It was after the September 11 attacks that McFate found what she describes as her " mission " : to get the military to understand the importance of " cultural knowledge " . McFate has stated that she became " passionate about one issue : the government ’s need to actually understand its adversaries " . In McFate 's opinion , during the Cold War , the United States defense establishment developed a very good understanding of the Soviet Union , with the ultimate result of that the US triumphed in that conflict . On the other hand , she holds that the military and defense establishment has a very poor understanding of the cultures of the Middle East , resulting in such debacles as the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Montgomery McFate