Warfare is a hard science, but different social science disciplines can also be useful to equip or enable warfighters to have a better awareness of their surroundings in terms of how people think and feel about their presence, and how that sentiment might result in cooperation or adversity. There is both an art and a science to being able to sense and understand the collective conversations in the societal environment that surrounds warfighters. How do they plug into the psyche of the individuals most affected by the war in Afghanistan - the people of Afghanistan - who are trying to figure out what the future holds for them with these competing narratives of actions and words? It is important to listen, understand, and participate in the conversation, said Rear Adm. Greg Smith, USN, who is due to retire Oct. 1. Smith was the chief of public affairs for U.S. Central Command, and before that the director of public affairs for Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Gen. David Petraeus with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. He spoke with Edward Lundquist about understanding the narrative, and why it is so important.
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