Not sure I'd say complete hokum, but it remains a very theoretical discipline, and open to nearly infinite dispute. Anyone trying to draw discrete conclusions from the theory, far more so anyone trying to base policy, strategy, or tactics on it is treading on very thin ice.

I fully agree that it is not the Army's job to engage in social engineering, and I'd take it a step farther and say that any attempt by the US government to engage in social engineering, through any agency, should be viewed with great suspicion.