The House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services, in its recently drafted authorization bill, issued a stinging rebuke of the Department of Defense’s Human Terrain System (HTS) program, withholding funding until “the Army submits a required assessment of the program, provides revalidation of all existing operations requirements, and certifies Department‐level guidelines for the use of social scientists.” Last year, both the House and Senate asked for an independent review of the HTS program by March 1 of this year.
At last year’s annual meeting, the AAA’s Ad Hoc Commission on the Engagement of Anthropology with the US Security and Intelligence Communities released its final report on HTS , noting the incompatibility of the program with disciplinary ethics.
The authorization bill also calls for a 5 million dollar increase in the DoD’s Minerva social science research program, calling for a boost in research examining religious terrorism.
Filed under: Advocacy
Shazaam! Glad to hear anthros have had an influence.
[...] You can read the American Anthropological Association’s article here. [...]
[...] House Armed Services Committee Halts Funding for HTS Program from American Anthropological Association by damondozier [...]
[...] some to wonder what is really being said, and how to interpret it. From the point of view of the American Anthropological Association, the HASC has issued “a stinging rebuke;” for Kerim at Savage Minds, “It ain’t over, but it [...]