The Role of the US Special Forces in Combating Terrorism - Research Paper Example

The US government is committed to fighting the menace of terrorism and uprooting it from the face of the earth. This commitment of the American government becomes evident from the revamping of the US Special Forces activities in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack by Al-Qaeda. In the wake of this disastrous event, controversies have mounted on the effectiveness of domestic intelligence and the coordination of the activities of existing joint forces. Most of the criticism in this regard has been directed at the intelligence community for its purported failure to warn other agencies of an imminent threat.

On the other hand, problems also prevail in other areas and terrorist organizations have been exploiting this vulnerability to wreak havoc on the nation. Thus, an urgent and imperative need has emerged for a dedicated Homeland Security Intelligence (HSI) in the nation to augment the existing intelligence collection system and solidify the functions of security forces. In addition, a necessity has also been felt for further sharpening the cutting-edge operational efficiency of the US Special Forces to enable them to combat terrorism more effectively.

Though there is no single definition universally for the term ‘terrorism’ the most commonly accepted definition perceives this phenomenon as the “use of violence to create fear” to attain political, religious, or ideological objectives (Matusitz, 2012, p.4). Thus, terrorist activities, most of the time, are directed at the noncombatant civilian populations to inflict maximum damage to human life and property to create terror and thus propagate their cause amongst the citizens.

Terrorist organizations usually function as clandestine entities with a hierarchical system including a leader and other chieftains, “planners, trainers and actual bombers/killers” (p.4). Most of them are highly educated, motivated, physically competent, and trained in various types of combat tactics as well as electronic and information and communication technologies (ICT).