By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2015 – Skill, precision, cultural
acuity, cutting-edge capability, flexibility, professionalism and teamwork
still are the hallmarks of America’s special operations community, Army Gen.
Joseph L. Votel said here today.
The commander of U.S. Special Operations Command left his
Tampa, Florida, headquarters to journey to a snowy nation’s capital to speak at
the National Defense Industry Association’s Special Operations and
Low-intensity Conflict Symposium.
“Our nation demands we have the people and capabilities to
achieve success in the most pressing national challenges we face,” Votel said.
The command is prepared to offer options to U.S. leaders across the range of
special operations missions, he added.
The command naturally has a global focus, the general said,
but works with regional combatant commands to fill in the seams. He used the
foreign fighter problem as an example, saying the number of foreign fighters
going to Syria and Iraq to fight with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
is “staggering.”
“More than 19,000 foreign fighters from 90 different
countries have travelled to Syria and Iraq,” he said. “Their ideology is
overpowering.”
ISIL Attracts Followers From Around the Globe
The terror group is attracting followers from around the
globe, and the ISIL leaders are seeking legitimacy as a new caliphate, a form
of Islamic rule. “Socom is playing a critical, leading role in pulling together
our military efforts, both within the U.S. and with international partners --
for this global fight,” Votel said.
The nexus of terrorism and transnational criminal networks
concern the general, as does the rise of Boko Haram in Nigeria. The world’s
nations still are attempting to deal with the changes that arose from the Arab
Spring, Votel said. “[And] a resurgent Russia is now employing coercive
techniques against its neighbor using [special operations] forces, other
clandestine capabilities, information operations, other cyber operations and
groupings of ethnic proxies and surrogates to drive wedges into our key allies
in East Europe,” he added.
These threats and others have to be dealt with at a time
when Defense Department funding is constrained, Votel noted, adding that any
cuts to service budgets will adversely affect Special Operations Command and
the capabilities needed to combat these threats.
Ensuring Readiness
One command priority is ensuring readiness, the general
said. “This is about getting the right people with the right skills and
capabilities now and in the future,” he explained.
Communications remain a readiness priority, and Votel said
he foresees a totally interconnected and networked force by 2020. “Like the
threat networks we face, our unity of effort is directly correlated to our connectedness
-- to information, to our partners and to the chain of command,” he said.
Aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems
remain a priority to the command as well.
Another command priority is focused months before the “tip
of the spear” begins an operation, Votel said, as special operations forces are
key to preventing conflicts. “It is about understanding the environment. It is
about developing relationships. It’s about informing our broader military
activities. It’s about building partner capacity and advising and assisting
others so they can meet their own national objectives,” the general said.
This is happening in Afghanistan, in Iraq, the Middle East
and Africa, he said, and he cited the Philippines as a case in point. Special
operators have been in the country since 2002, working with Philippine military
and law enforcement personnel to counter the terrorist threat. This patient,
small-footprint approach has paid dividends to the Philippines and to the
United States, Votel said.
Continuing to Build Relationships
Continuing to build relationships is yet another priority
for the command, the general said. “We must eliminate the institutional
friction that exists between us and our conventional force, international,
interagency and intelligence community partners,” he said.
Socom has relationships with 60 countries around the globe,
Votel said, adding that he would like to see that expanded and strengthened.
Special Operations Command must plan for the future, looking
at all data to determine what is happening and what will be needed, the general
said, noting that demographic changes, technological advances and even climate
change must be thought through. This calls for critical and innovative thinking
and communicating that thinking to the force as a whole, he said.
But most important, he said, is taking care of the command’s
people so they can take care of their mission.
“In the end, people are our credentials,” the general said.
“We must put their short- and long-term well-being, and that of their families,
first.”
The command will leverage every service program to ensure
that special operators and their families are mentally, physically, socially
and spiritually prepared for the challenges ahead of them, Votel said.
“They have kept faith with us, and we will keep faith with
them,” he added.
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