Gen. Vincenzo Camporini, chief of the Italian defense staff, speaks about the military’s role in countering the ideological appeal of terrorism at opening of a conference May 12 in Rome, Italy. More than 90 military, counterterrorism and policy officials from 39 nations are participating in the conference conducted by the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies and the Center for High Defense Studies. Participants examined the strategic and operational dimensions of military efforts to counter ideological support of terrorism during the three-day conference.
(Photo by German Air Force Master Sgt. Mark Winkler)
Rome — Because of its frontline position in the fight against terrorism, the military must understand how it can contribute to counteracting the ideologies that continue to fuel violent extremism, Italy’s chief of defense staff said in opening remarks at a conference here May 12.
“The fact of the matter is that military operations are one of the most tangible signs of the global effort to counter terrorism,” Gen. Vincenzo Camporini said.
The general made his remarks to more than 90 military, counterterrorism and policy officials from 39 nations attending the conference conducted by the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies and Italy’s Center for High Defense Studies. Participants examined the strategic and operational dimensions of military efforts to counter the ideological appeal of terrorism during the three-day conference.
“The military apparatus involved in supporting civilian populations bears the main burden in this struggle. Millions of euros are spent in food, healthcare, transportation, education, and engineering, along with the core business of producing security,” Camporini said. “However, the ideological appeal of terrorism has the capability to distort the signal of our communication.”
He said that the military needs to define a strategy to try to ensure that the message intended is the message received by the local population, so that efforts are not diluted by “those who claim that in reality we are fighting a crusade in the wider environment of a clash of civilization.”
The development of a new counterinsurgency approach, which considers the soldier a nation builder as well as a warrior, is an important step in bringing the human approach to the fore, the general said.
“We have sound evidence regarding continuous activity [by extremists] in manipulating youth, minorities, immigrants and indigent people by exploiting their basic needs,” Camporini said. “The human approach is paramount to identify the warning signals of the process climbing from resentment to terrorism. Tolerance, empathy and respect should be the substance of our rapport with the local population."
In addition to support from national doctrine, the professional development of soldiers is critical to military effectiveness in countering violent extremism, the general said.
“A global challenge requests a global response and our future military leaders should receive the appropriate tools in order to be effective in combating the battle of ideas," Camporini said.
Italian Rear Admiral Alberto Cervone, who spoke at the conference about professional military education, said that his nation has not institutionalized countering ideological support for terrorism as it is in U.S. military strategy, but that they are discussing it in educational environments.
“Focusing of this subject in our educational system is important because our courses are not just for military people, but are multidisciplinary and multi-agency,” Cervone said. “This is useful to spread this concept and to examine exactly what this ideology is, which not many people are aware of.”
Finding common approaches to is the only way toward developing a comprehensive and effective international strategy, according to conference academic coordinator and Marshall Center Professor, Dr. Sharyl Cross.
“We have to find common terminology, because even when countries are in complete agreement substantively, if we’re not using the right words, that can create division,” Cross said. “It’s so important to come together and talk about these issues, so we can develop common ground in terms of what we’re trying to address and present it in a way that would contribute to building the strongest consensus.”
The conference’s focus on the military’s role in countering ideological support for terrorism came out of a May 2007 Marshall Center conference held in Ankara, Turkey, which examined how societal conditions enable or prevent terrorist movements from attracting new adherents, according to the conference moderator, retired brigadier general Dr. John Reppert.
“In the previous conference, many of the participants pointed to the military as part of the cause of the problem of misunderstanding, either because of deliberate acts we have taken or lack of sensitivity to the culture and religious beliefs of Muslims that have inadvertently caused tensions to exist and so we need to look at that component that is most frequently and in most direct contact with the people we are concerned about,” said Reppert, former dean of the Marshall Center’s College of International and Security Studies.
As a result of the recommendations, the conference in Rome included panels and working groups that examined what the military can do to reduce extremism in counterinsurgency conflicts and other combat or peacekeeping situations, including how to work with non-defense agencies and how to communicate their efforts.
A final report on the conference will be released to policy-making and other international organizations, as well as the academic community.
