CONFLICTS OF CULTURE AND THE MILITARY ADVISOR
Abstract
The person-to-person components of military assistance programs, the misunderstandings which can develop in the collaborative efforts of American advisors and foreign personnel, are among the more perplexing elements in our attempts to help friendly countries increase their ability to defend themselves. Developing nations need not only equipment but also training and improved organization. We have undertaken a program of supplying men to work with counterparts from the host country, sharing the benefit of our experience, and training others to use and maintain new weapons. In the encounter between an American and a foreign officer there is a need for close understanding and extensive give-and-take of ideas. This paper, concerned with this crucial element of assistance programs, attempts to provide an analysis of recurrent problems, and of attempts to reduce difficulties by selection and orientation of advisors. Some concepts are offered which may be useful in understanding cross- cultural confusions and a number of lines of research are proposed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0648312
Entities
People
- George M. Guthrie
Organizations
- Institute for Defense Analyses