Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin - Federation of American ...

operations, and failure to understand the complexities of religion and culture can negatively impact
those operations. Commanders and operations staff officers should understand that experienced chaplains
can be a valuable multiplier in the total planning process by assisting in developing a religious
impact assessment for the commander and staff. Chaplains should insist on the opportunity to participate
in the process, although such participation is always bound by their status as non-combatants.
Their products are critical for background support to IO, which requires an in-depth understanding of
culture for operations involving combat, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and civil affairs.
Endnotes
1. FM 1-05, Religious Support, 2003, 1-5.
2. Ibid., p. 1-6.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid., 4-40.
5. FM 3-13, Information Operations: Doctrine, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures, 2003, 1-1, 1-2.
6. AR 165-1, Chaplain Activities in the United States Army, 2004, 6.
7. Ibid.
8. FM 1-05, A-1.
9. Ibid., 1-5, 1-6.
10. Ibid., 1-1.
11. Randy Edwards, “Information Operations and the Army Chaplaincy,” Command and General Staff College, unpublished paper, 2003,
3.
12. Ibid., p. 5.
13. The term “religious/spiritual” refers to the system of beliefs and practices that give meaning and purpose to people’s lives, FM 1-05,
F-1.
14. Greg W. Hill and Rob Meyer, “The Role of the Chaplain in Information Operations,” The Army Chaplaincy, Summer/Fall 2002, 54-57.
15. JP 1-05, Religious Support in Joint Operations, June 2004, II-3a5. See also FM 1-05, 2003, appendix A, A-1 and A-2.
16. FM 3-13, 1-53.
17. Jonathan Gibbs, “Unit Ministry Teams and Information Operations,” Unpublished Paper, U.S. Army Chaplain Center & School, 10
March 2007.
18. George Adams, “Lessons Learned for Iraq and Afghanistan: Chaplains as Liaisons with Religious Leaders,” Peaceworks, (Washington,
DC: United States Institute of Peace, 2006), 1.
19. FM 1-05, A-1.
20. JP 1-05, II-3.
21. FM 1-05, A-2.
22. Gibbs, 2.
23. Adams, 16.
24. Ibid., 17.
25. Ibid., 18.
26. Questionnaire from CH (CPT) Guy McBride, 07 February 2007.
27. Correspondence from CH (CPT) Isaac Opara to CH (LTC) Ken Lawson, 14 February 2007.
Chaplain (LTC) Ken Lawson is currently the Installation Chaplain, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico. He joined the Army as a
private in 1979, and entered the Army Chaplain Corps in 1989. He holds a PhD in U.S. History and is a 2007 graduate of
the U.S. Air Force Air War College.
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