Human Terrain System

Human Terrain System
ActiveFebruary 2007 – September 2014
CountryUnited States
Part ofTRADOC
HQ/Project OfficeNewport News, Virginia
EquipmentMapping the Human Terrain Toolkit (MAP-HT)
WebsiteHTS official website

The Human Terrain System (HTS) was a United States Army, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) support program employing personnel from the social science disciplines – such as archaeology, anthropology, sociology, political science, historians, regional studies, and linguistics – to provide military commanders and staff with an understanding of the local population (i.e. the "human terrain") in the regions in which they were deployed.[1][2][3][4][5]

The concept of HTS was first developed in a paper by Montgomery McFate and Andrea Jackson in 2005,[6] which proposed a pilot version of the project as a response to "identified gaps in [US military] commanders' and staffs' understanding of the local population and culture", such as became particularly visible during the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.[1][3][4] HTS was subsequently launched as a proof-of-concept program, run by the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), in February 2007, with five HTS teams deployed between Iraq and Afghanistan.[3][4] Since 2007, HTS has grown from a program with five deployed teams and a $20 million two-year budget to one with 31 deployed teams and a $150 million annual budget.[3] HTS became a permanent US Army program in 2010.[3]

Ever since its launch, HTS has been surrounded by controversy.[4][7][8] While the program initially received positive coverage in the US media, it quickly became the subject of heavy criticism – particularly from anthropologists, but also from journalists, military officials and HTS personnel and former personnel.[9] Most notably, on 31 October 2007, the executive board of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) published a statement opposing HTS as an "unacceptable application of anthropological expertise" that conflicted with the AAA's Code of Ethics.[10][11][12] Following the publication of a report on HTS by the Commission on Engagement of Anthropology with the US Security and Intelligence Services (CEAUSSIC) in 2009,[13][14] the AAA released a further statement of disapproval, which they re-iterated in 2012 after rumours that the controversy had died down.[15][16]

The program evolved into a mechanism for supporting security force assistance. The program ended operations on 30 September 2014.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference HTS website was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ProfBulletin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d e McFate, Montgomery; Fondacaro, Steve (September 2011). "Reflections on the Human Terrain System During the First Four Years". Prism. 2 (4). NDU Press. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Forte, Maximilian C. (2011). "The Human Terrain System and Anthropology: A Review of Ongoing Public Debates". American Anthropologist. 113 (1): 149–153. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1433.2010.01315.x.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference GonzalezA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ McFate, Montgomery; Jackson, Andrea (July–August 2005). "An Organizational Solution for DODs Cultural Knowledge Needs" (PDF). Military Review: 18–21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 January 2006.
  7. ^ Fattahi, Kambiz (16 October 2007). "US Army enlists anthropologists". BBC News. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  8. ^ Schactman, Noah (15 June 2010). "'Human Terrain' Chief Ousted". Wired. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Christian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ American Anthropological Association's Executive Board Statement on the Human Terrain System Project Archived 1 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine American Anthropological Association
  11. ^ American Anthropological Association. "Statement on HTS". AAA. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference MiddleEastOnline011908 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Glenn, David (3 December 2009). "Program to Embed Anthropologists with Military Lacks Ethical Standards, Report says". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  14. ^ Cohen, Patricia (3 December 2009). "Panel Criticizes Military's Use of Embedded Anthropologists". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hodges was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Albro, Robert; Gusterson, Hugh (April 2012). "Comment: Do No Harm". C4ISR. Defense News. Retrieved 16 June 2012.[dead link]