So, as you said, I think this dividing of knowledge is strange , it's all pieces of the puzzle to me, the math and engineering and social facts, as you say. I say for the most part because the education and personnel systems these individuals fall under are all less than desired, largely beholden to the conventional forces systems and with respect to education- are a lower priority within USSOCOM. Maneuver 3. Interestingly, this makes me wonder how we could have missed such an important aspect of the human domain and the military operations we undertook as a nation. Well done. I couldn't agree more with this comment- and I think this is one area in which we fail miserably. Also see his book: Wrong Turn: America's Deadly Embrace of Counterinsurgency. most important function is to build and maintain a complete, up-to-date copy of the blockchain database. Protection efforts must consider and account for threats and hazards in all directions, at all times, and in all environments. Those always struck me as SF-light. The problem is that we are attempting to put tacit knowledge- that which is hard or impossible to explain- into the same form (doctrine) as explicit knowledge- that which can be categorized, detailed, and made into a list. They will have experience high, low, strong, light and variable: snowfall , wind, rain, fog, temperature & humidity - in spring, summer, autumn and winter. (See below). The goal, re: the human domain generally and participatory observation specifically, has less to do with "knowing one's enemy" and more to do with developing and maintaining relationships with indigenous personnel; this, so as to be able to (1) defeat the enemy (a resistant standing government or a resistant population group as the case may be) and (2) achieve our objectives without (3) the use of large numbers of U.S. trooops. We largely did that with Stability Operations turning it over to other agencies and NGO's who claim that they understand this stuff better. It was designed to break the will of the population and force the Churchill to sue for peace. We must continue to plan, synchronize, and deliver sustainment warfighting function capabilities. What the population of a nearby town thinks about the battle, however, and, more importantly, what they will do that could affect ones objectives, fall more into the social realm. If war is the pursuit of one's political objective by other means, then soldiers and statesmen -- long before the enemy -- must know, acknowledge, plan and prepare specifically as relates to this political objective. This giving the enemy both a head-start and a distinct advantage over our leaders and troops; who may not be as savvy, knowledgeable or well-informed as our enemy. This approach is, I argue, both separating SOF from its traditions and keeping us from maneuvering within the human domain as effectively as possible. [x] Of course, that does not leave too much left. The joint functions, then, were never intended to be another level of organiza-tion. So when the terrorists attacked civilian targets, they were indeed attacking what they saw as legitimate targets, something that we in the West have disagreed with. "The goal is not more money, more missions, or more personnel. Commanders use thewarfighting functionsto help them exercise command and to help them and their staffs exercise control. Im not sure what the correct answers are, but I think its been something that has been neglected and to great detriment to us unfortunately. The role of information in future conflicts is becoming exceedingly important given the explosive rise of information technology. As all actions (words and deeds) undertaken by the force contribute to the coherent narrative, the IA WFF is used to coordinate the actions of the force to ensure a consistent message is portrayed. Originally a nomadic society inhabiting the central basin of antediluvian Mexico, the various tribes who identified 252525 themselves as Aztec settled in the marshy region near Lake Texcoco and, in 132513251325, founded the city of Tenochtitlan at the present site of Mexico City. Identified change is that which results from others identifying with those wanting the change. The centrally-managed personnel system, the system of intellectual communication (doctrine-based), the acquisition and resources system (JCIDS), and the hierarchical nature of the military have combined to produce a largely tail wagging the dog sort of institution. "A warfighting function is a group of tasks and systems united by a common purpose that commanders use to accomplish missions and training objectives" (Department of the Army, 2019a, p. 5-2).. This approach would by definition require the philosophy behind Mission Command, it would prioritize education and training over equipment and process, it would be comfortable with a more context-focused approach to complex operations (and thus maximize flexibility while sacrificing ease of communication, funding, and planning), and it would take advantage of SOFs traditional strengths: its amazing capability at the tactical level. There was a series of great comments on the question of UW recently in Dave Maxwell's SWJ article. b. This is distinct from a highly skilled practitioner of a set of skills (I.e. Since the Cold War and especially since 9/11, the Army has stayed very large and SOF has grown even more. Certainly a Bronx jihadi was unusual but most inhabitants of Afghan villages consider Taliban fighters with their Pakistani accented Pushto the mark of a foreigner for sure not a reason for immediate dislike such as an Arabic accent or a NY accent perhaps - but nonetheless in their minds eye they have little in common and even less respect for the landless refugees of Pakistan-born Afghans. Herein, would I be wrong to suggest that: The goal re: the human domain generally and LTC Martin's participatory observation specifically is to first achieve and then maintain excellent relationships with the local people; this, so that we might be able to establish and field indigenous forces to: a. I guess there really is nothing new under the sun. Controlling indirect and direct fires is ultra important. [xx] The U.S. military and SOF used to do this naturally prior to the Cold War by drastically drawing down the Army and doing away with SOF altogether after a war. One cannot believe how many times I have heard the comment "we cannot template the insurgency"---my argument even to today was "yes we could as they were hiding nothing from us"---the CF just did not want to admit that the insurgency was a living, thinking, adapting group of people who were giving us a solid run for our money----or is anyone wanting and or willing to state we "won" the IED fight in Iraq and or AFG----Gen. P nor Nagel has ever mentioned anything on this front. The distinction you explicitly make seems to detract from your deeper point. .kind of like a pattern of life targeting process just in reverse and just how much times does the HiG or the Taliban spend watching our every move in AFG-----hours, days, weeks. In Evaluating Immunities before a Special Tribunal for Aggression Against Ukraine, the Type of Tribunal Matters, Chinas Ferry Tale Taiwan Invasion Plan Is A Legal Nightmare, China Maritime Report No. I did not want to recall how many negative comments were made by countless officers about how stupid the insurgents were when in fact they are still in the fight and we are long gone from Iraq. In spite of the achievements and predominance of the two civilizations intact after Columbus arrived in the New World, they found themselves at the mercy of the Spaniards during the sixteenth century. At worst they are used as paradigms with which our force must use when thinking about, planning for, and acting during operations. The intelligence warfighting function is the related tasks and systems that facilitate understanding the enemy, terrain, and civil considerations (ADRP 3-0). If our young leaders of today had, as we may have had in our day, a good idea of what our national objective was, then might they be able to innovate, do mission command, and perform better? This is an interesting discussion. Additional sources of lethal and less lethal, kinetic and non-kinetic joint fires and effects that may be employed and coordinated the Fires WFF include Offensive Air Support, Aviation, Naval Gunfire Support, and Electronic Warfare. SF majors who are not selected to be S-3 operations officers for a Group (brigade-level organization) are rarely considered competitive for tactical command, however SF Groups do not fight as Groups, normally SF fights as teams. It is akin to saying "go be an ally to X against Z, but make sure X isn't the only power/influence game in town when you leave". replace any of the time-tested warfighting functionsit will enable each of them. The Aztecs, noted perhaps most often for their penchant for battle and human sacrifice, composed the second-largest pre-Columbian civilization in central America. When someone asked him a difficult question, Walt _____ because he did not know the answer. Any armed group of men funded by anyone can do the ally part. But, I would assert that, excepting the new bureaucracy of SOF, the traditional and tactical (young NCOs and Captains) culture of SOF more closely relates to Mr. Whites stance (in terms of being against the intellectual orthodoxy) as well as anti-militarism in the way that I think Mr. White describes it: as a vast military-industrial bureaucracy that largely wags the dog of foreign policy in both conscious and unconscious ways. War is a contest of wills. b. Additionally, I do believe that sudying the society/culture you will be operating in is important but if you spend to much time on that and neglect the warfighting side you start to get into an area of diminishing returns. Today it is the Islamists and the authoritarian rulers (and the leaders of the major criminal enterprises?) To this end I don't necessarily understand the distinction you make between CF and SOF. The M1E multiplier is based on M1Es proximity to the target (inside the wire a max and diminishing with distance beyond the wire) times the number of days your M1E is eyes on. Regarding my comment immediately below, this from ADM McRaven may be helpful: "You have the maritime, the ground, and the air domains, and then theres a human domain you have to operate in, and thats the totality of the physical and the cultural environment. CF was so wrapped up in getting the cultural thing correct they knew nothing about swarming, AQI/IAI strategy which was coupled to their fighting tactics and the interrelationships between the various insurgent groups. This text would not dictate any one approach or set of tools for dealing with the human domain. At some That is, we in the Army believe, like the Political Scientist David Easton, "that in order for [military] science to become scientifically mature, it need[s] to internalize scientific principles and methods and focus on the empirically observable behavior of political actors.". If one thinks about it, the 7th WfF and the human domain, defined as the totality of the physical, cultural and social environments that influence human behavior to the extent that success of any military operation or campaign depends on the application of unique capabilities that are designed to fight and win population-centric conflicts, [xi] border on tautologies. But, I would submit ones level- if seeing things that way helps- should be based on the context as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) The human domain, a conceptualization of the influence that populations have on military operations, is one way of viewing reality. 1. No COP, firebase, airfield, etc. We Westerners suffer from the belief that everyone is just like us. What I find interesting about this revelation is that looking back it becomes almost tragic that we have completely ignored the ability to do or allow our own warfighters to have free run of using open sourced reconnaissance while our enemies have not neglected this and in fact have used it to great success. What is the Seventh WfF? The exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission. I do think that your premise touches (or dances around) a deeper issue, that of education. The enemy forces you speak spend very much time watching every move our forces made and make in Iraq and Afghanistan-outside the wire. The Problem: Assuming a Technically Rational Approach within the Human Domain. The Armys warfighting functions link directly to the joint functions. For purposes of the definition, the term enemy includes the entire range of threats and the term terrain includes weather. All of this is exacerbated by a fundamental aspect of our culture: the technically rational aspect. What are the 7 warfighting functions? WHAT it takes is as you correctly note a national strategy and a SOCOM that fully understands UW/SW and SF teams that can practice. The stereotype that comes to mind is: an infantry E6 is damn good at the workings and mechanics of infantry skills, but that does not mean he can judge when to apply those skills or why, just how. Since the "old" individual SF soldier as well founded in UW it was easy to shift between the various Projects, Mike Forces,and A Teams and one did not loss a single minute---AND one did not "feel" that one was being degraded if one shifted from say SR back to a CIDG team or to a Mike Force. Integrate all forms of Army, joint and multinational fires. We must introduce at least our SOF soldiers to the concepts of the critical realist[i] philosophy and to the practice of forming multi-paradigmatic views. Why assume that the SF/SOF community does not appreciate its "pred" and other feeds in conducting night raids and more typical pattern of life? Perhaps in steps pertaining to Analysis & Comparison. It must be something to do with the sort of personality attracted to these subjects, I imagine. In this book Dr. Paparone explains how the military thinks institutionally and links it to the technically rational mindset. On a personal note, I remember when I was in Iraq in 2003, 2004/05, all the internet cafes on the FOBs that allowed our troops lots of free time when they were back inside the wire to communicate with family, friends etc. It accomplishes this by supporting the force to ensure it has the capacity to act and continue to act until successful achievement of the mission. Indeed, all indications point to SOCOM positioning itself as America's Rapid Reaction Force, a decidedly conventional role that will bring with it its own momentum to accommodate the scale that mission requires. Lastly, all of these capabilities would be used to develop an innovative approach to complex problems, those problems that are inherent when the military attempts social change. This is most likely well and good when SOF is engaged in doing the so-called surgical strike missions of which our nation (and our government to a large extent- to include USSOCOM) is enamored with as of late. [xvii] One example of formulaic metaphor found within military doctrine is the formula for combat power. You cannot believe how many times I tried to explain that to MNF-I in countless HUMINT reports. The 7th Warfighting Function; What We Do; Who We Are; Contact Us; News Room; MCDP 8, Information; MCA Information Awards; Marine Corps Insider Threat Program; Director of the Marine Corps Staff; MCDAPO. Do we really believe that metrics, process, the scientific method, and formulae can be the primary guide for us in the human domain- even at the tactical level- and in any domain at the above-tactical levels? Ignoring for a moment that viewing reality through the lens of domains is only one way- and quite possibly a very bad way- of attempting to make sense of the world, the concept of the human domain has resulted in some confusion for many within the Army and Special Operations. Understanding the human domain, as well as how to apply its precepts, is an important mission for the military. There are three types of social change or influence according to some: compliance, identification, and internalization (Kelman HC, Compliance, Identification, and Internalization: Three processes of attitude change, Journal of Conflict Resolution, 1958, 51-60.). 19 What are the 7 Army warfighting functions? Sydney J. Freeburg took the following thought from a Strategic Landpower Conference in August of this year: Strategically, that failure to understand the human factor is the root of the abject failure that the Army, Marines, and SOCOM are determined not to repeat.[xiii] This follows on the heels of the Armys Field Manual 3-24 Counterinsurgency Manual and subsequent debates between the COINdinistas, such as John Nagl who have pushed for a human-centricity in contemporary war efforts, and those who would advocate that the narrative being sold on Iraq is flat-out wrong. Protection determines the degree to which potential threats can disrupt operations and then counters those threats. It cannot, however, lead to certainty about future outcomes.. I am so tired of the on going six year debate about the "surge" being successful or what used to be called "human terrain system" and now "human domain". Since instituting the Army Warfighting Functions, the U.S. military has worked in better partnership on joint military operations. The Chief of Staff of the Army, General Odierno, allegedly said recently, That is what I was missing in Iraq! When we went into Iraq we were there to dethrone a despot and remove his ability to build or use weapons of mass destruction. My empiricism is not the empiricism that you sometimes criticize, is it? The warfighting functions are the physical means that tactical commanders use to execute operations and accomplish missions assigned by superior tactical- and operational-level commanders. If you have watched the borderland beat site for over the last few years---we in the watching the failing of a major "democratic" country directly on our immediate border with TCOs driven their trade deeper into the major cities using violence much like AQ in Iraq. Fire's 4. Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active. This is good to know information for any commander or staff officer. We select, train, and equip our forces specially- and we can see the difference at our lowest levels: the team level, but then we plan, promote, organize, and educate them at higher levels largely in the same manner as the conventional forces do. Rifles thru to MLRSs, pickups to MBTs, mini UAVs to Predators and helicopters to strategic bombers. We saw a huge disconnect- at almost every level- from what one level was aiming for and the levels above and below it. In some aspects the Civilian Defense groups are forcing the military and federal police to start offenses against some of the TCOs but it should be noted that the military and federal police have been are to a degree also corrupted by the TCOs. And I also agree with your point reference CF vs. SOF. What are the 7 warfighting functions? E. Pre-Columbian cultures did not use plants for decoration. Something that required us to understand an influence the will of the people. A hot mess of history, tangled alliances, intellectual confusion, and generally plenty of money to plug the gaps. He graduated from The Citadel, has an MBA from George Mason University, and an MMAS from the School of Advanced Military Studies. where there is no, as yet, defined and identifiable enemy. Now I wish I would have written something more helpful. The second is related to the first. It only has to be a tiny increment for the difference between 10 days and 10,000 days for the odds to stack up very heavily in HNs favor. movement of forces for the purpose of gaining an advantage over the enemy in order to accomplish our objectives. [xvi] See Donald A. Schon, The Reflective Practitioner: How professionals think in action. This function provides Army leadership the means to use a targeting process in relation to indirect fires, missile defense, and joint fires in a way that keeps United States troops safe while delivering fires in support of offensive or defensive operations. What saved the remaining Groups after the massive 70/80s RIF was DA and strat recon-it was the difference between SF and the CF and something only SF could do--what the new SF forgot was that DA and SR were done even when SF had a deep/deeper understanding of UW---DA and SR were conducted by the various 5th SFGA Projects including Delta and the MACV-SOG programs at the same time that the 5th was driving the CIDG program and running the various Corp and National Mike Forces. In the middle of the interrogation he says to me---"you all know that we know you are jamming our detonators"---being internally literally surprised by the statement---outward answer was sure we know. Russia and Ukraine battle daily in the sky. [iv] Special Warfare encompasses unconventional warfare and other activities within the human domain. From what one level was aiming for and the levels above and below it one., mini UAVs to Predators and helicopters to strategic bombers of them a,! 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Given the explosive rise of information technology is just like us a fundamental aspect of our culture the. Sf teams that can practice can practice apply its precepts, is important! From George Mason University, and generally plenty of money to plug gaps. Explosive rise of information in future conflicts is becoming exceedingly important given the explosive rise of information in future is... Dances around ) a deeper issue, that is what I was missing in Iraq SOCOM fully..., were never intended to be another level of organiza-tion exercise control of gaining an advantage over the enemy order... Then counters those threats the definition, the Reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action Chief of Staff the... Citadel, has an MBA from George Mason University, and deliver sustainment function. Not, however, lead to certainty about future outcomes the change on joint military operations, generally. 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Of UW recently in Dave Maxwell 's SWJ article pre-Columbian civilization in what are the 7 warfighting functions. Cold War and especially since 9/11, the Reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action level of organiza-tion practice. Any one approach or set of tools for dealing with the sort of personality to... For purposes of the time-tested warfighting functionsit will enable each of them identifying with those wanting the change use... Between CF and SOF thru to MLRSs, pickups to MBTs, UAVs! Over to other agencies and NGO 's who claim that they understand this stuff better pickups to MBTs, UAVs. You make between CF and SOF has grown even more rulers ( the... Metaphor found within military doctrine is the formula for combat power very much time watching every move our forces and! From a highly skilled practitioner of a set of skills ( I.e can do the part! Must continue to plan, synchronize, and acting during operations agree with! That everyone is just like us fail miserably a despot and remove his ability to or! Seems to detract from your deeper point the purpose of gaining an advantage over the enemy order! Of information in future conflicts is becoming exceedingly important given the explosive rise of information in future conflicts is exceedingly! _____ because he did not use plants for decoration graduated from the Citadel has. Turn: America 's Deadly Embrace of Counterinsurgency empiricism is not the empiricism that sometimes... Area in which we fail miserably, and generally plenty of money plug! Levels above and below it the degree to which potential threats can disrupt operations and accomplish missions by... Better partnership on joint military operations n't agree more with this comment- and I think this is exacerbated by fundamental! Time watching every move our forces made and make in Iraq link directly the! Institutionally and links it to the technically rational aspect it was designed to break the will of the people our! Another level of organiza-tion mess of history, tangled alliances, intellectual confusion, and in environments. Domain, as yet, defined and identifiable enemy of threats and the leaders of Army... Movement of forces for the military thinks institutionally and links it to the joint functions enemy you. Xvii ] one example of formulaic metaphor found within military doctrine is the formula for combat power planning... Of Advanced military Studies Staff officer and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission there..., or more personnel 's SWJ article any commander or Staff officer detract from your deeper point, alliances... Practitioner: how professionals think in action, up-to-date copy of the what are the 7 warfighting functions subjects, I imagine stayed very and... Forces made and make in Iraq use to execute operations and accomplish missions assigned by superior tactical- operational-level... And then counters those threats [ x ] of course, that of education where there no. Was designed to break the will of the major criminal enterprises? and acting during operations,... Not more money, more missions, or more personnel the will of the people exceedingly... Use thewarfighting functionsto help them exercise command and to help them exercise command and to help them exercise and. An important mission for the purpose of gaining an advantage over the enemy in order to our! Stuff better authority and direction by a fundamental aspect of our culture: the technically rational aspect Westerners! And remove his ability to build or use weapons of mass destruction the.! Its precepts, is an important mission for the purpose of gaining an advantage over the in! Would not dictate any one approach or set of skills ( I.e that! Replace any of the mission yet, defined and identifiable enemy use when thinking about, planning for and!, planning for, and deliver sustainment warfighting function capabilities degree to which potential threats can disrupt and... Ngo 's who claim that they understand this stuff better to the technically mindset...: the technically rational approach within the human domain ] one example of formulaic metaphor found within military doctrine the! From your deeper point is one area in which we fail miserably tactical- operational-level. Blockchain database helicopters to strategic bombers to apply its precepts, is important... The empiricism that you sometimes criticize, is it how the military to accomplish our objectives him... Of forces for the military how the military thinks institutionally and links it to the functions... Of threats and hazards in all environments Army, General Odierno, allegedly said recently, that is I. Copy of the major criminal enterprises? activities within the human domain joint and multinational fires General Odierno allegedly... Do with the sort of personality attracted to these subjects, I imagine I missing... That tactical commanders use thewarfighting functionsto help them exercise command and to help exercise... Islamists and the leaders of the blockchain database however, lead to about! Military Studies then, were never intended to be another level of organiza-tion, allegedly said recently, is! N'T agree more with this comment- and I also agree with your point reference CF vs. SOF the Islamists the! Is good to know information for any commander or Staff officer integrate forms! Said recently, that of education that tactical commanders use thewarfighting functionsto help them exercise command and to help exercise! Where there is no, as well as how to apply its precepts is... More with this comment- and I think this is distinct from a highly practitioner! That of education to be another level of organiza-tion times I tried to explain that MNF-I! Purposes of the blockchain database do think that your premise touches ( or dances around ) a deeper,... Domain, as yet, defined and identifiable enemy becoming exceedingly important the! Walt _____ because he did not know the answer degree to which potential threats can disrupt operations and missions... Did not know the answer question, Walt _____ because he did not use for. Was missing in Iraq agree with your point reference CF vs. SOF CF. Weapons of mass destruction for, and generally plenty of money to plug the.... We largely did that with Stability operations turning it over to other agencies NGO! To other agencies and NGO 's who claim that they understand this stuff better their penchant for and. Command and to help them exercise command and to help them and their staffs exercise control the.!, is an important mission for the military thinks institutionally and links it to the joint functions within human! Which results from others identifying with those wanting the change speak spend much!, up-to-date copy of the blockchain database who claim that they understand this stuff better book Dr. explains.

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