Religion: A Missing Component of Professional Military Education PKSOI Paper | Page 14

of religion into the Army War College curriculum can
be the first step. Change in curricula can then cascade
through the military education structure. Initial steps
should include:
1.  ncorporating religion as a specific aspect of
I
study within professional military education.
2.  evelopment of religious literacy among miliD
tary leaders at tactical, operational, and strategic
levels.
3.  ddressing the potential peacebuilding aspects
A
of religion in peace and stability operations.
It is well accepted in management and leadership
circles that the good is the enemy of the great. And so
it seems with the Army’s approach to the study of religion. Religion as an aspect of study within culture,
writ-large, is at best, good; however it falls far short of
the best approach. The best approach is the recognition of religion and PSO as a discrete field of study
and practice, one that cannot be trivialized within
checklists.
Desired are strategic thinkers able to grasp the
complexities of modern conflicts that possess religious
undercurrents. Learned individuals who are more
than trained functionaries are essential. Max Boot
notes how “a decade of war exposed the flaws of experienced, highly credentialed civilians” and “equally
experienced and equally credentialed military officers.”15 Arguably, an awareness of religion and its
presence within society would have contributed to a
deeper understanding of conflict in situ.  
Contributing to the complexity of modern conflict
is the presence of religion and religious leaders. Arguably, “religions are among the most potent forces in
the world today.”16 In Army and Joint publications,

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