Women Marines in Afghanistan: “How to do it right”

Tom Rick’s has a post that caught my attention. Not just for its main message: that women can make our fighting force in Afghanistan more effective, but for its side comments about working with interpreters. Clearly, one recipe for a more effective military presence in Afghanistan would be to have more women who speak the languages of Afghanistan (and don’t need to work through an interpreter).

Here’s the start of Ricks post “Women in COIN (II): How to do it right” (here):

I've been reading a recent internal summary of how Marine "Female Engagement Teams," or FETs, have worked in Afghanistan. The bottom line is that done right, this approach works surprisingly well, with benefits among the population that can't be achieved by males. The findings run directly contrary to several assertions made in the comments reacting to my previous post on this subject.

First, Afghans don't seem to mind the female teams. Paradoxically, "Female Marines are extended the respect shown to men, but granted the access reserved for women," the report finds. "In other words, the culture is more flexible than we've conditioned ourselves to think."

Second, the teams have been successful in reaching the other half of the population, one that carries disproportionate influence with the prime Taliban recruiting pool. "Local women wield more influence than many of us imagined-influence on their husbands, brothers, and especially their adolescent sons."

That’s the general thrust of the article. But here are the two mentions of interpreters:

But, the report warns, these teams can't be run casually. They are best done as a full-time job, overseen by an officer who trains and shapes the group, rather than a pick-up team of female Marines who happen to be around. The FETs also need extremely good interpreters, who must be female, fluent, and healthy enough to walk foot patrols. It also helps if they are self-confident enough to confront an Afghan male who rudely intrudes on the conversation.

And:

The FETs need two types of preparation: All the Marine stuff about patrolling, search techniques, and immediate action drills, plus training in culture, history and the use of interpreters.

Better yet, create Female Engagement Teams that speak the languages of Afghanistan. Oregon could offer those languages online in our educational system.