Glevum Associates

Gillian Opray Chris Fox Maria Sepanmaa Alan McCormack

Glevum USA is an American based "market research" company.

Description of Glevum's Work

Gillian

Glevum Associates is a subcontractor of the Human Terrain system used by the U.S army among others. Glevum Associates conducts market research for their client in areas such as warzones or post war zones where first hand information may otherwise be hard to obtain. They claim to be able to provide invaluable, local, knowledge of these conflict areas. They do this by employing people who are familiar with the local area within these regions, these researchers then provide an in-depth analysis of that population. The results of this research are then fed back that to Glevum’s research analysts who are then are able to compile reports giving in-depth information on whatever area of interest was required by the client. To date they have carried out research in Iraq and Afghanistan carrying out detailed processes which they have trademarked Face-to-Face Research Analysis (F2RAtm). Interviews are conducted with local populations to assess both how the people themselves feel about their situation and what can be done to improve circumstances. This is achieved by ‘interviews, focus groups, observations, media monitoring and polls’. The information once complied and analysed is then passed on to their clients so they might better understand the ‘motivations’ of the populace in the requested area. Glevum’s rational and justification for the research they conduct in Afghanistan and how they do it is that ‘One cannot learn how to navigate the human terrain in Afghanistan from the internet’ (Andrew Garfield. Understanding the Human Terrain: Key to Success in Afghanistan, Small War Journals) http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2010/07/understanding-the-human-terrai/ Andrew Garfield believes that without social scientists research the war in Afghanistan cannot be won. What Glevum Associates does is to provide a human link between army, government and Afghan people. This unique relationship allows for discussions and deeper understanding of the main issues of the region. There is much apparent diversity between the regions in Afghanistan, some of the differences include the varying regional views on the Taliban. In one report which Glevum produced, it was shown that in certain areas of 1,900 Afghans interviewed ‘97% expressed support for the reconciliation with the Taliban’ (Col Jeff Haynes. Afghanistan: Transition to ANA Must Start Now)

http://themilitaryobserver.blogspot.com/2010/07/afghanistan-transition-to-ana-must.html

Also in the above article it was highlighted that there was real fear of corruption within the government. This is a prime example of the benefits to both the army and government of having social research done in such a diverse area as these types of results would most likely not have been volunteered.

Research conducted by Glevum on voting patterns provides basic indictors on the factors which will influence people’s behaviour. It is visible in their published report that it is of clear concern to the Government and Army, who will be keen to know what contributing factors will influence voting patterns and also who their voters are, and what issues they find important.  Below is the link to the Afghan Election Survey
http://glevumassociates.com/doc/AfghanistanElectionSurveyDosVersion5.pdf

It is important to remember that for Glevum, in order for peace to be restored in Afghanistan compromise, support and an in-depth understanding of social structures, religious beliefs, morals and values must be understood. This is why organisations such as this are valued by governments as vehicles to acquire this knowledge. This view is clearly supported in an article by Jeff Haynes who is the vice president of business development for Glevum, he emphasises the importance of community development councils. These councils are run by members who have been voted in from the communities themselves. This enables them to prioritise local areas of need as they know first hand what services and changes are required. They also address the concerns of corruption within the government as Haynes puts it ‘a sense of community ownership inhibits corruption and maintains accountability’ (Col Jeff Haynes. Afghanistan: Transition to ANA Must Start Now)

http://themilitaryobserver.blogspot.com/2010/07/afghanistan-transition-to-ana-must.html

A further example of the type of information which these surveys uncover can be seen in an article featured in the New York Times. Glevum was attributed to providing information on the growing feeling of unrest in Kandahar in Afghanistan, It documented the feelings of a lessening sense of security in the area, which before the invasion was held to be ‘the birth place and the power centre of the Taliban’ the results helped U.S officials to begin to understand the ties between the different communities and the Taliban which may require some sort of conference with them as a means of a peaceful resolution to minimise the levels of conflict with Kandahar. It is this qualitative research which Glevum claims gives the military a unique relationship with the communities. However the situation continues to be volatile and has resulted in the killing of the deputy major Azizullah Yarmal during prayer in April this year. Although the information has given guidance to the military who according to this article will now encourage forums between residents, military and elders to propose alternatives to the Taliban It calls into question whether this system is effective in practice.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/world/asia/21afghan.html?_r=3&sq=glevum%20associates&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=1&adxnnlx=1287918230-nDQYQ4tBvFVcguA6zZWH2g Other research Glevum has done has shown that within Afghanistan there is growing support for the Afghan Nation Army. This information allows for planning of the expansion of this Army which would in turn allow for a reduction of the presence of U.S and United Nation troops. However it is key to this that for these changes to be implemented that both the troops and governments must have the support of the Afghan people, the Nation Army must be able and willing to ‘protect the population and to fight corruption’ this will allow growing independence for the Afghan people to gain independence instead of relying on the Nato troops. (Kate Brannen, Petraeus Updates COIN Guidance for Afghanistan, 3/8/10) http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4732898 and of course the changes in social attitudes to this and any other matters can by discovered by Glevum and their social research teams.

Criticisms Glevum and the Human Terrain System comes under much criticism for the Social Science research that they conduct and raises issues as to whose benefit it is working towards, and whether the role of social scientists is appropriate in this field. The Human Terrain System within which Glevum operates is critiqued by many people for many points, one of which is that the money being paid to the researchers as opposed to the pay of those within the military is a point raised by John Stanton in an article written by him entitled’ US Army Promotes Waste, Fraud and Abuse in TRADOC Human Terrain Program’ he questions why “the US government pays 200K for a social scientist and pays the soldiers and officers less than 60K.” This alone would seem to place more value of the work being conducted by the researchers than the very people who are at more risk of losing their life in Afghanistan, the soldiers. In the same article he notes that Glevum is reported getting over 20 million dollars to conducts polls in Iraq in 2009 from the Human Terrain System so this is clearly a profitable operation. However is that what Social scientists should be concerned with? Link to John Stanton http://cryptome.org/0001/hts-waste.htm accessed 26/10/10 What was also disturbing was footage of data being collected after an early morning raid, this footage linked through Glevum ‘s own web site to a BBC article shows a home wrongly being entered on the suspicion of holding members of the Taliban. It in fact turned out to be a home sheltering 15 people including children. The occupants clearly distressed about having their home entered by armed soldiers were then made to answer questions and later in the same clip the troops were seen take swabs and fingerprints from local residents who were also were then photographed to allegedly allow the military identify ‘friend from foe’. The question has to be is this really the best way to gain the trust of the Afghan people? The local residents including local leaders were then later questioned in one community meeting as to why they were not providing information on local Taliban activity the whole clip seemed more like bullying than any real effort to work with the people. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10872270

Gathers information for Globalisation: Human Terrain System

Ownership and Personnel

Maria

STILL TO BE EDITED

Andrew Garfield founded the Glevum Associates in 2006 . He has wide expertise in the fields of Counter Terrorism (CT), Counter Insurgency (COIN), Psychological Warfare (PSYOP), Information Operations (IO) and Strategic Communications (SC).

Mr Garfield has worked both for the UK and US governments. In the UK he served as a British military officer and a senior civilian intelligence officer, and his last UK government post was as a policy adviser in the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) where he also became the first IO Staff Officer in the mid 1990s . Since emigrating to the United States in 2004 he has worked exclusively for US clients, the most important ones of these being the US Department of Defence (DoD), the US Army, and the Department of State.

The private companies that Mr Garfield has been involved with have often been contracted to work for the governmental defence sector. The companies he has worked for include the Lincoln Group and the Terrorism Research Center where he serves as a European Director. Currently he is a member of two independent think tanks, the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) where he is a Senior Fellow, and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) where he was appointed as the US Director in 2008 .

Mr Garfield is also engaged in teaching and research. After leaving the UK government post in 2002 Mr Garfield became a Deputy Director of International Policy Institute at King's College London from which position he lectured and consulted on international security issues in the UK and the US . In the US he lectures extensively including for the US Army, National Defence University, the Naval Postgraduate School , the Defence Intelligence Agency and Fourth Psychological Operations Group . He has also undertaken several research projects for example leading three major projects for the DoD on counter terrorism and counter insurgency , and a joint UK and US study regarding a strategy to reform the Afghan National Police and wider Afghan justice sector. He contributes regularly to academic journals, including the Wall Street Journal, ORBIS (a Foreign Policy Research Institute’s quarterly journal of world affairs) and Middle East Quarterly.

Globalisation:Paul Serotkin - Executive Vice President, Operations and Finance

Globalisation:Alicia Boyd - Executive Vice President, Research

Colonel Jeff Haynes, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.) - Vice President, Business Development

Pascale Combelles Siegel - Senior Research Scientist

Laurie J. Adler - Senior Public Affairs Advisor

Links to the US Military

Chris Pages saved for later http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/18-10-2010/115399-defense_contractors_circles_of_hell-0/ (recent) http://www.rusi.org/about/staff/ref:B47FF6E8EDD7D4/ (biog of Andrew Garfield

(Notes - everything here needs edited, but I'm doing it gradually!)

Glevum is a military contractor first and foremost, despite their public focus on social science research; their actual practices have been dismissed in particular by anthropologists.

A poll of Afghanis conducted by Glevum in July 2009 in the build up to the Afghanistan election of which they forecast a comfortable victory for Hamid Karzai, a study financed by the US Government, who was also seen to be America’s favoured choice for Afghan President.

Vice President Andrew Garfield has held senior roles in British military and then as a civilian intelligence officer. He is a visiting lecturer at military academies and universities on PSYOPS (psychological warfare) throughout Europe, and has also been involved in the training of senior US Army and Marine Commanders and their staffs on psychological warfare and ethnographic intelligence gathering. Garfield and Senior PR Advisor Laurie Adler are former employees of the Lincoln Group, where they filled similar roles. Lincoln was uncovered to be paying Iraqi newspapers to publish propaganda and articles written by US troops, edited by Lincoln IOs to downplay any negative American involvement in 2005. At Lincoln, Garfield worked alongside Andrea Jackson, credited by some for devising the HTS, & Laurie Adler, Lincolns PR Spokeswoman. Glevum’s official website makes no mention or association of the pairs involvement with the Lincoln Group or any resultant controversy.

Contact

"Glevum USA Website"