Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army or Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. Article content is not authenticated Army information and does not supersede information in any other Army publications.
This Month's Featured Article
Strategic Empathy: An Imperative for the Intelligence Warfighting Function
In his article, "Strategic Empathy: An Imperative for the Intelligence Warfighting Function," Lieutenant Colonel Joshua D. Van Buskirk argues that U.S. Army intelligence professionals must adopt strategic empathy—the skill of understanding what drives and constrains an adversary—to effectively anticipate and counter threats. Using historical examples from Afghanistan to ancient Persia, the author illustrates how failing to see the battlefield from the enemy's cultural and historical perspective leads to critical missteps, such as the unsuccessful "government in a box" strategy in Marja. The article posits that by moving beyond simple capability assessments and avoiding mirror-imaging bias, the intelligence community can more accurately forecast enemy actions. LTC VanBuskirk concludes by advocating for the integration of "perspective-taking" exercises into professional military education to cultivate this essential skill, enabling warfighters to better know their enemy and achieve victory.
