[Tps] US Army Enlists Anthropologists

[Navdeep Mathur]

US army enlists anthropologists
By Kambiz Fattahi
BBC Persian Service, Washington


The Pentagon is pulling out all the stops in Iraq and Afghanistan.


It is sending "mine-resistant, ambush-protected" vehicles into the
battlefield. It is also using cutting-edge biometric technologies to
identify insurgents.
But that is not all. The US military has developed a new programme
known as the Human Terrain System (HTS) to study social groups in Iraq
and Afghanistan.

The HTS depends heavily on the co-operation of anthropologists, with
their expertise in the study of human beings and their societies.

Steve Fondacaro, a retired special operations colonel overseeing the
HTS, is keen to recruit cultural anthropologists.

"Cultural anthropologists are focused on understanding how societies
make decisions and how attitudes are formed. They give us the best
vision to see the problems through the eyes of the target population,"
he said.

But very few anthropologists in the US are willing to wear a uniform
and receive the mandatory weapons training.

In fact, a group known as the Network of Concerned Anthropologists has
already circulated a pledge of non-participation in the Pentagon's
counter-insurgency efforts.

'Collective genius'

The Human Terrain System currently includes six teams embedded in
military units at the brigade and division levels in Iraq and
Afghanistan.

Each team is composed of at least one social scientist, usually an
anthropologist, a language specialist, and retired army personnel or
reservists from special operations, intelligence, and civil affairs
backgrounds.


 I feel the need to protect the safety, well-being and interests of
those who shared with me their knowledge and histories
Anthropologist against the HTS

"You have social scientists to understand the deep complexity of the
problems on the ground in the society and the military personnel who
then take that information and help apply it to the military
decision-making process," says Col Fondacaro.

"Together they bring collective genius to the problems," he adds.

The cost of this "collective genius" is about $400,000 (£200,000)
annually for each civilian member of the team, including the soaring
cost of kidnapping insurance.

As with many programmes, the Pentagon has partially outsourced the
HTS, and defence contractor BAe Systems hires the social scientists.

'Weaponised anthropology'

Winning the trust of the indigenous populations "is at the heart of
the struggle between coalition forces and the insurgents", BAe's job
advertisement for field anthropologists emphasises.



But it has not convinced many anthropologists in the US.

Last year, their largest professional organisation, the American
Anthropological Association (AAA), called for an end to the Iraq war.

Since then, AAA has set up a national commission to review the
involvement of anthropologists in national security work.

Many anthropologists in the US consider it unethical to work with the
HTS teams. They are worried about the potential risks to the human
subjects of their studies.

"I feel the need to protect the safety, well-being and interests of
those who shared with me their knowledge and histories. My ultimate
responsibility is to protect them," says a social anthropologist
specialising in the Middle East.

A vocal critic, Roberto Gonzalez, professor of anthropology at San
Jose State University, accuses the Pentagon of trying to, as he puts
it, "weaponise" anthropology.

He believes that HTS units are likely to operate "as full-blown
counterinsurgency teams akin to what the British employed in the
colonies over a half-century ago".

'Alienation'

But Col Fondacaro dismisses such criticism, insisting that the
programme is misunderstood.

"This is different from anything we have faced before. It is a new
doctrine, new organisation, new task, and new purpose. People are
uncomfortable with new things," he says.

Col Fondacaro believes that since the Vietnam War, many social
scientists in the US have been alienated from government service.

He acknowledges that recruiting a qualified social scientist is a
significant challenge.

"There is a very brave and very courageous group of young
anthropologists helping. They are taking significant risks
professionally and physically," he says.

One of these is Dr Marcus B Griffin, professor of anthropology and
sociology at Christopher Newport University in Virginia, who blogs
actively from Iraq.

"I am working out regularly. I cut my hair in a high and tight style
and look like a drill sergeant... I shot very well with the M9 and M4
last week at the range," writes Dr Griffin.

Dr Griffin is not a Middle East Expert. He says on his blog that he
specialises in human populations, the environment, and food.

For Dr Montgomery McFate, a main architect of the HTS,
anthropologists' "unique set of skills, methodologies and
perspectives" are key.

"If the lead social scientist in the team does not have a background
in the Middle East, other members must have a strong background in the
region to make up for that person. It is a team effort," says Dr
McFate, a cultural anthropologist.

She rejects the criticism that she is trying to "militarise"
anthropology but rather "anthropologise" the Pentagon.

Rapid expansion

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has authorised $40m (£20m) to expand
the Human Terrain System.

The US Central Command (Centcom) is looking to increase the
programme's number of teams in Iraq and Afghanistan from six to 28.

According to Col Fondacaro, the new teams will be larger; they will
have nine members, including two social scientists.

He also says that officials at the new US Africa Command (Africom) and
the US Pacific Command (Pacom) have also indicated interest in the
Human Terrain teams.

The programme, which was being tested on a small scale, is now set to
be expanded very quickly despite the strong objections of many
anthropologists.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/7042090.stm

Published: 2007/10/16 11:21:46 GMT

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