The Special Operations Forces: Indirect Approach
Abstract
Southeast Asia has emerged as an increasingly crucial front in the Long War. Given the suicide bombings in Bali, the presence of the terrorist groups, and increased anti-Americanism, the need for a continued and comprehensive approach to combating terror in the Pacific is clear. The U.S. Special Operations Command, Pacific (SOCPAC) has been improving ties with regional allies and increasingly applying an indirect approach to address the threat posed by militant groups. Addressing threats requires a sophisticated and indirect approach. The Nation cannot simply enter sovereign countries unilaterally and conduct kill-or-capture missions. It must blend host nation capacity-building and other long-term efforts to address root causes, dissuade future terrorists, and reduce recruiting. The 9/11 Commission Report states that the United States must help defeat an ideology, not just a group of people. To address the underlying conditions that foster terrorism, SOCPAC works with host nation partners to help provide security and stability. This method promotes economic development and shapes conditions for good governance and rule of law. The primary contribution of Special Operations Forces (SOF) in this interagency activity is to organize, train, and assist local security forces. The indirect approach relies heavily on the SOF capability to build host nation defense capacity, provide civil affairs forces to give humanitarian and civic assistance, and offer information operations assets to aid the partner. SOCPAC focuses on working in close coordination with host nation military and political leadership, law enforcement, and U.S. country teams. These stakeholders share the responsibility of capacity-building and leverage each others strengths and synchronize efforts. To produce institutional change, host nation partners have to be willing to reform as required. Interagency and multinational will and capacity-building must go hand-in-hand for the indirect approach to succeed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA481186
Entities
People
- David P. Fridovich
- Fred T. Krawchuk
Organizations
- United States Special Operations Command