“BY, WITH, THROUGH” Understandably Reluctant to Commit National Blood and Treasure in Foreign Lands
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D R . E SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES mily S PENCER Following nearly a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan Westerners are tired of conflict and WITH, THROUGH” “BY, understandably reluctant to commit national blood and treasure in foreign lands. Arguably, there is a growing lack of national will everywhere for military engagements, which is underscored by a lack of resources, both human and financial. Nonetheless, and possibly even feeding on this state of affairs, there certainly is no lack of peril to which no nation is immune. In particular, geographic and geopoliti- cal boundaries are becoming increasingly less important to antagonists as is witnessed by the rise in transnational acts of aggression including terrorism, criminal activity and cyber-attacks. Nonetheless, the response to these acts of belligerence is often slowed – if not impeded – by national boundaries and capabilities, not least of which is the lack of national will to commit resources abroad. The concept of “By, With, Through” operations helps to mitigate these issues. Central to this approach, military assistance to allied and friendly nations is paramount in assuring a secure and stable world. Whether conducting operations “by” us (namely the Western nations) for those states without the necessary capability, or “with” those countries to secure their borders, the goal is, in the end, to work “through” those same countries by empowering them to conduct their own operations to secure their borders, with the ultimate goal of regional and international security. Special Operations Forces (SOF) by nature of their agile, unobtrusive and cost-effective profile represent the ideal force to lead such a response. Importantly, the concept, in its most effective form, allows for local solutions to potentially global problems and, as such, is not only a GLOBAL A SOF practical solution but a fiscal and sustainable one as well. “By, With, Through”: A SOF Global Engagement Strategy explores these issues from the perspectives of practitioners, strategists and academics. ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY ENGAGEMENT “BY, WITH, THROUGH” A SOF GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY EdITEd by: dR. EmIlY SpENCER “BY, WITH, THROUGH” “BY, WITH, THROUGH”: A SOF Global Engagement Strategy EDITED BY: Dr. Emily Spencer Copyright © 2014 Her Majesty the Queen, in right of Canada as represented by the Minister of National Defence. Canadian Defence Academy Press PO Box 17000 Stn Forces Kingston, Ontario K7K 7B4 Produced for the Canadian Defence Academy Press by 17 Wing Winnipeg Publishing Office. WPO31081 Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication “By, with, through”: a SOF global engagement strategy / edited by Dr. Emily Spencer. Issued by: Canadian Defence Academy Press. Co-produced by: CANSOFCOM Professional Development Centre. Produced for the Canadian Defence Academy Press by 17 Wing Winnipeg Publishing Office. Available also on the Internet. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-100-25172-1 (bound) ISBN 978-1-100-25171-4 (pbk.) Cat. no.: D2-337/2-2014E (bound) Cat. no.: D2-337/1-2014E (pbk.) 1. Military assistance, Canadian. 2. Canada. Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. 3. Special forces (Military science)--Canada. 4. Canada--Armed Forces. I. Spencer, Emily II. Canadian Defence Academy III. Canada. Canadian Armed Forces. Wing, 17 IV. Canada. Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. Professional Development Centre UA600 B99 2014 355’.0320971 C2014-980047-9 Printed in Canada. 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 The views expressed in this publication are entirely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or positions of the Government of Canada, the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces or any of its subordinate units or organizations, the United States Government, United States Department of Defense, United States Special Operations Command, or the Joint Special Operations University, or the editor. TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword Brigadier-General M.N. Rouleau ........... iii Introduction ...................................... v CHapTER 1 “By, With, Through”: A Historical Success Story Colonel Bernd Horn and Dr. Bill Knarr ....... 1 CHapTER 2 The Global SOF Network as an Enabler and Weapon System Colonel Bernd Horn .................... 39 CHapTER 3 Leveraging the Human Domain Lieutenant General (Ret) Frank Kisner ....... 51 CHapTER 4 Back to Basics: Old School Rules Dr. Emily Spencer ...................... 65 CHapTER 5 Political Guidance for “By, With, Through” Missions Greg Witol ........................... 81 CHapTER 6 Non-Traditional Partners: Strategic Utility and Risk Dr. Richard Rubright ................... 87 CHapTER 7 Non-Traditional Partnerships: Four Baskets and a Caution Dr. David Last ...................... 107 CHapTER 8 Choosing Partners and the Moral Responsibility of Consequence Dr. Mark Moyar ...................... 143 tablE OF CONTENTS CHapTER 9 Choosing Partners: Three Paradoxes for SOF in Foreign Internal Defence Missions Dr. M.A. Hennessy .................... 155 CHapTER 10 How Do We Determine Who Does What?: A Planner’s Perspective Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Vivian ........ 165 CHapTER 11 Ground Truth on Military Assistance: Perspectives from the Frontlines Dr. Emily Spencer ..................... 171 CHapTER 12 “Soldiering on the Margins”: Canadian SOF Moving Toward Interdependent Operations Dr. Howard G. Coombs ................. 183 Contributors .................................... 201 Glossary of Abbreviations .......................... 205 Index .......................................... 211 FORewoRD I am delighted to introduce the latest volume in the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) publication series. This book is based on the fourth annual Special Operations Forces (SOF) Symposium conducted jointly by CANSOFCOM and the United States Special Operations Command’s (US SOCOM’s) Joint Special Operations University (JSOU). Its subject, “‘By, With, Through’: A SOF Global Engagement Strategy,” is timely as the post-Afghanistan conflict period underscores the need to work within a whole of government approach and alongside allied and partnered nations. As an integral part of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the de- fence of Canada and its national interests is, and will always be, the primary focus of CANSOFCOM. Quite simply, I cannot envision a future CANSOF operation being done in isolation from a joint, combined or interagency framework. Indeed, it is through this combined synergy, underscored by the assistance and cooperation of allies, as well as friendly nations, where collective strength and resiliency is fully realized. This synergy is important to all na- tions. As the global security environment becomes increasingly more complex, chaotic and ambiguous, and as we are faced with sophisticated networks of those who would do us harm during a period of persistent conflict and hybrid warfare, Canada, its allies and partnered nations will take the necessary steps toward shap- ing a secure and stable world. I believe this process entails a continuing emphasis on military assistance and engagement to assist our friends and partners in creating the necessary security environment in fragile, threatened, failed or failing states. What the contemporary and future operat- ing environments likely mean for CANSOFCOM is that, in close co-operation with our traditional services, (particularly the Royal iii FOREWORD Canadian Air Force that has proven consistently invaluable in pro- viding responsive and agile air support), as well as our allies, and fully in support of Government of Canada (GoC) policies, we will continue to assist partner nations develop capabilities that will assist them in achieving improved internal security and stability. Key to this philosophical approach, and in accord with the subject of the December 2013 Symposium, military assistance to allied and friendly nations will be central to ensuring a secure and sta- ble world. Whether conducting operations “by” us (namely the Western nations) for those states without the necessary capability or “with” those countries to secure their borders, the goal is, in the end, to work “through” those same countries by empower- ing them to conduct their own operations to secure their borders, with the ultimate goal of regional and international security. This state, of course, reduces the need for costly military interventions by Western nations. Notably, to be able to achieve these goals CANSOF needs to con- tinue to build out its network of trust with those with whom we interact. I contend that trust is our lifeblood. In a changing world building trust within strong networks is a non-negotiable down- payment for inevitable contingency operations that CANSOFCOM will be called upon to undertake. “By, With, Through”: A SOF Global Engagement Strategy captures many of the themes central to the issue of military assistance and the “By, With, Through,” concept. It is intended to both inform and educate, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in defence related issues. M.N. Rouleau Brigadier-General Commander Canadian Special Operations Forces Command iv INTRODUCTION Special Operations Forces (SOF) perform a variety of tasks, both kinetic and non-kinetic, in order to further national interests at home and abroad. While the kinetic element is generally easy to imagine and fuels the stuff of Hollywood movies, the non-kinetic side, while perhaps less sexy, is arguably the bread and butter of SOF operations. In fact, non-kinetic activities