Bridging the Divide

摘要

A crucial tactic in the war on terrorism is being developed at a nondescript, temporary office in a dusty corner of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. A small education center here will lead the way toward the creation of Marine expeditionary forces much more adroit at dealing with the populations native to the areas where Marines will be deployed in the future. Officially opened Oct. 1, the Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning (CAOCL) has a straightforward task: make Marines familiar with the language, customs and mores of the populations they are likely to encounter. In terms of battlefield prowess, senior Marines consider this step at least as important as the development of new hardware. Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commander of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, said, "Our Marines must be comfortable operating in austere, very complex environments including those where firepower is not the primary means to victory, or may even be counterproductive."