The anthropologist who is a part of the Human Terrain Team in Afghanistan may well be part of an "armed social work" effort, but I am not yet prepared to criticize it. Unfortunately the NY Times article spends more time on the criticism the program gets from left wing anthropologists, then on explaining what the purpose of the program is and how it works. We have noted in the past that David J. Kilcullen is the mastermind behind this form of counterinsurgency strategy, and that he is a serious person (Australian). For those of you wanting to get a bit deeper into these matters, you should also see this and this and the Edward Luttwak article being criticized by some.
If you have read the latest and greatest Army field manual on counterinsurgency, which Gen. Patreaus co-wrote, you will notice it emphasizes non-combat actions such as conflict resolution and building infrastructure ... you know ... winning the hearts and mind thing that many people deride.
Kilcullen and Luttwak both seem to have the right of it.