Experiences May Vary: NATO and Cultural Interoperability in Afghanistan

Abstract

This article examines the coherence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) coordinated military strategy during the war in Afghanistan. We argue that much of this coherence can be lost when decision makers adopt multinational strategic guidance that is then interpreted by different national contingents operationally. Different strategic and military cultures across troop-contributing countries may account for observed variation in operational outcomes, but better theoretical tools are needed to examine this phenomenon. Our aim is to further scholars’ understanding of how cultural variables can affect mission outcomes. This assumed effect of strategic and military cultures is explored empirically with reference to the Canadian and German Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan, which formed part of the NATO-led ISAF operation.

Small arms procurement and corruption in small NATO countries

“…The panel countries procured this gun in response to their operation demands for international deployment in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2023 (Giegerich and von Hlatky, 2020) and NATO's enhanced Forward Presence in the Baltic region (Edström and Westberg, 2023). These operations induced technical convergence by unifying the military outfit to share easier logistics in the theatre of operations, such as ammunition supplies and gun maintenance.…”

How Afghanistan Influenced the Content of Armed Forces & Society: An Editor’s Reflection

“…The role of NATO and the international nature of ISAF led to a recognition of the need for cross-cultural competencies (language proficiency, negotiation skills, and cultural skills) and ways to deal with cultural stress. 34 Giegerich and von Hlatky (2020) demonstrated how different strategic and military cultures could account for variation in outcomes in Provincial Reconstruction Teams. Remi Hajjar (2010) explored ways cross-cultural competencies complemented another initiative—internal cultural diversity.…”

US global military deployments, 1950–2020*

“…Canada's military deployments are generally carried out only in partnership with other states, often the US through the NATO alliance (McLauchlin, 2017;Mello and Saideman, 2019). While different military cultures can complicate interoperability, the US and Canada share similar capabilities and military cultures (Giegerich and von Hlatky, 2020). Thus, Canada is an example of how future research on military deployments can study how allied deployments can serve as complements or substitutes for US military deployments.…”