The Human Terrain Project (HTP) was a controversial Pentagon initiative conceived in 2006 to embed anthropologists and other social scientists with military units in Iraq and Afghanistan to understand the local population, culture, and political dynamics. Launched under then-Army Chief of Staff General David Petraeus, the project aimed to leverage cultural knowledge to improve counterinsurgency efforts. While it provided valuable insights into the complexities of the local context, the project faced criticism for its blurred boundaries between research and military operations, raising ethical concerns about social scientists becoming embedded in war zones and potentially contributing to military objectives. The HTP was eventually terminated in 2014 due to the changing nature of warfare and evolving priorities.
