Transcript WHINSEC

WHO: Cadet Ben McArthur
WHAT: WHINSEC: Western Hemisphere Institute for National Security
Cooperation
WHEN: May 26 to June 25 2015
WHERE: Fort Benning, GA
SUMMARY: A collection of Cadets from Peru, Columbia and the U.S.
were taught leadership skills in a multi-cultural environment during
WHINSEC training at Fort Benning. Cadets were put into unique
situations where language and cultural barriers had to be overcome to
complete a set of tasks. Training included both Day and Night Land
Navigation, Field Training Exercises, APFT and courses from the MSI year
under the supervision of Fort Benning’s best 1SGs.
WHINSEC provides training for foreign Officers and Cadets. LDR-1 is
specifically designed for Cadets only, and as such, U.S. Cadets are asked
to participate to provide mentorship, leadership and discipline. In past
years, WHINSEC sought to fill 30%-40% of slots with U.S. Cadets;
however, to better serve the goal of a cross-cultural environment. LDR-1
2015 had a great turn out with 10 U.S. Cadets, 120 Columbians and 20
Peruvians.
Instructors of these courses were primarily foreign officers from Central
and South America. All courses were taught in Spanish, with little
translation provided. Thus, American Cadets faced a difficult language
barrier that provided an incredible insight on the importance of good
communication skills as a leader.
Cadet McArthur said that this experience was eye-opening. He learned
from being able to work with different cultures and under different
leadership styles. He also said that it gave him new perspective for the
organization of the Army as a whole because of the challenges that he
faced and overcame. Cadet McArthur recommends the experience to
anyone that has the opportunity as preparation for working within the
larger organization of the Army and for working with cultures outside our
own.