This article argues that exceptional operations forces (herein SOF) laissez passer on optimal strategic effect every bit part of a protracted exceptional operations campaign. Understanding this link unlocks forcefulness construction as well as work considerations. Knowledge of the logic that underpins the human relationship betwixt exceptional operations campaigns as well as strategic effect is essential for policymakers as well as armed services practitioners, (within as well as external to the exceptional operations community) if SOF are to laissez passer on the supply on the taxpayers’ investment that their beingness implies. Indeed, the consequences for misunderstanding this human relationship volition ultimately live on paid inward wasted blood as well as treasure every bit a outcome of missed opportunities or the misuse of a valuable armed services asset. SOF are an of import as well as complementary capability with other land, air, space, maritime, as well as cyber forces. For the purpose of this article, SOF are especially selected, educated, equipped as well as designated forces, designed to execute exceptional operations employing unorthodox methods as well as unconventional modes to laissez passer on relatively disproportionate effects. Due to their nature, SOF are oftentimes prone to misunderstanding (as described here, p 5). Much of the ordinarily available literature on exceptional operations assists inward edifice unhelpful misconceptions, with the dominant narrative implicitly emphasising unmarried ‘direct action’ (strike) missions as well as overblown accounts of their supposed strategic effect. Successful ‘great raids’ inward history such every bit Australia’s 1943 Operation Jaywick inward Singapore Harbour during World War 2, the 1968 North Vietnamese Army Commando strike on the U.S. Embassy inward Saigon, or the US SOF 2011 Osama Bin Laden raid were tactically important, but they were non individually decisive or inherently strategic. However, when considered from the viewpoint of a unmarried signal inward a protracted exceptional operations campaign, (such every bit the motility executed past times US SOF Task Force 714 against Al Qaeda inward Iraq (AQI)) the strategic important of these operations, as well as consequent forcefulness construction as well as work considerations, perish apparent.
Operation Jaywick as well as like operations executed past times Australian Special Operations Command’s forebears inward the Strategic Reconnaissance Department as well as Special Operations Australia are a lilliputian known but of import chemical element of Australia’s contribution to defeating the Japanese inward the South West Pacific. But these operations induce got to live on viewed inward aggregate. Destroying thousands of tonnes of Imperial Japanese transportation inward Singapore harbour, almost for sure had about immediate cloth effect, every bit did the psychological ship upon of raiders getting within a secure area, deep within the expanse supposedly controlled past times Japanese forces. But these operations were non individually decisive, or country of war winning. Every pocket-sized scale exceptional functioning as well as its immediate as well as relatively disproportionate cloth as well as psychological effect, combined with the cumulative actions of other land, air as well as maritime forces across the South West Pacific home pose the allies inward a seat where they could exert command over the strategic behavior of Imperial Japan. Likewise, the effects achieved past times U.S. SOF Task Force 714 (TF 714) inward Republic of Iraq are illustrative of this paradigm. TF 714 was the Pb U.S. SOF Task Force conducting counter network operations inward the Republic of Iraq home of operations afterward the U.S. invasion inward 2003. As Dr Richard Schultz observed inward his considered analysis of the TF 714 motility (JSOU Report 16-6, pp. 4-5):
Three years of industrial-strength chore forcefulness raids seriously degraded AQI’s might to function. By operating within AQI’s networks, TF 714 dismantled a large release of its operational cells, fiscal units, communications as well as media centers, improvised explosive device (IED) production facilities, as well as arms acquisition methods. In the words of General McChrystal, the TF 714 commander had “clawed the guts out of AQI.”
At a motility level, as well as inward conjunction with other conventional forces, the cumulative effect of a large book of individually pocket-sized scale exceptional operations executed past times TF 714 (each having a disproportionate moral as well as cloth ship upon relative to the forcefulness elements straight involved inward each operation), ultimately had a decisive strategic effect on AQI.
When forcefulness designers as well as planners regard holistically the forcefulness construction as well as forcefulness work of SOF, it is so essential that they focus on enabling them to execute protracted campaigns. In the author’s experience, at that topographic point tin privy live on a style to recollect virtually exceptional operations every bit a 1 shot ‘silver bullet’. This ‘single mission’ or ‘single operational rotation’ mindset is unhelpful if 1 accepts that SOF induce got their most profound effect against an adversary when employed inward a protracted campaign. As I induce got previously argued (here), when employing a protracted motility lens, armed services forcefulness construction requirements perish apparent.
To fulfil their potential strategic utility, SOF must live on structured to live on able to execute mission afterward mission, nighttime afterward nighttime for an extended period. Within a motility framework, SOF must induce got the resources to enable partner forces, to find, create as well as finish high value target afterward target, continuously exploiting adversary vulnerabilities piece amplifying the effects of other land, air, maritime as well as cyber forces. This agency a heavy emphasis on supporting capabilities. To live on effective at achieving disproportionate tactical effects relative to the size of the forces employed inward a unmarried mission, SOF must induce got adequate access to high course of didactics intelligence, dedicated forcefulness projection as well as fires assets, over the horizon secure communications, as well as a bespoke logistic architecture to enable sustained operations. This forcefulness construction must complement holistic investment inward selecting, educating, preparation as well as equipping the ‘badged’ (combat) elements of the forcefulness to assure the requisite tactical excellence that underpins each SOF mission over a protracted fourth dimension period.
It is so essential that exceptional operators, articulation forcefulness designers as well as relevant policymakers regard exceptional operations from the viewpoint of protracted campaigns, or opportunity nether resourcing or misapplying a potentially valuable strategic resource. SOF must live on resourced as well as enabled across all aspects of their capability to execute high tempo exceptional operations campaigns, to continually laissez passer on relatively disproportionate effects, as well as to fulfil the ultimate value proffer offered past times this of import element of the articulation force.
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