9 SF Principal Tasks: FM 3-18.1
- Unconventional Warfare (UW)
- Foreign Internal Defense (FID)
- Security Force Assistance (SFA)
- Counterinsurgency (COIN)
- Special Reconnaissance (SR)
- Direct Action (DA)
- Counterterrorism (CT)
- Counter-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (CP)
- Preparation of the Environment (PE)
2 Criteria for SR: ATP 3-18.4 Ch. 1 Paragraph 1-13
- The requirement is beyond the capabilities of conventional reconnaissance units
- The nature of the operation makes it inappropriate for conventional reconnaissance units to conduct (i.e. politically sensitive, hostile or denied territory)
5 Criteria for DA / SR: FM 3-05.2
- Is the mission appropriate for SF?
- Does the mission support the Geographic Combatant Commander’s Campaign Plan?
- Is the mission operationally feasible?
- Are the required resources available to conduct the mission?
- Does the expected outcome justify the risk?
3 Conditions for US FID Support: FM 3-18 / ATP 3-05.2
- The internal disorder is of such a nature as to pose a significant threat to US national interests
- The threatened country is capable of effectively using US assistance
- The threatened country requests US assistance
First report upon arrival into theater?
ANGUS – Initial Entry Report (send within 12-24 hours of infil)
- Initial Entry report
- Location
- Casualties
- Additional Information
6 Core Resistance Activities:
- Subversion
- Sabotage
- Guerrilla Warfare
- Personnel Recovery
- Intelligence Operations
- Preparation of the Environment
7 Dynamics of a Resistance ATP 3-18.1 Pages 2-4 to 2-9
- Leadership
- Ideology
- Objectives
- Environment and Geography
- External Support
- Phasing and Timing
- Organizational and Operational Patterns
- Bonus (new): Internal Support
Mao’s 3 Phases of a Resistance (describe)
- Strategic Defensive (Latent & Incipient Phase) – Goal: Prepare population into accepting insurgent direction and overt military operations; gain support of local population and weaken power of existing government. Actions: subversive activities (recruit, infiltrate key government organizations and groups, establish cellular intelligence, operational and support networks, solicit funds develop sources for external support.
- Strategic Stalemate (Guerrilla Warfare) – Goal: Degrade government’s security apparatus to the point that it is susceptible to defeat. Actions: grow the force in an attempt to achieve parity between guerrilla force and security force combat power.
- Strategic Offensive (War of Movement) – Goal: Bring about the collapse of established government or withdrawal of occupier. Action: establish post-hostility activities (establish civil administration, military organization, balanced social and economic development, protection of the population from hostile action, support for the resistance organization.
4 Components of a Resistance
- Guerrilla – Overt military component of the resistance movement / insurgency
- Underground – Cellular covert element within UW that is compartmentalized and conducts covert or clandestine activities in areas normally denied to the auxiliary and guerrilla force
- Auxiliary – the support element of the irregular organization whose organization and operations are clandestine in nature and whose members do not openly indicate their sympathy or involvement with the irregular movement.
- Public Component – overt political manifestation of a resistance
8 Resistance Support Networks (FIRMCLIT)
- Finance
- Intelligence / Counter Intelligence
- Recruitment
- Medical
- Communications
- Logistics
- Information / Propaganda
- Transportation
F3EAD / D3A
Find Fix Finish Exploit Analyze Disseminate
- Find- begins with the commander’s guidance (based on COG analysis, mission analysis, link analysis, etc). Utilize all available intelligence to conduct target analysis (CARVER), finding the best targets to prosecute. Ends with commander’s decision to develop and prosecute a specific target.
- Fix- determine the precise target and develop a COA to prosecute it. Locate the target. Ends after the target has been analyzed, COA is approved for execution, and target is located.
- Finish- Execute the COA
- Exploit- gather all information with respect to the target, utilizing all available resources for information collection. When time is a factor, prioritize information gathering.
- Analyze- analyze raw data and information. Process into finished intelligence products or operations assessment products.
- Disseminate- external: distribution of finished products to all relevant forces/organizations. Internal: commander incorporates the assessments and analysis into future operations.
Decide Detect Deliver Assess
- Decide- Commanders provide guidance and make decisions to determine what, where, when, how, and why to apply ODA capabilities
- Detect- Commanders provide guidance and intelligence NCOs/Officers coordinate assets to identify targets that meet the requirements laid out during the “decide” process.
- Deliver- Commanders provide guidance to their ODA for the execution of the mission to ensure targets are prosecuted IAW planning. The NCOs on an ODA are the SME tactical leaders during SFODA execution of the commander’s intent.
- Assess- Commanders assess the impacts of the operational assessment plan to enable future decisions.
3 Components of COG Analysis
- Critical Capabilities (CC): the primary abilities essential to the accomplishment of the objective
- Critical Requirements (CR): essential conditions, resources, and means the COG requires to perform the critical capability.
- Critical Vulnerabilities (CV): those aspects or components of critical requirements that are deficient or vulnerable to direct or indirect attack in a manner achieving decisive or significant results.
3 Fundamentals of a Military Advisor
- Rapport
- Credibility
- Overall Value
Common Pitfalls of a Military Advisor
- Going Native
- Culture Shock
- Being the “Ugly American”
- Rolling over to please a counterpart
- Usurping a counterpart’s authority with his subordinates
- Frustration with a counterpart’s unwillingness to conform to US methods
- Frustration with ambiguity
2 Methods for Human Rights Vetting
- Unit Commander: Vet the leaders of an organization
2. Leahy Vetting: Vet every individual
1 Theater Security Cooperation Program (w/ and w/o HR Vetting)
Without vetting – 127E Counterterrorism
With vetting – 333 Build Partner Capacity
Authorities vs. Permissions
Authorities are the legal codes and EXORDs that allow us to conduct operations. Permissions are additional requirements granted by commanders to conduct specific operations using authority-holder’s authorities (i.e. mission requirements such as CONOPs)
US Code for FID Authorization
- Title 10 – Authorities for Armed Forces
- Title 10 Ch. 16 – Security Cooperation
- Title 10 Ch. 16 Section 333 – Authorizes FID
- Title 10 Ch. 16 Section 322 – JCET (Training only for USSOF)
- Title 22 (State) – Foreign Relations and Intercourse
Describe the role of SF in FID and why SF is especially suited to perform FID?
- SF / USSOCOM are the only legislatively mandated FID force.
- Primary role is to organize, train, advise, assist, and improve the tactical and technical proficiency of the HN forces.
- SF units have and maintain advanced skills and capabilities to enable them to conduct advisory operations with HN for extended periods.
- We are ideal for FID because of our regional orientation, language and cultural knowledge, understanding of conventional, joint, and SOF operations, the nature of insurgencies and guerrilla operations, and we are mature, experienced trainers who can operate in ambiguous environments.
Surgical Strike vs. Special Warfare (& Example from Principal Tasks, justifying answer) ATP 3-05
Surgical Strike: the execution of activities in a precise manner that employ SOF in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments to seize, destroy, capture, exploit, recover or damage designated targets, or influence threats (ADP 3-05). (SR, DA, CT, CP)
Special Warfare: the execution of capabilities that involve a combination of lethal and nonlethal actions taken by a specially trained and educated force that has a deep understanding of cultures and foreign language, proficiency in small-unit tactics, and the ability to build and fight alongside indigenous combat formations in permissive, uncertain, or hostile environments (ADP 3-05) (UW, FID, SFA, COIN)
Explain the difference between Subversion vs. Sabotage ATP 3-05.1
Subversion is actions designed to undermine the military, economic, psychological, or political strength or morale of a governing authority. Actions directed at human beings and meant to undermine sources of political power. Of all UW core activities, the subversive efforts of US supported insurgencies and resistance movements is the single most strategically valuable activity because it provides discrete methods of influencing an opponent’s behavior without resorting to more overt, large-scale, unilateral US actions.
Sabotage is to damage the resources of a government’s war effort. Actions directed at physical things, and processes and meant to undermine the sources of material power intended for use by the enemy. Types include general or simple sabotage, noncooperation sabotage, and strategic sabotage.
Explain why a commander would select each of the 3 missions - Unilaterally, Joint, or Combined
Unilateral – this would be for a high risk, politically sensitive or time sensitive target that requires precision or surgical strike capabilities possessed by an SF ODA.
Joint – This would occur if SF were tasked to support a conventional force in a larger campaign, and/or with a mix of other SOF units (i.e. USAF CAS, NSW)
Combined – Most likely. USSF operating by with and through an advised / accompanied partner force
Planning Considerations for 5 Phases of DA Mission
- Pre-Mission – Mission Analysis, Mission Planning, Mission Planning Considerations
a. METL, ODA Training, Specialized Training / Capabilities, ISOLATION / Rehearsals
b. Typical phasing includes: Infil, Surveillance/Acquisition, Actions on, Exfil - Employment – Infiltration, Actions on the objective, movement to ORP, linkup and handover with recon / surveillance elements, continuous communications with higher HQ
- Fire Support – Joint fires, CAS, CCA, ISR, EW, coordination with CCTs / JTACs
- Post-Assault – Consolidate / reorganize, target exploitation, sensitive site exploitation (SSE), tactical questioning (TQ), detainee operations, (RFF’s i.e. Army chemical reconnaissance detachments CRD’s)
- Post-Mission – Mission debriefing, AARs, follow on missions, recovery
What level command develops theater strategy?
- Geographic Combatant Commander
