"Army Teaches Officers to Think Globally"
The WaPo says that the Army Teaches Officers to Think Globally
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Three men, battle-seasoned Army officers but dressed in civilian clothes, watch as their tutor writes Arabic script across the board.
"You want to say 'Turn left,' " says Phillip Herlein. All three men reply: "Liff yasaar."
The officers -- on track to lead troops again -- are part of a pilot program that is sending 21 Army officers to graduate school to learn about foreign cultures, business practices and languages, including Arabic.
The Army wants its leaders armed with skills to help them navigate road signs, engineering plans and simple conversations. "We're trying to develop officers to be strategic thinkers and creative managers . . . who are culturally aware and have some language capability," says Col. Mark Patterson, who is in charge of policy for developing the Army officer corps.
The three officers at the University of South Carolina are enrolled at the Moore School of Business, considered one of the country's best graduate programs in international business. They will spend two years in the classroom and five months in language training overseas to earn their master's degrees.
Hibner, 32, a combat engineer, said the program offers a chance to learn from fellow students, as well their professors. The faculty, staff and 106 students in the class represent 75 countries including Moldova, Turkey, India and China.
Studying alongside Hibner are Maj. Levi Dunton, 32, an Apache helicopter pilot, and Capt. George Walter, 31, a combat engineer.
Their courses, which began in July, include global business issues and practices, and international management. The Army is footing the bill but caps the annual tuition costs at $13,000. All three officers said the classes will bolster their abilities to serve in any country but particularly in the Arabic-speaking world.
Dunton said his unit had communications problems near Tikrit, Iraq. A project to build a small schoolhouse "turned into a multiple-month project," he said. When it was completed, it did not suit the community's needs. "Just having some native language ability would have helped significantly," Dunton said.
As part of the invasion force that entered Baghdad, Hibner said his unit had one Arabic translator for more than 400 soldiers. Going into a building and trying to understand its mechanical systems "was frustrating for us," he said. "The dials. The hardware. We didn't know what worked and what didn't."
The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps also send some officers for advanced degrees, but very few senior officers are given the time to devote to in-depth language and international studies.
Patterson said the Army plans to put about 200 officers into advanced degree programs with an international focus. That will be in addition to the 400 officers normally sent to some type of advanced school. Other officers in the pilot program are attending the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif., and Columbia University in New York City."
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