U.S. military members sent to serve in Southwest Asia for a duration of 45 to 180 days are not expected to become experts in the Arabic culture. However, there are numerous lifestyle changes they are required to adhere to because of host nation religious sensitivities. Since American troops are generally individualistic, the adjustments they are required to undergo causes stress and anxiety. This is compounded due to the fact the deployed servicemembers are often unaware of the basis behind the cultural norms.

The objective of this research is to increase cultural awareness of the Arabic lifestyle among American military personnel. According to the uncertainty reduction theory, individuals seek to gain information about a person or culture with which they are not familiar. In doing so, stress and anxiety is reduced.

The intercultural training plan proposed in this research study, which is based in communication theory, may also be applied to prepare U.S. servicemembers for deployments to other regions of the world. These recommendations provide the foundation for further research in this field of study.