Army Response to Counterpunch

As Lieutenant Colonel John Nagl stated:

Military Field Manuals have their own grammar and their own logic. They are not doctoral dissertations, designed to be read by few and judged largely for the quality of their sourcing; instead, they are intended for applied use by Soldiers. Thus authors are not named, and those whose scholarship informs the manual are only credited if they are quoted extensively.

The essential point to be made is that the messages contained in the manual are valid, regardless of any discussion of academic standards. Any argument over missing citations should in no way diminish the manual's utility in the current counterinsurgency fight. The emphasis on cultural understanding and increased reliance on non-lethal forms of engagement to achieve military goals represents a giant leap forward in U.S. military doctrine.

Unfortunately, Dr. Price has chosen to focus his disagreement with current American foreign policy on the Human Terrain System. Rather than accept the Army's several offers to enter in a reasoned dialogue on the merits -- or lack of merits - of the role anthropologists can play in helping to reduce the use of lethal force to achieve military and political objectives, Dr. Price has chosen to wage a public and increasingly personal media campaign to discredit HTS and the dedicated social scientists associated with it.

The Human Terrain System is recognition of the fact that academic study and applied social science has practical uses, and those who have chosen to devote their time and efforts to exploring non-lethal alternatives to combat are making a vital contribution to the nation's efforts to secure a peaceful, stable and secure future for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The long term by-product of their heroic efforts will be better informed military decisions that minimize casualties and suffering, and ultimately, optimized policy decision making within government that is harmonized with the ethical principles social science values the most.

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"Desperate People with Limited Skills" - LTC John Nagl, Small Wars Journal

Controversy: FM 3-24 Plagiarism "Scandal" -- Abu Muqawama

More on 3-24 and the Vanguard of Revolution -- Abu Muqawama

FM 3-24 "Scandal": Nagl Responds -- Abu Muqawama

Counterinsurgency Author Hits Back on "Plagiarism" - Danger Room (Wired)

A Surge in Plagiarism? - Harpers Magazine

Nagl Responds to Price - Savage Minds

Anthropologists and a True Culture War - Discuss at Small Wars Council

"Desperate People with Limited Skills" - Discuss at Small Wars Council