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