"Presence for Purpose" Forward Deploying to Capitalize on SOF Capability and Regional Expertise

Abstract

To be effective in defeating radical extremist ideology we must understand the conditions that allow it to exist thereby understanding the nature of the conflict. Transnational terrorist organizations take advantage of the seams between governed and ungoverned, between the haves and the have-nots, and in areas where there is no perceived alternative to violence to ensure survival. Therefore it can be argued that local instability provides a venue for transnational terrorist organizations to foment their radical ideology providing at the very least tacit support for their violence. This paper argues that forward deploying SOF to work in close coordination with host nation partners will facilitate United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) ability to synchronize WOT objectives while providing the GCC and US Country Team with SOF expertise to meet local and regional challenges. This paper will further argue that while SOF alone cannot meet all of the foreign internal defense (FID), COIN, or advisory needs of the host nation, it is the force of choice to bridge the gap between host nation force requirements, general purpose force or interagency capabilities and U.S. Country Team, GCC, and USSOCOM Long War objectives. This paper will examine the politically sensitive operational environment using a contemporary case study as an example. Secondly, it will discuss the counter argument and disadvantages of developing an Advisory Corps and other general purpose force initiatives. Third, it will describe the attributes that make SOF the force of choice to serve as the bridge between host nation requirements, country team objectives, and general purpose force training capabilities. Finally, it will provide a framework to operationalize the USSOCOM Presence for Purpose concept to synchronize National and Regional WOT objectives while providing SOF expertise and support to the GCC and US Country Teams.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 23, 2008
Accession Number
ADA484492

Entities

People

  • Scott Malone

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Case Studies
  • Command And Control
  • Department Of Defense
  • Employment
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Special Operations Forces
  • Terrorists
  • Training
  • United States
  • United States Special Operations Command
  • Violence
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control