Bookmark this:
Create a Civilian Assistance Corps that would organize private sector professionals to help in times of need
"There is presently no mechanism for civilians with special skill-sets (be they doctors, lawyers, engineers, city planners, agriculture specialists, police, etc.) and a sense of service, to be trained and organized to help their nation when it needs them. The Civilian Assistance Corps (modeled after similar auxiliary groups in Virginia and California) would provide each federal agency a pool of volunteer experts willing to deploy in crises. They would be pre-trained and screened for deployment to supplement departments' expeditionary teams. The creation of such a corps would ensure that true experts carry out tasks such as restoring electricity or creating banking systems, rather than the current practice of expecting already over-burdened soldiers to assume these roles. An Obama administration will set a goal of creating a national CAC of 25,000 personnel."
Sources: "A 21st Century Military for America"
Subjects: Foreign Policy, Public Service
Creation of civilian corps awaits two reviews
Updated: Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 | By Louis Jacobson
During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised to create a 25,000-strong Civilian Assistance Corps to organize "civilians with special skill-sets (be they doctors, lawyers, engineers, city planners, agriculture specialists, police, etc.) and a sense of service, to be trained and organized to help their nation when it needs them."
The idea is modeled after existing groups in Virginia and California and would "provide each federal agency a pool of volunteer experts willing to deploy in crises. They would be pretrained and screened for deployment to supplement departments' expeditionary teams." The civilians might carry out any number of tasks, from restoring electricity to creating banking systems, freeing up military personnel to undertake other duties.
The White House says that efforts to create the corps are under way, but tangible progress must await the completion of two major policy reviews. One is a presidential study directive on global development policy led by national security adviser Jim Jones and National Economic Council chairman Larry Summers. The other is a Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review -- a blueprint for U.S. diplomatic and development efforts -- being conducted by the State Department.
The corps could still be years away, but the work being done under these two policy reviews earns this promise a rating of In the Works.
Sources:
Foreign Policy blog "The Cable," "
In new directive, Obama signs off on development review
," Aug. 31, 2009
Modernizing Foreign Assistance, "MFAN: New Presidential Study Directive an Unprecedented Step Forward on Development" (
news release
), Aug. 31, 2009
State Department, "The Department of State's Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review" (
news release
), July 10, 2009
We want to hear your suggestions and comments. For tips or comments on our campaign promise database, please e-mail the Obameter. If you are commenting on a specific promise, please include the promise number. For comments about our Truth-O-Meter or Flip-O-Meter items, please e-mail the Truth-O-Meter. We’re especially interested in seeing any chain e-mails you receive that you would like us to check out. If you send us a comment, we'll assume you don't mind us publishing it unless you tell us otherwise.
Keep up to date with Politifact:
- Sign up for our e-mail (about once a week)
- Put a free PolitiFact widget on your blog or Web page
- Subscribe to our RSS feeds
- Follow us on Twitter
- Fan us on Facebook
