ISSN 2562-9948
Part 1 ended with the observation that what might not stand out from the various debate positions on HTS, is the underlying unity that existed between the main lines of debate. As a result, certain opportunities for further developing critical analysis were lost, as I suggested back in 2013. This is what I turn to […]
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The year 2015 finally saw the final public confirmation of the termination of the US Army’s Human Terrain System, which apparently has ceased to be an effective reality since late September 30, 2014 (Vanden Brook, 2015). The “controversial social science program,” as HTS came to be called by the formerly enthusiastic mainstream media, has not […]
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The End of Debates? Having been asked (and declined) to write commentaries, or respond to one or another essay on the Human Terrain System (HTS) over the past 18 months, I realized that I had enough, and had said enough that it did not warrant repetition. However, unlike others who said their piece, I might […]
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[In connection with this article, please see the associated file uploads: COMISAF ppt or COMISAF pdf; FET pptx or FET pdf; ISAF Engagement with Females PDF; and the previous post: “Recommended ISAF Guidance for Female Engagement Teams“] “In the time of Xerxes, it is documented that the King took advice from his Queen which significantly […]
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[The following consists of the speaking notes for a presentation delivered by Major Maria Vedder of the U.S. Army’s Human Terrain System, from 23 February 2010, as a “strategic intelligence update.” The original file can be accessed here as a PPT file and here as a PDF.] SPEAKING NOTES: OPTION 1 Good Morning Sir, It’s […]
Read More…Almost as if they were determined to totally ruin all of my theses about the resources poured into military propaganda, the Human Terrain System has just launched another Web 1.0 site–except this one is better, because it has an image slider. Having reviewed all of the images, all I can say is that HTS apparently […]
Read More…As of 11 October 2010, 23 contractors had expressed an interest in running the US Army’s Human Terrain System and getting a share, or all, of the $7 million that comes with a contract award. Within that group of 23 contractors are some that have already had extensive experience with the US Army’s Human Terrain […]
Read More…This is the second in a two part series on recent examples of the Human Terrain System in the military’s own media, and in military-embedded media. The first was “The Many Faces of the Human Terrain System in Iraq.” Much more remarkable, and coming from a supposedly professional journalist who embedded with the U.S. Army […]
Read More…Sources report that Senior Social Scientist Montgomery McFate resigned her post with the US Army Human Terrain System (HTS) within the last ten days. Observers say the “category of resignation is similar to that of former HTS program manager Steve Fondacaro in that all assume it was a ‘forced resignation’ or ‘let go’ as is […]
Read More…“Col Sharon Hamilton [acting HTS program manager], does not know what is going on here in Iraq because if she was aware of the behavior here, she would not tolerate the dysfunction that continues within the organization.” “The rules and regulations within the HTS program only apply to minorities or other people whom the team […]
Read More…This is the fourth and final item in my mini-series on Human Terrain Teams as recorded in Wikileaks’ Afghan War Diary. The other articles were: Human Terrain Teams in Wikileaks’ Afghan War Diary: Raw Data Wikileaks’ Afghan War Diary: Problems to Note, More to Come on Human Terrain Teams Human Terrain System in Wikileaks’ Afghan […]
Read More…COUNTER-COUNTERINSURGENCY: You’ve heard the criticisms. You’ve read the book. Now see the movie. These are some of my favourite lines: counterinsurgency: it’s like a wild horse, only you bet on it; counterinsurgency involves a thousand small healing steps; the manual can never be wrong, only the practice; cultural knowledge for the military: it’s so basic […]
Read More…Continuing from the last item on this topic, the following are more examples of recent European press coverage of the U.S. Army’s Human Terrain System and its embedding of civilian social scientists in counterinsurgency missions. One thing that immediately stands out from most of these articles is the emphasis not on “civilian social scientists,” but […]
Read More…In some overdue posts, including this and the next one or two, I draw your attention to how the mass mediated propaganda for the Human Terrain System has spread to elements of the European press. Back on 05 March 2010, one of Italy’s oldest and most prominent–not to mention right wing–dailies, Corriere della Sera, carried […]
Read More…Tony Bartuca, writing for Inside the Army (pay for read), reports that the Center for Naval Analysis, (CNA Analysis & Solutions) has been contracted by the Pentagon’s Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence to conduct the Independent Assessment requested by the US House Armed Services Committee (HASC). The remainder of the article features sweetness and […]
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ZERO ANTHROPOLOGY 