Michael Karlson is a major in the U.S. Army. He’s from a military family. He has served for over 15 years as an officer in the transportation corps and in the infantry. After returning from a deployment in Afghanistan in 2010, he went to work in U.S. Army Civil Affairs. One aspect of his service for which he is most proud is his time in Combined Joint Task Force Platypus.
When many people think of the Army, they envision the fighting forces in our infantry, or perhaps those who drive our tanks or fly attack helicopters. They may know someone who has served in any of dozens of support jobs such as mechanics or supply specialists. But one of the many unsung hero jobs of the Army is Civil Affairs.
In Afghanistan, my infantry company was assigned to protect and otherwise support CA soldiers whose job was to roll into villages, make friends with the people there, and find out how the U.S. military could best assist them. That might mean helping them construct or supply a school, providing tools for farming or village improvement projects, or facilitating the voting process. It’s a great mission.
Combined Joint Task Force Platypus was the self-proclaimed title of a team comprised of Karlson, an Army master sergeant, a Marine Corps warrant officer, and two captains from the Australia and New Zealand armies. This small group served aboard the USNS Mercy, the lead hospital ship of her class in the Navy’s non-commissioned service, in support of Pacific Partnership, an annual deployment to the Pacific featuring a number of American and partner nation agencies and non-governmental organizations. Karlson calls it “floating diplomacy,” with Mercy carrying an international coalition to “conduct collaborative health engagements, humanitarian assistance … and cultural exchanges.”
How did CJTF Platypus work? After all, a group consisting of a U.S. Army officer, Army enlistee, U.S. Marine Corps warrant officer, and foreign army captains from different countries sounds like it would go together about as well as, well, the major component parts and attributes of a duck-billed platypus.
“I remember [our group] getting together for the first time,” he recalled. “It initially had the vibe of a middle school dance, people sort of standing around, unsure of what to do or whether or not they even wanted to be there.”
He was determined to build a cohesive, functional team. To that end, he had “tan patches with a purple platypus on them” made ahead of time, ready for the team. As he handed them out, he said, “This team is weird, but in a great way, and I’m pretty stoked to be on it.” The group bonded immediately.
In many ways, the mix helped the group function even better. “Nobody could assume anything, so one had to ask a lot of questions,” said the major. This “created an atmosphere of openness and transparency that fostered a team dynamic based on trust.”
When facing a problem, it was common to hear, “Well, in Australia” or “in the Marines.” There was no internal competition, nobody gunning for promotion over anyone else, allowing each to bring his unique perspective and experiences to bear to help people in East Timor and the Philippines better prepare for coping with natural disasters or other emergencies.
CJTF Platypus was a multi-service, multi-national team, and its work with various foreign militaries and governments embodies the tradition of American military success through international cooperation. Likewise, Karlson represents the amazing potential of U.S. Army Civil Affairs and the best a soldier might hope for in an officer.
Trent Reedy served as a combat engineer in the Iowa Army National Guard from 1999 to 2005, including a year’s tour of duty in Afghanistan.
