Elite assistance: the future of special forces partnering [Content preview Subscribe to Jane s Defence Weekly for full article] Special forces from a number of Western nations are providing key support to the various units tasked with kicking the Islamic State out of Raqqa: the militant Islamists' last remaining major stronghold. Andrew White reports As offensive action to clear Islamic State (IS) militants out of their final urban stronghold in the Syrian city of Raqqa continues, a coalition of international special forces is playing a critical role in supporting indigenous special-mission units tasked with leading these operations. The two-year campaign, part of Operation Inherent Resolve, has involved special operations task groups (SOTGs) from Australia, Canada, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others, which have deployed personnel to conduct partnering missions with special forces elements from the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), Kurdish Peshmerga combat units, and local militia forces in Syria. A coalition advisor instructs Iraqi SOF trainees in squad tactics in Baghdad. Training to build partner capacity is an integral part of Operation 'Inherent Resolve s' global coalition effort to train Iraqi military and security force personnel to defeat IS. (US Army) 1706898 Co-operation revolves around train, advise, and assist or military assistance missions, which see SOTGs embedded with indigenous units to provide specialist training on the ground with a specific focus on direct action and special reconnaissance tasks. Training concentrates on critical requirements demanded across the contemporary operating environment. Coalition SOTGs in Iraq and Syria, for example, focus on small unit tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs); close quarter battle tactics; military operations in urban terrain Page 1 of 10
(MOUT); and combat medicine. Additionally, local commanders are assisted in developing doctrinal issues, as well as concepts of operation (CONOPS). Furthermore, some specially selected units continue to be trained for more demanding missions, including hostage rescue operations and covert surveillance, defence sources explained to Jane s. Train, advise, and assist serials rely upon small force elements from the SOTG accompanying indigenous combat units on the ground during strike operations, sometimes requiring them to not only direct assault teams onto targets, but also to co-ordinate air support. Occasionally SOTG teams can be called upon to assist in engagements themselves. Such partnering is nothing new for the international special forces community, which has employed similar concepts over the years to maximise its force-multiplying effects across operational areas. Examples include Afghanistan, where a similar coalition operating under the control of NATO s International Security Assistance Force Special Operations Forces Headquarters (ISAF SOF HQ) and the NATO Special Operations Component Command- Afghanistan (NSOCC-A) were split geographically across the country to train National Directorate of Security (NDS) and General Directorate of Police Special Units (GDPSU) special missions units. Today, special forces partnering missions are not limited to the ongoing fight against IS, but they continue to be executed on a global scale as more capable state actors seek to counter violent extremist organisations and near-peer threats. According to USSOCOM officials, the Tampa-based command s strategy revolves around the execution of ongoing assurance missions to generate host capabilities and complete [training] short of conflict in a hybrid environment. Looking to the future of such partnering operations, officials said, We will continue to refine our SOF posture to strengthen these partnerships in order to deter or respond to aggression in the region, as well as to reassure our allies and contribute to a broader deterrent effect. Officials from Poland s Special Forces Command echoed similar sentiments to USSOCOM and reiterated to Jane s the strategic importance of support from the international SOF community while also highlighting their own organic capability to support their Eastern European neighbours, including Georgia, Lithuania, and Ukraine. One source described how Poland s partnership with Georgian special forces units was triggered three years ago, noting, Our aim there is to assist Georgian SOFs in achieving their interoperability with NATO allies. We assessed their capability and prepared training schedules in 2014. The subsequent two years have been spent on assistance rendered on three levels: strategic advice, operational mentoring, and tactical partnering. We helped to shape structures and doctrines and we also practically trained Georgian special forces operators. The programme is very intensive and includes dozens of events in Georgia and Poland annually, the source explained. Such deployments include multiple training teams inserted into Georgia to conduct tactical training, parachute insertion, and CQB [close-quarter battle] training, another source told Jane s Page 2 of 10
while illustrating how Georgia's special forces are now on track to have certified their first special operations task unit (SOTU) by September this year. This will be confirmed during a Polish SOF exercise, where the Georgian SOTU will be an opposition force to a Polish SOTG. We believe our partners are ready for this test, the source added. Turning attention to the development of the Ukrainian Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Polish SOF sources described a less robust approach, although this newly formed organisation continues to receive assistance from USSOCOM. Ukraine s SOCOM was established in December 2015 and reached full operating capacity in 2016 with ongoing co-operation from the NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ) component command in Mons, Belgium. The first dedicated training facility for the Ukrainian SOCOM, called the 142nd Training Centre of the Special Operations Forces of the Ukraine Armed Forces, opened in December 2016 and is designed to proliferate NATO special forces standards across its force elements. We are focusing our efforts there on one of the SOF units as a part of wider NATO engagement. We have been doing this for one year and now it is difficult to talk about any detailed conclusions. We assist units that are preparing for counter-terrorist operations on a rotational basis. We believe this programme contributes to regional stability, the Polish SOF source concluded. In South Korea (Republic of Korea (RoK)), indigenous and partnering SOF components from the United States in particular remain on short notice to face off against their counterparts from the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK, ie North Korea). Sources explained to Jane s how force elements from the US Naval Special Warfare Command and US Army Special Operations Command continue to work closely with their RoK counterparts to actively pursue a training path to ensure readiness for the entire range of contingency operations in which SOFs may play a critical role. Force multiplying effects As described by senior service representatives within USSOCOM at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in Tampa, Florida, on 16 May, armed forces are unable to mass produce special forces due to stringent selection criteria and training requirements that are demanded to support small groups of highly trained operators. Consequently, this limited capability to extend special forces orders of battle has triggered the proliferation of military assistance and 'train, advise, and assist' missions across the operating environment as commanders seek to optimise the force-multiplying effects of special forces as best as they can. Such moves have presented significant challenges to conventional and unconventional units alike, including issues regarding interoperability between the various force elements, whether national or international. As the commander of USSOCOM, General Raymond Tony Thomas, told delegates at SOFIC, more than 8,000 operators from his nearly 80,000-strong organisation are deployed globally at any particular moment in time. Page 3 of 10
There are many complex challenges facing our forces today and we are sharing and enabling our partners as never before, said Gen Thomas. There is no change in partner nation involvement and with the many varied and different challenges in the world we need all the partners we can get. It s appropriate that we can keep that going forward. Describing how in the contemporary operating environment it is now rare for any operation to be conducted without some type of participation from a partner force, Gen Thomas warned that going alone is not a recipe for success. Is SOF overused and misapplied? This is the focus of the chain of command every day and we are trying to be part of a solution as best we can and trying to leverage others, he explained. Ahead of SOFIC, Gen Thomas also addressed the US Senate Armed Services Committee on 4 May and described a rapidly evolving battlespace that continues to present significant and new challenges to the SOF community. While challenges endure and new ones emerge, our force continues to evolve in the attempt to present options and decision space for our national leadership, he noted. We are providing key integrating and enabling capabilities to support their campaigns and operations. We operate and fight in every corner of the world as an integrated joint, combined, and inter-agency force, Gen Thomas noted, while calling for increased efforts to further develop partnering capacities. As we move forward in our co-ordinating authority role within the Department of Defense [DoD], we are committed to further developing this comprehensive approach to support the US military s integration across the range of activities that like-minded organisations are pursuing, he concluded. Specifically, the ability to partner with international allies remains a top priority for USSOCOM s component command, the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), which published its Strategy 2035 document in July. The publication describes how USASOC force elements, including special forces groups and ranger battalions, will tackle future warfare that is hybrid in nature, encompassing a mix of conventional and unconventional operations. According to USASOC Commander Lieutentant General Kenneth Tovo, Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) priorities for the future include the capability to use an indigenous approach to develop, understand, influence, [and] respond to crises globally. Similar sentiments are shared across the international special forces community and various component commanders have told Jane s how military assistance operations comprise a critical element in current strategies. According to senior sources within the Danish Special Operations Command, operators from the Jaegercorps and Frogman Corps have conducted such operations in Mali in support of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA): a mission where the United Nations (UN) used a special forces element for the first time, he confirmed. Page 4 of 10
A special operations task group from the Danish Jaegercorps training indigenous security forces in Iraq, although the force element retains the ability to conduct organic operations across the border in Syria. (Danish Special Operations Command) 1706889 Elsewhere, sources explained how Danish special forces units were supporting military assistance operations in Cameroon with the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR), as well as in Nigeria, where force elements support the navy s Special Boat Service (SBS). One source told Jane's, We do that in support of the Danish government s West African policy, which also allows us to support the politics going on in this region. Turning attention to Eastern Europe and support of the Baltic States, sources described collaboration with special forces, as well as conventional armed forces units that are also conducting training campaigns in the region. Examples include Danish special forces linking up with the British Army s assurance mission and US special forces. [Danish special forces] are present, but we have a very light footprint. We have to be careful not to spread our force too thinly on a global scale, sources warned, while also describing how special forces partnering operations remained a highly relevant task in the Middle East, including ongoing activities associated with Operation Inherent Resolve. Describing how the operation had to date been "quite successful", sources explained how the Danish SOTG would remain in place until further notice, working out of Al Asad with a mandate to conduct operations in both Iraq and Syria as long as the Iraqi government would like us to stay. Explaining how the task group s main focus remained to train, advise, and assist, sources also highlighted how the 60-strong contingent of Jaeger operators could be tasked with conducting organic operations on their own if required. Sources associated with Danish special forces also explained to Jane s how the SOTG was tasked with training the Al Furat militia following government approval to support operations in Page 5 of 10
April 2016. Areas of operation include the towns of Al Qaim and Al Kamal, where contact with IS has remained highly prevalent over recent months. Senior commanders associated with the SOTG described how missions included Jaegercorps assault teams mentoring Iraqi allies in tactics, techniques, and procedures associated with MOUT, as well as accompanying personnel during combat missions to advise, and if necessary, assist in extreme situations. Moves to retake the adjoining towns of Al Qaim and Al Kamal will involve Danish special forces and the Al Furat militia co-ordinating with the US special forces-backed Iraqi SOF from the CTS. Al Furat force elements are tasked with holding ground captured by the Iraqi SOF. Iraqi special forces personnel operating at the spearhead of offensive operations against IS in Mosul have benefitted from significant training and operational support from an international special forces coalition including personnel from Australia and the United States. (US Army) 1706891 Meanwhile, US SOF partnering in the Middle East continues to increase, with multiple force elements from across USSOCOM supporting Iraqi CTS and Kurdish Peshmerga units. This has included significant focus on direct-action operations to retake the strategic IS hubs of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, where Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODAs or A Teams) supported assault units, including the direction of close air support by Joint Terminal Attack Controllers. Sources explained to Jane s how A Teams used a variety of tactical ground vehicles for increased mobility across the battlespace as they attempted to co-ordinate a large MOUT campaign spearheaded by Iraqi and Kurdish special forces. In Syria the US DoD elected in December 2016 to increase the USSOCOM footprint to 500 in country, with an additional 200 personnel deployed as part of the train, advise, and assist campaign. According to former US defence secretary Ashton Carter, the uplift comprised delivery of SOF trainers, advisors, [and] explosive ordnance disposal [EOD] teams [capable of] training, equipping, and enabling partner forces in the area. Page 6 of 10
We're helping [partners] to generate the additional local forces necessary to seize and to hold that city, he noted at the time. Exercise environment Beyond ongoing operations globally, the joint training environment continues to provide significant opportunities for the international special forces community to enhance the special operations doctrine, concepts of operation, and TTPs of indigenous partner forces. Examples include exercises 'Flintlock, Fuerzas Comando, and Warrior Games, held in West Africa, South and Central America, and Jordan respectively, where special forces elements from across the international community come together to share lessons learned and improve cooperation in the growing joint environment. The latest iteration of Flintlock took place between 27 February and 16 March, with multiple state actors hosting training programmes that involved personnel from Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameroon, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, and Tunisia. The event, organised by US Africa Command s Special Operations Command, included the additional participation of special forces elements from countries including Algeria, Cape Verde, Nigeria, and Senegal. The annual exercise Flintlock provides Western special forces with the opportunity to improve the small-unit TTPs and concepts of operation of West African special-mission units. (US Africa Command) 1706892 Training teams from across NATO and its partner nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Page 7 of 10
United States, have been tasked with strengthening the ability of key partner nations in the region to protect their borders and provide security for their people, an exercise spokesperson explained. Additionally, the exercise bolsters partnerships between African, European, and North American special operations forces, increasing their ability to work together in response to future crises, the spokesperson added. Training programmes focused on multiple environments including land, air, and sea missions, with a particular focus on the small-unit TTPs associated with counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. Specifically, this included CQB, MOUT, hostage rescue operations, and maritime interdiction scenarios, defence sources associated with the exercise told Jane s. The annual Fuerzas Comando competition is also designed to encourage co-ordination and interoperabilty between special forces and special mission units across Central and South America, with the 2017 iteration having been completed on 27 July. Organised by US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), the competition is focused on counterterrorism and other special operations, with 20 special operations teams competing this year. Organised by USSOUTHCOM, the annual Fuerzas Comando competition encourages interoperability and co-operation between South and Central American units in line with emerging requirements for trans-regional counter-narcotics operations. (Special Operations Command South) 1706893 Participants included force elements from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, and Uruguay, with training serials focused on testing strength, endurance, and perseverance including MOUT, CQB, and hostage rescue operations. [Fuerzas Comando] promotes partner nation military-to-military relationships, increases training knowledge, improves regional security, and allows us to strengthen our relationships and our ability to combat the common threats of our hemisphere. None of us can face them alone, said Lieutenant Colonel Angel Martinez, deputy director of training and exercises for US Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH). Page 8 of 10
French and Jordanian special forces conduct a joint training package at the KASOTC near Amman, Jordan, as NATO force elements continue to drive forward with partnering agreements in both training and operational environments. (US Army) 1706890 Materiel partnering Special forces partnering missions also continue to present implications for equipping indigenous special mission units with equipment, providing an additional avenue for wealthier state actors to further extend the capabilities of partner nations. According to James Hondo Geurts, Acquisition Executive for USSOCOM, his organisation today comprises a force with an incredible array of systems ranging from enhanced lethality, advanced communications, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) gear, through to ground and air mobility platforms. These have set the standard and are now being shipped out internationally to our allies, Geurts explained to delegates at SOFIC in May. But how do we share our lessons learned and experiences, which have been at an all-time high for us? These are giving us great innovation fuel by adding to our diversity of looking at problems, he said, while calling for greater interaction with foreign partners. Page 9 of 10
Foreign Military Sales for SOF equipment is starting to change, he added, referring to the ongoing proliferation of technology abroad, including the Bell Boeing V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems GMV1.1 special operations vehicle. Other examples include Polaris Government & Defense s inventory of special operations vehicles such as the MRZR and Deployed Advanced Ground Off Road (DAGOR) families of internally transportable vehicles, designed for fly and drive operations from the tail gates of fixed- and rotary-wing platforms to extend the range and mobility of special forces teams across multiple theatres of operation. For the full version and more content: Jane's Defence Industry and Markets Intelligence Centre This analysis is taken from Jane s Defence Industry & Markets Intelligence Centre, which provides world-leading analysis of commercial, industrial and technological defence developments, budget and programme forecasts, and insight into new and emerging defence markets around the world. Jane s defence industry and markets news and analysis is also available within Jane s Defence Weekly. To learn more and to subscribe to Jane s Defence Weekly online, offline or print visit http://magazines.ihs.com/ For advertising solutions visit Jane s Advertising Page 10 of 10