MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. –The American and Afghan cultures share a few key customs which may surprise some, but where those customs differ is necessary for Marines to know before deployment.
To train Marines to operate with their Afghan counterparts, the Marine Air Ground Task Force Staff Training Program brings a part of Afghanistan to the Mission Rehearsal Exercise that I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) is conducting.
“A large part of the mission is to get the MEF staff prepared and understand everything they’re going to face once they get on the ground,” said Gary S. Cleland, exercise planner for MSTP.
To do this, MSTP works with II MEF (Fwd), currently deployed to Afghanistan, to help identify the important figures as the transition of authority gets closer, added Cleland. To execute this daunting task, MSTP organized the exercise so the individual cells of the staff are charged with a specific responsibility to support the entire MRX.
The cells are stocked with Marines, coalition forces and MSTP staff with responsibilities ranging from playing as the enemy to supporting forces with notional supplies, said Cleland.
One unique aspect of the training MSTP has brought to the table is revolved around the Afghan culture. By enlisting the help of Integrated Defense Systems International, subject matter experts on the Afghan culture have traveled to Camp Pendleton, Calif., to train the Marines of I MEF (Fwd).
“The most important training that we are bringing here is the culture. We bring firsthand experience of what is happening on the ground right now,” said Shoaib Popal, director of cultural and language service for IDS International. “In our group, we have people that were in actual positions as district governors and people working in the ministries in Afghanistan.”
Popal has seven years of experience training the Armed Forces for Afghanistan and understands being immersed in such a rich history can be shocking for some, which is why it is important for Marines to receive the training.
“The culture is the most important thing right now,” Popal said. “Once the Marines learn about the Afghan way of life, they will have more success in their daily interactions and their key leader engagements.”
With the training being so in-depth, Marines have responded to MSTP with positive feedback.
“We had a shura. The general officers who were there thought it was so well organized, they felt as if it they were in Afghanistan dealing with Afghan elders,” said Popal.
“The idea is to make sure they get their feet wet here and learn about things they will face in theater so it will be easier for them to handle to the situation over there,” he added.
The Marines of I MEF (Fwd) will be in theater in the spring, where they will be assuming responsibility of Regional Command-Southwest from II MEF (Fwd) and aiding in the transition of authority to the Afghan National Security Forces.
| Date Taken: |
12.14.2011 |
| Date Posted: |
12.15.2011 10:39 |
| Story ID: |
81432 |
| Location: |
CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: |
65 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, Culture immersion improves exercise, by Cpl Anthony Ward Jr, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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