Special Forces Responses to the New Type of Warfare - Essay Example

Special Forces Responses to the New Type of Warfare al Affiliation Special Forces Responses to the New Type of Warfare Special Forces play an important role in US military operations and the Administration has given special forces much greater responsibility to provide worldwide counterterrorism operations. In the current world, the new type of warfare has become a threat to the lives of many people not just in the US but also in other areas around the world. This is the main reason why the Administration expanded the responsibility of the special forces to participate in worldwide initiatives to fight the new type of warfare. This paper will discuss Special Forces responses to the New Type of Warfare focusing on OCONUS (Outside the Contiguous United States) and how they have to change tactics in order to operate. It will also discuss the basis of the Special Forces operations throughout the world. The current Unified Command Plan (UCP) stipulates that the Special Force is responsible only for the synchronization of the planning of global operations in combating terrorist networks. However, the new type of warfare requires more to be done, yet the UCP stipulation has limited the ability of the special forces to carry out activities that are created to prevent emerging threats and form strong relationships with foreign militaries that can help combat the new type warfare. The new type of warfare takes many faces that include terrorism, war of information and ideas, insurgency, cyber-attack, disruptive threats, war by non-state actors among others. For example, terrorism is an issue that has been fought for long but continues to be a major problem in the current world and in future too. Terrorism is characterized by violence directed against civilian targets. The objectives of terrorism may range from narrow issues of payment of ransom to serious issues of seeking worldwide publicity for different causes. Today, societies throughout the world have become vulnerable and experience increasing capacities for violence because of modern weaponry. Because of this, the Special Force has an increasing mandate to provide assistance in dealing with the new type of warfare (Dunn, 2007). Despite the fact that the US is affected by the new type of warfare much like other countries, the OCONUS area also presents a challenge for the Special Force in the sense that the UCP stipulation asserts that there is need for the Force to have an effective presence in this region if the new type of warfare is to be handled properly. For many years, the Special Force has had a presence in the OCONUS area but with a focus to protect the US. This has been reflected clearly in the UCP stipulation that limits the ability of the special forces to carry out activities that are created to prevent emerging threats and form strong relationships with foreign militaries that can help combat the new type warfare. This fact clearly shows that the Special Force needs to change tactics in order to operate effectively (Dinter Jr, 2001). The 9/11 attack brought about a change in consideration of terrorism from just a criminal attack to a new type of warfare on a worldwide level. Another issue of concern in the 21st century as a form of new warfare is resource characterized as economic-warfare. Such issues require the Special Force to change its tactics to deal with the new type warfare, which encompasses different issues as shown in this paper. For a long time, the Special Force has used a military strategy to infiltrate into hostile land, sea and or air to conduct a variety of operations, many of them classified to them. Most of the operations carried out by the Special Force are determined to tackle terrorism. However, the emphasis on terrorism must be changed such that the focus of Special Forces is equally given to all forms of new type warfare. The main mission of the unit is to train and provide leadership towards combating unconventional warfare force or work as a clandestine guerilla type of force in an occupied nation. For a long time, they have used the unconventional warfare method to root out wanted people out of a general populace. Despite the fact that this has achieved success in some instances, it has not been adequate and effective especially in the face of the new type of warfare (Klare, 2001). The UCP must redraft its stipulation to allow the Special Force to form strong relationships with foreign militaries to be able to fight new type of warfare effectively especially in the OCONUS area. There is no way the Special Force can fight the new type of warfare in OCONUS without involving the foreign militaries in particular areas of concern. Alienating foreign militaries in this respect would be detrimental because it would undermine cooperation that can help towards the fight of new type of warfare. New type of warfare especially in the OCONUS area requires militaries to cooperate to fight the common enemy because there is no way a foreign military can get into a country without the permission of that country. Fostering cooperation among different militaries will help eliminate the gaps that those who propagate new type of warfare take advantage of in their initiatives. The Special Force has been seen as a unit that is specialized in issues of warfare and as such has done little in coordinating with other agencies in fighting new type of warfare. This has created vulnerabilities and opportunities that are used by the enemy both in US and in the OCONUS region. Thus, fostering coordination with these agencies will help the Special Force adequately address the new type of warfare in the OCONUS region. Therefore, such a relationship must be established (Dunn, 2007). Other initiatives that can be taken up by the Special Force is to create a strong offensive program against new type of warfare for instance against cyber warfare. More investment must be made on technical skills to enable the Special Force be able to fight cyber warfare and others. In conclusion, it is imperative that the Special Forces changes some of its initiatives and strengthens others, as discussed above, to be able to achieve effectiveness in operating in OCONUS region in the fight against the new type of warfare. References Dinter Jr, H. P. (2001). US Army Special Forces Roles in Asymmetric Warfare (Doctoral dissertation, University of Massachusetts). Dunn, M. (2007). The Clash of Civilizations and the World on Terror, 49th Parallel, vol.20, pp.1-12. Klare, M.T (2001). 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