The role of applied antropology in cimic operations

Abstract

The successfulness of the international military operations is influenced not only by the applied arms and tactical methods, but also by the applied social sciences, especially the disciplines of the cultural antropology during the preparation and the fulfilment of these operations. Part of the Hungarian military personnel’s preparation for missions abroad is not only the familiarization with geographical, climate, health, and hostile forces military parameters but also with the cultural characteristics of the inhabitants (people, families, tribes, and religious groups of the area of operations. On the scene also the Hungarian Defence Forces applies special CIMIC subunits for building and maintaining (supportive) liaison between the military and the civil sphere. The aim of this activity is to support the achievement of the military goals by using these liaisons to solve the civilian tasks and problems. This support is realized by implementing projects, fulfilling assessments and evaluations on a regular basis, and also closing all of these activities by feedback and control. Therefore CIMIC activity’s effectiveness can be measured by the knowledge of the culture and by the adaptation of this knowledge; and the effective CIMIC activity is one of the factors which ensure the success of the military operations.