maritime counterterrorism;
boarding operations;
direct action (DA);
special recovery operations;
personnel recovery operations;
hostage rescue operations;
noncombatant evacuation operations;
material recovery operations;
special protection operations;
close personal protection;
special force protection;
sensitive site exploitation (SSE);
special reconnaissance;
irregular warfare;
military assistance;
stability activities;
counterinsurgency;
special aerospace warfare;
special operations air-land integration;
airborne reconnaissance and surveillance; and
airborne fire support.
Tasks set aside, it must be understood that the key component of SOF success is its people. SOF selection is a rigorous process that specifically seeks those that demonstrate a number of key attributes. Specifically, SOF looks for individuals who are:
1 Risk Accepting – Individuals who are not reckless, but rather carefully consider all options and consequences and balance the risk of acting versus the failure to act. They possess the moral and physical courage to make decisions and take action within the commander’s intent and their legal parameters of action to achieve mission success regardless of possible career consequences.
2 Creative – Individuals who are capable of assessing a situation and devising innovative solutions, kinetic or non-kinetic , to best resolve a particular circumstance. In essence, they have the intellectual and experiential ability to immediately change the combat process.
3 Agile Thinkers – Individuals who are able to transition between tasks quickly and effortlessly. They can perform multiple tasks at the same time — in the same place, with the same forces. They can seamlessly transition from kinetic to non-kinetic modes, or vice versa, employing the entire spectrum of military, political, social, and economic solutions to complex problems to achieve the desired outcomes. They can react quickly to rapidly changing situations, transitioning between widely different activities to ensure they position themselves to exploit fleeting opportunities. Moreover, they can work effectively within flexible rules of engagement (ROE) in volatile, ambiguous, and complex threat environments and use the appropriate levels of force.
4 Adaptive – Individuals who respond effectively to changing situations and tasks as they arise. They do not fear the unknown but embrace change as an inherent and important dynamic element in the evolution of organizations, warfare, and society.
5 Self-Reliant – Individuals who exercise professional military judgment and disciplined initiative to achieve the commander’s intent without the necessity of constant supervision, support, or encouragement. They accept that neither rank nor appointment solely defines responsibility for mission success. They can function cohesively as part of a team, but are also able to perform superbly as individuals. They will continue to carry on with a task until it is impossible to do so. They take control of their own professional development, personal affairs, and destiny, and strive to become the best possible military professional achievable. They demonstrate constant dedication, initiative, and discipline, and maintain the highest standards of personal conduct. They understand that they are responsible and accountable for their actions at all times, and always make the correct moral decisions, regardless of situation or circumstance.
6 Seeking Challenge – Individuals who have an unconquerable desire to fight and win. They have an unflinching acceptance of risk and a mindset that accepts that no challenge is too great. They are tenacious, and unyielding in their pursuit of mission success.
7 Consistently Pursuing Excellence – Individuals who consistently demonstrate an uncompromising, persistent effort to excel at absolutely everything they do. Their driving focus is to attain the highest standards of personal, professional, and technical expertise, competence, and integrity. They have an unremitting emphasis on continually adapting, innovating, and learning to achieve the highest possible standards of personal, tactical, and operational proficiency and effectiveness.
8 Relentlessly Pursuing Mission Success – Individuals who embody a belief that, first and foremost, the demand of service to country before self is fundamental to SOF and is practised to a higher level and order of magnitude that is normally practised in military organizations. They have an unwavering dedication to mission success and an acceptance of hardship and sacrifice. They strive to achieve mission success at all costs, yet within full compliance of legal mandates, civil law and the law of armed conflict.
9 Culturally Attuned – Individuals who are warrior-diplomats , who are comfortable fighting but attempt to find non-kinetic solutions to problems. They are capable of operating individually, in small teams, or larger organizations, integrally, or with allies and coalition partners. They are comfortable and adept at dealing with civilians, other governmental departments (OGD), and international organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They are culturally attuned and understand that it is important to “see reality” through the eyes of the other culture. They understand that it is not the message that was intended that is important, but rather the message that was received. They strive to be empathetic, understanding, and respectful at all times when dealing with others. They comprehend that respect and understanding build trust, credibility, and mission success.[3]
This pursuit of specific individuals who embody these attributes and characteristics has been the key to SOF efficacy throughout its history. After all, it is the specially trained and equipped operators who are capable and empowered to proactively, as well as reactively, take the necessary decisions and actions that ensure mission success. It is their courage, innovation, agility of thought, and individual and team capability that have always provided the secret behind SOF effectiveness. This record of excellence has generated five internationally accepted and espoused SOF “Truths” that speak to the nature of SOF and special operations.
1 Humans are more important than hardware . The SOF operator is the “core system” and the reason for mission success. In essence, SOF equips and enables the man; it does not man the equipment.
2 Quality is better than quantity . This truth is self-explanatory . In the end, effectiveness and special operations mission success are normally more dependent on the presence of qualified, specially trained, and experienced operators —agile in thought and action, culturally attuned, and adaptive, and creative in their response to changing, complex, or ambiguous situations — than on the number of actual boots on the ground.
3 SOF cannot be mass produced . The special selection and subsequent training, education, and experience that accumulate over time through the necessary practice, exercise, and operations to create the fully mature, insightful, reflective, and capable SOF operator take time, as well as dedicated resources and mentorship. There are no short cuts or easy methodologies for increasing output.
4 Competent
