Cooperating Across Corps - Op Ed

Below is an op-ed that a classmate and I wrote.  We're looking to shop it around so please feel free to recommend places where it would be a good fit!

Cooperating Across Corps

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan the U.S. military was forced to learn entirely new tactics of engaging the enemy. In both countries, an extraordinary effort went towards winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi and Afghan peoples. These new tactics present an opportunity for rich and meaningful dialogue between members of two seemingly incompatible groups, the Peace Corps and Marine Corps.

The benefits of interaction are perhaps not immediately apparent – the Peace Corps and Marine Corps have distinct operational differences, and members of each frequently hold stereotypical views of the other. Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) are often seen as idealistic, naïve hippies, and Marines as brash monsters, insensitive to the needs of communities in which they operate. Indeed, PCVs often joke that it takes $500 and a whole community to build a school, but requires $1 million and one pilot for the military to destroy it; while Marines snicker that PCVs aren’t tough enough to serve in the “real Corps.” 

These stereotypes, in combination with the geographic distance between where each organization operates, prevent any cross-agency dialogue that could be useful. However, the barriers to communication should not be so insurmountable, as PCVs and Marine Officers tend to have much in common. They are of similar age and have similar motivations – they forgo the paths of their peers to be representatives of the United States abroad in support of a ‘greater good.’ Given such similarities and the wealth of knowledge on both sides, the current vacuum of discussion is a missed opportunity.

Additionally, combat centered tactics are growing ever closer to those that are seen as traditionally Peace Corps. For example, in the latter years of the wars, small unit leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan are operating in remote villages, disconnected form their larger higher headquarters. In addition to stabilizing populations militarily, Marines find themselves conducting peace building operations—they are building schools and roads, facilitating agriculture programs and ensuring infrastructure functions properly. Living in and among the population, they are also exposed to daily interaction with the local civilians. Marines have adapted well to these new tactics, but do not have an institutional memory for such civilian peace operations – the Peace Corps does. Returned PCVs have spent time living in remote villages without much external support. The first-hand experiences of PCVs integrating into small villages cannot be duplicated in a tactics manual. Breaking down the information barriers and incorporating PCVs’ lessons learned has the potential for a positive tactical impact.  

Conversely, PCVs can also learn from the experience of Marines. The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) has vast experience in operating humanitarian assistance / disaster relief efforts in areas that PCVs currently serve. Through these missions, and their experiences in more remote villages in Iraq and Afghanistan, Marines directly experience the consequences of negative stereotypes about Americans and what happens when such notions grow in intensity over time. These attitudes are just the kind that Peace Corps attempts to prevent. As ambassadors of American goodwill and culture, volunteers can often be the one and only American that people will ever meet. Lessons from Marines as to particular challenges in certain countries will help Peace Corps Volunteers preempt such misunderstandings. The cultural lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan could later prove valuable for future Peace Corps missions.

These organizations will never operate directly in the other's sphere. There are bright lines of separation that must be preserved in order for trust in volunteers and the combat safety of Marines to be maintained. However, a starting point for lessons learned could be feasibly implemented into the training programs for each group. Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS), the Captain career level course, provides a forum for a returned PCV to step in and engage in a dialogue on community integration and needs assessment. Similarly, Pre-Service Training (PST) for volunteers is an opportunity for all incoming volunteers to contextualize their upcoming experience into the long term.

This exchange of information may be slow, but it still remains worthwhile. Over time, the fruits of discussion could help two groups of Americans understand each other, do their jobs, and represent the United States better than before.

Kyleanne Hunter was a Marine Corps AH-1W attack pilot from 2002-2012 who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Brian Ernst was a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar from 2008-2011.  They are both current SIE fellows at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at University of Denver.