Last August, the senior officer aboard the USS Kearsarge, a U.S. Navy ship deployed to Latin America, issued an unusual order. Capt. Frank Ponds ordered the hundreds of sailors, Marines, soldiers and airmen under his command to avoid using the term "troops" when describing themselves to Latin American reporters.
The seemingly bizarre command reflects widespread concerns over the military's escalating involvement in humanitarian missions all over the world. Kearsarge's six-month cruise supporting hundreds of military and civilian doctors, engineers and aid workers in six countries, including Nicaragua and Colombia, was one result of that increased involvement. While the Pentagon characterizes its support for aid efforts as being strictly benign -- "good-will," "partnership-building" or "smart-power" missions, it calls them -- some observers worry that the military is turning apolitical charity into a tool of national security. Ponds seemed to want to strip the military terminology from his subordinates' conversation, in order to downplay the Pentagon's role in aid work. ...
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