Working with the military to protect archaeological sites and other forms of cultural property

Abstract The protection of cultural property is a critical aspect of modern warfare. Post disaster, cultural property, including archaeological sites, can become a foundation for a recovering community. As the motto of the Afghan National Museum eloquently states, ‘A Nation Stays Alive When Its Culture Stays Alive’. It is essential to educate military personnel to prevent inadvertent damage to museums, works of art, archaeological sites, sacred places and other forms of cultural property. It is also critical that military strategists and planners take cultural property into consideration as they prepare for ‘no-strike’ listing and all possible operations. In order to meet these challenges, archaeologists have begun to work with the US Department of Defense, NATO and a range of international forces in order to establish academic partnerships for appropriate response to situations where military personnel encounter archaeological sites in unfamiliar lands.