小妲己直播

In late November, three cadets and a faculty member took advantage of an unusual opportunity: an all-expenses-paid trip to Saudi Arabia.

Making the trip were Aiden Atchison 鈥�20, Morgan Davis 鈥�20, Sam Knapp 鈥�20, and Maj. Jason Schroepfer, assistant professor of modern languages and cultures, plus three cadets and a faculty member from both the United States Military Academy and the Citadel.

The group鈥檚 travel was sponsored by the National Council of U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR), a non-governmental organization whose mission is to improve American knowledge and understanding of the Arab world. The organization also happens to have close ties to VMI, as its founder and CEO is John Duke Anthony 鈥�62.

As part of its mission, NCUSAR regularly offers travel opportunities geared toward cadets from the service academies and the six senior military colleges. In the spring, Schroepfer and another group of cadets traveled to Qatar courtesy of NCUSAR.

The trip to Saudi Arabia, Schroepfer explained, was meant to showcase that nation鈥檚 Vision 2030, which calls for economic diversification, a greater ability for young Saudi Arabians to earn degrees in their home nation, and more job opportunities for women.

The traveling Americans thus visited many places supporting this goal, including the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, a government-sponsored center for scientific research that has a heavy focus on renewable energy, and the Moderation Center, which analyzes Twitter and other social media sites. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e targeting the ideology of terror,鈥� Schroepfer explained.

The group also visited the main headquarters of Aramco, officially known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, which, with 2018 revenues of over $111 billion, is one of the most profitable companies in the world.

鈥淲e only visited the main buildings,鈥� explained Davis, who plans to commission into the Marine Corps. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 get to go out into the oil fields.鈥�

Atchison, who will commission into the Army, was most impressed with the security at Aramco, which relies heavily on unmanned technologies such as drones and security cameras. It鈥檚 a level of security that鈥檚 definitely needed, he noted, as in September 2019 there was an attack on an Aramco oil processing facility, possibly originated from either Yemen or Iran.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very fascinating how they鈥檝e cut corners and dealt with security issues,鈥� said Atchison. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the most wealthy company in the world. It was something else.鈥�

The cadets noted that their trip included visits to a lot of military facilities. Knapp, who will commission into the Army, noted that the command structures of the Saudi military reminded him of the U.S. military. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something you don鈥檛 see very often,鈥� he stated.

鈥淲hen you think about the Middle East, you don鈥檛 think of it as a very technologically advanced area,鈥� said Davis. 鈥淪audi Arabia definitely surprised me with their military bases.鈥�

Atchison agreed, saying, 鈥淲e saw a lot more things than we probably should have with the war in Yemen. They thought we were more important than we were.鈥�

They were important enough to be protected by armed guards everywhere they went, all of whom spoke only Arabic鈥攁 situation that gave the cadets studying Arabic a chance to practice their language skills. Everyone else they encountered, the cadets reported, spoke English fluently.

Davis, who is double majoring in international studies and modern languages (Arabic), noted that the split between Arabic speakers and English speakers among their group put her in somewhat of a unique position.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think [the guards] knew I could understand everything they were saying in the car,鈥� she commented.

The guards also offered a kind of back-door access that most tourists don鈥檛 get, including a stop at an open-air market. 鈥淚t was very good to see not only what they show upfront, but also what鈥檚 in the dark alleyways,鈥� said Atchison.

Atchison didn鈥檛 have to travel to a dark alleyway, though, to see the strange juxtapositions that life in Saudi Arabia provides.

鈥淎t the airport, someone was telling us how technologically advanced the country was,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hen, at the same time, someone drove by in this truck with a bunch of goats in the back of it.鈥�

Throughout their trip, the cadets enjoyed the chance to get to know their counterparts from West Point and the Citadel. Atchison, who is earning a minor in modern languages (Arabic), noted that one of the West Point cadets knew a good bit of Arabic.

鈥淚t was very good to sit down and talk with him about his experiences,鈥� said Atchison. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all ending up in the same place pretty much.鈥�

Davis, meanwhile, had an even closer connection to the report. One of her best friends goes to West Point, and one of the West Point cadets on the trip knew that friend quite well.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very small world,鈥� said Davis. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all pretty connected, whether we know it or not.鈥�

 - By Mary Price