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300 block of Delaware Street

NEWS FROM THE FRONT

 September 2017

 

 

 MSG Michael Galley

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Religious Affairs: A Prospective in Horn of Africa Mission Planning

U.S. Armed Forces chaplaincies support various joint operations in order to accommodate 

religious needs, provide religious and pastoral care, and also advise commanders on the 

complexities of religion with regard to personnel and mission, as appropriate. Religious affairs in 

joint military operations play a vital role in supporting commanders throughout the operational 

area, in alignment with the commander’s overall theater security program.1 Religious affairs is 

not often used by commanders as a “first choice multiplier” during military engagements with 

our friends and allies; however, it can be effective in building relationships for the long term. 

This news from the front (NFTF) article discusses a program known as Voices of Religious 

Tolerance (VORT) which was employed in Afghanistan, Jordan, and Somalia, and provides a 

way to involve religious affairs to support countering extremist ideas. This NFTF should be 

useful to religious affairs teams attempting to use this program or build a similar one. 

CAPT (USN) J. Victor Sheldon, Director of Religious Affairs, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn 

of Africa (CJTF-HOA), Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa, shared his thoughts on the potential 

of religious engagements in HOA. “The time is right to cast a new vision for religious affairs 

missions, aligned and synchronized with future CJTF-HOA mission sets. We can assist in 

building bridges to keep both military and civilian religious leaders engaged in Somalia and 

throughout the AOR, similar to what was accomplished with Jordanian and Afghan religious 

leaders through the Voices of Religious Tolerance program.” 

In 2011, the United States Department of State promoted religious freedom with the Jordanian 

government as part of its overall policy to promote human rights. The U.S. Ambassador and 

other embassy officials raised religious freedom issues with Jordanian government authorities. 

Frequent meetings ensued between embassy officers and various religious and missionary 

Jordanian communities, as well as with private religious organizations and interfaith 

institutions.2

In April 2011, the U.S. Embassy organized the VORT program which was designed to counter 

extremist voices in Afghanistan. In 2012, a Religious Engagement Program seminar was hosted 

by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan, to promote religious 

tolerance and reintegration by encouraging key religious leaders to challenge insurgents’ 

 1Executive Summary, Basis of Religious Affairs, Joint Publication 1-05, Religious Affairs in Joint 

Operations, 20 November 2013.

2 International Religious Freedom Report for 2011, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, 

Human Rights and Labor, https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2011religiousfreedom/#wrapper, 

https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/193103.pdf
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narratives. One of the discussions during the Religious Engagement Program seminar focused on 

bringing Jordanian military chaplains to Afghanistan to interact with the local populace.3

The VORT program in Afghanistan consisted of three separate phases: shaping phase, the 

decisive phase, and an engagement phase. The shaping phase involved coordination and 

planning. The decisive phase — the visit to Jordan — included lectures, discussions, and trips to 

local sites and landmarks. The engagement phase took place upon the return to Helmand 

province (Afghanistan), and it provided VORT attendees a platform to interact with numerous 

Afghan communities. An initiative of this magnitude requires support from the sponsor staff 

early in the planning process in order to facilitate synchronization across all functional areas. 

Planning also requires coordinating with area key leaders to select suitable individuals.4

The results of the first VORT were positive. Jordanian Armed Forces, ISAF, and Government of 

the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) built lasting relationships. Several battle space 

owners reported hearing the positive effects of the experiences shared by the attendees. The drop 

in violence in a particular district that sent 10 of the 30 April 2011 VORT participants was an 

indicator of the program’s success. The 70-80 percent drop in violence from 2010 to 2011 in this 

district was partially attributed to VORT. Afghan key leaders’ visit to another Islamic country 

increased their exposure to tolerant interpretations of Islam. Their individual experiences were 

passed along to others and resulted in a positive impact throughout their communities.5

It is imperative that CJTF-HOA and the Federal Government of Somalia continue to challenge 

insurgents’ narratives with inspiring messages, such as “Somalia Rising” and “Why AMISOM6

is here.” A program such as VORT could provide a medium to inform and influence key clan 

leaders towards understanding a moderate interpretation of Islam and hopefully become more 

tolerant of other faiths. This type of messaging could inform the local population that AMISOM 

is here to provide assistance and is manned with multinational forces — including those of the 

Islamic faith.

According to Sheldon, U.S. chaplains should be part of the integrated team making initial contact 

with religious leaders in the AOR, especially where HOA leadership wants to build relationships 

and develop influence. “I think this is a key component and a missing element of our 

engagement schema. Relationships in the HOA AOR are crucial and they take time to build. It 

will require the most senior leadership to decide how religious affairs can support mission tasks, 

activities, and their corresponding effects.”

 3 Voices of Religious Tolerance, COMISAF Advisory and Assistance Team (CAAT), Report. March 2012. 

4 Ibid.

5 Ibid

6 AMISOM: African Union Mission in Somalia; Troop/Police Contributing Countries.
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“The future role and purpose of HOA religious affairs should always be clearly defined, and 

aligned with the commander’s intent to support opportunities such as stabilization in Somalia. 

Chaplains in support of religious engagements can significantly enhance the stabilization effort. 

It has been my experience that local religious leaders will generally trust a chaplain especially 

once they understand our unique role as noncombatants and as clergy who happen to be in 

uniform. Invariably, this is a different paradigm for local religious leaders. Once they begin to 

understand our role and to relate religious leader to religious leader, the commonalities we share 

become more apparent. This is also not about either of us denying or undermining our respective, 

religious doctrines or teachings. Frankly, we do differ, and my Muslim friends respect this, as I 

do. But, we also have a rich, shared history of working and living together which has been 

overshadowed by current events. I think there is untapped religious affairs potential in HOA,” 

said Sheldon.

Sheldon further explained, “As a Christian chaplain visiting my Muslim counterparts (throughout 

the world), often they will see and hear from an American Christian leader for the first time. 

Over the course of our visit, they typically begin to understand that America is not just a secular, 

or non-religious country, and that we are not all non-believers (as some wrongly assume or have 

been told). Through face-to-face discussion, they begin to understand that a large segment of the 

American population, like themselves, are people of the Book. This discussion may open their 

eyes, hearts, and their ideology towards religious tolerance.” 

In February 2017, Commander (USN) Abuhena Saifulislam, Deputy Command Chaplain, U.S.

Africa Command (USAFRICOM), visited Djibouti, Africa, as a participant in USAFRICOM’s 

Cutlass Express 2017 exercise. Saifulislam is one of two U.S. Navy Imam chaplains and one of 

12 Islamic Imams in the entire U.S. military. “My being here shows those I meet how diverse a 

country America is,” he said.7

“We have people of all faiths in all positions, to include in the U.S. military. Our faith is a 

common element between the Islamic people of Djibouti and myself. People tend to connect 

more through their faith than anything else. Regardless of who we are, or where we come from, 

our faith remains the same,” Saifulislam said.8

Sheldon continued, “A second thing that is eye opening for Muslim religious leaders is when

they see Chaplain Saifulislam and me side-by-side, of different faiths, working together for a 

common good — that is a powerful symbol of hope. Similarly, chaplains can be an instrument of 

dialog with Somali Imams to encourage them in their own efforts to give voice to the call to be 

faithful Muslims within their religious tradition, and void of al-Shabaab ideological influence.”

 7 MSgt. Paul Gorman. “Keeping the Faith”, CJTF-HOA PAO. 14 Feb. 2017, 

https://www.hoa.africom.mil/story/20580/keeping-the-faith

8 Ibid.
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According to Sheldon, one additional way to counter, or at least mitigate al-Shabaab’s ideology, 

is to offer a valid and reasonable alternative that is legitimate and comes from within their own 

faith tradition. Preferably one that does not include the violence such as that propagated by alShabaab. 

As Sheldon approaches the end of his one-year deployment in HOA, his focus is on shaping 

CJTF-HOA’s future mission plan towards a vision of religious affairs support in Somalia. 

Aligning religious affairs to mission planning is a key component, producing an untapped and 

often unrealized potential towards a more peaceful, stable, and prosperous Somalia. He hopes 

that the achievements of the HOA Religious Affairs Team and the good work of his predecessors 

is a concrete witness to both military and civilian leaders that “religion can be part of the 

solution, not just dismissed as the problem.” 

“One of my mentors and colleagues, a former Marine Corps officer, often reminds me that ‘the 

best of faith defeats the worst of religion.’ When he says that, he is focusing our attention on the 

noble, life-giving elements of religion in a given culture, versus the worst of the religious-based 

ideology which ultimately devolves into chaos, tyranny, and despair. I come back to this 

statement time and again when we talk about African solutions to African problems. I feel that 

USAFRICOM and CJTF-HOA should do everything possible to support AMISOM’s mandate in 

Somalia, especially through religious affairs engagements,” said Sheldon.