Download or read book Integration and Interoperability of Special Operations Forces and Conventional Forces in Irregular Warfare written by Jeffery Ortolli and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historically a distinct cultural and operational rift has evolved between Special Operations Forces (SOF) and Conventional Forces (CF) that devalued the need for SOF-CF integration and for developing common operating procedures and doctrine. This rift intensified in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and more specifically during Operation Enduring Freedom, and continues today. The post-9/11 era has seen a dramatic increase in the need for SOF-CF integration and interoperability (I & I). In today's Irregular Warfare environment, SOF and CF are required to work side by side, often for long durations and sharing the same battlespace. Successful conduct of operations on today's battlefields requires a synchronized joint, combined, and multinational effort. Instituting effective SOF-CF I & I is critical to achieving the required unity of effort. It is incumbent upon higher echelon commanders to provide proper guidance and influence to improve I & I, and it is vital that lower echelon leaders and soldiers alike initiate and advance successful SOF-CF synchronization. This research endeavors to contribute to synchronizing SOF-CF effects on the battlefield and achieving better unity of effort, as well as diminishing the rift between SOF and CF.
Download or read book US Army Special Forces Role In Asymmetric Warfare written by Major Heinz P. Dinter Jr. and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. National Security Strategy is the basis of a preventive solution through global engagement, which fosters international interoperability and cooperation to defeat complex asymmetric threats. The study examined how U.S. Army Special Forces (SF) can advance this interoperability and cooperation, and identified three evolving roles; Strike Force, Warrior Diplomats, and Global Scouts. As they transition into the 21st century, the central research question is: will U.S. Army Special Forces need to redefine themselves in terms of mission, doctrine, training, or organization as a result of their evolving roles conditioned by an asymmetric threat environment? The study examined the relevance of core, collateral, and emerging missions. It concluded that basic SF doctrine remains sound, but the changing environment and evolving roles of SF will call for a certain amount of refinement. Tactics, techniques, and procedures will change as new technologies are introduced into SF organizations, but emphasis on the human element remains essential, and SF core competencies and warrior skills must be preserved. The study concluded with recommendations to preserve the relevance and efficiency of SF as the premier mechanism for extending U.S. influence in a world of increased global interaction, required to meet security needs.
Download or read book Creating Paths of Change written by U. S. Military and published by . This book was released on 2018-06-07 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This 2018 study focuses on command and control for irregular warfare operations and the organizational design elements that determine when special operations forces (SOF) can be a supported command. The complexities, uncertainty, speed, and need for interoperability in the 21st-century operational environment require flexible organizations capable of integrating across U.S. governmental agencies. Integration and organizational flexibility are fundamental to conventional forces-but what about their interdependence with SOF to achieve maximum effects? Militaries have long been uniting conventional and irregular forces. Since the Revolutionary War, U.S. conventional and irregular forces have fought side by side. Throughout each conflict, SOF have performed a supporting role. The conditions on today's battlefields are much more decentralized and much less simple. The environment is unstable, with U.S. and enemy forces conducting asymmetrical warfare. Insurgencies have required fighting unconventionally. Additionally, information flows can cause friction that further destabilizes the environment. The argument is not that conventional forces cannot adapt to a dynamic operational environment-only that their organizational structure is less effective in an uncertain or complex environment. Dynamic, unpredictable environments call for an organic, decentralized structure. Insights from organizational theory suggest SOF units can be the supported command in these conditions. I. INTRODUCTION * A. THESIS QUESTION * B. RESEARCH AND SCOPE * C. CHAPTER OVERVIEW * D. METHODOLOGY * 1. Performance within the General Environment * 2. Structural Configuration * 3. Galbraith Star Model * 4. Projected Results * II. CURRENT OPERATING ENVIRONMENT * III. CASE STUDIES * A. SPECIAL ACTIONS FORCES (SAF) 1963-1972 * 1. Introduction * 2. Background (1953-1962) * 3. Analysis * 4. Conclusion * B. AFGHANISTAN VILLAGE STABILITY OPERATIONS * C. TASK FORCE VIKING * 1. Introduction * 2. Background * 3. Analysis * 4. Conclusion * IV. ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS * A. FUTURE CONFLICT TRENDS * B. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE * C. CONCLUSION * APPENDIX. GLOSSARY OF ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN TERMS
Download or read book US Special Operations Forces in Action written by Thomas K. Adams and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work argues for a shift in expectations for "unconventional warfare" with a greater willingness to accept lengthy commitments and incremental progress.
Download or read book Unconventional Warfare written by Susan Marquis and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2011-02-01 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For four decades after World War II, U.S. Special Operations Forces—including Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, Air Force special operations aircrews and Special Tactics Group—suffered from mistrust and inadequate funding from the military services. They were nearly eliminated from the active force following the Vietnam War. But in the past fifteen years, special operations forces have risen from the ashes of the failed 1980 rescue of American hostages in Iran to become one of the most frequently deployed elements of the U.S. military. They are now adequately funded, better-equipped, and well-trained. Special operations forces are often the nation's first military response when faced with a crisis in today's uncertain and unstable international security environment. What caused this dramatic turnaround? As this book shows, it was a long way from congressional outrage at TV images of burned bodies of U.S. servicemen in the Iranian desert to the establishment of a special operations force of nearly 45,000 active and reserve personnel. The drama of how this happened sheds light on how public policy is made and implemented. It illustrates the complex interaction between internal forces within the special operations community, as well as between the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government. The implementation of legislation establishing a special operations capability is seen to rebuild and protect these forces to an extent never imagined by the early "quiet professionals." While offering insights into how the U.S. government makes policy, Susan Marquis also offers a revealing look at the special operations community, including their storied past, extreme training, and recent operational experience that continues to forge their distinctive organizational mission and culture. She describes the decade-long struggle to rebuild special operations forces, resulting in new SOF organizations with independence that is unique among U.S. militar
Download or read book Tactical Integration of Conventional and Special Operations Forces in Training for a Complex World Detailed Case Study of Operation Enduring Freedom written by U. S. Military and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2018-10-03 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Current army doctrine provides a guide for the integration of conventional and special operations forces in combat, but provides little direction to guide the integration of conventional and special operations forces in a peacetime training environment. This monograph seeks to determine if and how the US Army should formalize the integration of conventional forces and special operations forces in training for the complex future. By analyzing instances of integration of conventional and special operations forces in the first two years of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, this monograph concludes that peacetime integration in training should be emphasized more, particularly at the combat training centers. Because of the uncertainty inherent in the future operating environment, a formal model for this integration in training could not be developed. Regardless, an increase in integration of conventional and special operations forces in training will inherently provide a common understanding that can be applied to integration in combat. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Literature Review 3. Methodology 4. Case Study: Operation Enduring Freedom 5. Findings and Analysis 6. Conclusion Conventional forces and SOF integration and interoperability is often asserted as a key to maximizing resources to accomplish missions. International relations and complexity theorist Robert Jervis describes this interaction effect in saying that "events that occur close together also can have a different impact than they would if their separate influences were merely summed." He goes on to explain this concept that the whole of a system is different than the sum of its parts. Thinking systemically, CF and SOF integration has the potential to produce greater effects than if CF and SOF operated independently of each other. Despite this, CF and SOF integration is not fully embraced by either the conventional Army or the special operations community. United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has recently instituted the Global SOF Network (GSN) model, where USSOCOM integrates the US SOF more closely with international and intra-national SOF elements. Meanwhile, the Army has implemented the Regionally Aligned Forces (RAF) concept, where Army conventional brigades develop regionally based expertise and form habitual relationships with Geographic Combatant Commands to aid in conducting theater security cooperation activities. Because of these initiatives, it is evident that SOF and CF will continue to operate in the same locations, toward the same objectives, in combat and non-combat operations in the future. Despite the emergence of the RAF and GSN concepts, and the theoretical ability for the whole of a system to be different than the sum of its parts, the Army has done little to formalize or foster continuous and lasting efforts for integrating special operations and conventional forces.
Download or read book United States Special Operations Forces Posture Statement written by U.S. Special Operations Command and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book United States Special Operations Forces written by Christopher J. Lamb and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-19 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, two national-security experts put the exploits of America’s special operation forces in historical and strategic context. David Tucker and Christopher J. Lamb offer an incisive overview of America’s turbulent experience with special operations. Starting with in-depth interviews with special operators, the authors illustrate the diversity of modern special operations forces and the strategic value of their unique attributes. Despite longstanding and growing public fascination with special operators, these forces and their contribution to national security are poorly understood. With this book, Tucker and Lamb dispel common misconceptions and offer a penetrating analysis of how these unique and valuable forces can be employed to even better effect in the future. The book builds toward a comprehensive assessment of the strategic utility of special operations forces, which it then considers in light of the demands of future warfare. This second edition of United States Special Operations Forces, revised throughout to account for lessons learned in the twelve years since its first publication, includes two new case studies, one on High Value Target Teams and another on Village Stability Operations, and two new appendixes charting the evolution of special operation missions and the best literature on all aspects of U.S. special operation forces.
Download or read book Integration of Special Operations and Conventional Forces in Unconventional Warfare written by Christopher M. Bado and published by . This book was released on 1996-03-01 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Special operations forces (SOF) and conventional forces (hereafter referred to as general purpose forces (GPF) frequently operate together under a unified chain of command. When they do, conventional wisdom places SOP in command. In unconventional warfare operations, however, this subordination of SOF to GPF may hinder the ability of the integrated force to design an appropriate solution. This thesis examines the integration of SOF and GPF in unconventional warfare (UW) from an organizational perspective. It begins by examining the unique challenges posed by UW problems and establishing the organizational culture and functional specialization of SOF and GPF. It posits that SOP is, from an organizational perspective, better suited to designing solutions to UW problems than GPF. It further posits that by subordinating SOP to GPF the likelihood of the integrated force designing a campaign strategy appropriate for a UW problem is greatly reduced. It then uses the US involvement in Vietnam to test these hypotheses. The thesis concludes that organizational factors do, in fact, play a role in the formation of strategy, and that careful consideration of the command relationships in future unconventional warfare operations is warranted.
Download or read book Into the Void written by James D. Kiras and published by Hurst Publishers. This book was released on 2024-06-06 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The moment in the sun for special operations sometimes appears to have passed, seemingly eclipsed by preparations for potential conflict under the guise of ‘great power’ competition, combined with failure in Afghanistan. Yet the war in Ukraine serves as a reminder that special operations play an even greater role today―before, during and presumably after conflict. The challenge remains dealing with current irregular and hybrid threats, at the same time as preparing for an uncertain future, as threats and technologies evolve at a dizzying pace. Focusing too much on the future of conventional warfare creates a void in national security discussions related to special operations. This book seeks to fill that gap, drawing on the expertise of scholars and practitioners in the field, from the Indo-Pacific, Europe and the United States, to answer what, if anything, special operations can or should seek to do, and how. The contributors explore such topics as proxies, non-state special forces, capabilities, innovation and transformation, artificial intelligence, and special operations in space and cyberspace. These chapters are united by their analysis that special operations will have future strategic and operational value, for allies and adversaries alike, provided that difficult choices are made in the present.
Download or read book Into the Void written by James D. Kiras and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2024-07-15 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The moment in the sun for special operations sometimes appears to have passed, seemingly eclipsed by preparations for potential conflict under the guise of "great power" competition, combined with failure in Afghanistan. Yet the war in Ukraine serves as a reminder that special operations play an even greater role today?before, during and presumably after conflict. The challenge remains dealing with current irregular and hybrid threats, at the same time as preparing for an uncertain future, as threats and technologies evolve at a dizzying pace. Focusing too much on the future of conventional warfare creates a void in national security discussions related to special operations. This book seeks to fill that gap, drawing on the expertise of scholars and practitioners in the field, from the Indo-Pacific, Europe and the United States, to answer what, if anything, special operations can or should seek to do, and how. The contributors explore such topics as proxies, non-state special forces, capabilities, innovation and transformation, artificial intelligence, and special operations in space and cyberspace. These chapters are united by their analysis that special operations will have future strategic and operational value, for allies and adversaries alike, provided that difficult choices are made in the present.
Download or read book Zhong guo li dai yi shu Hui hua bian written by and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Special Operations Irregular Warfare and Operational Art written by United States Army Command and General S and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-06-24 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monograph proposes theories of SOF and irregular warfare to describe how states can use SOF to achieve strategic objectives. The theory defines special operations forces as those forces organized to combat irregulars and irregular warfare as war fought by institutionally weak combatants, as opposed to conventional warfare between institutionally strong states. A study of the evolution of irregular warfare and its theoretical underpinnings leads to five characteristics that differentiate it from conventional warfare. These characteristics define an opaque form of warfare, requiring physical, cognitive, and moral access to successfully pursue strategic objectives. The theory then proposes a set of tenets to guide operational planners and leaders in arranging SOF tactical actions to achieve a strategic objective.
Download or read book Doctrine for Joint Special Operations written by United States. Joint Chiefs of Staff and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Sof Integration with Conventional Forces written by United States Army Command and General S and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-12-04 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout the history of the United States, the American military has integrated capabilities from diverse military units. From the regulars under Washington and the local militias in the American Revolution to the airborne Divisions of World War II to the Special Operations Forces in the Global War on Terror, all of these units developed an organizational culture all their own due to the background of their soldiers and the function of their units. These different organizations and cultures have led to friction whenever they are employed together. The same is true today for discussion of the integration of Special Operations Forces (SOF) and the General Purpose Force (GPF). This paper will examine the doctrine within the scope of two case studies: OPERATION ANACONDA and Operations in northern Iraq during OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM in 2003. In both cases, doctrine provided clear guidance in organizing command and control structures. With no gap in doctrine, the problems of integrating GPF and SOF capabilities arise from other areas such as organizational culture, personalities, or understanding.
Download or read book SOF Integration with Conventional Forces a Doctrine Gap written by Gregory M. Stroud and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2013-03-07 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout the history of the United States, the American military has integrated capabilities from diverse military units. From the regulars under Washington and the local militias in the American Revolution to the airborne Divisions of World War II to the Special Operations Forces in the Global War on Terror, all of these units developed an organizational culture all their own due to the background of their soldiers and the function of their units. These different organizations and cultures have led to friction whenever they are employed together. The same is true today for discussion of the integration of Special Operations Forces (SOF) and the General Purpose Force (GPF). This paper will examine the doctrine within the scope of two case studies: OPERATION ANACONDA and Operations in northern Iraq during OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM in 2003. In both cases, doctrine provided clear guidance in organizing command and control structures. With no gap in doctrine, the problems of integrating GPF and SOF capabilities arise from other areas such as organizational culture, personalities, or understanding.
Download or read book From Bosnia To Baghdad The Evolution Of US Army Special Forces From 1995 2004 written by Armando J. Ramirez and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis presents a historical analysis of the evolution of US Army Special Forces operations from 1995 to 2004, focusing specifically on operations conducted in the Balkans (Bosnia and Kosovo), Afghanistan and Iraq, answering the research question: How have the operations conducted by US Army Special Forces evolved from the Balkans in 1995 through Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)? The thesis examines the progression of Special Forces operations during each of the aforementioned campaigns, analyzing their evolution in the areas of intelligence operations, unconventional warfare and foreign internal defense, close air support, integration with conventional forces and the institutionalization of lessons learned. The thesis concludes by examining future roles of US Army Special Forces with respect to employment. Tracing the progression of Special Forces employment from the Balkans to OIF is critical to understanding the factors contributing to the success of Special Forces operations in both the decisive operations and stability and support (SASO) phases of OEF and OIF.
