Delivering Cultural Competence

[William F. Owen]

As an example, the British Army are delivering their cultural training in a framework of three levels:

a. Cultural Awareness.

b. Cultural Understanding.

c. Cultural Competence.

This is great, but what is the best way to deliver this training? Is it by categorising it into levels as the British Army has or is it in another way?

Welcome Commando Spirit.

If by cultural competence you actually mean "Not causing offence out of ignorance, and learning something useful about the indigenous population," then you have to be pretty careful as to what you are describing with the word "culture," - which is why I am a "cultural training" sceptic.

Yes, Rifleman Doomweeby and Cpl F*cknuts have to have some education, but why elevate that to understanding and competence? What's the point and what does it gain you?

PS: Cranfield?

[Jason Port]

I am sure Nichols will be here momentarily - and likely to disagree with me. The idea of awareness for the Corporal described my Mr. Owen (I served with a CPL F-nuts - I wonder if it was the same guy.) is critical towards doing less harm than good when interacting with the populace, and especially critical during latter phases of the operation. As we move from "Kill em all" to "make love, not war" we have to know how to approach the targets of our love.

However, ensuring that our troops are "aware" of the culture of a foreign nation is almost an impossibility today. Sure, in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are in a position to train prior to deployment in theater. However, what about that Marine unit aboard ship on way to Iraq and diverted to the next hot spot, where cultures differ from their initial target. The Army's current training systems fail to address this need.

Conversely, this lower awareness is great until you need true understanding. As rank nears senior enlisted or junior officer, tact and social graces become more important. Further up the ranks, they become mandatory. This is the strongest reason for the Foreign Affairs Officer position on many staffs. This expertise becomes the commanders Culture Expert. Unfortunately, in Iraq and Afghanistan we either didn't have enough theater specific FAOs or we didn't trust them apparently, so we developed the Human Terrain team. At the end of the day, the short fix is the FAO expertise, until we can train more to be knowledgable of the area of operation. It seems to be the only approach short of hiring 20 guys to be smart on each country, and then neven letting them go. (Although, i might suggest that Defense take better advantage of the other agencies who have experts and that they share across the board better)

It is almost as though you need a digital system which you could pull out and train your soldiers on the run to the fight. Hmm, if only such a system existed. . . Nichols?

[Commando Spirit]

Not Cranfield; I'm out in the Field Army delivering the Training and Education! Two very distinct terms which probably aren't required to be debated in this thread as I could bang on for days!

Scepticism accepted and indeed understood, but for the moment, put aside; there are a number of Coalition partners operating in Afghnaistan who are convinced that developing the cultural understanding/awareness of our militaries at all levels from your Doomweeby's and f*cknuts' to our three and four stars is the pathway to success in that particular theatre. If that really is the case - and you clearly disagree - then how would that trg/education be delivered? If so many are that interested in it then surely there must be delivery models out there that have had varying levels of success.

I accept that whilst the lowest level of training does in some small way mitigate the risk of causing offence to the local population, do you not agree that there is a requirement to better understand how decisions are made in theatres such as Afghanistan?

In the military decisions are a way of life, often made with only 80% of the information, even less of it being factual, and often made under pressure of time or danger; maybe both. Given the military 'drive' for quick and workable solutions, if our Commanders can better understand how decisons are made in other cultures then perhaps this will enhance or success in Afghanistan for example?

Moreover, perhaps we should be looking at our own culture. By that I mean organisaitonal culture of dropping 1000lbs of high explosive on an area in which we think an insurgent grouping is in hiding? The Cultural Competence, to my simple mind, requires us to become better aware of our own culture and perhaps prejudices before we can stand a chance of investigating others.

What is the point and what does it gain you? Good questions but I'll leave those open for others to join in on before I monopolise the thread!

[William F. Owen]

......who are convinced that developing the cultural understanding/awareness of our militaries at all levels from your Doomweeby's and f*cknuts' to our three and four stars is the pathway to success in that particular theatre. If that really is the case - and you clearly disagree - then how would that trg/education be delivered?

Depends on what you the training objective is. The British Army has a culture. How would you teach a "civy" about Army culture? I'm not sure an education package is going to usefully inform an outsider to the degree where he can leverage that for anything more than very limited effect. I met quite a few British Army officers who couldn't "get" British Army culture.

I accept that whilst the lowest level of training does in some small way mitigate the risk of causing offence to the local population, do you not agree that there is a requirement to better understand how decisions are made in theatres such as Afghanistan?

You can effectively instruct soldiers how not to cause undue or unintentional offence. I've done it. Try and explain "honour killings" of family members in a way that soldiers can usefully use. - "Don't talk to their women, (she is a possession) or else their brothers may kill them," -( and that's OK?) is useful, because it has a direct consequence.

Given the military 'drive' for quick and workable solutions, if our Commanders can better understand how decisons are made in other cultures then perhaps this will enhance or success in Afghanistan for example?

That sounds good and briefs well. Give me an actual example.

The Cultural Competence, to my simple mind, requires us to become better aware of our own culture and perhaps prejudices before we can stand a chance of investigating others.

Why do we want to be "culturally" competent? Do we actually mean, understand things better so we might better employ force to gain success? Isn't that what it really boils down to.