How The Asymmetric War Fare Has Shifted The Mission Of Special Operations Force

Introduction

The shift from the Vietnam War to the Afghanistan war has become a major concern. Most people view the Vietnam War different from the Afghanistan war. The Vietnam War is similar to the Afghanistan war. First, the United States took part in the two wars. For example, the United States took part in the Vietnam War as it wanted to help France defeat the Vietcong. Also, in Afghanistan, the United States has taken from the Russia as it is unable to defeat Afghanis. The United States found it difficulty to defeat the enemies in the Vietnam War. This is because the United States government had little knowledge on the history, culture and language of the Vietnam people. This affected their efforts.

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In Afghanistan, the United States finds it difficulty to defeat the enemies as the country does not know the language, the history and culture of the Afghanis. The   duties of the special operations force in Afghanistan have become a major concern. Most people have scrutinized the role of the special operations program in Afghanistan. Most people think that the special operations forces are not playing an important role in Afghanistan as they have caused deaths and damage of property while controlling terrorism. The special operations force has coordinated its activities well so as to achieve the objectives set. There roles, mission and doctrine of the special operations force has changed. This is a result of the increase in asymmetric threats. This paper analyzes the change from Vietnam War to Afghanistan war. It analyzes how the asymmetric warfare has affected special l operations force. It analyzes its effects on special operations missions.

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Discussion

Asymmetric warfare and symmetric ware fare

Asymmetric warfare is a type of war that happens between two countries whose military powers differs. In addition, the strategy and tactics used during the war differ significantly. Also, asymmetric warfare can be used to describe a conflict in which the resources of the two countries differ. In an asymmetric war, the belligerents struggle and interact with each other while exploiting the weaknesses of each other. The struggle between the two belligerents involves use of strategies to offset lack of quality and quantity. The strategies used in asymmetric warfare are not militarized. Symmetric war fare is different from asymmetric ware fare. This is because in symmetric war, the powers involved have similar military powers. Also, the resources and tactics used in the war are similar. The tactics differs in terms of how they re being used and their details[1].

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The conventional forces used in the modern society are more effective than asymmetric means used. Though, the conventional forces are effective, they are more vulnerable to attacks .This is happens when the enemies finds the gap and exploits it. The asymmetric warfare group focuses on the challenges created by the convectional method by applying intelligence services. The increase in asymmetric threats has made it difdicuty for countries to fight the United States. The countries have opted to use training to exploit the weakness of the enemies. They have also applied the current technology to defeat the enemies and their threats. The countries have used asymmetric warfare strategies to overcome the enemies during the war. The increase in asymmetric warfare threats have been caused by technology. There are various types of asymmetric threats. That is information ware fare threat, massive weapon destruction threat and terrorism. The asymmetric threats have forced countries to device other tactics to fight the United States. The countries have had to identify tactics, techniques and procedures and weapons do defeat the enemies. The countries have used explosive devices to destroy the enemies[2].

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Most countries are not able to access resources. This made it difficulty for the countries to access electronic equipment. Also, the countries do not have demolition skills and this has affected their objectives. The countries have used asymmetric tactics to fight the United States forces. For instance, the adversaries are able to hide in the plans and attack the United States forces. Most countries have faced attacks from the enemies because of the asymmetric warfare. This is because the enemies use roads to ambush the countries through bombs. Also, the enemies use asymmetric tactics to destroy air crafts that are used to ferry the troops.

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Some of the countries have opted to use helicopters to transport military officials instead of vehicles. The aircrafts are more prone to attacks from the enemies than the vehicles. Also, the countries have opted to consolidate their military services at one point. Consolidating the military services in a single location is not good as it makes it easy for the countries to be attacked by their enemies. Countries have embraced new innovations and adaptabilities. A large percentage of countries in the world are not able to identify asymmetric tactics and develop counter measures to attack the enemies. This has forced the countries to change their missions. The countries have stooped attacking the enemies and started to protect the force[3].

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Special operations force

The special operation forces are active elements of the US military that are established to offer defense services to the country. The special operations forces are required to carry out operations in areas where the enemies are located. In addition, the special operations force is supposed to carry out operations in unfriendly control and political environments that are sensitive to the security of the country. The main aim of carrying out the operations is to achieve its military objective. The role of the Special Forces operations has changed for the last two decades. The mission of the special operations forces has changed from internal defense to direct actions. The asymmetric warfare encouraged countries fighting to employ different tactics and resources to fight the enemies. For instance, in the Vietnam War, the United States government employed technological tactics to fight enemies[4].

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The country had advanced tactics unlike other countries like France. This made it easy for the country to fight the enemies. Most people claim that the United States government was able to supply more troops to the countries so as to fight the enemies. During the Vietnam War, the United States government supplied more troops to fight the enemies. This enabled the country to win in the Vietnam War. Also, the United States government has also supplied troops to fight the enemies in Afghanistan war. A recent report shows that the American government has increased the number of troops in Afghanistan and also financial assistance. This is because the country wants to achieve its military objectives. The change of the special operations mission is attributed to the asymmetric warfare. Asymmetric warfare has contributed to change of Special operations missions in different ways. First, asymmetric warfare has encouraged countries to devise new training methods to train the community and military forces. Also, the warfare has allowed the special operations   forces to employ technical and human capabilities. Also, the asymmetric warfare has forced countries to improve their investigation skills that are used to analyze the enemies and exploit them. The skills help the special operations forces understand the enemies and exploit their weaknesses.

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The asymmetric warfare is aimed at   providing the intelligence processes that are designed to target the changing adversary. Also, asymmetric warfare provides procedures to improve the training process and help military force s learn new ideas. Lastly, asymmetric warfare has field procedures that help fight the enemies. Most countries have used asymmetric strategies to weaken the United States. The countries   have used asymmetric strategies to destroy the infrastructure and deny the country access to critical facilities. Also, the countries have employed asymmetric methods to distract command control and communication in the country. The adversaries have also wanted to distract the intelligence network and increase the number of casualties in the country. This has forced the government to change the mission of the special operations force from foreign internal defense to direct action. The asymmetric tactics have altered the mission of the Special operations force[5].

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Role of Special operations force

There are various roles and missions of special operations force. First, special operations force provides direct actions. Direct actions are used to fight enemies that are located in hostile areas. The special operations force employs various ways when fighting the target. It uses raid, ambush and also direct assault tactics. Another role of special operations force is providing special reisance. The social operations force provides intelligence services through the intelligence collection systems. It obtains information that is used to develop the right strategies and carry out operations. Also, the special operations force provides unconventional warfare. The social operation force works with the other forces to identify the enemies and defeat them[6].

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Further, the special operation force helps civil affairs. It coordinates military activities with foreign officials. It also provides psychological operations. Psychological operations are activities that are aimed at influencing the behaviors and attitudes of foreign people. The special operations force assists in fighting terrorism. It applies high specialized techniques to prevent terrorist activities in the country. It also helps eliminate terrorist in the country through preemption. The special operation force has provides   humanitarian help to many countries. It provides assistance in times of disaster. The special operations force helps rescue of personnel from the areas occupied by the enemies. Lastly, the force plays other collateral mission activities. For example, it helps in fighting illegal drugs, peace keeping missions and personal recovery. It also offers   security assistance and also protects property from attack and damage[7].

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The special operations force is supposed to provide foreign internal defense. Foreign internal defense is a combination of multinational and interagency efforts. There are various organizations under the special operations force that provide foreign internal defense. For example, the SF and the psychological operations and the civil affairs forces are supposed to carry out foreign internal defense operations and support the operations. The forces are able to conduct and support foreign internal defense because they have special functional skills that enable them to carry out foreign internal defense. Also, the forces have undergone cultural and language training. The special operations force provides training to militia in the target countries. The militia are trained how to attack the enemies.

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Special operations force offers training on the language, culture of the community. Training is considered one of the major activities of the special operations force. This enables them to be conversant with different languages, cultures that are found in differed communities. This makes it easy to carry out foreign internal defense. The united stages government was not able to carry out its roles effectively in Vietnam War because it did not have special knowledge in languages used in the two countries. Foreign internal defense is a directed action for the special operations force. Foreign internal defense is considered to be an exclusive task of the special operations force. This is according to the information provided by the Goldwater Nicholas department of defense reorganization act. Special operations force can conduct foreign internal defense alone when there are no other military effort. Also, the special operations force can support other military assistance efforts or civilian assistance efforts. Moreover, the special operations force can support the employment of forces. Thus, the special operations force performs multiple roles[8].

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Further, the special operations force provides military assistance to countries facing problems. The US special operations force provided military assistance to various countries. For example, during the Vietnam War the US special force provided military assistance. The country provides thousands of troops to fight the enemies. Also, in the Afghanistan war, the special operations force has provided troops to help fight the enemies[9].

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Regional conflicts can result from various factors. For example, regional conflicts can arise from poor governance in the country. They can also arise from external factors and competition between countries. In addition, regional conflicts can result from internal revolutions, tribalism and religious conflicts. This is according to the United States national security strategy of 2006.The United States government has helped fight regional conflicts by using the military forces indirectly. The United States government uses diplomatic, information and technological elements to overcome regional problems.The increase in regional conflicts have made the government change the mission of the special operations force so as to prevent the country from asymmetric threats.

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The united stets government uses military forces directly to provided help to countries facing regional conflicts. The use of military forces directly to pro vide assistance to the society in the country shows how the mission of the special operations programs has changed from foreign internal defense to direct actions. The United States government promotes democracy and freedom in countries facing political problems. The government has helped the countries overcome the problems by providing security within the borders. The US foreign internal defense provides such help to countries facing security problems and economical problems. For instance, the United States government has provided direct help to the Afghanistan government[10].

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Special operations forces direct actions

Direct actions are made up of short duration’s strikes and other actions that are offensive. This is according to military special operations. The small scale offensive actions and strikes are carried out in a hostile environment or political sensitive environment. The countries carry out special operations in hostile environment. The special operations force has used military capabilities to fight the enemies. Also, the force has used military to destroy the enemies and capture the enemies. In addition, special operations force uses the military operations to exploit and recover the targets. Direct actions are different from conventional offensive actions. They differ in terms of level of physical risks and political risks. Also, direct actions differ from conventional defensive actions in terms of operational techniques. The operational techniques used in direct actions are different from the operation methods used in conventional adhesive actions. Also, the direct actions and convectional actions   differ in terms of use of force and degree of discrimination. Most of the special operations force has considered direct actions as one of the missions of the special operations force. For example, the United States special operations force has focused on direct actions as one of its major objectives. Though other units like US army operations force focus on DA, they also focus on other operations[11].

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The role of the special operations force has changed greatly. The special operations force does not concentrate on providing foreign internal defense as expected. Unconventional warfare and direct action roles have emerged and are performed by the same units. The United States special operations force was designed to perform unconventional war fare objectives, the organization added other units to carry out direct action duties. The SEAL, SAS and SBS incorporated other capabilities on existing duties so as to respond to conflicts in various countries[12].

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The special operations force objectives have changed. This is because the external environment has changed greatly. The United States faces various forms of asymmetric threats. For example, the country faces terrorist threats, information warfare and massive destruction of weapons. The threats have made the external environment to change greatly. For instance, the terrorism threats have led to increase in insecurity in the country. Most governments have used direct actions to fight enemies in the countries. The countries have provided military efforts to fight insecurity in the country. This is because the countries want to improve security conditions. Most countries have come together to form organizations to help member counties in overcoming security issues. Insecurity has become a major issue in many countries. For instance, insecurity has become common in Afghanistan. This is mainly because of terrorism attacks in the country. The number of terrorist’s activities have increased and affected other countries in the region. For example, the terrorism attacks affected United States during the September 11 bombing. Also, the insecurity in the country has resulted from political chaos and economic crisis in the countries. This has forced countries in the region to use direct actions to resolve the issues[13].

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Direct action has enabled countries to use military forces to destroy the targets and also exploit the targets. The advances in technology have led to development of weapons to target the enemies and destroy them. Most countries have developed various weapons using the current technology. This has led to increase in asymmetric threats as the adversaries use the weapons to fight United States. Also, the technological advance has led to changes in tactics used to fight enemies. Most counties have adopted different tactics like air tactics to destroy the target. Also, the technology has enabled countries to detect the enemies and take actions before the enemies attack them. United States has adopted technology to improve its warfare activities. The country has adopted aircrafts and other fighting equipments that make it effective to destroy their enemies. Most people argue that the advances in technology have helped improve military activities in the country. They have made some countries to acquire resources and tactics that are different from other countries. Asymmetric warfare has also contributed to use of direct actions[14].

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Another change in the external environment is information warfare. Countries have used information to fight other countries and weaken them. For example, the countries have used technology to destroy communication systems in other countries like United States. Countries like United States have taken advantage of the technology and exploited the weaknesses of the enemies. The countries have taken advantage of the technology to improve its military capabilities. This has made it easy for the country to prevent asymmetric threats that are created by the enemies. Also, the countries have used information technology to overcome information warfare and provide training to the staff.

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The United States government opted to increase the number of troops in the Afghanistan after the September 11^th attack so as to overcome insecurity issues in the country. The country increased the number of troops so as to achieve the objectives. The united states president used the tactics used in the Vietnam war to fifth the enemies during the Afghanistan war. He increased the number of military troops in Vietnam War so as to provide quality services. Also, the president has applied the same principle in Afghanistan war so as to overcome the enemies. The number of troops send to Afghanistan has tripled for the last two years. The special operations force is supposed to use direct military force when providing foreign internal defense. The unit is supposed to use other measures to solve problems in various countries. The special operations force is supposed to use material resources and its leaderships to overcome political, social and economic problems.[15].

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The special operations force does not use non military ways to solve economic, political and insecurity issues in the countries. Mostly, the special operations force uses military forces to help the countries. For instance, the United States government uses military mechanisms in Afghanistan and Vietnam to overcome insecurity. The use of direct actions in Afghanistan and Vietnam war is a clear indication that the special operations force focuses mainly on military mechanisms to destroy the target. The Special operations force is expected to provide resources like materials, advisors and trainers to support the operations in the countries. The United States government encourages the US special operations force to provide the resources listed above. The special operations force can only military forces when it wants to achieve its own objectives or if the host nation requests. During this time the US special operations can provide military forces to combat the situation. The threats from the external environment have changed how the special operations force is supposed to offer foreign internal defense[16].

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US SOF Direct actions against Afghanistan insurgents

Afghanistan is a good example of the effects of asymmetric threats  to united states and how united states used  direct action to overcome the threat. The United States Special operations force has used military force to kill insurgent leaders in Afghanistan. The special operations forced used the military activities to attack enemies in the country. The insurgent leaders in the country had cause insecurity in the country as they opposed the government. The direct actions used in Afghanistan were affective. This is according to a report released on the actions. The military official stated that they had killed a total of 186 insurgent leaders and captured them. In addition, the report showed that they had detained a total of 925 surgeons. The military officials used explosive devices it attack the enemies. This resulted to death of insurgent leaders in the country. The explosive devices reduced the attack from the Taliban in the country. The United States government used weapons, technology to improve its military capabilities and fight the Afghanistan[17].

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The United States special operations force and other commanding units in Afghanistan have acquired tactics to use in the war. The special operations force caries out raids at night to exploit and kill the targets. Also, the social operations force has decided to use the insurgents to gather information about the targets. The US special operations force has been able to capture the enemies because of advances in technology that has helped overcome information warfare and improve its military capabilities Asymmetric warfare. [18].

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The asymmetric warfare has had adverse effects on United States and it has adopted new tactics to help it conquer the enemies. For example, the country adopted the training program, intelligence to exploit the enemies. Apart from using direct action in Afghanistan, direct action was also used during the Vietnam War and the gulf war. The political and military leaders in the country confronted the targets[19].

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The military force used air power to deploy the target, but it did not prove defective. This forced the military forces and political leaders to seek help from the special operations force. The special operations force carried out reconnaissance operations to detect the targets. The special operations force went to HO Chi Minh trail to search for truck parks and the storage areas. The special operations force made it easy for the United States government to win the Vietnam War. The tactics used during the Vietnam War were also used during the Afghanistan war. Most people claim that the United States government played similar roles in the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan war. The United States government employed military forces and other resources in the Vietnam and Afghanistan war. The government increased the troops in the country so as to get good results. Most people claim that the increase in troops in Afghanistan and Vietnam played an important role in detecting the target and destroying its targets. Also, the government used financial resources and technology to overcome the enemies[20].

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Countries like Iraq have adopted technologies to create weapons. The countries have become a major threat to the United States. They have made the country prone to terrorist activities. The United States special operations force has used training to improve its tactics. The special operations force has provided training to the police in Afghanistan. It has also trained people in the village to become village security force. The US special operations force provided training to the police in Afghanistan to reduce the attrition rate and improve the performance of the unit. The police in Afghanistan are trained how to fight the enemies so as to help the unit fight the enemies. Also, the special operations force formed partnership with afghan national civil order police units. The force wants to use the police to get more information about the enemies. The special operations force has decided to put the police on a red amber green training cycle. This will help the police become more competent and get employed in the target areas. The cycles provide the police with enough education and training opportunities[21].

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Also, the Special operations force has established a program to train militias in the village. The program is aimed at equipping, organizing and training military officials in the village. The military officials will be placed in the target areas and supervised by the chiefs. The special operations force will coordinate all the training activities and place the militia in the respective areas. The local military officials are supposed to attack the Taliban’s so as to weaken their attacks. This will help overcome insecurity issued[22].

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Conclusion

In conclusion, the asymmetric warfare has contributed a lot to the change of special operations force mission. The asymmetric threats have affected the external environment. For example, the massive destruction of weapons, information warfare and terrorism have contributed to the change of the external environment. They have affected the security, communication and economy in the country. The United States has used technology to improve the duties of the special operations force. The technology has helped overcome information warfare, weapons and terrorism. The United States government used military and financial resources during the Vietnam and Afghanistan war to win. It also used the technology and training to defeat other countries. The special operations force played an important role in the Vietnam and Afghanistan war. They helped identify the targets. The asymmetric war has changed the mission of the special operations force.

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The special operations force is supposed to provide foreign internal defense. The special operations force provides foreign internal defense through various units. The units have special skills that enable them to provide foreign internal defense. For example, the units have undergone training on language and culture. This makes it easy for the organizations to interact with other countries. Also, the special operations force provides direct action services. The role of special operations force in direct action has become a critical issue. Most people think that the asymmetric warfare has shifted the role of the special operations force from foreign internal defense to direct action. The unit has provided direct action in different wars. For example, the special operations force used direct action in Afghanistan and Vietnam War. The special operations force used military forces to destroy and capture the targets.

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The unit mostly employed raid and ambush to destroy the targets. For example, in Afghanistan and Vietnam War the military officials were required to detect the target and destroy. Also, the special operations force used training to exploit the target. The special operations force trained militia in the community and the police on how to attack the targets and destroy them. The militias were later deployed into the target areas so as to fight the enemies. The militia also provided information about the target. They provided information that was used in fighting the target and developing the tactics. The asymmetric warfare tactics were developed using the information collected. Also, the special operations force used the technology to develop weapons and other tactics to fight the enemy. The United States   special operations force used explosive devices to attack the targets. This made it easy to kill the target and capture them. Hence, the mission of special operations force has changed for the last two decades as it is mostly involved in direct actions, but foreign internal defense.

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Reference

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Conroy, K. & Andradé, D. Spies and Commandos: How America Lost the Secret War in North Vietnam. University of Kansas Press: Lawrence, KS. 2000

Dinter, Heinz Jr., MAJ, USA, Thesis on U.S. Special Forces Roles in Asymmetric Warfare, FortLeavenworth: Kansas, 2001.

FM 3-05.130, Army Special Operations Forces Unconventional Warfare, September 2008.

Leebaert, Derek, To Dare & To Conquer: Special Operations and the Destiny of Nations, from Achilles to Al Qaeda, Back Bay Books: New York, 2006

Nagl, John A., Learning to Eat Soup With A Knife: Counterinsurgency lessons from malaya to Vietnam, University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 2002.

H.A.S.C. No. 109-55 Special Operations Command: Transforming for the Long war, March 2006

Pushies, F.J.The complete book of U.S. Special Operations Forces. Zenith Imprint, 2004

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Rosenau,W.,United  states aorforce,Rand corporation and project air force (US).Special operations forces and elusive enemy ground targets: lessons from Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War, Issue 1408. Rand Corporation, 2001

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