• "Wars come and go. What remains are only the values of culture." — Erich Fromm in The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (1974)
    "Shortly we will be fighting our way across the Continent of Europe in battles designed to preserve our civilization. Inevitably, in the path of our advance will be found historical monuments and cultural centers that symbolize to the world all that we are fighting to preserve. It is the responsibility of every commander to protect and respect these symbols whenever possible." —General Dwight D. Eisenhower, in a message to troops on the eve of the Normandy Invasion (June, 1944)
    "I trust that future conquerors will learn ... not to plunder cities they capture … to adorn their homelands." — Polybius, Greek historian (c. 202-120 BC)
    "The military of the future must be able to go to war with enough cultural knowledge to thrive in an alien environment. Empathy will become a weapon. Soldiers must gain the ability to move comfortably among alien cultures, to establish trust and cement relationships that can be exploited in battle." —Major General Robert H. Scales (Ret) in "Clausewitz and World War IV"
    "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." — George Orwell (1903-1950)
    "We will probably be judged not by the monuments we build but by those we have destroyed."—New York Times editorial, October 30, 1963
    "The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know." —Harry S. Truman
    "According to the law of nature, it is only fair that no one should become richer through damages and injuries suffered by another." — Cicero (106-43 BC)
    "Cultural awareness and the ability to build ties of trust will offer protection to our troops more effectively than body armor." — Major General Robert H. Scales (Ret) in "Clausewitz and World War IV"
    "Cursed be the man who removes his neighbor's landmark." — Deuteronomy 27:17
    "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set." — Proverbs 22:28
    "New planes, ships and combat vehicles will have to be built to win World War IV, but building new social, cultural and learning structures will have to become the first priority for resources within the Defense Department." — Major General Robert H. Scales (Ret) in "Clausewitz and World War IV"
  • Why CCHAG?
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The COCOM Cultural Heritage Action Group’s (CCHAG) mission is to enhance military capacity by promoting Cultural Property Protection (CPP) during Full Spectrum Operations for Combatant Commands and Joint Force (JF) Planners and Engineers worldwide.

We promote CPP as more than a legal requirement, but also as a force multiplier that contributes mission success. The CCHAG develops and implements  CPP training, educational and training materials, planning information, reachback support, GIS data and other operational tools, as well as policy recommendations that have been incorporated into CENTCOM environmental regulations.

The CCHAG has initiated planning and education programs that utilize coalition exercises as cultural landscape teaching opportunities, which can serve as models for the other COCOMs. The CCHAG team leaders and subject matter experts participate in coalition exercises and respond to requests to support COCOM contingency operations.

The CCHAG has demonstrated the value of cultural property protection, cultural heritage awareness, education, planning, and training to stability operations. Among other successes, CCHAG activities have resulted in awareness materials being distributed to more than 100,000 deploying personnel. Importantly, the CCHAG played an instrumental role in developing the Historical/Cultural Chapter of the 2009 CENTCOM Regulation 200-2, Environmental Quality: Protection and Enhancement of Environmental Assets, which contains essential guidance, best management practices offers environmental enforcement capability for heritage preservation during USCENTCOM contingency operations. Chapter 6 ["Historical and Cultural Preservation"] of the Regulation establishes criteria to ensure the proper protection of historic/cultural properties. Enacted in 2009, this criteria is unprecedented for a COCOM. USCENTCOM thus became the first COCOM with a regulation of this scope, to include historical/cultural property protection guidance.

In these, and many other ways that we describe in this website, the CCHAG provides the right information and training to the right person at the right time. We support the mission by informing and training the war fighter and COCOM/Joint Force decision makers at every level in the chain of command.

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Forward personnel understand that the capability for analyzing the heritage landscape is critical during combat operations, post-conflict reconstruction and planning for forward operating base expansion. Understanding cultural landscapes, such indigenous water systems, is also needed for predicting and understanding potential property disputes and for establishing common ground with host nation ministries including, but not limited, to culture, information, and tourism.

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Examples of direct support to military operations by CCHAG members during the past three years include:

  1. development of detailed maps of the ancient karez water systems of Afghanistan;
  2. development of a cultural heritage map for Afghanistan in partnership with the AIA and other international partners;
  3. innovative products and comprehensive reach back support for USCENTCOM personnel serving in Operating Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and the biennial Exercise Bright Star;
  4. historical/cultural awareness briefings at the Environmental Shura (consultation) in Kabul in February 2010;
  5. bi-lingual historical/ cultural and GIS briefings at the 2010 Jordan Conference;
  6. the offer of reach back expertise for Forward Operating Base expansion planning, and teaching imagery analysis skills to deploying personnel for better cultural and sacred place site identification.
  7. successful and productive partnerships with subject matter experts and both national and international academic organizations comprised primarily of social scientists. This partnership is with the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and AIA’s CHAMP working group is only one example and potential model for developing mechanisms for mobilizing reach back capability and expertise related to the heritage landscape. The opportunity to continue and develop the partnership with AIA offers the ability to offer extremely valuable regional expertise, instruction, and educational tools to the DoD efficiently and timely.

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The COCOM Cultural Heritage Advisory Group is one of the most successful outcomes of the In-Theater Heritage Training project, funded by the Legacy Resource Management Program and the the Defense Environmental International Cooperation Program (DEIC), both of which fall within the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment.

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