Current Status: In recent years the American military is forced to spend far too much time and effort catering to the cultural and religious sensitivities of our enemies. This is mainly driven by politically correct attitudes on the part of federal legislators and fueled by a US national media that seems to be a propaganda tool for the enemy. The sensitivities to the culture and religion of the enemy are interfering with our combat operations are putting American soldiers lives at risk—resulting in many more casualties and injuries. The enemy has learned that this is a weakness of the American military and has become adept at exploiting it for propaganda purposes.

Correction toward the Ideal: Specific military operational policies regarding the culture and religion of the enemy should typically be made by battlefield commanders who understand the local cultural environment and are directly overseeing combat operation. Within general guidelines, these commanders should have formal latitude to emphasize operational effectiveness and troop morale over enemy cultural or religious consideration.

Senior military commanders should support the local commander’s policies and be prepared to defend them before Congress. Legislators, no matter how well-intentioned, should not be allowed to interfere with battlefield operations. They have neither the military experience nor the understanding of the local operational environment to make informed decisions—and their decisions are usually based on broader political calculations. There should be a legal and respected wall between the politicians and military on such operational details.

Supporting Information: See the Learn More section to the right for more information on this topic—especially our white paper on Culture and Religion of Enemy.