A Gun in One Hand, A Pen in the Other

Another Arabic speaker whose work was roundly praised by colleagues was also forced out earlier this month. Omar Altalib was one of only two Iraqi-Americans in the program—a sociologist who specialized in the Middle East and had worked previously in Iraq. During a home visit after seven months in Iraq, Altalib says, BAE informed him his interim clearance application had been rejected by the government because he had sought psychological counseling after a previous stint, and he was out of a job.

Those still with the program have certainly made contributions. Griffin says he's learned to read certain "indicators of well-being" in his area of operation—how well stocked the local market is, for example—which helps troops of the 1-75 Cavalry's Charlie Company assess the level of stress among residents. Capt. Terrance Higgins, the company commander, says he initially didn't know what to make of Griffin—this 40-year-old expert on trash—but now thinks he's a "cool guy." Tompkins, who headed another terrain team and is a former Army captain, says his teammates helped troops come up with a strategy for getting a Shiite police commander to crack down on men under his authority who were colluding with Shiite insurgents. Tompkins's team suggested that troops appeal to the Iraqi commander's pride, by pointing out that the corrupt subordinates were mocking his authority. Weeks later a training officer told Tompkins that he noticed the police commander got visibly angry when examples were brought to his attention.

But Tompkins, who is 29 and working on a doctorate in political science, says that for every success in Iraq, he has suffered multiple frustrations and failures. And he doesn't believe his team members were uniquely qualified to provide the input they did. Tompkins says many of the officers and grunts he worked with had more-relevant knowledge and experience than the anthropologists, having served in Iraq twice or three times before. "These are dedicated individuals who are often intimately familiar with many of the nuances of the society and culture they are trying to engage with," he wrote in an e-mail. (Tompkins left the program in January to help Helbig through her ordeal—the two met while training at Fort Leavenworth and are now engaged to be married.)

Steve Fondacaro, who heads the Human Terrain program, admits it has shortcomings. A retired Special Operations Force officer, Fondacaro says overseers had to rush through the start-up phase because Pentagon planners wanted the terrain teams in Iraq quickly. He and other managers have just returned from an assessment trip to Iraq, and he promises that adjustments will be made.

But Fondacaro, whose program recently received an additional $120 million in funding, does not necessarily believe it was wrong to send over anthropologists with no background in the region. "Research methodologies are universal," he says. Interpreters help fill in the gaps. That he clings to this concept raises concern among people who want the program to succeed, including Thomas Johnson, an Afghan expert at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. Johnson served in Afghanistan on a pilot Human Terrain team last year. He spent much of his time there interviewing Afghans in their homes. "If you don't have a good knowledge of the actual country and language, all the methodology can go for naught," he says. Johnson was shocked to hear Human Terrain had received a huge funding increase while other military programs face cuts. He says it shows just how much faith Pentagon planners have in the idea that real experts can help America win the war in Iraq. If only someone would make the effort to find them.

CORRECTION (published May 10, 2008): In our April 21 story "A Gun in One Hand, A Pen in the Other," we incorrectly identified retired colonel Steve Fondacaro as a veteran of Special Forces. He was a Special Operations Force officer with the 75th Ranger Regiment. We also mistakenly described Thomas Johnson as a Pashto speaker. Johnson says he knows a bit of Pashto but not enough to be labeled a speaker. And we incorrectly referred to the company BAE Systems as British Aerospace Engineering.

© 2008