Exactly How Special are Special Operation Forces? In 1987, the US Special Operation Command was established in order to carry out classified missions which includes gathering intelligence, capturing high-value targets, and training foreign troops (Turse). Each branch of the military have their own special operations force that operates under the command of Special Operation Command. Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, SFOD, and Green Berets are the few special operation forces that part of Special Operation Command (Turse). The expansion and the increase use of US Special Operation Force would allow special operators to continue to conduct operations in global hotspots, to train with their international partners more often, and to respond to a critical situation at any moment notice. Special Operations Forces are stationed in hot spots throughout the globe to combat insurgency and terrorism in area. For instance, there is a Special Operations Joint Task Force in Afghanistan and their job is to "hunt down or kill high-value terrorist and insurgent leaders" (Shanker). US Special Operation Forces have conducted these type of missions not only in Afghanistan but also Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Philippines, and Iraq (Turse) because there are many terrorist cells that operates in area and they are a threat to the United States and its allies. Special Operations Forces is also stationed in Afghanistan to conduct counter-I.E.D operations. The Taliban plant these improvised explosive device to kill US and Coalition troops and sometimes these explosive devices kill innocent civilians (Shanker). The United States plan to withdraw the remaining troops out of Afghanistan and transfer control back to Afghan troops but US Special Operations Force will s... ... middle of paper ... ...//digitaljournal.com/news/politics/us-special-forces-train-for-guerrilla-war-in-north-korea/article/367206>. Schmitt, Eric, Mark Mazzetti, and Thom Shanker. "Admiral Seeks Freer Hand in Deployment of Elite Forces." Www.nytimes.com. 12 Feb. 2012. The New York Times. 11 Feb. 2014 . Shanker, Thom. "Afghan Commandos Step Up Their Combat Role." The New York Times. 14 May 2013. The New York Times. 11 Feb. 2014 . Turse, Nick. "Why Are US Special Operations Forces Deployed in Over 100 Countries? | The Nation." Www.thenation.com. 7 Jan. 2014. The Nation. 11 Feb. 2014 .
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the United States was incredibly eager to strike back at the nations thought to be responsible for this horrific tragedy. These attacks were quickly attributed to the terrorist group al-Qa’ida, led by Osama bin Laden, and to the Taliban-run government of Afghanistan, which had provided sanctuary to al-Qa’ida. In response, Washington approved a covert plan led by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to directly attack those responsible in their Middle East safe haven. Initiated on 26 September 2001 with the approval of the warlords of the Afghan Northern Alliance, with whom the CIA had formed an intelligence liaison relationship, Operation Jawbreaker resulted in the fall of the Taliban regime, the killing and capture of a significant amount of al-Qa’ida leadership, and elimination of a terrorist safe haven by early December 2001. Moreover, the Taliban’s collapse denied al-Qa’ida a pseudo-nation-state partner, serving to reduce the organization’s sanctuary to areas residing along the Pakistani border. Operation Jawbreaker, one of the first post-9/11 covert operations carried out by the United States in support of its national security interests, had proved successful. Word of the operation’s swift success astounded those back in Washington; dubbed the CIA’s “finest hour,” it signified the first of many victories by deposing the Taliban’s control of Northern Afghanistan.
Stewart R. W. (2005). American Military History (Vol. 1). The United States Army and the
The concept of special weapons and tactic teams originated in the late 1960's as a
Abrashoff begins the book by informing the reader of how his story begins; when he is given command of the USS Benfold. The Benfold was the Navy’s most advanced guided missile destroyer the Navy had in 1997 and its command was to be one of the Navy’s top innovators. Unfortunately, Abrashoff points out some flaws with the Navy’s personnel management that I found to be shocking. First, was that “nearly 35 percent of the people who joined the military annually, wouldn’t complete their enlistment contracts.” (p.2) Such turnover can be understood by many business managers in the service industry, but unlike the quick and cheap training process for them, the cost for the military (taxpayers) is astounding. Abrashoff estimates that it cost roughly “$35,000 to recruit a trainee and tens of thousands more in additional training costs to get new personnel to the basic level of proficiency.” (p.2) Curbing this trend on his own ship and eventually helping to achieve a decrease overall in the mil...
September 11, 2001, Osama Bin Laden decided to “wake the sleeping giant.” The US immediately sent SOF units and CIA officers to recon the area and meet with the Northern Alliance. The primary battle leading up to this operation was Tora Bora, which was absent of conventional forces. Up until this point, the war on terror was predominantly a Special Operations fight along with Air Force for overhead support.3 SOF and the Northern Alliance had already displaced Taliban forces out of many towns and villages in northern Afghanistan to gain control of key terrain. Key towns in northern Afghanistan including Taloqan, Konduz, Herat, and Mazar-e Sharif took only three weeks to clear.4 The SOF units were making huge impacts across the country calling in air strikes. At the same time the SOF units were diligently...
I have organized this paper into five distinct sections; mission, task organization, capabilities, limitations, and finally the conclusion. After the reading and comprehension of this paper, you should have gained a basic understanding of the Special Forces (SF) Chemical Reconnaissance Detachments (CRD). The following paper is mixed with Unclassified (UCI) and For Official Use Only (FOUO) information. FOUO is annotated at the beginning of all For Official Use Only information, the rest of the paper is UCI. If you wish to share this information paper with others, please at a minimum; confirm identity of the person prior to providing (FM 380-5, 2000). For further handling instructions please refer to FM 380-5, or contact me, I will gladly answer all questions.
The Technical Escort Unit (TEU) now provides the Department of Defense and other federal agencies to include the Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with an immediate response capability for chemical and biological warfare material. Its mission is to provide a global response for escorting, packaging, detection, rendering-safe, disposing, sampling, analytics, and remediation missions. This does not only include chemical weapons for which it was originally created, but now incorporates biological weapons, state sponsored laboratories, small independent laboratories and small non-weaponized radioactive materials. Most recently, they have been task organized to assist Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) as a force multiplier; the objective of this is to give the Battle Field Commander instant on the ground intelligence regarding Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) hazards within their Area of Operations (AO). With this new mission with the BCT, the TEU is becoming an expeditionary force.
Books, L. (2010). Battles of the War in Afghanistan by Country. Washington: LLC Books. Retrieved November 05, 2010, from books.google.co.ke/books?isbn=1158057407
CF02,Full Range Leadership Development. (2012). Maxwell Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC)
The historical perspective of the First Special Service dates back to March 1942. The United States forces were allied to the British forces. A British Combined Forces Sci...
Eikenberry, Karl and David Kennedy. “America and Their Military, Drifting Apart,” The New York Times. (March 2013). http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/opinion/americans-and-their-military-drifting-apart.html?_r=0 (accessed 9 FEB 14).
5. Margiotta, Franklin D., Ed. “Brassey’s Encyclopedia of Military History and Biography”, Washington: Brassey’s, Inc. 1994
Schmidt, Michael. “Fatal Bombs in Iraq Seemed Aimed at Militia.” The New York Times. 09 Feb. 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2011.
Readiness is of the utmost importance with training being the most significant aspect that contributes to Readiness. Each Soldier needs an individual training plan. The plan should take the Soldier from enlistment to discharge or retirement. It is each Soldiers responsibility to be proficient in their field craft. This includes being fit mentally and physically, and trained to win in a complex world. It is the responsibility of the NCO to train these Soldiers. Unit training plans will address the readiness and resilience of individual Soldiers to ensure their fitness to accomplish their mission. Units must conduct realistic training at the individual, squad, platoon and company levels focused on Mission Essential Tasks (METs) for their
Keegan, John and Richard Holmes. Soldiers: A History Of Men In Battle. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1986.