MAJ James Brannam served as company commander at Victory Base Complex (VBC) in Baghdad, Iraq during 2006 and 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and on a military transition team (MiTT) in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan during 2010 and 2011 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). In this July 2012 interview, MAJ Brannam discusses his branch transfer from Infantry to Logistics, some of the challenges he personally faced as a comparatively young company commander, and the advisory mission in Afghanistan. MAJ Brannam concludes his interview with the observation, "Those Soldiers and leaders, they'll be able to shoot, move, and communicate but in order to kind of put their arms around the culture of where they're going, they have something like that here with the University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies (UFMCS). That's only for commissioned officers. Investing in cultural resources all the way down to the Soldier level, I believe, is a valid resource."

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