'Lawrences of the World': U.S. Special Operations Command seeks culturally attuned warriors.

• Author: Jean, Grace V.
• Position: Special Operations

A British soldier who galvanized Arab tribes in the Middle East to fight the Turks during World War I inspired the 1962 film "Lawrence of Arabia."

Now the tale is spurring U.S. Special Operations Command officials to consider modeling its troops after T. E. Lawrence, himself--an intelligence officer whose intimate familiarity of Arabic culture allowed him to build long-term relationships with key political and military figures in the Middle East.

"We need to develop what I call the Lawrences of the world," said Adm. Eric Olson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. "We need Lawrences of every region, every country of the world ... and we need them there for a long time," he said at a National Defense Industrial Association conference.

Special operations forces and especially, Army Special Forces, arguably exude Lawrence-like qualities in many respects, officials said. Units are trained in specific languages and sensitized to regional cultures before they are dispatched to as many as 60 countries today to carry out missions.

But Olson's vision confronts many challenges.

"We have a long way to go, there's no doubt about that," Olson said. "We don't yet fully understand the nature of the conflicts we are in--the cultures, the societies of the areas in which we are operating. We don't really speak the languages, or know the family histories, the tribal relationships, how business is done."

As the United States prepares for a possible extended counterinsurgency campaign in South Asia, the skills that special operations forces contribute are critical, said Army Lt. Col. Charles Miller Jr., Afghanistan and Pakistan section chief of the planning and operations directorate at Special Operations Command Central.

"An enduring presence, one measured in patience, is the most appropriate way to engage our partners there," said Miller.

But one of the obstacles that face special operations forces is that they already are stretched thin and are hardly in a position to take on new and expanded duties.

The Defense Department three years ago approved a 15 percent expansion of U.S. SOCOM by 2013. That would equate to 13,000 more personnel, including 3,700 troops for civil affairs and psychological operations units.

Col. Mark Lowe, commander of the 1st Special Warfare Training Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., said that the Army special operations force is on track to reach the expansion goals. But there are concerns about future recruiting efforts as the pool...