Political Quotes

“I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Congressional Record this scholarly article ``Civil Affairs, Winston Churchill, and the Power of Paying Attention,'' originally published in Small Wars Journal, which analyzes the value of Civil Affairs to supported commands and agencies through the lens of Winston Churchill's conception of generalship and statesmanship. Its author, CPT Andrew J. Bibb, U.S. Army, is from Santa Fe, NM. Although often overlooked, our civil affairs forces contribute to the ability of policymakers and military commanders to understand the full landscape and make fully informed decisions. Civil Affairs units also help us navigate conflicts where we more frequently confront civilians than combatants. As the article puts it, Civil Affairs ``helps the commander understand the factors that contribute to civil unrest and make societies vulnerable to nefarious actors [and] enables them to make decisions that not only defeat threats but prevent them from arising in the first place.'' I want to thank our men and women in Civil Affairs and let them know we value and appreciate their often unheralded work. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Civil Affairs, Winston Churchill, and the Power of Paying Attention Captain Andrew J. Bibb, U.S. Army Readiness, the top priority of the U.S. military in the 21st century, begins with awareness.…”