Social intelligence and cultural awareness

The Board on Human-Systems Integration of the US National Research Council (NRC) held a workshop on Unifying Social Frameworks: Sociocultural Data to Accomplish Department of Defense Missions from 16-17 August 2010. Presenters and discussants addressed the variables and complex influenced human behavior, focusing on potential applications to the full spectrum of military operations. Major General Michael T. Flynn of the US Army, delivered the keynote address providing vital information about the cultural situation and needs of the military operating in Afghanistan. Two themes emerged from the workshop, including a theme focusing on data, its collection, its use in models, and the value of analyzing large collections of sociocultural data to identify the groups and individuals that are expected to pose risks in a particular environment.