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Lesson 34
Unconventional Operations
Desired Learning Outcomes:
For DLO 1:
Direct Action (DA). Short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions by SOF or special operations capable units to seize, destroy, capture, recover, or inflict damage on designated personnel or material. Activities falling within DA include raids, ambushes and direct action assaults; standoff attacks; terminal guidance operations; recovery operations; precision destruction operations; anti-surface warfare; amphibious warfare; and mine warfare.
Special Reconnaissance (SR). Reconnaissance and surveillance to obtain or verify information concerning an actual or potential enemy. SOF may be able to collect information which is not attainable through long-range sensors and overhead platforms. SR is feasible against operational and strategic targets in both urban and rural environments that are beyond the range of conventional forces. SR includes environmental reconnaissance, armed reconnaissance, coastal patrol and interdiction, target and threat assessment, and poststrike reconnaissance.
Foreign Internal Defense (FID). SOF’s contribution to FID is to organize, train, advise, and assist host nation military and paramilitary forces to enable these forces to maintain the host nation’s internal stability. FID includes aiding and assisting host nation military and providing population security.
Unconventional Warfare (UW). A broad spectrum of military and paramilitary operations, normally of long duration, predominantly conducted by indigenous or surrogate forces who are organized, trained, equipped, supported, and directed in varying degrees by an external source. UW include guerilla warfare, subversion, sabotage, and support to escape and evasion networks.
Combating Terrorism (CBT). Actions including antiterrorism (AT) (defensive measures taken to reduce vulnerability to terrorist acts) and conterterrorism (CT) (offensive measures taken to prevent, deter, and respond to terrorism). SOF’s role in CBT is to preclude, preempt, and resolve terrorist incidents. CBT activities include recovery of hostages or sensitive materiel from terrorists, attack of terrorist infrastructure, and reduction of terrorism vulnerability.
Psychological Operations (PSYOP). Planned operations to convey selected information and indicators foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. PSYOP is one of the most effective weapons available to a commander. Each geographic combatant commander is responsible for conducting PSYOP in peacetime. Used effectively, PSYOP can reduce the probability of conflict or reduce its impact if conflict occurs. SOF PSYOP can be conducted at all levels of war. SOF PSYOP capabilities include developing, producing, and disseminating programs; coordinating and directing PSYOP programs; producing PSYOP studies and estimates; and providing support to host nation assistance operations.
Civil Affairs (CA). Activities of a commander that establish, maintain, influence or exploit relations between military forces and civil authorities. During hostilities, CA’s primary role is to ensure civilians do not interfere with operations and its secondary role is to protect and care for civilians in a combat zone and assisting commander in fulfilling his legal and moral obligations to the civilian population.
Counterproliferation (CP) of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). CP refers to actions taken to seize, destroy, render safe, capture, or recover WMD.
Information Operations (IO). IO involves actions taken to affect adversary information and information systems while defending one’s own information and information systems. The following special operations missions support IO: DA, SR, PSYOP, CA and FID.
Coalition Support. Coalition support improves the interaction of coalition partners and US military forces. It includes training coalition partners on tactics and techniques, assisting with communications interface to integrate them into the coalition command and intelligence structure, and establishing liaison to coordinate for combat support and combat service support.
Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR). Joint doctrine states each service and USSOCOM are responsible for performing CSAR for their respective forces. When CSAR requirements exceed theater joint CSAR capabilities, SOF may be directed (on a case-by-case basis) to perform the mission. SOF’s ability to operate in hostile or denied territory at night in adverse weather makes SOF highly suited for this mission.
Counterdrug (CD) Activities. Activities to detect, monitor, and counter the production, trafficking and use of illegal drugs. The CD mission is similar to the FID and UW missions. PSYOP units also support regional CD activities. In addition CA units support US and host nation efforts abroad by assisting in the planning and organizing of CD operations.
Humanitarian Demining (HD) Activities. HD activities to reduce or eliminate the threat to noncombatants and friendly military forces posed by mines, booby-traps, and other explosive devices. Note: Also called "Countermine (CM)" in the readings which is an older term.
Foreign Humanitarian Assistance (FHA). Programs to relieve or reduce the results of natural or manmade disasters or other endemic conditions. SOF is well suited to perform FHA in remote areas because of their rapid deployability, regional orientation, organic communications, and ability to sustain operations. CA is particularly important in organizing the civilian infrastructure during FHA and PSYOP is integral to fostering public support. FHA requires significant interagency coordination. Note: Also called "Humanitarian Assistance (HA)" in the readings which is an older term.
Security Assistance (SA). SA consists of groups of programs authorized by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or other related statutes by which the US provides defense articles, military training, and other defense-related services in furtherance of national policies and objectives. SOF’s primary role in SA is to provide mobile training teams and other forms of training assistance.
Special Activities. Actions conducted abroad in support of national foreign policy objectives. These are planned and executed so the role of the US government is not apparent or acknowledged publicly. Special activities require a Presidential finding and Congressional oversight.
USCINCSOC has the flexibility to operate as a supporting or a supported commander depending on the mission. He provides trained and ready SOF to other CINCs and is also prepared to exercise command of selected special operations missions as directed by the NCA. The 1987 congressional mandate to create USSOCOM corrected serious deficiencies in the ability of the US to conduct special operations and to engage in low-intensity conflict activities. The command’s service-like responsibilities include training, ensuring combat readiness, monitoring personnel promotions and assignments and developing and acquiring SOF-peculiar equipment. USCINCSOC also has his own budget under a separate major force program (MFP-11) which ensures DOD and congressional level visibility for SOF programs. As a result USCINCSOC has great flexibility to train, equip, and employ his forces. He is the sole unified commander with responsibility for planning, programming, and budgeting of military forces. He also has service-like responsibilities in that he has authority to develop and acquire SOF-peculiar equipment. He is the only CINC with a checkbook.
The theater special operations command (SOC), established as a sub-unified command of the combatant unified commands, is the geographic CINC’s source of expertise in all areas of special operations, providing the CINC with a separate element to plan and control the employment of joint SOF in military operations. SOCs normally exercise OPCON of SOF (except for CA and PSYOP) with each CINC’s AOR. SOCs can also provide the nucleus for a joint special operations task force (JSOTF) or joint task force. The SOC commander is responsible to the theater CINC for planning and conducting joint special operations in the theater, ensuring that SOF capabilities are matched to mission requirements, exercising OPCON of SOF for joint special operations, and advising the CINC and component commander on the proper employment of SOF. USCINCSOC provides funding and personnel for the SOCs, but the SOCs report directly to their geographic CINCs.
SOCs ensure SOF is closely integrated into campaign plans and maintain a theater perspective. SOCs also identify and anticipate theater operational and environmental services as well as intelligence requirements that SOF might satisfy. SOCs also maintain liaison elements at appropriate levels of each major theater subordinate command to coordinate and deconflict SOF and conventional activities.
When the theater SOC commander (COMSOC) of assigned and attached forces, he uses some combination of service functional and area components. As the functional commander for SOF under a joint task he is designated as the joint force special operations component commander (JFSOCC). Each service component will be organized accordingly (AFSOC, AFSOC, NAVSOC). Subordinate organizations are also possible (see page 109-111 for additional detailed information). Air Force and Army special operations air assets may also be organized under a joint special operations air component (JSOAC) with its own component commander. A joint special operations task force (JSOTF) is a temporary SOF headquarters intended to accomplish a specific mission or control SOF in a specific theater. A JSOTF is appropriate when SOF C2 requirements exceed the capabilities of the SOC. The special operations liaison element (SOLE) is provided to the JFACC or appropriate service air C2 facility to coordinate and synchronize SOF air and surface efforts with joint air operations. Similarly, the special operations command and control element (SOCCE) is a C2 element designed to synchronize special operations activities with land and maritime operations.
For DLO 2:
SOF provides mature professionals with leadership abilities. They have specialized skills, equipment and tactics. They have a regional focus, language skills, and political and cultural sensitivity which places them in a unique position to shape the environment prior to the arrival and/or conduct of conventional operations. SOF’s advantage also includes its forward presence in regions where US conventional forces are not typically found which may ultimately facilitate conventional operations.
SOF is most effective when it supports the theater CINC’s campaign objectives. Commanders should evaluate potential SOF employment for appropriateness, feasibility, and supportability. Operational mission criteria includes:
Is this an appropriate mission for SOF? SOF should only be used against targets of operational or strategic importance. SOF should not be a substitute for other forces.
Does this mission support the theater campaign plan? If not SOF should not be used for that particular mission.
Is this mission operationally feasible? SOF are not structured for attrition or force on force warfare and should not be assigned missions that are beyond their capabilities. SOF is vulnerable to larger, more heavily armed or mobile forces, particularly in hostile territory.
Are the required resources available to support the mission? Some SOF missions require support from other forces. Deficiencies in supportability may threaten success or invalidate SOF’s employment feasibility.
Does the expected outcome justify the risk? Risk assessment should take into account not only the loss of SOF units and equipment, but also the risk of adverse political effects should the mission fail.
SOF missions differ from conventional operations through their heavy reliance upon surprise, security, and audacity. They also frequently rely upon deception. Mass: Special operations concentrate the effects of combat power at critical times and in discriminate places to achieve results.
Maneuver: Maneuver is essential to special operations in order to strike enemies where and when they are most vulnerable and to avoid their strengths.
For DLO 3:
SOF are well suited to carry out nontraditional military missions and to confront unconventional enemies and tactics in the 21st century. SOF provide great returns for relatively low military spending.
10. What are some of these emerging roles? (145)
Their FID and CA capabilities make SOF a logical choice to take on an increased future role. Deep reconnaissance and long range precision strike will be essential SOF missions. CT, PSYOP, and SR core missions need to built upon for the future.
This wasn’t specifically addressed in the readings. However, SOF reliance on emerging technologies—to include sensors and UAVs among others—may be a factor. The ability to move SOF more quickly in and out of an objective using the CV-22 will also result in a posture change.
Making USCINCSOC responsible for carrying out more operations as a supported CINC (in addition to the missions specifically directed by the NCA) may make SOF more responsive to missions conducted across AOR lines or simultaneously within multiple AORs.