U.S. Army troops prepare dinner in Spera, Afghanistan / Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images
SPERA, AFGHANISTAN - AUGUST 21: US Army Soldiers from the Alpha Company 1/121 Infantry (L), 48th BCT) slaughter a goat to provide food as their mission was extended and they run out of military food rations during a mission to Spera District Center (DC), location of a polling center, in order to provide security for the elections and to allow the HTT to interview Zadran tribesmen about tribal issues on August 21, 2009 in Spera, Khost Province, Afghanistan.The Human Terrain System, composed of several deployed Human Terrain Teams, is a US Army program that embeds civilian social scientists with combat units. The purpose of the program is to provide the military with relevant socio-cultural information in order to affect decision making and ensure that soldiers have a holisitic picture of their operating environment. The social scientists gather data by going into the field with soldiers and using traditional ethnographic methods of collection: interviewing, observation, and surveys. Human Terrain Team (HTT) Afghan One (AF1) is attached to 4-25th IN BCT, in Khost, Paktya, and Paktika provinces. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)
Our friends over at Danger Room have posted an item about the U.S. Special Operations Command’s search for someone to turn U.S. troops into Afghan cooks. But not just any kind of Afghan cooks. As the contract solicitation explains:
This training shall encompass instruction on; Slaughter techniques, cultural diversity, equipment overview, identifying meat cuts from cattle: swine, goat and poultry. Preserving: meats, vegetables, animal hides and cooked materials. Afghanistan meal presentation; cutting, grinding, and curing meat portions. Preparing bread from raw wheat kernels. Preparing and serving authentic Afghan meals with indigenous cooking equipment.
Apparently, three cups of tea no longer suffice.
