Montgomery McFate and Janice H. Laurence
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190216726
- eISBN:
- 9780190492137
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190216726.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Security Studies
Military units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan before 2006 knew little about the political system, economic life, or culture of the countries in which they would be fighting a war. This ignorance ...
More
Military units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan before 2006 knew little about the political system, economic life, or culture of the countries in which they would be fighting a war. This ignorance impeded the military's ability to build support for the host nation government, and decrease support for the insurgency. The deployed military swiftly recognized that understanding the “human terrain” was critical to accomplishing their mission and so an experimental program called the Human Terrain System that embedded teams of mixed military and civilian members with forces in Iraq and Afghanistan was launched. By conducting research on-the-spot in a war zone and advising military commanders and their staffs, HTS was designed to remedy the military's lack of understanding regarding the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. This chapter outlines the origins of HTS and the purpose and organization of the program. The value of social science to the military is addressed, as are academic and military reactions to HTS. It also provides an overview of the purpose and structure of the book.Less
Military units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan before 2006 knew little about the political system, economic life, or culture of the countries in which they would be fighting a war. This ignorance impeded the military's ability to build support for the host nation government, and decrease support for the insurgency. The deployed military swiftly recognized that understanding the “human terrain” was critical to accomplishing their mission and so an experimental program called the Human Terrain System that embedded teams of mixed military and civilian members with forces in Iraq and Afghanistan was launched. By conducting research on-the-spot in a war zone and advising military commanders and their staffs, HTS was designed to remedy the military's lack of understanding regarding the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. This chapter outlines the origins of HTS and the purpose and organization of the program. The value of social science to the military is addressed, as are academic and military reactions to HTS. It also provides an overview of the purpose and structure of the book.
Montgomery McFate and Janice H. Laurence (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190216726
- eISBN:
- 9780190492137
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190216726.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Security Studies
The Human Terrain System (HTS) was catapulted into existence in 2006 by the US military's urgent need for knowledge of the human dimension of the battlespace in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its centrepiece ...
More
The Human Terrain System (HTS) was catapulted into existence in 2006 by the US military's urgent need for knowledge of the human dimension of the battlespace in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its centrepiece was embedded groups of mixed military and civilian personnel, known as Human Terrain Teams (HTTs), whose mission was to conduct social science research and analysis and to advise military commanders about the local population. Bringing social science — and actual social scientists — to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was bold and challenging. Despite the controversy over HTS among scholars, there is little good, reliable source material written by those with experience of HTS or about the actual work carried out by teams in theatre. This volume goes beyond the anecdotes, snippets and blogs to provide a comprehensive, objective and detailed view of HTS. The chapters put the program in historical context, discuss the obstacles it faced, analyze its successes, and detail the work of the teams downrange. Most importantly, they capture some of the diverse lived experience of HTS scholars and practitioners drawn from an eclectic array of the social sciences.Less
The Human Terrain System (HTS) was catapulted into existence in 2006 by the US military's urgent need for knowledge of the human dimension of the battlespace in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its centrepiece was embedded groups of mixed military and civilian personnel, known as Human Terrain Teams (HTTs), whose mission was to conduct social science research and analysis and to advise military commanders about the local population. Bringing social science — and actual social scientists — to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was bold and challenging. Despite the controversy over HTS among scholars, there is little good, reliable source material written by those with experience of HTS or about the actual work carried out by teams in theatre. This volume goes beyond the anecdotes, snippets and blogs to provide a comprehensive, objective and detailed view of HTS. The chapters put the program in historical context, discuss the obstacles it faced, analyze its successes, and detail the work of the teams downrange. Most importantly, they capture some of the diverse lived experience of HTS scholars and practitioners drawn from an eclectic array of the social sciences.
Kathleen Reedy
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190216726
- eISBN:
- 9780190492137
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190216726.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Security Studies
Drawing on experiences on HTTs in Iraq and Afghanistan, the author, an anthropologist specializing in the Middle East, reflects on key aspects of integrating social science into the military ...
More
Drawing on experiences on HTTs in Iraq and Afghanistan, the author, an anthropologist specializing in the Middle East, reflects on key aspects of integrating social science into the military decision-making process. While most units deploy knowing how to incorporate their non-lethal assets, military leaders do not always understand what a socio-cultural perspective offers them, and an HTT does not have a doctrinal home in the host unit. Every team must therefore prove its usefulness while negotiating where, how and why it should fit in. Such flexibility allows leaders to tailor the structure to meet their needs, but also can create gaps where an HTT does not function effectively or at all. The author suggests that there are four elements that form the backbone of how to operationally and organizationally apply social science in a war zone. They involve: short-term recommendations on immediate issues; medium-term analysis of a unit's effectiveness; long-term identification of social issues leading to insurgency; and successful integration into the unit. This chapter examines case studies of each pillar to illustrate the importance of socio-cultural knowledge in conflict zones, what it offers deployed units, and how applying it rests on the HTT being a part of the team.Less
Drawing on experiences on HTTs in Iraq and Afghanistan, the author, an anthropologist specializing in the Middle East, reflects on key aspects of integrating social science into the military decision-making process. While most units deploy knowing how to incorporate their non-lethal assets, military leaders do not always understand what a socio-cultural perspective offers them, and an HTT does not have a doctrinal home in the host unit. Every team must therefore prove its usefulness while negotiating where, how and why it should fit in. Such flexibility allows leaders to tailor the structure to meet their needs, but also can create gaps where an HTT does not function effectively or at all. The author suggests that there are four elements that form the backbone of how to operationally and organizationally apply social science in a war zone. They involve: short-term recommendations on immediate issues; medium-term analysis of a unit's effectiveness; long-term identification of social issues leading to insurgency; and successful integration into the unit. This chapter examines case studies of each pillar to illustrate the importance of socio-cultural knowledge in conflict zones, what it offers deployed units, and how applying it rests on the HTT being a part of the team.
