Military Review English Edition September-October 2014 | Page 87

U.S. Navy photo by HMC Josh Ives

THE HUMAN DOMAIN

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Martin, civil affairs team lead for Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Farah, shakes hands and laughs with
Mawlawi Guhlam M. Ruhaani, director of Hajj and Endowment, after a key leader engagement in Farah City, 29 December 2012.

further. Any relationship that we attempt to build with
the academic world to expand the dialogue between the
two must take these factors into account.
Given this torrid history, it may seem impossible
for us to effect any change in our association with
academia. However, like any relationship, success
depends on the work put into it.

Incorporating the Social Sciences
The Army has taken the first step by realizing
the importance of understanding the humanness of
warfare, but more steps must be taken in the correct
direction to build credibility and be successful with the
concept of the human domain.
First, Army leadership must make the human domain concept a priority. Establishing a working group
or small research team is not enough. While perhaps
not on the magnitude of an Army Center of Excellence,
there needs to be an office or center that can do the
heavy lifting that is required to develop and push the
MILITARY REVIEW  September-October 2014

ideas. The office must be the central hub of research
and synthesis on the human domain and have the
strong backing of senior Army leaders.
Along with the office, a proponent must be nominated to lead concept development and implementation. Who leads the way on the human domain is just
as important as how it functions and impacts the services. Currently there is a collaborative effort between
the Army, Marine Corps, and USSOCOM. While all
three have experience with the concept of the human
domain, there must be a main actor to provide guidance and leadership. As the largest of th