Soft Skills in Military Operations

Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills

Hard skills are all about the basics of military operations, like job training, warrior skills, and shooting accuracy. These skills are the ones you can measure objectively based on years of training, successful missions, and so on. Hard skills are the backbone that helps soldiers endure the challenges of war.

On the flip side, soft skills build on hard skills and involve things like communication and understanding different cultures, which are crucial in military operations. They’re often referred to as people skills and can’t be measured as easily since they deal with the complexities of human interaction. Examples of soft skills include social skills, the ability to connect with others, leadership qualities, cultural awareness, and more. Soft skills are just as vital as hard skills because they form the basis for teamwork, decision-making, problem-solving, planning, and the like.

The Impact of Soft Skills in the Success or Failure of a Mission
The impact of soft skills on mission outcomes hinges on the specific circumstances of military operations.

When military operations unfold in foreign lands, the need for effective communication between the military and local populations becomes crucial. The US Army, for example, engages in a variety of operations with diverse goals, ranging from conventional combat to humanitarian assistance. These operations occur in culturally distinct settings, differing significantly from domestic scenarios due to interactions with local communities.

The unpredictable nature of military operations means the next mission could happen anywhere. Each destination poses unique challenges rooted in local traditions, customs, values, and beliefs. In such cases, relying solely on military training and combat experience might not suffice for success. Successful collaboration with diverse cultural groups demands an understanding of local cultures and languages.

This understanding falls under the umbrella of sociocultural competence, enabling the military to navigate unfamiliar terrain effectively. Without this competence, communicating with local groups abroad becomes nearly impossible. Soldiers lacking awareness of local traditions and values risk behaving in ways deemed offensive or inappropriate, potentially sparking conflict and jeopardising the entire operation.

Conversely, soldiers equipped with knowledge of the local culture and fluency in a foreign language can garner support and navigate challenging situations. To effectively execute missions in diverse cultural settings, the military must possess soft skills such as foreign language proficiency and sociocultural competence.

Significance of Soft Skills for Leaders and Subordinates

While communication with local groups is crucial in specific situations, such as peacekeeping operations abroad, effective communication within the military itself is the bedrock of any successful operation.

Communication is the linchpin that enables leaders and their subordinates to coordinate actions toward a shared objective. Although the commander devises the operations plan, the vast scope and complexity of military endeavours necessitate the commander's reliance on their staff in the decision-making process. Staff officers play a crucial role in broadening the understanding of ongoing operations, developing situational awareness, and offering relevant information and recommendations.

In the pursuit of situational awareness, the staff continuously gathers, processes, and presents data from all sources impacting military activities. The linchpin to achieving situational awareness in foreign settings is sociocultural competence. For subordinates, soft skills like cross-cultural and sociocultural competence enable them to process information about the military operations’ context effectively.

Soft skills also underpin successful leadership and are, therefore, indispensable for those in leadership positions. Leadership involves organising people’s work to achieve specific goals and is a process of influence, emphasising interactions between a leader and their followers. Key leadership functions include establishing direction, aligning people, and motivating and inspiring them. To carry out these functions, leaders must possess communication skills, be attentive listeners, and articulate action plans clearly—qualities classified as soft skills.

Considering the diversity within the Armed Forces, leaders and subordinates must exhibit culturally appropriate behaviours and possess cultural agility for efficient cooperation. A culturally agile commander leads effectively by acting with cultural awareness, while culturally agile soldiers adapt their behaviour according to the circumstances.

Conclusion

Given the uncertainty of political changes, military personnel must recognise the significance of soft skills in determining the success or failure of a mission. Soft skills enable soldiers to quickly, comfortably, and effectively work with people from different cultures and in multicultural settings. Although hard skills form the foundation of successful operations, missions occurring in unfamiliar cultural settings demand sociocultural competency for success.