Afghanistan.  The citation for his award includes the following: “Captain Banweg developed a civil-military strategy that addressed the sources of instability in Khan Neshin District.  By promoting partnership and engagement with the local populace and the local government, he facilitated sustainable solutions to an area where governance did not previously exist.  This partnership resulted in the completion of 48 projects that vastly improved the freedom of movement, economic and educational opportunity, and the health and well-being of the people of Khan Neshin.”