In the decade plus of the GWOT/WOT/etc, reporting on SOF action has been quite focused on CT raids, direct action, and the like. Little if any discussion is made of longer term, less sexy, but significant operations like in Columbia or the Philippines. These are true Special Forces/SOF successess. This OpEd is one of the few that even addresses them: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/04/08/osama-special-ops-reform-column/2063521/ The OpEd refers to the recently published Council on Foreign Relations published a report on the Future of Special Operations. In it it shows how, as the Afghanistan mission begins to pare down, SOF need to be more focused on 'indirect' approaches as opposed to "Whack a Mole" direct action. Of course, this is not news to the vast majority who understand Special Operations (and especially Special Forces), but apparently is for most of the rest of the military/non-military population. One thing i found curious in the report was this quote: "Special operations leaders often say that the unilateral or 'direct' approach buys time for the longer-term 'indirect' approach to work, and that the latter is decisive in addressing a threat." Clearly the idea that indirect approaches are decisive makes a world of sense. Anyone care to to interpret or verify the part where Direct sets conditions for Indirect? I was not aware that direct/indirect approaches were used in this manner. The report is linked here: http://www.cfr.org/national-security-and-defense/future-us-special-operations-forces/p30323. There is some good info in there, although I also noticed some incongruity. For example: the report points out that only 11 percent of personnel assigned to HQ USSOCOM are "special operations" people. It also recommends that a large percentage of the 2600+ personnel in the HQs could be reallocated to the Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOCs). To me, the incongurity is that, if only 11% are "SOF", what good is emptying the HQs to pass the talent out to the TSOCs? If I come up with anything clarifying, I'll pass it along. The report's principal author, Linda Robinson, is no stranger to the Special Forces/Special Operations community. Besides writing on the topic for publications like US News and World Report, she published Masters of Chaos, a book about Special Forces centered on the 2003 Iraq war. http://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/publicaffairsbooks-cgi-bin/display?book=1586482491
Read the complete post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Blackfive/~3/dOiIsM1WM9I/considering-the-roles-for-sof-in-the-future.html
Posted
Apr 09 2013, 12:20 PM
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BLACKFIVE