Better Together: SOF and Conventional Forces Integration in Security Force Assistance
Abstract
The U.S. Government faces a spectrum of challenges in a variety of multifaceted geo-political environments that are simply described as complex and volatile. Security Force Assistance is a DoD program under the Security Cooperation umbrella concept that focuses on building the capacity of foreign security forces, with the auspices that such programs effectively prevent conflicts in unstable regions throughout the world. Both special operations and conventional forces have traditionally facilitated separate lines of effort since the DoD first doctrinally instituted these programs in 2009. The lack of conversation as to a combined SOF and CF approach in advisory efforts constitutes a significant gap in the literature, which this research posits to address. SFA consists of a substantial investment in both American taxpayer dollars and military man-power; but does it accomplish the assumptive hypothesis of conflict prevention in certain states? Are there pre-existing geo-political conditions that could indicate if such a program will succeed or fail in a given state? Furthermore, could a SOF and CF unified approach contribute to an advisory programs success? Finally, this research addresses a proposed hypothesis including the conditions for when and where SOF and CF should integrate to ensure the success of a SFA program.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 09, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1039538
Entities
People
- Jacob B Saunders
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College