FMSO "Dealing with the Iraqi Populace"

**kaur** · 03-01-2007

http://fmso.leavenworth.army.mil/doc...i-populace.pdf

**Stan** · 03-01-2007

This tends to say it all, but granted there's a lot more at stake for our folks!
Thanks for the article, Kaur !

How can we get the Iraqis to support us in the counterinsurgency fight? The answer is very simple—improve the quality and increase the quantity of our cultural training prior to deployment, so that Soldiers and commanders will be able to understand and respond to the needs of the Iraqi people.

We cannot expect the troops to understand Iraqi culture simply by viewing
a one- or two-hour PowerPoint® presentation. Cultural training should represent a large portion of the troops’ predeployment training, especially for maneuver and civil affairs units. During this phase, the troops should learn basic Arabic words, gain some understanding of Islam, and focus on becoming familiar with the terrain, history, ethnicities, level of cooperation, and prior coalition activities in their Area of Operations (AO).

I would have thought we were already doing this ?

**sullygoarmy** · 03-01-2007

Originally Posted by Stan Reber

This tends to say it all, but granted there's a lot more at stake for our folks!
Thanks for the article, Kaur !

I would have thought we were already doing this ?

When I went over to Iraq, I received the one hour cultural "awareness" powerpoint brief and that was it. Totally inadequate for what our troops really need to know. I think our military is much better than it was a few years back. The current crop of advisors get some much more indepth cultural understanding.

In my opinion, we need to strive for cultural effectiveness, not just cultural awareness. Cultural effectiveness means we not only understand the culture but are able to work with its strengths and understand its weaknesses to ensure we do not stumble across a cultural landmine.

Remember, most units are now in what I call the "IRAQFORGEN" where a unit returns home, resets and retrains to go back to Iraq then deploys. There's not alot of time to get in this important cultural training when people are looking at weapons qualification, force protection training, etc. In my humble opinion, however, the cultural effectiveness is just as if not more important than alot of our other predeployment focus.

**120mm** · 03-01-2007

Hell, most of the Generals learn everything they will ever learn about their units from a one or two hour powerpoint display. Why shouldn't they expect their troops to instantly become -experts- in culture the same way they command their units?

**Dakota** · 03-03-2007

I fear this kind of thing is far more common than people realize.

It is extremely shortsighted and incredibly discouraging but not surprising.

I'm a Soldier and my wife is a western educated Iraqi, fluent in Arabic, Farsi and Kurdish (as well as English) and is more "pro-American" than most US Citizens I run into.

For over a year she's repeatedly offered to come into local Reserve units to give presentations, provide cultural training or language training or just participate in a general Q and A session either for NCODP or ODP... basically whatever the commanders want... for free, on her own time and her own dime.

She's even offered to travel to other units to do this. Just so she can make a contribution back to the military and the Nation who helped free her people.

Never a nibble... nada, zip.

If we lose the wars we are in right now it will be because of short-sighted, desk-bound bureaucratic bean-counters and folks in command (like the RRC's) who are more concerned with making their spreadsheets look good than with actually getting soldiers quality training in sufficient quantities.

I can not begin to tell you how frustrated I am with the willful negligence and ignorance I've experienced and witnessed.

**120mm** · 03-03-2007

I apologize for the reserve's lack of interest, but they are being inundated with mandatory training and "good ideas" from higher, few of which are relevant to warfighting.

Every drill we come in with a training plan, and every drill it is "####-canned" in favor of 4 hours of mandatory "grill safety" and "outdoor swimming pool" training, which can get the chain of command fired if they refused to do. I understand completely unit level reticence to put another briefing/class on the schedule.

Bottom line, noone is getting fired for failing to teach cultural stuff relevant to the current conflict.

I share your frustration. Just look at the COIN section of BCKS. Pretty much "frogs and crickets."

**Dakota** · 03-04-2007