The Marines, Counterinsurgency, and Strategic Culture

Know Thyself 29
to military or other structures that run counter to core value sets are unlikely
to meet with success. The norms tethered to those values will be instinctively
defended. Gray points out that “traditional beliefs and behaviors frequently
are more than merely habitual; their persistence is likely to be recorded in,
and possibly policed by, an ethical code that expresses cultural attitudes
towards right and wrong that may well reflect assumptions long unchallenged
and therefore unexamined.” 56
Deeply held prejudices and pervasive racism may lead one society to value
the humans of another at a significantly degraded level and thereby reduce the
threshold for inhumane treatment. Beatrice Heuser notes that a pattern of
engaging in operational restraint against some groups and not against others
has remained a consistent feature of human practice since antiquity. 57
The weapons selected for use are a further value- laden category. 58 John
Lynn traces the marriage of weapons choice and cultural values as far back
as the Greek hoplites. Though one was far more likely to lose life and limb
wielding a spear than a bow, the bow was considered cowardly, and Greek
conventions on war mandated that its use be limited. 59 Jeffrey Legro argues
that the value- laden nature of weapons assessment has not changed much
since the Hellenic era. Organizations continue to channel resources toward
those weapons that are a match with its culture. Those that are well suited
will be perceived as more feasible and more attractive than those incompatible
with organizational culture and will subsequently receive the organization’s
attention and funding. 60
The values the Marine Corps holds dear may be amplified or, conversely,
threatened by irregular warfare. Identifying which are likely to feature in
the operational cultural narrative for the Corps as it responds to counterinsurgency
tasks will require an examination of professed Marine Corps
values, as well as those found at the grassroots level in symbols, ritual, icons,
and legends. What sorts of warfare practices do Marines deem honorable?
Does counterinsurgency fit this bill? Are hero stories told of counterinsurgency
episodes? What actions or characteristics are valued in the tale? Are
these sufficient to inspire competency in counterinsurgency warfare, or do
competing and more privileged values come under threat should the Corps
move this direction? The results of this assessment will offer strategists some
idea of Marine Corps trajectory and of counterinsurgency practices that are
likely to find a sound fit in Devil Dog quarters.
Perceptual Lens
As encultured beings, humans interpret events through biased cognitive filters:
a perceptual lens. Beliefs (accurate or misinformed) and experiences
(or the lack of experience) color the way the world is viewed. As is widely
understood, behavior is based on the perception of reality, not reality itself.
Perceptions of “fact,” concerning our own histories, our image abroad,