Special operations
Special operations or spec ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment."[1] Special operations may include reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counterterrorism, and are typically conducted by small groups of highly trained personnel, emphasizing sufficiency, stealth, speed, and tactical coordination, commonly known as special forces.
History
Australia
In
They continued to act independently and were often assigned at the brigade level during the later stages of the war, taking part in the fighting in New Guinea,
Poland
On 20 September 1940 the Polish government in exile in London formed a special military unit in Britain with the soldiers called
Previous to the formation of the
Japan
The
However, as with similar airborne units created by the
Some 750 men from the 2nd Raiding Brigade, of this group were assigned to attack American air bases on Luzon and Leyte on the night of 6 December 1944. They were flown in Ki-57 transports, but most of the aircraft were shot down. Some 300 commandos managed to land in the Burauen area on Leyte. The force destroyed some planes and inflicted casualties before they were destroyed.[citation needed]
United States
The decade 2003–2012 saw U.S. national security strategy rely on special operations to an unprecedented degree. Identifying, hunting, and killing terrorists became a central task in the
Indeed, that raid was organized and overseen by Admiral William H. McRaven, who was both a student and practitioner of special operations, having published a thesis on them in the 1990s. McRaven's theory of special operations was that they had the potential to achieve significant operational, political, or strategic effects. This potential required such units to be organized and commanded by special operations professionals rather than being subsumed into larger military units or operations, and required that "relative superiority" be gained during the special operation in question via characteristics such as simplicity, security, rehearsals, surprise, speed, and clearly but narrowly defined purpose.[11]
Others claimed that special operations' emphasis precipitated a misconception that it was a substitute for prolonged conflict. "Raids and drone strikes are rarely decisive tactics and often incur significant political and diplomatic costs for the United States. Although raids and drone strikes are necessary to disrupt dire and imminent threats... special operations leaders readily admit that they should not be the central pillar of U.S. military strategy."[10] Instead, special operations advocates stated that grand strategy should include their "indirect approach", suggesting that "the ability to operate with a small footprint and low-visibility, invest time and resources to foster interagency and foreign partnerships, develop deep cultural expertise, and rapidly adapt emerging technologies" was vital for maintaining deterrence and countering aggression.[12] "Special operations forces forge relationships that can last for decades with a diverse collection of groups: training, advising, and operating alongside other countries' militaries, police forces, tribes, militias or other information groups."[10]
Countries and units with special operation focus
Canada
Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) is a command of the Canadian Armed Forces. It is responsible for all special forces operations responding to terrorism and threats to Canadians and Canadian interests around the world.[13]
Canada's tier one unit is
Ireland
The Army Ranger Wing is the special operations unit of the Defence Forces (Ireland).
Jordan
Poland
Special Troops Command (Pol.: Wojska Specjalne) is the fourth military branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland which includes the unit Grom and was officially formed in early 1990 after the fall of communism in 1989, in which the Polish Special Forces were first deployed into the conflict in Lebanon.[16] The conflict in Lebanon was the first official battlefield experience in post-communist times.
Türkiye
The
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a directorate comprising the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, the Special Forces Support Group, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment and the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing, as well as the supporting No. 47 Squadron.[17][18][19][20][21] In UK law, "special forces" means those units of the armed forces of the Crown and the maintenance of whose capabilities is the responsibility of the director of special forces or which are for the time being subject to the operational command of that director.[22]
The British Army and the Royal Marines also have special operations-capable forces that do not form part of the UKSF, such as the Pathfinder Platoon,[23] 148 Meiktila Battery,[24] 4/73 Sphinx Battery,[25] and Mountain Leaders of the Brigade Patrol Troop and commando unit recce troops.[26]
The Army Special Operations Brigade was formed in 2021 and consists of four battalions of the Ranger Regiment. The formation is described as being "akin to that of the Special Forces Groups of the US Army Special Forces." The intention is that the brigade will be widely and actively deployable, including with the ability to train, advise and accompany the forces of partner countries, potentially in high-threat environments.[27]
United States
The
See also
- Airborne forces
- Covert operation
- Foreign internal defense
- Frogman
- List of military special forces units
- Long-range reconnaissance patrol
- Police tactical unit
- Special military operation
References
- ^ North Atlantic Treaty Organization (13 December 2013). "Allied Joint Doctrine for Special Operations". NATO Standard Allied Joint Publication. AJP-3.5 (Edition A, Version 1). Brussels: NATO Standardization Agency: 1.
- ^ Horner 1989, p. 21.
- ^ Horner 1989, pp. 22–6.
- ^ Horner 1989, p. 26.
- ^ Horner 1989, pp. 26–7.
- ^ "Cichociemni – the Silent Unseen. Elite soldiers of the Polish army during the Second World War". 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Everything you need to know about the Polish Special Unit GROM". Archived from the original on 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
- TheGuardian.com. 10 June 2016. Archivedfrom the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ "How Poland Rescued CIA Spies From Iraq in 1990". SOFREP. 15 September 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d Robinson, Linda (November–December 2012). "The Future of Special Operations: Beyond Kill and Capture". Foreign Affairs. 91 (6): 110–122.
- from the original on 2021-10-16. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
- ^ Bilms, Kevin (2021). "Past as Prelude? Envisioning the Future of Special Operations". The Strategy Bridge: 1. Archived from the original on 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- ^ "Canadian government website". Archived from the original on 2010-02-12. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ "JTF2/Special Forces". Canadian Foreign Policy Institute. Archived from the original on 2021-05-18. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ "Silent killers: Secrecy, security and JTF2". Archived from the original on 2021-04-25. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ "Everything you need to know about the Polish Special Unit GROM". Archived from the original on 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
- ^ Special Reconnaissance Regiment, publications.parliament.uk Archived 2010-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 February 2014
- ^ Elite special forces unit set up, BBC Archived 2022-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
- ^ "JSFAW – Responsibilities and Composition". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014.
- ^ "SAS(R)". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02.
- ^ "The secretive sister of the SAS". BBC. 16 November 2001. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
- ISBN 9781509922482. Archivedfrom the original on 2023-02-13. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ Read, Jamie (2019-04-02). "Breaking down the British elite forces: The Pathfinder Platoon". SOFREP. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ Read, Jamie (2019-03-25). "Breaking down the British elite forces: 148 (Meiktila) Battery Royal Artillery". SOFREP. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ Read, Jamie (2019-03-30). "Breaking down the British elite forces: 4/73 (Sphinx) Special Observation Post Battery Royal Artillery". SOFREP. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Brigade Reconnaissance Force | Brigade Patrol Troop". www.eliteukforces.info. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "New British Army brigade: reshaping UK special operations for the better?". IISS. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
Works cited
- Horner, David (1989). SAS: Phantoms of the Jungle: A History of the Australian Special Air Service (1st ed.). St Leonards: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-007-9.
Further reading
- Capt. Malcolm Brailey, The Transformation of Special Operations Forces in Contemporary Conflict: Strategy, Missions, Organisation and Tactics. Canberra, ACT: Land Warfare Studies Centre, Working Paper No. 127, 2005.
- Colin S. Gray, "Part III: Strategy and Special Operations", Explorations in Strategy. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996, pp. 139–232.
- William H. McRaven, Spec Ops: Case Studies of Special Operations Warfare; Theory and Practice. Novato, CA: Presidio, 1995.
- Linda Robinson, One Hundred Victories: Special Ops and the Future of American Warfare, New York: Public Affairs, 2013. ISBN 978-1-61039-149-8.