Lecture by Special Operations Division-1

Lecture 1: Special Operations Imperatives
Subject: Terminology and Tactical Assessment



What does it mean when we say something is “imperative?” Oxford’s English Dictionary says it is an adjective that means “of vital importance,” or a noun that means “an essential or urgent thing.” It is interesting also to note that the origin of the word imperative is the Latin word imperatives, which means “specially ordered.”

There are 12 imperatives considered necessary for a Special Operations mission to succeed. The imperatives apply to the strategic decision to employ Special Operations Forces for a mission of importance and were promulgated by SOCOM in the 90’s. The imperatives are not law, but guidelines to help strategic planners weigh the consequences of the use of Special Operations forces in a combat role. Let’s take a look at the first 6 imperatives and see how the use of Special Operations Forces in Iraq stacks up.

Iraqi Freedom was primarily a conventional war, but the post-liberation insurgency led by former Bath Party hold-outs, Fedayeen and Foreign Fighters (including Al-Queda) is clearly an unconventional war. Unconventional wars are best fought by Special Operations Forces. To wit, though we had well over 100,000 conventional troops on the ground in Iraq providing valuable security, nation building, and counter-insurgency functions, the Special Operations teams were rounding up the insurgents and taking huge chunks out of their networks daily. The success is a testament to the training and proper employment of SOF, the maturing of SOCOM, and the correct application of the Special Operations Imperatives.

Let’s take a quick look at the imperatives:

*Understand the operational environment.
*Recognize political implications.
*Facilitate interagency activities.
*Engage the threat discriminately.
*Consider long-term effects.
*Ensure legitimacy and credibility of special operations.
*Anticipate and control psychological effects.
*Apply capabilities indirectly.
*Develop multiple options.
*Ensure long-term sustainment.
*Provide sufficient intelligence.
*Balance security and synchronization.

Imperative Number 1: Understand the operational environment. Situational Awareness. Battlefield Preparation. Eyes on Target. Recon. Cultural Sensitivity. These are terms that Spec Ops guys grow up with, and understand implicitly. Studying and understanding the operational environment is something they do better than anyone else. Their very lives depend on it. The 5th Special Forces Group has been operating in the mid-east for many years, and a large percentage of the operators speak Arabic or Farsi. The SF have a very good understanding of the operating environment. The SEALs have had a permanent presence in the Persian Gulf since before the first Gulf War, and sustain their own unit in the region. Many SEALs have undergone Arabic and Farsi language training as well, and at least one reserve SEAL was called to active duty after having lived in the region for several years, developing relationships and inside knowledge of the culture, economy and geography. SEALs also clearly understand the operational environment in the mid-east. The SF and SEAL operators make it their business to study the operational environment of the region they intend to work in. Number one gets a check.

Imperative Number 2: Recognize Political Implications. The Administration has clearly articulated the political implications of the current insurgency and the effort to thwart it. A cliff-notes version goes like this: If they succeed, we lose the country and the opportunity to change history. If they fail, we win the country, and possibly peace and prosperity in the region (the corollary is that if they succeed, they can influence the outcome of the U.S. Presidential elections in November, and an incoming President may not have the political will to stay the course that Bush has). There is clearly a well-orchestrated campaign to disrupt the U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq, and to cause distrust and infighting between Suuni and Shiite tribes, and to use the U.S. media to magnify the effect. The more chaos, the more they will succeed in fomenting discontent with the American led occupation. The political implications for the use of SOCOM forces against the Iraqi insurgency are clearly understood, and the stakes are high. Number two gets a check.

Imperative Number 3: Facilitate interagency activities. Interagency activity is at an all-time high in Iraq. Suffice it to say that the term “OGA” shows up in most CONOPS briefs, and there are numerous alphabet soup agencies working side-by-side the SOF forces to tackle the insurgents. 'Nuff said - I give number three a check too.

Imperative Number 4: Engage the threat discriminately. Well, we are not carpet-bombing Baghdad. Nor are the Special Operators indiscriminately rolling up anyone who looks like a bad guy. There is a very thorough, intel-driven SOF campaign to identify the perpetrators of actual terrorist activity, or those planning terrorist activity. This is being done by the fusion of intelligence into the operational planning picture. The operators are not waiting for direction from the theater commander to execute missions, nor are they waiting for an intel product from the agency. They are acting in real time on intelligence gained on previous missions throughout the AO. (This is extremely effective and exactly what the SEALs did in the Mekong Delta during Vietnam …which led them to be the most highly decorated unit of that war on a per capita basis). Special Operators accomplish a lot with a little, and they have no business engaging any threat without very careful consideration of all contingencies and consequences. Winning the hearts and minds of the good guys is as important as rolling up the bad guys. As a result, no one gets apprehended without Positive Identification that he/she is directly or indirectly supporting the insurgents. Number four gets a check.

Imperative Number 5: Consider long-term effects. This imperative is closely aligned with understanding political implications. The long-term effects of the Iraqi mission are felt at the national strategic and political level. When we succeed in evolving a free Iraq with a democratically elected government, we will have achieved a historic watershed event for the Arab world. The status quo was simple unacceptable any longer, and failure to build a free Iraq is not an option. The long-term implications of the use of Special Operations Forces in Iraq are enormous – both on the region, as well as the Force itself. Should SOCOM succeed in turning the insurgency back, (and capturing Bin Laden on the “other front”), they will have validated an experiment, begun in 1987 with the formation of SOCOM, that many pundits outside and within the military predicted would fail. Check for number 5.

Imperative Number 6: Ensure legitimacy and credibility of Special Operations. The credibility of the SO force has been greatly enhanced in recent years by their performance in Operation Enduring Freedom. Enduring Freedom was an amazing display of the force-multiplier and lever effect of Special Operations. The war was largely won by the 5th Special Forces Group in Northern Afghanistan (just a few hundred operators) working with the Northern Alliance and a SEAL/Marine contingent in the south. Certainly other conventional forces played a vital role – but a supporting role. My point is that Enduring Freedom was not conventional. Typically, Special Operations are conducted on a tactical level to support conventional efforts – as with Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. But Enduring Freedom was a strategic unconventional war led by Special Operations. It was outstanding in its execution and results, subsequently validating the concept of SOF as a force multiplier and a lever for strategic, campaign-level operations. This legitimacy and credibility gained will be with SOCOM until, and unless, they hose it up. Check for imperative number 6 too.

So far it appears that the SOF teams “specially ordered” to hunt down and capture those who seek US failure in rebuilding Iraq are operating with the right imperative. This mentallity can be taken into account regarding the SIN of the Virtual World.

Lot's of VMs talk about what kind of aircraft and vehicles they have. However, when quizzed about the performance speculations it becomes obvious how little they know of their own equipment. There are many VM's who fly F-22s, F-16s, F-15s, etc., and they all boast mastery of the skies.

However, the majority of these VM pilots cannot tell you anything about their aircraft other than the basic information found on wikipedia (which we all know is usually B.S.). Most pilots don't have a clue as to what their aircraft's max efficient cruise, climb and decent rates, corner turn rate, instantanious and sustained turn rates, max sustained g loading, or anything of the sort.

Most VM pilots don't even have a clue as to what these things are. Furthermore, they claim to be great dogfighters, but don't have the slightest understanding of even the most basic terminology of BFM. Terms like Heading Crossing Angel, Nose Aspect, Low Low, and other crucial terms are a whole other language to most VM aces.

Many groups will say that this lack of knowledge is due to the fact that "their real lives are more import (even though they want to be fighter pilots in real life)" so they don't bother learning the terminology. I suggest to consider this VM piloting stuff not as a hobby, but as an education. You can use this as an opportunity to learn the real terminology that you will have to learn anyway if you plan on being a civil or military pilot.

Also, train train train. If you become well versed and knowledgeable in your aircraft's performance speculations, and even size, you can truly push the aircraft to it's max and perform at a level that will leave your rivals stunned. I've posted a video of what a well trained and educated pilot can do in an MH-6...if he knows everything about it. How it flys, how it turns, the best speeds and angles to break, etc. Follow this advice, and maybe one day you can be one of the few pilots who actually can put his money where his mouth is.

That is called napping the earth. Good flying. Spydermonkey use to fly for real, he taught us many things, this is one of the things he taught some of us. I also think that if we all had better frames and graphics, we could do the same. The sticking and pauses form bad frames can cause misjudgements. Not everyone can demonstrate their performance with slow computers. So those with good skills using bad computer, just imagine how well they would be with good frames and graphics.

Trust me dude, this isn't something you just log on and do. It took a lot of practice to find out where these helicopters can fit, what speeds they can effectively shoot, effective rudder speeds, breaking speeds and angles, the whole nine. I'll post a video recording of the Rotary Weapons Course each IDN helicopter pilot must attend after flight school. You'll see this isn't just joystick and luck, this is lots of practice backed up by a thorough education in rotary systems and operations. When you watch the flight school video, you'll realize just how much you have to learn about the helicopter. Even the type of round, range finding, and rapid projectile displacement are things a pilot and gunner have to know at every distance, speed, and altitude. Otherwise you'll most likely miss the target with your first shot, and if you miss you most likely won't live long enough to take a second shot. The Rotary Weapons Course is almost two hours long. I'll post the video for those who are interested in learning how things work. Even if you don't watch the whole thing, just skim through it and you'll realize just how much detail we go into, which explains why the IDN has earned the reputation we have in combat.

Hell yea, if I am going into the Army to fly AH-64's, it would be useful to know things before I even get to pilot training, and not only me, everyone else who is interested in doing that.

I'll post the Rotary Weapons Course video this weekend. Have been a little busy with work.

Hell yea, we all can always learn something new.

SOD-1's Rotary Weapons Course instructs helicopter pilots and crews on the terminology, propper use, and tactics of various helicopter weapons systems used by the Imperium Defense Network's Special Operations Division-1. This lecture also covers emergency procedures such as autorotation, and loss of tail rotor. All members of SOD-1 must attend this couse and achieve satisfactory scores on the final exam before they are cleared to move on to the next, and final phase of training. Thanks goes out to IDN-Dslyecxi for his thorough instruction and for sharing his knowledge gained through real life experience as a tactical rotary operator.