TY - BOOK
T1 - The Fight for the High Ground
T2 - The U.S. Army and Interrogation During Operation Iraqi Freedom I, May 2003 – April 2004
AU - Pryer, Douglas
PY - 2009/11/16
Y1 - 2009/11/16
N2 - During Operation IRAQI FREEDOM I (OIF I), US soldiers waged a desperate war against a growing insurgency. Mounting US casualties became the catalyst for a hidden" war within the war." Arrayed on one side of this secret conflict were leaders who believed that the" ends justify the means." Opposing this camp were those who believed that US soldiers do not torture because of the higher ideals to which all Americans should subscribe. This clandestine conflict was waged at every level of command, from the fields of Iraq to Washington, DC In this history, the adverse influence of the ends-justify-the-means camp in Iraq is charted. Conversely, interrogation operations within the largest division task force and brigade combat team of OIF I are explored to explain why most interrogators treated detainees humanely. Those deficiencies of Army doctrine, force structure, and training that enabled harsh interrogation policies to sometimes trump traditional virtues are explained. Lastly, the Army's recent dramatic improvements with regard to interrogations are summarized and still-existing deficiencies are noted. This history concludes that the damage done by abusive interrogations will be felt for years to come--and that much work still needs to be done to ensure such damage never recurs.
AB - During Operation IRAQI FREEDOM I (OIF I), US soldiers waged a desperate war against a growing insurgency. Mounting US casualties became the catalyst for a hidden" war within the war." Arrayed on one side of this secret conflict were leaders who believed that the" ends justify the means." Opposing this camp were those who believed that US soldiers do not torture because of the higher ideals to which all Americans should subscribe. This clandestine conflict was waged at every level of command, from the fields of Iraq to Washington, DC In this history, the adverse influence of the ends-justify-the-means camp in Iraq is charted. Conversely, interrogation operations within the largest division task force and brigade combat team of OIF I are explored to explain why most interrogators treated detainees humanely. Those deficiencies of Army doctrine, force structure, and training that enabled harsh interrogation policies to sometimes trump traditional virtues are explained. Lastly, the Army's recent dramatic improvements with regard to interrogations are summarized and still-existing deficiencies are noted. This history concludes that the damage done by abusive interrogations will be felt for years to come--and that much work still needs to be done to ensure such damage never recurs.
UR - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/THE_FIGHT_FOR_THE_HIGH_GROUND.pdf
M3 - Commissioned report
BT - The Fight for the High Ground
PB - Fight for the High Ground
ER -