Based in Kabul, Afghanistan, and serving as a liaison officer to the Multi-National Brigade, Major Barry Wiltcher was tasked with providing the lash ups between ground forces and U.S. Central Command, to "ensure their missions were nested within CENTCOM's mission." He also coordinated with Special Operations Forces and with a legion of non-governmental and private voluntary organizations that were assisting in the stability and support operations phase of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Following that, Wiltcher deployed to Iraq with 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, serving variously as a company commander, a trainer for the new Iraqi Army and as a liaison to Black SOF forces in Balad. He again worked closely with coalition partners, specifically the El Salvadoran, Honduran, Spanish and Republic of Korea contingents, and offers some detailed insights into Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army uprising in April 2004. In this interview, Wiltcher also discusses the importance of good cultural awareness, how SOF and conventional forces can more effectively cooperate in nation-building and counterinsurgency operations. Referring to Iraqi insurgents (or potential insurgents), Wiltcher observes that “all they need is employment, and if you don’t give them daytime employment that’s legitimate, they’ll find nighttime employment that isn’t.” Additionally, Wiltcher places great stress on what he calls a “criminal” lack of language capabilities among U.S. soldiers and the generally too-low educational standards, deficits that become especially apparent on today’s “asymmetrical” and increasing complex battlefields. Just “expecting soldiers to give 110 percent,” he says, “is no longer enough.”

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