Title: Strengthening the Relationship Between Embassies and U.S. Special Operations Forces--Part 2, Five Embassy-USSOF Truths.

AuthorWilbur, Carter

Text:

As the U.S. shifts its focus to Great Power Competition (GPC), the relationship between USSOF and embassies worldwide must likewise shift to reflect a whole-of-government approach. In Part 1, I took stock of the current relationship between U.S. embassies and U.S. Special Operations Forces (USSOF), which, while good overall, is too often geared to separate efforts rooted in the counter-terrorism context, where a USSOF unit's narrow mission against a terrorist cell requires minimal coordination with the embassy's broader political and economic missions. There are more ways embassies and USSOF can support each other than are currently being realized. The next step is for both sides to develop a more symbiotic, institutional relationship. To that end, I propose five points to guide the development of USSOF-embassy relations, based loosely on the "Five SOF Truths" that have summarized USSOF philosophy since 1987. The Five SOF Truths are:

  1. Humans Are More Important Than Hardware.

  2. Quality is Better Than Quantity.

  3. Special Operations Forces Cannot Be Mass Produced.

  4. Competent Special Operations Forces Cannot Be Created After Emergencies Occur.

  5. Most Special Operations Require Non-SOF Assistance.[ii]

    The corresponding "Five USSOF-Embassy Truths" I propose are:

  6. Strong embassy-USSOF relationships are necessary for both organizations to fully succeed.

  7. Both embassies and USSOF bring unique capabilities and value to the table.

  8. Establish the embassy-USSOF relationship as early as possible, not in an emergency.

  9. Each embassy-USSOF relationship will be unique, reflecting local considerations.

  10. Embassies can offer support capabilities to USSOF.

    To distill the idea of embassy-USSOF coordination to five simple bullet points is to ignore the depth of coordination and the effort required to realize the full potential of a true whole-of-government approach, but it provides a starting point for discussions between USSOF and civilian foreign service agencies about how to maximize this relationship.

    Strong embassy-USSOF relationships are necessary for both organizations to fully succeed

    It's about the relationships. Embassies and USSOF are both people-centered businesses. Embassies work to build long-standing, open-ended relationships with their host nation counterparts, and likewise USSOF builds relationships with the rest of the U.S. government as well as partner nation and host nation forces to bring its full capabilities to bear on a particular mission. Because USSOF often operates outside of the national capital, whereas embassy personnel are often tied to the embassy, USSOF's practical on-the-ground insight can be invaluable as to what is really happening in the country. A USSOF element with a good relationship with an ambassador and the wider country team will have the broadest leeway to operate within their legal authorities. In fact, the Marine Corps' Small Wars Manual from 1940 devotes an entire section to the relationship with the State Department.[iii]

    Conversely, the less robust that trust is, the narrower permissions the USSOF unit will enjoy; a USSOF element with a bad relationship with the ambassador or host nation counterparts is likely to find itself operating in a much more restricted mode, and perhaps being removed from the country.

    Vignette[iv]: Imagine a U.S. goal to improve medical care in an area particularly vulnerable to terrorist recruitment; the problem is that it is off-limits to embassy personnel precisely because of the terrorist threat there. USSOF, operating with partner nation forces in the area, has more freedom of movement and can provide the embassy with real time, firsthand information about the current situation, needs, and potential partners, drawing on the subject matter expertise of USSOF's highly trained medical personnel. This enables embassy projects to be better oriented to the community's real requirements, all while still countering violent extremists as well. This is one example of how embassy and USSOF techniques can foster synergies through coordination and communication.

    The United States' competitors are building relationships with host nations around the world for a wide variety of reasons across the whole range of political, economic, informational, military, and other aspects of...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT