Special operators gain civilian assistance unconventional wars.

• Author: Kennedy, Harold

As it plans for an extended struggle against terrorism, the U.S. Special Operations Command is realizing that it is going to need a lot of outside help, and it is reaching out to civilian agencies, allied nations and private contractors.

Lining up that help is proving to be a complicated task, SOCOM officials told a recent ND IA-sponsored conference in Arlington, Va.

While special operators now are deploying in larger numbers than they ever have before, the State Department is emerging as a key civilian partner to SOCOM, said Thomas W. O'Connell, assistant secretary for special operations and low-intensity conflict.

The office of the coordinator for reconstruction and stabilization, or S/CRS, was created in 2005 to facilitate the work of a wide range of non-military agencies, including the State. Justice and Treasury Departments.

"Our job is not to duplicate the work of other agencies nor take their place," said Marcia Wong, acting coordinator. "Our job is to serve as a force multiplier so that all agencies involved can do their jobs better."

In addition, Wong's office is working with similar units that were established recently by allied nations. "The United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany all have created offices similar to S/CRS," Wong told the conference. "Australia. Denmark, Finland and Sweden have been active leaders in these issues, as well. We have been working closely with all of them."

The S/CRS is exchanging ideas and information with the United Nations, European Union and NATO, Wong said. "We hope to strengthen regional organizations, such as the African Union, since the neighbors of weak or conflict-ridden states bear the brunt of refugees, disrupted trade and humanitarian assistance flow."

With funding, training and logistical support from the United Nations, NATO and the United States, the AU--which is made up of 53 African nations--has deployed 7,000 peacekeepers to protect non-Arab black residents of Darfur, Sudan, against raids by government-supported Arab militia. The UN Security Council agreed in February to send up to 20,000 more troops within the next year.

Thus far, the State Department office's part in such activities has been small. It started out with a staff of 39 and is growing slowly. By 2007, the office plans to have 80 full-time personnel, plus a "response corps" of State Department officers trained and ready to deploy to embattled embassies or to combat areas with U.S. and coalition military forces.

"We...