Thought MG Scales presented a good alternative to the other "Generations of Warfare" articles that are out there. I especially like his focus on the soldier versus technology.
The only point I would bring up is the use of "cultural awareness" versus "cultural understanding". In my simple mind, cultural awareness does nothing for me. You can be aware all you want regarding a foreign culture and still trample all over it. Being aware is one thing, understanding not only the culture but the ramifications of that culture is where we should be trying to get not only our leaders on the ground, but our soldiers as well.
By better understanding the culture, we can shape our actions to strengthen our currency in the eyes of the population and devalue that of the insurgent...that's really the name of the game.
I know www.clausewitz.com has some of Beyerchen's articles posted there. May be worth a read after going through MG Scales' article.
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