text: Support to Host Nation Security Forces
  • The advisor does not criticize HN policy in front of HN personnel. It is the advisor’s obligation
  to support the incumbent government just as he does his own. This obligation is US
  national policy.
  • The advisor studies his counterpart to determine his personality and background. He makes
  every effort to establish and maintain friendly relationships. He learns something about his
  counterpart’s personal life and demonstrates an interest in his likes and dislikes.
  • The advisor recognizes and observes military courtesy and local customs and courtesies. He
  recognizes that in many cultures, observance of formal courtesies must take place before other
  business can be conducted. When in doubt, he leans toward the polite.
  • The advisor does not get caught up in personality clashes between HN officers/personnel.
  • The advisor keeps in mind that HN partners may consider person-to-person relationships more
  important than organizational frameworks.
  • The advisor may have to deal with the HN norms regarding time and timeliness.
  Advising Principles
  8-101. Advising principles can best be described as shown in Figure 8-8.
  By, With, Not counting immediate action battle drill responses, the mark of an effective
  and Through advisory effort is the amount of stake the Host Nation security forces take in their
  own operations.
  Empathy Leads to Truly understanding other human beings and where they come from allows
  Cultural Competence honest relationships to develop. These relationships are critical factors
  of success.
  Success is Built This relationship is likely to be tested on numerous occasions and challenges;
  on Personal only one built on a solid relationship of mutual trust can survive and ensure
  Relationships mission success.
  Advisors Increasing the advisors’ level of frustration is the rapid realization that, when the
  are not ‘Them’ dealing with partner units, advisors are not one of “them.” The advisors are often
  alone navigating between two military systems and two cultures, never quite
  fitting in with either of them.
  You Will Never The advisor attaining a tactical objective does not achieve success; success
  Win…Nor Should is achieved by the Host Nation forces achieving the objective.
  You
  Advisors are not Advisors are not intended to lead Host Nation security forces in combat; they are
  Commanders ultimately responsible for command and control only of their own small TEAM
  of US combat advisors.
  Advisors Advisors are advocates for the Host Nation security forces with partner units.
  are Honest Brokers
  Living Advisors will likely find themselves isolated with great autonomy, often with no
  with Shades of Gray supervision and will encounter moral and ethical dilemmas on a daily basis.
  Talent is Everything, The paradox lies in that in some Host Nation forces, recognized talent can take a
  but back seat to rank. Advisors must understand that rank on the uniform
  Understand Rank is important to many armies, but it is skin deep; the ways around rank are the
  relationship and talent.
  Make Do Advisors will never have everything that they feel they need to succeed.
  Scrounging, bartering, and horse-trading are daily activities of the combat
  advisor. An enormous amount of energy must be devoted to these activities.
  These efforts will not only help the advisor achieve mission success but also
  endear him to his counterpart.
  Figure 8-8. Principles of advising.