Culture as a Weapon in the Context of Current and Future Operational Environments

Abstract

The study of the cultural factor’s influence on military actions is not a recent issue, the main concerns being aimed at identifying some solutions for the improvement of the cooperation between different national contingents during stability and support operations. Instead, the use of culture as a weapon in the sense of military capability used to predict and influence the behavior of target groups is a completely new approach, currently being within reach of only few modern armies. From another perspective, the possibility of using engagement as a new war fighting function, assuming the development of skills and capabilities necessary to deal with the local population and regional security forces, determines the necessity to educate and develop a cultural capability for all military personnel. This can be identified as a real solution for the military forces in improving their missions’ accomplishment within the context of current and future operational environments.