Role of Army Special Operations Forces in Nation Building

Abstract

Although the United States (US) has been involved in nation-building efforts for the past 100 years it does not have a doctrinal definition to articulate what nation building is. Another challenge for the US is the lack of a designated agency within the US Government (USG) to lead the effort. First, an interagency, agreed upon, doctrinal definition of nation building must be established. Following this, each department and agency within the USG must be examined to identify the role each plays within a nation-building operation. This examination will allow the identification of the relationships between departments of the USG and the resources available to conduct nation building. This thesis examines the role of Army Special Operation Forces (ARSOF) in nation building. In order to do so, a definition of nation building is established, key tasks of nation building are derived, and military tasks that support a nation building operation are developed. These military tasks are analyzed against the doctrinal missions and capabilities of ARSOF in order to identify how ARSOF can contribute to nation building. This thesis concludes with recommendations on the employment of ARSOF in nation-building operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 17, 2004
Accession Number
ADA428769

Entities

People

  • Jeffrey J. Monte

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combat Operations
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Interagency Coordination
  • International Organizations
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military Applications
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Psychological Operations
  • Students
  • Terrorism
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • Game Theory.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies