U.S. Army Making Cultural Training A Priority

Sgt. Grady Hyatt of the U.S. Army's Africa Command discusses an action plan with members of the Ghana Army.

'Smart Power': Army Making Cultural Training A Priority -- CNN

(CNN) -- Chemical weapons engulf soldiers carrying 60-pound rucksacks, their mud-filled boots trenching through a river dividing simulated enemy lines.

Troops run in the desert to acclimate to harsh conditions with winter temperatures as low as 8 degrees, summer as high as 120.

The training becomes increasingly realistic in the weeks before deployment, mirroring the topography they may endure, but not necessarily the human terrain -- the cultures they'll be dealing with. And in a foreign land, something as seemingly innocuous as a thumbs-up sign or shaking a woman's hand can land a soldier in trouble.

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My Comment: I am glad that some cultural education is being given .... but the U.S. is probably the only major power in the world that is implementing such a program.

The U.S. Military's Language Problem

The Army’s Language Problem -- Michael Rubin, Commentary

A decade of war has reinforced to the U.S. Army the importance of cultural awareness. Senior flag officers and junior enlisted men and women have all heard presentations about Islam, and basic elements of Iraqi and Afghan culture. True, discussing the confluence of theology and terrorism remains largely taboo in the politically correct U.S. military, but few troops deploy without knowing basic information about Islam and cultural sensitivities. The notable exception was Gen. Janis Karpinski, whose unit embarrassed the United States at Abu Ghraib; she dismissed cultural awareness as below her and irrelevant to her mission.

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My Comment: What of my personal embarrassments is that while my first language is Russian, my English and French (I live in the Canadian french province of Quebec) is adequate but not top notch (This is one of the reasons why I started this blog .... to work on my English writing skills .... thank God for spell-check). I also have a so-so ability to communicate in Mandarin and Korean, and I am working on my Spanish. My dad spoke 8 languages fluently .... my mom knows 6. All of my American born friends only speak one .... and maybe a bit of Spanish. Why America has this problem to learn a second or third language is beyond me .... I guess it is another example on why America's education system is failing. Interestingly .... China is rapidly becoming the world's second most populous country that speaks English. When I first visited China in the mid 1980s .... only a fraction spoke it. On my last trip to China last month .... everyone wanted to practice their English on me .... and I mean everyone. In Russia .... all of cousin's kids speak adequate to excellent English (that's about 20 kids).

A Former Soviet Soldier Leads The U.S. Army’s Culture Efforts

Photo: Linguist Mahir Ibrahimov talks with children in a local village during a mission to open two water treatment plants near the post in February 2005 in Balad, Iraq. Army photo by Pfc. Abel Trevino

Former Soviet Soldier Leads U.S. Army’s Culture Efforts -- FtLeavenworthLamp.com

Fort Leavenworth, Kan. — The act of burning the Muslim holy book is more than just deeply insensitive to the Afghan people, says the Army’s senior culture and foreign language adviser.

But, such acts can be avoided by service members in the future with proper training and cultural education.

“It’s a lack of cultural awareness training,” Dr. Mahir Ibrahimov said of the Qu’ran burning that took place last month in Afghanistan. “If somebody had trained them and explained that to them, they would have never done that.”

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My Comment: I have always been interested in how cultural differences impact military operations and conflicts. Reading this post .... it is clear that after 10 years of war and conflict .... many in the Pentagon are now sharing this sentiment also.

This is a must read post for those who are interested in understanding how cultural differences can influence and impact military operations and strategy.

Most Countries Do Not Speak English

MONTEREY ADDRESS - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, at podium, addresses joint service members assigned to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language School and Presidio of Monterey, Calif., Aug. 23, 2011. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey

The Pentagon's Foreign-Language Frustrations -- Time

As Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told 2,500 troops Tuesday about the foreign-language skills he championed as a congressman, an active-duty Army officer was complaining about the paucity of military personnel who can speak anything other than English.



The current push to train soldiers to speak the local languages in Afghanistan and Iraq was "haphazardly thrown together," Morgan Smiley, an active-duty Army officer, posted on Small Wars Journal, an independent website, Tuesday morning. A recent government report makes clear that – a decade into the war in Afghanistan – the Pentagon continues to bumble teaching its troops the local languages, a skill that ground commanders say is as valuable as a soldier's skill with a rifle. Several hours later, defense chief Panetta praised the Pentagon's efforts to improve the language skills in its arsenal, but conceded "frankly, more needs to be done."



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My Comment: Understanding another country's culture and language has always been a problem with the U.S. .... not only for the soldiers in the field but also among the top staff and their political masters. Why this is the case bewilders me because I personally know that this can easily be overcome (Russian and Ukrainian are my 1rst and 2nd languages, and living in Quebec Canada has made English and French my 3rd/4th languages ).

The Role Of Culture And The Effectivemenss Of A Country's Military -- A Commentary

PERSONAL ASSISTANCE - U.S. Army Sgt. James Henderson, right, assists an Afghan police officer during call-out training at the police headquarters in Chahar Dara, Afghanistan, Aug. 28, 2010. Henderson is assigned to the 10th Mountain Division. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Walter M. Wayman

Why Arabs Lose Wars -- Norvell B. De Atkine, Middle East Quarterly

Norvell De Atkine, a U.S. Army retired colonel with eight years residence in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, and a graduate degree in Arab studies from the American University of Beirut, is currently instructing U.S. Army personnel assigned to Middle Eastern areas. The opinions expressed here are strictly his own.

Arabic-speaking armies have been generally ineffective in the modern era. Egyptian regular forces did poorly against Yemeni irregulars in the 1960s.1 Syrians could only impose their will in Lebanon during the mid-1970s by the use of overwhelming weaponry and numbers.2 Iraqis showed ineptness against an Iranian military ripped apart by revolutionary turmoil in the 1980s and could not win a three-decades-long war against the Kurds.3 The Arab military performance on both sides of the 1990 Kuwait war was mediocre.4 And the Arabs have done poorly in nearly all the military confrontations with Israel. Why this unimpressive record? There are many factors—economic, ideological, technical—but perhaps the most important has to do with culture and certain societal attributes which inhibit Arabs from producing an effective military force.

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My Comment: This opinion piece is over ten years old .... but it is timely and true in today's world, and provides a heads up on U.S. attempts to train and organize the Iraqi military into an effective force.

Is Warfare in Our Genes? Apparently Not

Can humans ever live in eternal peace? (Image: Rex Features)

Winning The Ultimate Battle: How Humans Could End War -- The Scientist

OPTIMISTS called the first world war "the war to end all wars". Philosopher George Santayana demurred. In its aftermath he declared: "Only the dead have seen the end of war". History has proved him right, of course. What's more, today virtually nobody believes that humankind will ever transcend the violence and bloodshed of warfare. I know this because for years I have conducted numerous surveys asking people if they think war is inevitable. Whether male or female, liberal or conservative, old or young, most people believe it is. For example, when I asked students at my university "Will humans ever stop fighting wars?" more than 90 per cent answered "No". Many justified their assertion by adding that war is "part of human nature" or "in our genes". But is it really?

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My Comment: A fascinating read. Somehow I missed this story. Read the whole thing.