UNITED STATES ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Whte Paper Redefnng the Wn 06 Jan 2015
Redefnng the Wn The Redefned Wn Concept The Redefned Wn Concept centers on proactve U.S. competton wth State / Non-State Actors for the relatve superorty over the physcal, cogntve and moral securty of key populatons n the areas we choose to campagn. Ths paper sets forth the SOF contrbuton to the larger Redefned Wn. It acknowledges but does not dscuss the vtal contrbutons of the JIIM communty. The Wn s framed as follows: (1) Decson space has been preserved for our Natonal leaders. Of note, decson space s characterzed as provdng decson makers wth scalable, cost mposng optons to hold, ether unlaterally or wth our partners, potental adversary nterests at rsk. (2) Condtons are set for an acceptable poltcal outcome n the areas that matter to the Unted States. (3) Postonal advantage s retaned n terms of tme, forces and relatonshps to advance U.S. nterests. Trends n Internatonal Competton The Unted States s facng a strategc nflecton pont characterzed by an uncertan strategc securty envronment paradoxcally framed by dmnshng defense resources and an ncreasng number and varety of potental threats. 1 Socal, poltcal, nformatonal and economc trends n nternatonal competton are convergng between state and non-state actors and others for the relatve superorty over the physcal, cogntve, and moral securty, and adequate governance of populatons. Ths competton generally centers on the left sde of the operatonal contnuum where the Department of State s the lead department as noted n the slde below. Trends n Internatonal Competton Human Doman Poltcal Warfare Land Doman Interagency Capabltes / Competences under Ttle 22 & 50 and other authortes as they apply Specal Operatons Forces Core Competency Conventonal Jont Forces Core Competency Re-Emphaszed ARSOF Core Competency State-Based Competton for Influence DoS Lead Emergng Army Capabltes (RAF) FID UW / CT / CP Range of Dplomatc and Poltcal Acton Re-Emergng Trends n Warfare COIN / SFA / FID Combned Arms Maneuver Range of Mltary Operatons Tradtonal Warfare DoD Lead 1 LTG Charles T. Cleveland and LTC Stuart L. Farrs, Toward Strategc Landpower, Army Magazne, July 2013, p. 22. 1
Redefnng the Wn Framng the Envronment The operatonal envronment s characterzed by dsorder, scarcty of resources, ecologcal challenges, toxc deologes, game-changng technologes, emergng resstance movements and opportunstc compettors employng hybrd warfare capabltes. As the foreseeable future s new-normal, ths settng wll challenge the effectveness of tradtonal forms of power whle enablng non-tradtonal forms. We need to effectvely engage n ths envronment. The requrement to protect and advance U.S. nterests wll demand new ways of thnkng, wth unque approaches that broaden strategc optons for our Natonal Leaders. Essental to any new approach wll be a comprehensve defnton of what strategc success, or the Wn, looks-lke n an ncreasngly dsordered world punctuated by compettors captalzng on hybrd warfare capabltes. Hybrd Warfare to Challenge the Unted States Select Naton-State and Non-State compettors are developng hybrd warfare capabltes to compete n the Human Doman and domnate the left-sde of the operatonal contnuum. Russan and Chnese mltary doctrnes recognze the growng necessty of synchronzed poltcal, dplomatc, economc, mltary-knetc, cyber and mass-meda operatons to advance ther respectve nterests. We need not magne the character of the competton on the left-sde of the operatonal contnuum. We must only observe Russa s actons n Georga, Crmea, and eastern Ukranan provnces and ts use of a mult-echeloned approach consstng of coercve dplomacy, cyber capabltes, propaganda, unconventonal warfare and surrogates has challenged U.S. and NATO efforts to craft a comprehensve strategc response. The actons of the Islamc State of Iraq and the Levant demonstrate that non-state enttes can also engage n hybrd warfare, and they have been partcularly successful n the use of mass-meda operatons to shape perceptons of the conflct. These examples llustrate once agan that we do not get to choose the domans we compete and fght n - they choose us. Redefnng Wn - Wnnng Early on the Left Sde of the Operatonal Contnuum The totalty of the securty challenges facng the Naton and the evolvng character of these threats requre an operatonal framework to Wn Early to prevent these challenges from scalng beyond our level of strategc depth and capacty to respond. The Specal Warfare operatonal framework to Wn Early s presented n a separate USASOC Whte Paper. A bref summary s presented below to add context to the Redefned Wn Concept. Theater Specal Operatons Commands, enabled by the Global SOF Network and the Global Landpower Network, conduct Specal Warfare Campagns to solve securty challenges outrght, or rescale these challenges to manageable levels. If a securty challenge cannot be rescaled, the opton for conventonal major combat operatons always exsts. The Specal Warfare Operatonal Approach assumes an earler Strategc Start Pont and envsons three operatonal lnes effort to 2
Redefnng the Wn meet current and emergng Natonal Securty challenges. These are: (1) Expanded SOF Support to Jont Forcble Entry, (2) Unconventonal Warfare, and (3) SOF Support to Poltcal Warfare. An earler Strategc Start Pont requres new thnkng about the tradtonal, mltary Phase 0 and most mportantly for ths effort, new thnkng about Left of Phase 0 campagns and operatons to consder how we assess, sort, form and rescale securty challenges to wn early and preserve strategc depth and decson space for our Natonal Leaders. The framework for ths approach centers on a persstent SOF forward presence n and around the people wth deep knowledge of the envronment to generate decsve stuatonal awareness to better nform the strategc start pont for campagns where the Wn occurs at a much lower level of Natonal effort. An example of ths approach s the U.S. effort to ad the El Salvadoran Government from 1980-1992, that cost approxmately $6.0 bllon, and conssted of 55 U.S. n-country advsors enabled by an out-of country support element that asssted the government n the defeat of the communst backed FMLN nsurgents. The Redefned Wn Concept acknowledges the trends n nternatonal competton and the necessty to proactvely compete wth State / Non-State Actors and others for the relatve superorty of the physcal, cogntve and moral securty of key populatons. The Wn s defned as: Strategc Power Retaned - Current and emergng securty challenges wll present many opportuntes to commt sgnfcant resources, ncludng servce member lves, fscal strength, good wll and partner trust. These resources along wth the dplomatc, nformaton, mltary and economc elements of power consttute a fnte capacty. Smlarly, the support and wll of the Amercan people must be consdered as well. The U.S. must consder ts strategc power when mposng a cost to hold, ether unlaterally or wth our partners, potental adversary nterests at rsk. Influence Expanded - In a hyper-connected, socal-meda enabled cogntve world, the postve perceptons, belefs, trust and credblty that others (Naton-States, Non-State Actors, Sub- Groups, and yet known enttes) hold of the Unted States wll be the center of gravty n relaton to our ablty to conduct successful campagns, operatons and actvtes to advance U.S. nterests. Governance Increased - In an under-governed, resource-constraned and fragle world, governance wll be relatve, partcularly n conflct and at rsk zones. Our ablty along wth our partners (Naton-States / Non-State Actors and others) to ncrease the moral securty of key populatons through adequate governance supported by development programs and enablng efforts lke the Insttute for the Mltary Support to Governance (IMSG) wll be a decsve pont n how populatons n the operatonal area vew and support U.S. actons. Wnnng n a Dsordered World In summary, the totalty of the securty challenges facng the Naton and the evolvng character of hybrd threats demand earler acton to prevent these challenges from scalng beyond our level of strategc depth and capacty to respond. Wnnng n a dsordered world requres a proactve stance to successfully compete wth State, Non-State Actors and others for the relatve superorty over the physcal, cogntve and moral securty of key populatons n the areas we choose to campagn. 3
Pl eased r ectanyquest onst o: USASOCCommander si n t at vegr oup( CI G) 9104328954 or USASOCDeput ych efofst af f,g9 91043277 43