human terrain

2005 Montgomery McFate and Andrea Jackson, ""An Organizational Solution for DOD’s Cultural Knowledge Needs," Military Review, July-August 2005. Purpose: augment the military’s ability to effectively plan, train, and operate in the complex human terrain of weak states by conducting unbiased, accurate field research in countries of interest and administering related programs.

The term “human terrain” encompasses a wide variety of concepts and meanings. It came into widespread use following the events of September 11th as a catch all phrase to describe the human dimension of the operational environment, including groups’ and individuals’ feelings and inclinations. However, as a stand alone term, human terrain has not been officially defined by the DoD [US Department of Defense]. Although its use is widely prevalent, human terrain is currently an imprecise term which is vague and nebulous.