Applications in Operational Culture: Perspectives From the Field

Edited by Paula Holmes-Eber, et al. Discusses the importance of incorporating culture into current and future operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Several of the authors draw extensively on their personal operating experiences, providing important 'boots on the ground' perspectives. Others carefully evaluate our current capacity in light of the cultural challenges we will face in future deployments around the globe: offering potential solutions for the future.

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Table of Contents:

Foreword......................................................................................ix

By Major General Donald R. Gardner, USMC (Ret)

Acknowledgments ......................................................................xi

Introduction .................................................................................1

Operational Culture and the Marine Corps:A Historical

Perspective......................................................................................3

Creating Sound Cultural Analyses for the Military .....................5

Lessons Learned.........................................................................7

Planning for the 21st Century..................................................10

Chapter One: Maslow is Non-Deployable: Modifying Maslow’s

Hierarchy for Contemporary Counterinsurgency

by Major Jonathan Dunne, USMC .........................................15

Statement of the Problem ........................................................16

Operational Culture Defined ...................................................16

Understanding Ourselves through Maslow .............................19

The Iraq Case: Reassessing Maslow ..........................................19

Discussion of Findings .............................................................23

Conclusion ...............................................................................26

Chapter Two:The Use of Cultural Studies in Military Operations:A

Model for Assessing Values-Based Differences

by Lieutenant Colonel Alejandro P.Briceno, USMC...............29

Culture and Military Operations ..............................................31

Cultural Values Defined............................................................32

Military Application of Cultural Intelligence............................35

A Cultural Values Model............................................................37

Applications of the Model to a Case Study: Kuwait..................40

Discussion of Findings .............................................................43

Conclusion ...............................................................................44

Chapter Three: Developing the Iraqi Army:The Long Fight in the

Long War

by Major John F.Bilas, USMC..................................................49

Methodology............................................................................50

Background Information..........................................................52

The Surge—Operation Fardh-Al Qanoon

and the Awakening...................................................................55

How the Surge Affected Logistics, Personnel, and Pay .............59

Iraqi Brigade (1st BDE, 2d Div) Progress in Mosul, Iraq ...........68

Discussion................................................................................69

Recommendations ...................................................................70

Conclusion ...............................................................................74

Chapter Four: The Way Ahead: Reclaiming the Pashtun Tribes

through Joint Tribal Engagement

by Major Randall S.Hoffman, USMC .....................................79

Afghanistan at the Crossroads ..................................................82

Tribal Engagement:The Center of Gravity................................83

The Pashtun:A House Divided..................................................85

Reengaging the Pashtuns to Strengthen

Kabul’s Legitimacy ...................................................................98

Breakdown and Relationship of the Joint Teams ...................101

Conclusion .............................................................................113

Chapter Five:The Application of Cultural Military Education

for 2025

by Major Robert T.Castro, USMC..........................................117

Cultural Anthropology and Irregular Warfare Operations......118

Getting Culture on Board.......................................................125

The Reinvention of the Wheel: Culture in Past

Military Operations ................................................................126

Educating for the Future ........................................................128

Conclusion .............................................................................132

Chapter Six: Operational Culture: Is the Australian Army Driving

the Train or Left Standing at the Station?

By Lieutenant Colonel Steven Brain, Australian Army.......135

Defining Culture ....................................................................137

Culture and Future Warfare....................................................141

The Australian Army: Operational Culture in Education

and Training............................................................................143

Conclusion .............................................................................151

Conclusion................................................................................155

Cultural Role of Time .............................................................156

Military Personnel ..................................................................156

Cultural Reality of the Area of Operations .............................158

Cultural Challenges of our Own Military...............................159

Appendixes

Appendix A. Iraqi Army Logistics Data, 2006-2007 .................161

Appendix B. Iraqi Army Pay, 2006-2007 ..................................165

Appendix C. Growth of the Iraqi Army ..................................171

Appendix D. Case Examples of Culture and

Operations Iraq ......................................................................173

Military leaders and members, defense organizations and defense contractors, policymakers and members of government, and military strategists will all benefit from the information in this publication about how to approach the cultural challenges inherent in the U.S. presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.