The U.S. Army Initiates a Proactive Approach to Leverage Cross- Cultural Understanding: The Case for the Culture & Foreign Language Enterprise

Abstract

This article will describe how the U.S. Army has created a culture & foreign language enterprise in an effort to leverage cross-cultural understanding in support of U.S. Army mission objectives. Topics to be addressed include problems and challenges related to cultural issues that the U.S. Army has encountered since September 11, 2001 during military operations in Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding countries in the region and steps taken to address these problems and challenges. Such topics describe the workings of the Army bureaucracy as it sought to maneuver resources in a manner that could effectively address culturally oriented issues and obstacles. The resulting approaches that have been created, funded, defended and sustained are detailed as examples of how large government institutions can persevere with agility to address such goals. The primary focus of this article, regarding the aforementioned, is the Army Culture & Foreign Language Enterprise. The life of this Enterprise exemplifies how a vision for utilizing civilian social science Ph.D.s, in support of Army goals & objectives related to culture, came to fruition and effectively functions. This description illustrates how such an Enterprise approach can be employed in other types of settings and with other types of issues.Keywords: U.S. Army, cross-cultural understanding, culture, foreign language, public affairs Approaches to the ProblemThe September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States significantly altered the context within which the U.S. Army functions. A sense of urgency became a paramount theme that has, at times, served to dilute critical thinking processes that were more prevalent in the pre-911 (September 11, 2001) world. The passage of time has allowed for this sense of urgency, while still there, to find its rightful place within a pecking order of priorities. This passage of time has provided opportunity for observation and reflection regarding decisions and (Ricks, 2006, p. 238). His highlighting of cross-cultural concerns is couched within other themes in the book. Such topics include focus on the role of military doctrine, the Bush rationale for military intervention in Iraq, problems associated with strategy, confusion regarding the notion of counterinsurgency, misuse of the U.S. Army, cross-cultural issues and parallels with U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Important cultural norms were trampled as the Army sought to achieve their objectives. "Entering the private space of the house where the women and children were, then tying up and interrogating (i.e, humiliating) the man in the house in front of his family, the premier cultural value of family honor was violated….You've created a blood debt when you do that" (Ricks, 2006, p. 238). Such scenarios played out over and over again during the U.S. military occupation of Iraq. Making enemies when we should be making friends created significant obstacles to U.S.-Iraq relations. "Each Iraqi owed it to himself and his family to decide whether it made more s...