U.S Military and Cultural Awareness

Congressional and military leaders have directed improvement in cultural awareness training throughout the Department of Defense. However there are severe challenges, especially in an era of limited resources, transformation and combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Research shows that cultural decisions may not always achieve their desired effect; many bad decisions are a result of cultural ignorance. There are several ways to improve cultural awareness in the military using military personnel, civilian experts, or a combination of both. However, there are challenges. For example, cultural experts suggest that the use of civilian anthropologists might achieve the desired effect, yet anthropologists must overcome a history of mistrust and disillusionment with the military that might hinder participation. The Army, for example, has directed cultural awareness studies at several military schools and courses, to include the Army War College. However this will require significant resources. Whatever the method, perhaps the most we can accomplish is to develop a basic knowledge of foreign cultures so that planners and decision makers will understand and consider religious, tribal, or family interactions within foreign societies. (Bernard 66)

Greater awareness a society's or adversary's culture might prevent or mitigate the length and cost of current and future conflicts.

It is hard to imagine the U.S. engaged in its second counterinsurgency (COIN) operation in less than 30 years. It seems improbable that after the hard lessons of Vietnam that any western nation would find itself in a seemingly endless conflict in a foreign environment. Part of the reason why the Army has found itself less than ready for this war goes back to the Army's unwillingness to internalize the lessons of Vietnam.1 Former Army Vice Chief of Staff, General Jack Keane, recently stated that the Army has no doctrine, education or training to deal with an insurgency. He went on to say that after Vietnam, the Army purged everything that had to do with irregular warfare or insurgency because it was related to a war that we lost; which, in hindsight, was a bad decision.2 Yet, here we are; facing similar circumstances in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some of the most knowledgeable scholars, military and civilian, are searching for methods to resolve these conflicts; however there are no clear solutions yet. Meanwhile the war continues with great costs measured in killed and wounded servicemen and women, costs to the tax payer, growing disillusionment at home and a declining U.S. reputation abroad. (Edward 479)

One of several attempts to reach a successful end to these conflicts is to improve cultural awareness throughout the Department of Defense (DoD). If successful, this initiative will assist decision makers at all levels to make timely and more accurate decisions, perhaps sparing lives and other valuable resources. On the premise that future wars will likely involve full spectrum operations followed by complex and lengthy COIN operations, this paper analyzes how improvements in cultural awareness might help to resolve such conflicts. It will analyze the results of previous culture-based decisions and question the utility and accuracy of ...