Dr. Montgomery Mcfate

PROFILE: DR. MONTGOMERY MCFATE

By RICHARD H. WAGNER

(Originally published in The 104th Anniversary Dinner Program, Navy League of the United States, New York Council, March 2007)

t first glance, it may appear that level endangers both civilians and anthropology has little to do troops." Awith the military. Indeed, the discipline is often associated in the popular mind with kaki-clad academics chasing around a rain forest analyzing the norms of primitive tribes. However, anthropology is about the study of cultures and how they work. In times in which the military finds itself engaged in counterinsurgencies, anti-terrorism, and in humanitarian relief efforts involving cultures that are quite alien to those the Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers left back home, anthropology offers much needed intelligence that can be used in operations and in developing policy and strategy. Tonight's Roosevelts Award recipient, Dr. Montgomery McFate, has actively campaigned for increased use of the tools of anthropology for the Department of Defense and has worked to bring those tools to bear. On 14 March, Dr. McFate received the "Although 'know thy enemy' is Roosevelts Gold Medal for Science at the 104th one of the first principles of warfare," Anniversary Dinner of the Navy League of the United States New York Council. (Photo: R.H. she has written, "our military operations Wagner). and national security decisionmaking have consistently suffered due to lack of Dr. McFate has pointed to knowledge of foreign cultures." This American failure to appreciate the tribal lack of understanding has injured United nature of Iraqi society as a failure at the States' policymaking and warfighting in strategic level. After the fall of three ways: "[M]isunderstanding culture Saddam, American planners assumed at a strategic level can produce policies that the Iraqi public would look to the that exacerbate an insurgency; a lack of new central government for leadership. cultural knowledge at an operational However, because of the strength of the level can lead to negative public opinion; tribal system in Iraq, most people's and ignorance of the culture at a tactical allegiance reverted back to their tribal

Copyright 2007: Richard H. Wagner All rights reserved. sheiks. Since the sheiks were frozen out network by intervening with the key of power by de-Ba'thification, the "tribal players and how to maximally spread network became the backbone of the ideas, misinformation, and materials by insurgency." seeding key players. By using data In contrast, the British about [former Iraqi Intelligence understood the tribal system and utilized operatives] and their personal it to their advantage. Sheiks were relationships within the Iraqi tribal appointed to local councils and funds network, SNA can describe terrorist were given to these councils for networks, anticipate their actions, predict distribution to the populace. By so their targets, and deny insurgents the doing, they reinforced the power of the ability to act." sheiks while at the same time created a At the tactical level, "cultural good working relationship. While there ignorance can kill." For example, at a has been trouble in the British-occupied roadblock, Marines and Soldiers found areas, it has been less so than in the that Iraqis would fail to stop when American areas. signaled to do so. Such situations could Going forward, Dr. McFate easily degenerate into blood shed. believes, "recognizing and utilizing pre- However, what was found was that the existing social structures are the key to traditional American hand signal for political stabilization in Iraq." "stop" means "welcome" to Iraqis. At the operational level, Dr. The use of anthropology by the McFate has pointed to the Americans' military and by strategic thinkers in focus on the Iraqi media in trying to get government is not new. During the the U.S. message across as an important British Empire, the British used it both cultural misunderstanding. While in the in building the Empire and in U.S. people keep informed primarily by maintaining it. In America, the Bureau television, radio, the internet and of American Ethnology was created to newspapers, in Iraq, people rely assist in fighting the Indian Wars that primarily on personal communication. followed the Civil War. More recently, Policies designed to protect American prominent anthropologists contributed troops by keeping them away from the analyzes about German and Japanese Iraqi population had the unintended culture to help predict the actions of the effect of excluding the U.S. from the Axis powers in World War II. primary means of communication. Anthropology was also enlisted during On a more positive note, the Cold War. However, efforts to use anthropological tools have been used in this discipline ran into criticism during Iraq to bring about major operational Vietnam and the military essentially successes. Social network analysis abandoned such efforts. "This is ("SNA"), the mapping and measuring of fundamentally about the broken relationships and flows between people, relationship between the government and groups, organizations, computers or the discipline of anthropology. What other knowledge-processing entities, broke that relationship is Vietnam. And helped track down and locate Saddam people still haven't recovered from that," Hussein. This same tool can be used to Dr. McFate has said. "identify how to maximally disrupt a 2 Copyright 2007: Richard H. Wagner All rights reserved.

McFate's interest in the use of “ Much progress has been made anthropology to combat insurgency can on implementation [of anthropological be traced back to when she was doing tools]. The Cultural Preparation of the her doctoral dissertation at Yale Environment project begun by the JCS University. She researched that paper by J3 has been taken over by the US Army's living in Northern Ireland with both the Training and Doctrine Command and is Irish Republican Army and the British now known as the Cultural Operations counterinsurgents. She found that Research - Human Terrain or the Human insurgency runs in families and social Terrain System. At the moment, it's networks held together by common considered to be a demonstration cultural beliefs. program (i.e., not yet a program of After obtaining her doctorate in record), but we are hoping that by next Cultural Anthropology from Yale, year it might become permanently McFate obtained a law degree from institutionalize. As of [early February], Harvard and practiced with the firm of the first team of cultural advisors was Baker & McKenzie in San Francisco. sent to Afghanistan.” Returning to anthropology, Dr. McFate Just as a commander benefits was a social scientist in RAND's from having information on the weather Intelligence Policy Center, where her and on the topography of the battlespace, research focused primarily on North a commander benefits by having a Korean culture and society. knowledge of the “human terrain.” Following the attacks of However, units arriving in an area often September 11, 2001, she became have an insufficient understanding of "passionate about one issue: the the target culture and its impact on government's need to actually operational decisions. This lack of understand its adversaries." understanding is exacerbated by rotation Subsequently, as part of a fellowship at policies which periodically replace the Office of Naval Research, she experienced troops with troops that are interviewed Marines returning from Iraq new to the native culture. Furthermore, and documented how the lack of cultural the military has limited capability to understanding was hampering the war conduct research, visualize, understand effort. She was awarded a Distinguished and explain the population in which a Public Service Award by the Secretary unit operates. of the Navy for her work at ONR. The Human Terrain System does Dr. McFate is now with thee not create a new structure for developing Joint Advanced Warfighting Program, knowledge, but ties together multiple Institute for Defense Analyzes. The existing systems and processes to Institute for Defense Analyzes is a non- provide a cohesive approach to profit corporation that administers three understanding the human elements of the federally funded research and operational environment. Part of this development centers to assist the United system includes Human Terrain Teams States Government in addressing which will include military personnel important national security issues, plus civilian cultural analysts and particularly those requiring scientific and regional analysts to advise units. In technical expertise. addition, the system will have a 3 Copyright 2007: Richard H. Wagner All rights reserved.

Reachback Research Center to support the teams and commanders with anthropologists, sociologists, area experts, and military personnel. The military is utilizing anthropology elsewhere as well. “The US Army has incorporated anthropology into its redteaming program, the Army Command and General Staff College is introducing social science into its curriculum, the Navy is developing cultural training guidelines, the USMC War College has hired an anthropologist on its faculty, the USMC has established a Center for Advanced Operational Cultural Learning. Even the Air Force has established a Cultural Center of Excellence at the Air War College. While I certainly can't take credit for much or even any of this, it does indicate that priorities and resources have shifted.”