"Conduct After Capture" Training Material "Purged"

[The Bread Guy]

This from the Canadian Press:

The military has launched a purge of its classroom materials after several offensive cartoons, including some featuring women in degrading sexual situations, were used in courses for soldiers headed to Afghanistan.

The drawings were part of presentations provided to instructors at the Canadian Defence Academy in Kingston, Ont.

One cartoon, intended as an example of reading body language, shows a woman at a bar piled with empty glasses engaged in a sexual act with a man on a barstool. The caption reads: "How to tell when you don't have to buy her any more drinks. ..."

Another cartoon shows a senior male officer suggesting to a female sergeant that she become a "bargaining chip" in arms talks — a reference to her submission to a sexual act.

Some of the materials also contain cartoons that make light of the detainee controversy.

One depicts a detainee lounging in a beach chair, being fed grapes and fanned by soldiers — apparently a satire on rules that require humane treatment of captured combatants.

These and other illustrations are sprinkled through Canadian Forces training materials obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.

The manuals, PowerPoint presentations and other classroom materials were created by the defence academy to instruct trainers giving courses in "Conduct After Capture."

The three-week courses, which inform soldiers about how to behave if captured by the enemy, have been offered since 2007 and are mandatory for those deploying to Afghanistan or any other conflict zone.

The courses are also offered to civilians, such as diplomats in the Foreign Affairs Department and development workers.

In addition to the illustrations featuring women and the detainees, some fall into the category of potty humour. One cartoon shows a man sitting in a urinal, telling a janitor he has diarrhea.

The officer in charge of "Conduct After Capture" training acknowledged the cartoons are offensive.

But Lt.-Col. Lloyd Gillam said he believes the illustrations appeared only in draft versions of the training materials and never made it into the classroom, where there are male and female students.

"To the best of my knowledge, there are no cartoons of that nature in our training package right now," Gillam said in an interview from Kingston, Ont.

The Canadian Press asked for "teaching materials provided to individuals enrolled in the `Conduct After Capture' instructor course." Gillam suggested an overzealous information officer provided the news agency with early versions, not those in current use.

Nevertheless, the images — obtained from "open sources" such as the Internet — should not have appeared in any version, he said.

"When we look at the cartoons ... the offensive ones, we agree (they) should not have been used."

Now that the problem illustrations have been brought to light, Gillam said, his office has begun a review of all classroom materials.

"We are taking an extra step now to go through our files on everything to search out that stuff, so just to ensure that this kind of mistake doesn't occur again."

Gillam added that the person responsible for inserting the offensive cartoons into the teaching material left the military several months ago, though the departure had nothing to do with the improper images. He said there have been no complaints from anyone about the cartoons ....

 

[GK .Dundas]

You have got to me kidding me???????????????????????  what  lame brained moron ............. I can't go on some people are  too stupid to be allowed  to reproduce, never mind be allowed to setup training programs . Oh and someone has to have friendly 90 decibel chat  with whoever had oversight  of this project.
Thankfully it didn't make past the draft stage however  it shouldn't have made it that far or am I expecting too much?

 

[stealthylizard]

The article is somewhat untrue.  Not all military personnel receive this training before going overseas, and it isn't three weeks, unless the total of all phases combined is 3 weeks.  My phase 1 was one day, and I there were no cartoons, but death by power point ruled the presentation.

 

[Sprinting Thistle]

Yes, facts are what's missing.  CAC is broken into Level A, B, and C.  C comes with a practical exercise.  None of the levels take three weeks.  The Instructor course is 5 - 6 weeks. 

 

[tomahawk6]

The GWOT has seen a reduction in the length of the SERE course,because the bad guys dont normally take prisoners. As Kipling once wrote:

"When wounded you lie on Afghanistan’s plains
And the women come out to carve up the remains,
Just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
And go to your death like a soldier."

 

[1feral1]

The article is somewhat untrue.  Not all military personnel receive this training before going overseas, and it isn't three weeks, unless the total of all phases combined is 3 weeks.  My phase 1 was one day, and I there were no cartoons, but death by power point ruled the presentation.

From the Aussie side.....

During my Force Prep Trg back in 2006, which was conducted in Holsworthy prior to deployment, this subject was only touched on for less than one 45 minute (maybe an hour) briefing, and that was Q&A to a Legal officer, who stumbled and um'd/ah'd his whole way through. He kept bringing up that we should suggest to our "captor's" that we were worth a lot of money for ransom, and that would buy us time. Go figure  : !

We knew we were f'd if we somehow got caught. We seen the videos of the beheadings, and knew what we were up against. During my time at FOB Union III, in 06 in Baghdad a US soldier AWOL'd from a near by FOB into the Karadah area on the south side of the Tigris, to hook up with some chick he met somehow outside the wire. He was never seen again alive and ended up recovered some time later from a shallow grave.  The Yanks had looked for him for days, Strykers and up armoured Hummers, huge patrols, helicopters etc. Truly bad news.

CC

EDITed for spelling.....

 

[Occam]

The article is somewhat untrue.  Not all military personnel receive this training before going overseas, and it isn't three weeks, unless the total of all phases combined is 3 weeks.  My phase 1 was one day, and I there were no cartoons, but death by power point ruled the presentation.

So is SHARP, either in its previous form or another incarnation, not conducted during basic these days?

 

[Tank Troll]

The article is somewhat untrue.  Not all military personnel receive this training before going overseas, and it isn't three weeks, unless the total of all phases combined is 3 weeks.  My phase 1 was one day, and I there were no cartoons, but death by power point ruled the presentation.

True I went over in 07 and got none of this or the death by power point, The death by power point came once we got in KAF as our "orientation" and to to top it of I was with a French Battle group so guess what language it was in. ;D

 

[Jarnhamar]

I think they should have put the cartoons in final print.

They should also include not only graphic cartoons about sex but also ones featuring hardcore racisim. The worst black, indian, jewish, white, asian jokes you can find.
Some pictures of women (and men) being gang raped and sodomized.

This isn't aimed towards a BMQ course just starting out their military career.

The goal is to prepare the soldier airman and sailor for what they will possibly face after capture by a hostile force.  If you manage to get past the whole  getting your head cut off thing they aren't going to care what you find offensive and what you don't. They'll probably home in on it and use it against you.

 

[Sprinting Thistle]

The CAC programme has been a work in progress since 2005.  Prior to 2005 CAC was a 45 minute lecture taught by a relatively young Lt on a QL3 course.  The CAC policy was rewritten and a pilot instructor course run in 2005.  After that, each year another instructor course was run.  The problem is that the demand for training conventional and special forces far outstrips the instructors available.  At the same time a small instructor cadre has been trying diligently to build the programme beyond the initial work in 2005.  This includes offering training to Rotos deploying.  As well the training delivered has changed during this time.  The policy introduced in 2005 focused on CAC as a POW in a conventional conflict.  The cadre has done a very good job in expanding this material to include everything from being detained by a foreign government (much like in Iran with the UK sailors), POWs of a conventional force, hostage takings, or even capture by criminal enterprises.  The programme still needs work, and as the environments that the CF will find itself operating in change, so too will the CAC programme. 

Since the programme came out of the shadows in 2006 - 2007 it has received more oversight from legal and medical.  This has posed a significant challenge towards course content.  CAC should be seen as battle inoculation of the mind.  However as the content is filtered and toned down by the lawyers and psychologists, so too is the effect of the inoculation.   

 

[Retired AF Guy]

The policy introduced in 2005 focused on CAC as a POW in a conventional conflict.  The cadre has done a very good job in expanding this material to include everything from being detained by a foreign government (much like in Iran with the UK sailors), POWs of a conventional force, hostage takings, or even capture by criminal enterprises.  The programme still needs work, and as the environments that the CF will find itself operating in change, so too will the CAC programme. 

I just read something in along these lines in the papers last week. It was about a Brit(?) couple who had been held captive for some time and had been brutalized while captive. According to the article they were in Canada to talk of their experiences and how to survive during captivity.

 

[PuckChaser]

The goal is to prepare the soldier airman and sailor for what they will possibly face after capture by a hostile force.  If you manage to get past the whole  getting your head cut off thing they aren't going to care what you find offensive and what you don't. They'll probably home in on it and use it against you.

I was trying to find a way to put this, I think you hit the nail on the head. I know a few people in the CAC Instructor system, and the courses are no walk in the park. Its very realistic training, for a very serious situation.

 

[Jarnhamar]

I was trying to find a way to put this, I think you hit the nail on the head. I know a few people in the CAC Instructor system, and the courses are no walk in the park. Its very realistic training, for a very serious situation.

We had a great presentation by a guy in Petawawa on work up.  Zero political correctness. He told it how it is.  An officer in the audience kept putting her hand up and felt the need to tell him "I find the words you're using VERY offensive" and kept inturrupting him to ask stupid questions and make protests over the material.  You know,  when someone tries to intimidate others with the "oh I'm O-F-F-E-N-D-E-D" stuff"

Like the professional SNCO he was he didn't make her look like an idiot infront of everyone (though that's what everyone thought anyways) and basically drove the point home that the enemy won't give a shit about your feelings and toughen the hell up because you're going to war.

We need exposed to this training over the course of a week or two, not a morning of lectures.

 

[1feral1]

We need exposed to this training over the course of a week or two, not a morning of lectures.

Excellent post above!

At least you had a morning, as specified in my post it was a matter of minutes and was a pathetic attempt at best.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[PMedMoe]

We had a great presentation by a guy in Petawawa on work up.  Zero political correctness. He told it how it is.  An officer in the audience kept putting her hand up and felt the need to tell him "I find the words you're using VERY offensive" and kept inturrupting him to ask stupid questions and make protests over the material.  You know,  when someone tries to intimidate others with the "oh I'm O-F-F-E-N-D-E-D" stuff"

Like the professional SNCO he was he didn't make her look like an idiot infront of everyone (though that's what everyone thought anyways) and basically drove the point home that the enemy won't give a shit about your feelings and toughen the hell up because you're going to war.

We need exposed to this training over the course of a week or two, not a morning of lectures.

I'm guessing that was a certain Sgt from Trenton?  If so, he was my instructor a couple years ago and I thought he was great.

 

[Tank Troll]

We had a great presentation by a guy in Petawawa on work up.  Zero political correctness. He told it how it is.  An officer in the audience kept putting her hand up and felt the need to tell him "I find the words you're using VERY offensive" and kept interrupting him to ask stupid questions and make protests over the material.  You know,  when someone tries to intimidate others with the "oh I'm O-F-F-E-N-D-E-D" stuff"

Like the professional SNCO he was he didn't make her look like an idiot in front of everyone (though that's what everyone thought anyways) and basically drove the point home that the enemy won't give a crap about your feelings and toughen the hell up because you're going to war.

We need exposed to this training over the course of a week or two, not a morning of lectures.

This political correctness is doing more harm to us than good.

 

[Sprinting Thistle]

All of the CAC instructors are selected from across the CF vice a specific environment.  Like every organization in the CF some are outstanding and some need further development.  However, every single one of them volunteered and then was selected to undergo very challenging and strenuous training.  Failure rate is high. 

All CAC organizations (UK, NZ, US, Canada) participate in the debrief of former hostages / captives when and where they are permitted.  Its the only way the instructors can stay current on trends, and TTPs, etc.  Also there is frequent exchanges with our allies to share the knowledge and experiences gained.   

 

[jollyjacktar]

When they put the CAC to us at Valcatraz,  , prior to going over last year it was a one day event.  Thankfully in English for us Blokes and interesting if not alarming to some degree.  I do feel however that this training should be offered more widely and be of longer duration.  Just a taste is not enough, IMO.

 

[Container]

WRT to the article-

how does information compiled in 2007 for the course, and according to the posters here as far back as 2005, make light of the detainee controversy from late 2009?

Without seeing the actual course material I cant really say that the detainee cartoon is out of place. As for the other cartoons- easily correctable but it would appear it was already corrected according to the officer they spoke to for the article.

Another freedom of information fishing expedition with nothing real turned into a "something"

 

[Timmy!]

I just finsed Level B the other day and I found nothing offensive. Most of us have thick skin anyways.  It was an eye opener. But I"ll leave it at that.

War is not user-friendly,



Regards,
TN2IC