What is the job of a civil affairs unit?

Answer 1

This is a recognized corps or arm of the Army and has its own specialized collar tabs- like the Engineers, Infantry, etc. I do not have many references to this but believe they may be Public Information Officers, who handle information releases of a military nature ( possibly casualties to next of kin, for example) and maintain security of materials not supposed to be in the public eye or ear- so there is a censoring/editing job here. Look up the various branches of the Army and insignia/ missions for more info. The older term was PIO ( pronounced as an abbreviation, not a word ( which means pious or holy in Italian!) and these gentlemen were Public Information Officers- there were many on duty at the Pentagon, Cape Canaveral, and other sensitive locations. I wish I could give you more info. Not one of the ( Combat arms) of the Army but important nonetheless!