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25/09/2012

The integration of Social Scientists debated in Military Operations (DIEEEO71-2012)

This paper aims to explore the "Human Terrain System" Project, supported by the Office of the Secretary of Defence of the United States of America, led by its Army and run by its Training and Doctrine Command. From the description and study of its background and historical development, I will then proceed to the evaluation of its impact on the ground, eventually moving onto the assessment of the goodness of its existence and the adequacy of its implementation in the US Army. A brief note on how the problems addressed under HTS are dealt with by Spanish Armed Forces will also be included.
HTS was created to improve the military decision making process and bridge the knowledge gap between the military and the environment where they operate, as well as to provide a socio-cultural interpretation of events and enable relations with the host population. To do this, teams of social scientists are assigned to commanders, mainly at tactical and operational, but also at the strategic level.
HTS is categorised as an intelligence support activity and receives funding and oversight from both the Undersecretary of Defence for Intelligence and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence of the U.S. Army; in Afghanistan, HTS falls within the responsibility of ISAF’s Intelligence Section and serves as an intelligence enabling capability at all levels of operation. It is here where the source of the debate on the issue and the criticism from some American anthropologists may be found, as they claim that, in their work, members of the deployed teams do not respect the rules and ethical principles governing research on populations to guarantee their rights and interests.

Author: Débora García Orrico

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