Special Operations Forces as Humanitarians>--You Bet

Abstract

Special operations-forces have unique capabilities that make them well suited for humanitarian relief operations, especially in the initial stages. Civil affairs and special forces personnel receive foreign language and cultural training and routinely work with foreign civilians and governments. These and other special skills can easily be adapted to humanitarian relief operations. special operations forces' capabilities in relief operations were tested and proven highly successful during Operations Sea Angel and Provide Comfort. These quiet warriors were the first into the disaster areas to assess the situation, make recommendations on how to proceed, and organize the relief resupply efforts. As the number of humanitarian missions increase, theater Commanders-in-Chief and their staffs need to be familiar with these special operations force capabilities so they can be effectively employed. Instead of employing lad hoc' procedures for these missions, each theater planning staff should develop humanitarian relief concept plans that can be quickly pulled off the shelf and adapted to the particular situation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 22, 1993
Accession Number
ADA264172

Entities

People

  • Janice L. Mitchell

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Civic Action
  • Civil War
  • Department Of State
  • Employment
  • Green Berets
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • International Organizations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Military Strategy
  • National Security
  • Natural Disasters
  • Special Operations Forces
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.