Military Review English Edition September-October 2014 | Page 89

THE HUMAN DOMAIN

new and wide-ranging relationships in the academic
world among disciplines that may at first blush seem
irrelevant. The Army and its strategic analysts must not
be afraid to get a little squishy. There is a vast array of
fields of study that could contribute to the understanding of the human domain of conflict, but have yet to be
contacted or explored.
We must also understand that in our quest for
knowledge the bridge may be blocked by ideological
opponents in the political and academic worlds; that
there may be pushback by some who have disdain for
the military and will attempt to stigmatize contact
among their colleagues. Learning from history gives
us pause; the history between the academic world and
the Army is not something that resonates with a great
deal of hope. However, the Army leadership should
realize that we need academia if new concepts largely
drawn from social science research and expertise are to
succeed.
A way to bridge the gap is to continuously engage
such communities by attending social science symposiums and lectures, or even sending students for social
science degrees at a wider range of civilian universities
in order to both acquire some expertise in narrow
disciplines as well as make valuable contacts. Similarly,
inviting more diverse and more numerous academics
to participate in Army learning events can potentially
create mutually beneficial relationships.

To succeed, efforts to reach out to academia must
turn into bridges, and the b ե