When Anthropologists Go to War

One of the more fascinating ideas to emerge in military circles of late is the concept of the Human Terrain System, which is "designed to address cultural awareness shortcomings at the operational and tactical levels by giving brigade commanders an organic capability to help understand and deal with 'human terrain'-the social, ethnographic, cultural, economic, and political elements of the people among whom a force is operating."

In practice, this system entails recruiting and deploying anthropologists as part of small teams deployed with forward-operating forces.

Now, one of the first anthropologists being deployed to Iraq has started a blog where he plans to talk about his experiences in Iraq. I would suggest reading several of the entries for context, but here's an excerpt:

*I am about a month away from deploying to Baghdad as part of the US Army’s new Human Terrain System and have almost gone completely native. *

*How am I doing this? *

*First, I am working out regularly with Lt. Gato. He is showing me how to develop greater strength and endurance, pushing me to exert myself beyond my own motivation. When I complained about elbow tendonitis, he said, “Good, no pain no gain.” Thanks to him I am gaining greater strength and larger muscles. Second, I cut my hair in a high and tight style and look like a drill sergeant. I know because a woman at the gas station asked me if I was one and was perplexed when I said no but was satisfied when I said I was simply on my way to Iraq. Third, I shot very well with the M9 and M4 last week at the range. I previously paid careful attention to the training one of my team members gave me on his own time and our effort paid off handsomely. Shooting well is important if you are a soldier regardless of whether or not your job requires you to carry a weapon. Fourth, I am trying to learn military language with all the acronyms and idioms otherwise alien to university professor such as myself. I actually know what people are saying now half the time. *

*By going native, I am better able to see social life from the viewpoint of the people I am working with. I did this as a child among the Agta of northeastern Luzon, the Philippines by wearing a loincloth. As I got older I wore beads and arm bracelets. Today among soldiers, I am looking and more often acting just like them. *

This broader idea, which has been written about in the New Yorker (there's also a good San Francisco Chronicle article here), has sparked considerable debate among anthropologists. Some though not all of this debate evokes the Pentagon's Vietnam War-era social science research, including the controversial Project Camelot (this project, though it may have received the most publicity, wasn't necessarily representative of the broader push into the social sciences).

There's a lively debate now about the ethics of anthropologists working for the military. The latest issue of Anthropology Today, for example, includes a critique of "mercenary anthropology" by Roberto J. González (and responses from David Kilcullen and Montgomery McFate).

In either case, this will be an interesting area to keep an eye on.