New Documentary Hearts and Minds: A Very British Tactic Now on Forces News YouTube
In
this new documentary, Forces News takes an in-depth look at the unique
tactic of 'Hearts and Minds', 20 years after it was used by the British
Army during the Iraq War.
British military commanders and
soldiers on the ground in Iraq used the term when working with local
people. Hearts and Minds: A Very British Tactic looks at the origin of
the approach, how it was applied in Iraq and asks if it is still
relevant today by talking to key military players.
In
a rare TV interview, Lieutenant General Sir Graeme Lamb, the British
commander in 2003, says hearts and minds “underpins everything I ever
did in uniform".
He was Director of Special Forces and played a key role in the development of counterinsurgency in Iraq.
General Lord Dannatt, the Chief of the General Staff from 2006 to 2009, explains why winning hearts and minds was so important.
“A
counterinsurgency campaign is always going to be about the people.
That's why war is in any sense a human activity. It's amongst the
people."
The documentary also hears from former soldier and
leading war studies academic, Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, on what
it was like going into Iraqi homes and schools as troops on the ground
put the idea into practice.
The film also explores the impact latterly of the deteriorating security situation.
Colonel
Tim Collins, who famously gave a rousing eve-of-invasion speech to his
soldiers, compares hearts and minds to taking a course of antibiotics.
“You
have to stay and grip it until the problem has gone away and that's
quite a long time. If you stop half-way through, withdraw to barracks,
you have no control of what's happening."
The documentary Hearts and Minds: A Very British Tactic is available to watch on Forces News YouTube channel now. https://www.youtube.com/@forces_news
