text: Operational Environment of Counterinsurgency
  CULTURAL AWARENESS
  1-110. This proficiency level describes Soldiers who demonstrate basic cross-cultural competence in all
  three subcomponent areas: culture fundamentals, cultural self-awareness, and culture skills. They will have
  a minimal level of regional competence necessary to perform assigned tasks in a specific geographic area.
  These Soldiers will be able to describe key culture terms, factors, and concepts. Additional characteristics
  of cultural awareness are—
  • Cultural awareness sets the conditions to learn about foreign cultures and people.
  • Cultural awareness includes Soldiers who have an appropriate mind-set and a basic culture
  capability.
  CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
  1-111. This proficiency level describes Soldiers and leaders with well-developed cross-cultural
  competence. They will have a comprehensive level of regional competence that allows them to accomplish
  the mission in a specific geographic area. These Soldiers will be able to apply relevant terms, factors,
  concepts, and regional information to their tasks and mission. Additional characteristics of cultural
  understanding are—
  • The proficiency category of cultural understanding includes Soldiers who are familiar with a
  specific region and have the ability to identify economic, religious, legal, governmental,
  political, and infrastructural features of a specific region.
  • Cultural understanding also includes Soldiers who are aware of regional sensitivities regarding
  gender, race, local observances and local perception of the US and its allies.
  CULTURAL EXPERTISE
  1-112. Cultural expertise is a proficiency level that describes culture professionals and leaders who
  possess an advanced level of cross-cultural competence. They will have an advanced and sophisticated
  level of regional competence pertaining to a specific geographic area. These Soldiers will be able
  to integrate and synthesize terms, factors, concepts, and regional information into plans, programs,
  and advice to commanders. In addition—
  • In most cases, cultural expertise entails some degree of proficiency in a language or a few
  relevant languages; proficiency in the skills that enable effective cross-cultural persuasion,
  negotiation, conflict resolution, influence, or leadership; and an understanding of the most
  salient historic and present-day regional structural and cultural factors of a specific
  geographic area.
  • Cultural expertise also describes Soldiers and leaders with the ability to advise commanders
  of the region on military operations.
  CULTURALLY INFLUENCED SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
  1-113. Situational awareness, the goal of every leader and Soldier, is the immediate knowledge of the
  conditions of the operation, constrained geographically and in time (FM 3-0). Culturally influenced
  situational awareness allows counterinsurgents to detect subtle indicators of change or threat in the
  operational environment and understand how this will affect insurgent decisions and planning. When
  conducting counterinsurgency operations, cultural capability is a key part of achieving culturally
  influenced situational awareness for a Soldier, leader, or tactical unit. Within small units, superb cultural
  capability and improved situational awareness results in a greater chance of mission accomplishment,
  tactical effectiveness, and protection.
  ASSESSMENT
  1-114. A leader or Soldier has begun to achieve culturally influenced situational awareness when he/she
  can ask and answer such questions accurately: