A report about special operations forces examines the role that irregular warfare will play in great power competition – with a focus on information operations. A primary focal point of the Department of Defense going forward has been defined by the 2018 National Defense Strategy as competing effectively with state adversaries.

The nations of Russia, China, Iran and others are using unconventional methodologies to attain their goals and increase their national influence. This paper by the Center for Stability & Development of CNA Analysis & Solutions outlines U.S. government efforts to compete successfully around the world using information operations (IO) and intermediary partnerships. The paper is an outcome of a March 2019 event hosted by CNA that included government, military, and academic experts that addressed how special operations forces could support U.S. government efforts in global competition.

Key Themes in the Paper:

• The US must embrace irregular warfare as inherent to modern great power competition
• SOF’s strategic role in today’s irregular battlespace must be defined and implemented
• SOF need a collaborative civilian partner for conducting information operations
• Practitioners need to study and understand the tactical and strategic toolkits for irregular operations
• The US must define the future of IW and the American narrative as key elements of its competition for global influence

The paper concludes that the U.S. must be able to compete with our adversaries in the field of influence operations and needs to be able to control “. . . the narrative surrounding that competition.” It further states that US SOF and their civilian partners are critical actors in this endeavor and provides some recommendations for the future.

SOF and the Future of Global Competition, CNA Analysis & Solutions, May 2019, PDF, 26 pages.
https://www.cna.org/CNA_files/PDF/DCP-2019-U-020033-Final.pdf

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Photo: Photograph from paper cited above.

Leader of ISIS in Afghanistan Killed by U.S. An airstrike in July by the United States killed Hafiz Sayed Khan, the head of the Islamic State’s branch in Afghanistan. Read more in a news report by USA Today, August 12, 2016.

How are Things Going in Afghanistan? Not so good. Read one perspective of the current situation in that troubled country by Kenneth Katzman – a specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. He has penned a 81-page report entitled Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, Congressional Research Service (CRS), June 6, 2016.

SOF Professionals Preparing for Transition. The time to think of life after your military service is before you leave the service – not after. John Klapperich, a retired Special Forces Sergeant Major, offers transition advice in a article posted online. Read “4 Reasons SOF Professionals Should Prepare Now for Transition”, Cleared Jobs Net, August 12, 2016.

Jetboots for Navy SEALs. The SEALs have a lot less work to do underwater on their long swims. Now they can glide along with the Jetboots Diver Propulsion System. Jetboots is essentially a pair of small thrusters that attach to a divers leg. Wish I had these on my timed, navigation underwater swims at Key West! Read more in “Check Out the Underwater Jet Boots Used by Navy SEALs”, Task and Purpose, August 12, 2016.

SSR – Challenges and Lessons Learned. Security Sector Reform (SSR) is intent on improving existing structures and methods in a country’s security sector with the objective of improving security for the population. However, it is important that the well-trained and equipped security forces are controlled by a democratically elected government so as to avoid repression by security forces against the country’s population. Read more in The Challenges and Lessons Learned in Supporting Security Sector Reform, Global Public Policy Institute, July 13, 2016.

Taliban’s New Commando Force – “Red Group”. The Taliban have a new fighting force operating in Helmand province. Read more in a news story in The Diplomat, August 12, 2016. Other news sources say that the name of the group – translated into English – is “Danger Group”. Hmmm.

Paper on the Islamic State – 2011-2014. Jonathan S. Baker has wrote a tract entitled Harbingers of the caliphate: Islamic State revolutionary actions 2011-2014, July 2016. It is a 106-page long thesis done for the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/49330

Story of Force Recon Marine Who Killed 18 Enemy Fighters in a Single Battle. Read this amazing story of an eight-hour engagement with the Taliban in Farah province, Afghanistan in August 2008. (Task & Purpose, August 11, 2016).

Book by Israeli Special Forces Commander. Gal Hirsch writes an autobiography of his life in the Israeli military. Read the review at Defense News, August 12, 2016.

Preparing for Ranger School. The U.S. Army’s Ranger School is one of the toughest the military has to offer. It is one of the most physically and mentally demanding courses in the Army. Read “Properly Preparing For the Rigors of Ranger School”, Infantry Magazine, January-March 2016.

Australian Security Contractor Released from Afghan Prison. A former Australian soldier working in Afghanistan on a security contract was convicted of murder and sentenced to hang. He served over 7 years in an Afghan prison before being released. Read more of this story in The Advertiser, August 13, 2016.

House Report on Central Command Intel Analysis. The U.S. House of Representatives has released its report with the initial findings on U.S. Central Command Intelligence Analysis. You can read the 17 page document posted on Public Intelligence, August 13, 2016.

Fires Magazine. The School of Artillery at Fort Sill publishes its Fires bulletin every few months. The July – August 2016 edition is now online.

Islamic State Showcase Captured ID Card & Equipment. It appears that (somehow) the Islamic State have managed to come into the possession of some U.S. combat equipment (rucksack, bullets, radio, etc.) and two I.D. cards belonging to a U.S. Army SP4. They are making lots of press with the reports. Read more in “ISIL claims to confiscate sensitive U.S. military gear”, USA Today, August 6, 2016.

New Top NCO for NATO SOF. A former Pope Air Force Base (NC) airman will take the top enlisted position for special operations troops at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters for Allied Powers Europe. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Eric D. Neilsen has been selected for the position. Read more in a news story by the Fayetteville Observer.

Purple Heart Day. On August 7, 1782 General George Washington established a series of medals – one of which was the Purple Heart. Read the history.

New Jason Bourne Movie. The latest Bourne movie is out . . . but not without some critics. Read “Mission Impossible: The Ridiculous Tech of Jason Bourne”, Fast Company, August 2, 2016.

Paper – “Attritional War”. A Vietnam Vet writes about modern war and counterinsurgency in “Attitional War: the Neglected Phase of Modern Warfare”, Army Press, August 7, 2016.

Rikers Island and Spec Ops Training. “One of the biggest jails in the US hired a special-ops contractor to train its guards – and it’s set off a debate on prison violence.”. Story on Business Insider, August 7, 2016.

Modern Day Rorke’s Drift. The story of how 88 British paratroopers held off 500 Taliban for two months in Afghanistan. Read the story here on Daily Mail, August 6, 2016.