Depth and Process in the MIBOLC Curriculum

In order to better teach strategy for 21st century conflict, the Military Intelligence Basic Officer Leadership Course MIBOLC curriculum should be expanded to include greater emphasis on Iraqi and Afghan culture, as well as specific terrorist and insurgent groups currently operating in these countries. Understanding the world views of both the general populations of these countries and the insurgent and terrorist groups operating within them will allow for better threat analysis and war gaming. If the MIBOLC program of instruction POI is altered to accommodate this additional block of instruction, S-2 sections will be better equipped to advise Combatant Commanders. For military intelligence professionals, predicting and preparing for future enemy behavior is paramount. Most of our conscious decisions as human beings stem from our world views, which are often multi-layered, the most important ideals being at the core. Also known as Weltanschauung, a world view is a coherent collection of concepts allowing us to construct a global image of the world, and in this way to understand as many elements of our experience as possible. A deep understanding of anothers world view can easily aid in producing a fairly accurate estimate of that persons future actions. However, simply observing a persons actions may in fact prove misleading as to that persons intentions and future actions. Intense focus on another persons actions without an understanding of their core ideology, history, motivations, and goals can lead to myopic decisions. For this reason, leaders in military intelligence should be equipped with a deep understanding of the core ideology and motivations of the Iraqi and Afghan populations as well as of the insurgent and terrorist groups operating within them.