“The whole story of humanity is the exchange of ideas,” said Jeannie Johnson. “The way we define spaces by our ‘Americanness’ is impacting the way we structure our security policy.”
Which doesn’t always work, she suggested.
Johnson, a professor at Utah State University, explained as much during a presentation on her new book, The Marines, Counterinsurgency, and Strategic Culture: Lessons Learned and Lost in America's Wars, at George Mason University’s Arlington Campus on Wednesday, April 10th.
The event, hosted by the Schar School of Policy and Government’s Center for Security Policy Studies, was moderated by Michael Hunzeker, associate professor of international security. Hunzeker welcomed the audience of about 30 students and faculty members before giving Johnson the stage.
“In the Vietnam War, the CAP [Combined Action Program] Marines were building wells and schools to earn the trust of locals and gain intelligence,” said Johnson. “They found ‘frugal civic action’—being a good neighbor in the village—to be a far more effective strategy” than buying loyalty with outsized projects.
Johnson described how the CAP Marines, a program that lasted from 1965 to 1971, began gaining intelligence through observing changes in the village. As an example, “If the rice piles had been significantly depleted, the Viet Cong had come through,” she said.
In her research, Johnson studied which counterinsurgency strategies had been absorbed and abandoned. In her book, she provides a grim picture for the future and outlines actions to address and avoid these looming issues.
“I think it’s ethnocentric to think we are so all powerful,” said Johnson. She referenced Army and Marine manuals on counterinsurgency that are absent of human will and lack significant cultural training.
She presented the parallels between the war in Iraq and the Vietnam War.
“CAP Marines had already learned the lessons we will face in the future,” she said. “The good news is we are quicker to adopt more CAP-like processes as seen in the war in Iraq.”
“From what I am seeing, the Pentagon is due to repeat past mistakes,” said Johnson. “We can expect the military will be sent into another impossible task to rebuild a government on American terms.”
Johnson’s appearance at the school was welcomed by the students who are focusing their scholarship on global security issues. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the Schar School as No. 2 in the country for security studies programs.
“The Schar School has the ability to pull in authors from across the country, and it has a symbiotic effect on students and faculty,” said George Hutchinson, managing editor of the International Journal of Korean Studies and a PhD in Public Policy candidate and a Fellow at the Center for Security Policy Studies. “Having the reach to be able to pull scholars with fresh thoughts and writing is powerful.”