The role of U.S. Forces in Iraq continues to evolve with the launch of Operation New Dawn later this year, and the majority of efforts will be re-focused on the responsible transfer of authority to Iraqi Security Forces.

The Human Terrain Team, a specially trained group of Soldiers and civilians with a concentration on cultural awareness, will play a pivotal role in helping both the U.S. and Iraqi governments realize their goals for a stable and prosperous Iraq.

As the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment rotates through the U.S. Army National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., in preparation for an upcoming deployment to Iraq, the Soldiers are joined by members from an HTT on training missions in simulated towns and provinces with Arabic-speaking actors.

The HTT is designed to interview local populations in their natural settings and environments and create a better system of communication between the Iraqi civilians, the U.S. military, and their own local, provincial, and national governments.

“The goal of the human terrain team is to provide knowledge of the local population and their way of life to the U.S. military commanders,” said Col. Edward Vaughn, a Clarksville, Tenn., native with more than 32 years combined service in the active Army, National Guard and Army Reserves. Vaughn volunteered to come out of Individual Ready Reserve to be a part of an HTT. “[We are there] to help them better understand the people and make better decisions.”

Vaughn said there had been a slight communication failure in the past when accomplishing combat missions was the priority and not the welfare of the people.

“For a long time we followed the principle that the shortest distance between two points was a straight line, but now we need to stop and get to the know people and develop that bond, that trust,” said Vaughn.

Once in Iraq, the members of this HTT will be assigned to an area of responsibility and work with provincial reconstruction teams, civil affairs and large command groups to realize the goals of the people. There are already approximately 15 HTT’s operating in Iraq.

“The people of Iraq have been through decades of turmoil and are in need of assistance,” said James Forsythe, a social scientist with the HTT training at the NTC. “They’re building their own country back, and we want to help them in any way possible.”

Forsythe has a doctorate in medical anthropology and became interested in the Army’s HTT project because of a personal desire to make a positive and lasting impression in Iraq. Forsythe, a Decatur, Ga., native with prior service in the Navy Reserve, said the key lies in the development of cultural awareness.

“The role of the command group is increasingly focused on facilitating a transition,” said Forsythe. “HTT has the ability, to coin an African proverb, ‘to find a path to a clearing.’ We are helping to build that path to that clearing and the clearing is an open space where Iraq can flourish.”

The traditional, large-scale battles of previous wars are not comparable with the reality of insurgency-based campaigns, and the Army continues to adapt its doctrines and methods to achieve victory.

“It’s not a force-on-force battlefield anymore,” said Col. Christie Nixon, HTT member and former Army Reserve brigade commander. “It’s a people battlefield.”

Nixon is a Minneapolis native and firefighter with more than 27 years of service. She said the HTT is one of the most exciting Army initiatives in years and she volunteered to become part of it.

“The types of activities that the Army is going to be involved in for the short and long term future are culturally oriented, and we have to consider the people that we are going to impact,” said Nixon. “The Army carries the standard of the United States all across the world.”

Forsythe said that if the HTT’s are properly utilized they can help prevent future conflict and help diminish local unrest before it manifests into violence.

“HTT is the Army’s light touch with a heavy impact,” said Forsythe.

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Story by Pfc. Jennifer Spradlin

Dr. Richard R. Boone of Wimberley, Texas is a psychologist and Department of Defense civilian deployed to Afghanistan as a member of a Human Terrain System. Boone's mission is to interview local Afghans about their attitudes and daily lives. Boone says that by gathering this information from average people, HTS members can save lives on a civilian-oriented battlefield. Photo by Staff Sgt. Donald Reeves

Dr. Richard R. Boone, of Wimberley, Texas, is in the valley of Baraki Barak, Logar Province, Afghanistan, creating a map.

For his map he will ignore the rugged mountains that spring up on the sides of the valley, and the roads that criss-cross through it. Boone is part of the Human Terrain System, and his job is to create a map of the map of the Afghanistan people to give to commanders so they can navigate the complex Afghan culture.

“We’re looking at the regular people, the average people and we’re trying to figure out how they view their own lives, what issues do they think are important, what attitudes do they have toward their own national government, what attitudes they have towards the enemy,” Boone said.

Boone says that by gathering this information from average people, HTS members can save lives on a civilian-oriented battlefield.

“Our purpose is to get the information in the hands of commanders to help them determine what their actions will be. That will help them reduce the lethality of what we have to do,” Boone said.

Human Terrain Teams and HTS have been operating for years in Iraq and more recently in Afghanistan. The teams are made up of civilians who usually have a degree in Social Sciences and military background.

Boone’s degree is in Psychology, and he has served in both the Army and the Navy in his field. Boone served two tours in Iraq as part of a combat stress team.

Now, he finds himself deployed to Afghanistan on patrols with Stryker teams and Airborne Brigade Combat Teams.

“I was with a Stryker Brigade, and we were always out in Stryker vehicles. It was always a mounted patrol. We’d drive to a village and we would come right up to the edge of the village, get out and walk into the village,” Boone said.

“In Logar and Wardak we do dismounted patrols much more frequently,” Boone said.

Currently embedded with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Boone sleeps in the desert valley alongside the Soldiers. They conduct long foot patrols into villages where Boone gathers data.

Boone, at age 55, has to keep up with Soldiers who are sometimes more than 35 years his junior. “I’m inclined to exercise anyway to stay physically fit,” Boone said.

As the Soldiers conduct key leader engagements, Boone interviews ordinary citizens.

Part of the HTS mission is to “collect information on people who are typically overlooked by military collection teams,” Boone said. By doing so they hope to, “increase the cooperation that we get from some of the average people.”

In the Baraki Barak valley, he found a major concern to be roads. “Here, what I’ve discovered is that a lot of people want their roads to be improved,” said Boone. According to Boone, this concern was often overlooked before because of the demographics of the village.

As a psychologist, Boone looks to children as the future of Afghanistan. He hopes that some of his findings may lead to children centered operations.

“The kids are curious and they’re also interested in pens and notebooks, and it tells me, unless they’re selling them, that they have some interest in the resources that you would associate with going to school,” said Boone

“And, most of the parents that I’ve talked to want that for their children, and it seems like that’s lacking,” Boone said.

Boone hopes this will lead to a change in the cultural terrain.

“I think that if there was some way to reach them culturally and socially and get them to embrace some of our values while still holding true to their own cultural values the country could go a long way toward achieving some sort of democratic system,” said Boone.

Boone says his mission is not to come up with programs and plans. He will chart his piece of the map and leave it to others to find the way.

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Story by Staff Sgt. Donald Reeves

1st Lt. David Johnson talks with Iraqi children during a visit to the Basra's Al Hayyaniah Disctrict, Dec. 25, 2008.

Since the dawn of civilization, groups of people in the same geographical regions have formed cultures built upon generation after generation of similar religions, languages, views, and customs. Each is unique, and mutual respect for different cultures has become an important part of American society and foreign policy.

Awareness is also crucial for Multi National Force – West service members deployed to Iraq’s Al Anbar province a region steeped in culture far different than their own.

MNF-W actively seeks to better understand the local population of Iraq, and in some ways even adjust their military strategy so as not to offend the local populace or disturb their culture. The science of understanding culture is called human terrain mapping.

“Our job is to study the overall working of a society,” said Army Reserve 1st Lt. Shawn Lantz, a human terrain and cultural analyst aboard Al Asad Air Base. “We’re changing the way modern warfare is fought.”

Every action has a consequence, and when it comes to military operations, these consequences can effect how the local populace views American forces across entire areas of operation.

What the terrain mapping team is searching for varies with each assignment. They search for data on a variety of subjects, from how Iraqis view past and present military operations to how they feel about the mannerisms of individual troops. Their findings can help research teams aid coalition efforts in Iraq.

“Human terrain mapping is compiling cultural indicators ” things that tell us what the local populace is thinking,” said Daniel Priest, a contractor with MNF-W, who is a human terrain research manager. “We assess that information and present it in a way the Marine units can utilize.”

Staff Sgt. Shawn C. Kelly, a platoon sergeant with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, gives soccer balls to an Iraqi police officer and his children in Ramadi, Iraq, Nov. 27, 2008.

Operations like these are helping ground forces gain the trust of Iraqi citizens. By understanding the Iraqi population, coalition troops can uphold a certain behavioral standard, and as a result, represent the United States in a positive manner.

Working closely with social scientists, men like Priest and Lantz help by not only conducting the interviews and doing the research, but also by helping scientists develop and implement various research plans.

“We’re involved in studies to help pinpoint problems that may come up in all facets of society,” said Priest. “We help by informing MNF-W about any given issue so they can take appropriate steps in their planning.”

With the help of human terrain mapping, MNF-W can better understand Iraqi culture and help ensure that U.S. troops leave a positive impression on the people of Iraq long after their departure.

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Story by Lance Cpl. Jason Hernandez

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By Sgt. Mike Pryor
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division

BAGHDAD ““ On a bright afternoon, Dr. Dave Matsuda went with a group of U.S Soldiers to tour a food distribution depot in the Ur neighborhood. The Soldiers were worried about how to keep the warehouse from being infiltrated by Moqtada Al Sadr’s Shi’ite militia army, which controls that part of the Iraqi Capital.

The chief of security at the depot, however, assured them that the warehouse was safe, because his “organization” protected it from Sadr’s influence.

The Soldiers were doubtful. The chief’s independence seemed inexplicable given what they knew about the area ““ it was a puzzling anomaly in a sea of data pointing in the other direction. Matsuda, though, believed he could put the pieces of the puzzle together. He began asking the chief questions about his family, his extended family, his tribe, and the tribe’s affiliations with other tribes.

(more…)

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By Staff Sgt. W. Wayne Marlow
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs

Omar Altalib was a year old when he moved from Mosul, Iraq, to the Midwest. Now, he is back in his native country, armed with a social sciences Ph.D., and part of human terrain team for the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (BCT).

The team advises brigade Soldiers, usually leaders, on how Iraqis think and operate, to give U.S. forces a better understanding of how to act with residents. Besides Altalib, the other team members are 1st Lt. Steve Albeita of Isleta Pueblo, N.M., and Master Sgt. Richard Howard of Orange, Texas. Albeita has a masters in public health, while Howard has a criminal justice background.

Altalib said his family expressed concerns about his return to Iraq, but still encouraged him.

“They’re excited about me using my background in social sciences to create a better situation in Iraq,” he said. “They’re very supportive of me.”

Terrain team members advise 2nd BCT Soldiers on a wide array of topics, from economics to religion. The latter has proven especially important.

“Many Americans are used to ignoring religion,” Howard said. “Here, that doesn’t work.”

The team breaks down the complexities of Islam and explains it to brigade leaders so that knowledge can be useful in forging U.S.-Iraqi cooperation.

“The biggest thing for us is breaking down Western cultural bias,” Howard said. “We’re trying to come up with innovative ways of reconciliation.”

“Everything comes with a bias,” Aleita added. “And not everybody can know everything, but we get the answers the brigade needs.”

Aleita points out that dental care is mentioned in the Koran, and that this is one of the many elements of Islam and Arabic culture most people don’t know about. It is the human terrain team’s role to present this information like this to brigade Soldiers if it is relevant to a mission.

“My role is the social structure, data collection, and analysis,” Altalib said. “I learn what is on the mind of locals and present my findings to the brigade.”

The far-reaching knowledge is especially important in eastern Baghdad, according to Howard, because in that area, he said, “You have a broad spectrum. It is a microcosm of Iraq.”

Altalib noted that Iraqi suffering goes back decades, and that has to be taken into account.

“There’s been a lot of trauma, so there’s a lot of need,” he said. “We try to get a better feel for what is influencing local communities…and how the government is servicing their needs.”

While Altalib received encouragement from his family, some in his academic circles were less enthusiastic. But he said their concerns were unfounded.

“I recognize and respect the ethical boundaries of the social scientist,” he said. “I have to remain within those boundaries. I’m not involved in intelligence or psychological operations. I’d like to make the world a better place…through better understanding.

“We fill the gap between civil affairs and public affairs,” Aleita added. “A lot of people criticize this and say it’s a bad program, that academics shouldn’t be involved in this. But we want people here to get along. We’re here to make a better understanding, to quell violence.”

As such, the team, according to Altalib, “gathers information on the Iraqi population to help develop a stable Iraq. We recognize what mistakes have been made and make improvements.”