FEATURE ARTICLE

July 2005

Special Operators Seek Greater Cooperation From Foreign Forces

By Sandra I. Erwin

The U.S. Special Operations Command increasingly will focus on recruiting and training “surrogate” forces in countries where terrorists are known to thrive, officials said.

Congress last year appropriated $25 million for SOCOM to kick-start efforts to help boost the military capabilities of countries that have weak governments, but nevertheless are viewed by the United States as necessary allies in the fight against Islamic extremists and other groups.

“As a nation, we must identify and address those ‘ungoverned spaces,’” said Thomas W. O’Connell, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict.

The funds will permit U.S. commandos to recruit and train “surrogate forces in areas that offer exceptional opportunities for success in the global war on terrorism,” O’Connell told the Senate armed services subcommittee on emerging threats and capabilities.

The legislation passed by Congress last year allows SOCOM to spend $25 million “during any fiscal year before fiscal year 2008 to provide support to foreign forces, irregular forces, groups, or individuals engaged in supporting or facilitating ongoing military operations by U.S. special operations combating terrorism.”

The specific countries that will receive training under this program have yet to be determined, said Wade Y. Ishimoto, a senior advisor to O’Connell. “The first priority is to look at those countries where we can get the biggest bang for the buck,” Ishimoto told National Defense. What that means, he explained, is “helping those countries build their capacity to deal with terrorism. In particular, those countries that are focused on fighting Islamic extremists.”

Most likely, he added, the “main emphasis will be on underdeveloped countries. Afghanistan will probably come out high on the list.”

One of the biggest lessons the United States has learned from fighting Al Qaeda, Ishimoto said, is “that we cannot do it all ourselves.” Special operations forces, for example, need other countries’ assistance in collecting intelligence and recruiting agents, he added. “When we can rely on a foreign liaison, it decreases our need for linguists, and increases our productivity.”

Securing cooperation from foreign nations is not easy, by any means, Ishimoto stressed. Particularly in parts of the world where poverty is rampant, U.S. forces have learned to appreciate the huge dividends that humanitarian assistance pays. A case in point is the Horn of Africa, a multi-nation area that includes Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Djibouti.

The U.S. military presence there amounts to a relatively small force of 1,400, and yet it has been quite successful in gathering valuable information about terrorists in the area, according to Ishimoto. Key to these efforts, he said, is the cooperation of the local population, and the U.S. forces’ ability to gain their trust. U.S. and other allied nations’ military units in the Horn of Africa help dig wells, build public works and provide veterinary and medical services, particularly in rural areas.

“In that part of the world, keeping one goat alive might mean milk for an entire extended family,” Ishimoto said. “They don’t have veterinaries. When we provide that service, we build a lot of goodwill … people express appreciation. That helps get intelligence about terrorists infiltrating villages.”

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