The impact of the Iraq-Afghan cultural/ethnic landscapes on US military operations has become increasingly clear as we move f ... orward with securing the Peace in the battle torn states. Coalition troops are faced with an unseen and unpredictable enemy embedded in a multi-cultural/ethnic/religious urban battlefield. Insensitivities to the cultural implications within this battlefield has the potential to result in mob-violence, anti-American sentiment, and the awakening of other psychological dangers resident in unstable societies repressed for over 30 years. To properly prepare our troops to deal with the Iraq and Afghan people, their associated cultural sensitivities, and cultural based conflict within the urban battlefield, SMI has dramatically increased the reality of our cultural simulation exercises. The success of our program upgrades is evidenced by the simulation exercises currently being executed at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk. Our project experience at Fort Polk employed several of our core competencies to develop an optimized, holistic, and effective approach to preparing our troops for deployment to foreign hostile territories. read more