Military Chaplains in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Beyond: Advisement and Leader Engagement in Highly Religious Environments

摘要

Eric Patterson's edited volume lives up to its title. In it, the authors variously explore the burgeoning roles of military chaplains, paying particular attention to religious leader engagement and religious advisement. Both the importance of these ideas and discernable gaps in official guidelines are explored. For instance, on the one hand, several authors contend that in a post-9/11 context, the ability to understand the central role of religion and culture in various countries greatly influences the success or failure of the mission. On the other hand, formalized training and doctrine beyond specialized units is glaringly absent from the military arsenal.