Global SOF Imperatives Forum 2023
Senior leaders highlight the role of SOF against unconventional threats worldwide
This week, several leaders and industry experts gathered in Washington, D.C. focused on two main threats: Chinese aggression, and Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.
To those ends, the keynote speaker, Lieutenant General Francis L. Donovan, Vice Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, addressed SOF’s role in deterrence initiatives in Europe and the Pacific, emphasized continued sustainable counter-VEO (violent extremist organizations) operations, and advocated for investments in technology to maintain an advantage in asymmetrical warfare.
With regard to technology, Lt. Gen. Donovan expanded on the benefits of promising tech solutions that SOCOM could test to enhance irregular warfare capabilities. This included examples of AI more rapidly identifying and illuminating malign information activities, AI-enabled ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) and autonomous sensors, and biotechnology and advanced treatments for altitude and decompression sickness. Also mentioned was SOFWERX, located in Tampa, FL, a platform for even small startups to rapidly prototype solutions to benefit the warfighter.
The first panel of the forum was the Role of SOF in Indo-Pacom. Colonel Sean Berg, Deputy Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Pacific, moderated a panel with Ms. Emily Harding, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), and Dr. Michael G. Vickers, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.
Colonel Berg immediately acknowledged the similarities between Ukraine and Taiwan, but also stressed the main differences stating,
“Taiwan does not have a Poland or a NATO.”
Col. Berg outlined the role of SOF in Indo-Pacom to operate despite the denial of space in and around China, and in case of acts of aggression to extend the time of the U.S. and allies to react. Additionally, Col. Berg addressed the mismatch in the investment of information operations between China and the U.S. When taking into account the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) part-time “network civilization volunteers”, China has anywhere between 10-20 million individuals commenting and posting online, while the U.S. only utilizes approximately 30,000 personnel in information operations and military information support operations (MISO) combined to detect and counter malign information warfare. He also lamented the length of time to approve social media.
Ms. Harding addressed broader hybrid activities like partnering with small local press worldwide to influence coverage as benefits China, and using economic pressure to encourage self-censorship such as has occurred with the NBA or in Hollywood.
I asked what SOF information operations should focus on in the region to have the greatest impact. Col. Berg highlighted truthful amplification, uncovering stories on unethical activities by China that have been muddled or even denied by Chinese information activities. Ms. Harding added that congress needs to clarify Title 10 and Title 50 activities. What this means is the difficulty in clarifying how much authority military forces (under Title 10) have to operate in the information environment. The difficulties can be illustrated by a statement from Col. Berg where it seems “harder to launch a tweet than a missile” in some cases. The same struggle and request for clarification of these authorities has been felt in the cyberspace realm as well.
The next panel discussion was Eastern European Threats with Lieutenant General Dr. Romulus Ruszin-Szendi, Chief of Defence, Hungary and General Daniel Petrescu, Chief of Defence, Romania dialing in.
Gen. Petrescu was direct in acknowledging the conflict in Ukraine a couple hundred miles east of their border, and referred to it as a regional conflict producing refugees, energy security crises, and the demonstration of the will to escalate by the Kremlin. He emphasized the pillars of Romanian national defense: NATO, the EU, the U.S. as a strategic partner, and Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Related to this conflict he highlighted the ‘Drone Age’ and the importance of lower cost for UAVs as well as the ability to manufacture them in larger amounts, while simultaneously advocating for equal investment in counter-UAV solutions. An interesting application highlighted was the use of UAVs in the Black Sea to locate and destroy over fifty mines in efforts to create safe seaways.
Lt. Gen. Ruszin-Szendi emphasized Hungary’s technological and equipment development and application of SOF to strategic goals, as well as humanitarian aid to Ukraine and the diaspora of Hungarians living in Ukraine they are supporting through this aid.
The final panel was with the Co-Chairs of the House SOF Caucus: Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), and Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC). They first addressed the needs of SOF stateside: retention, housing, and childcare all topics of concern. When it came to counterterrorism the representatives said it was still a topic of great concern, to not lose the hard-won lessons from operations in the Middle East, and to maintain the technological edge. The final topic was China, and Rep. Hudson posited the best deterrent to China was the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, which was established on Jan 10th of this year, and the final seats of which were finalized yesterday.
This event provided a good snapshot of the largest concerns on the minds of National Security in the United States, the tech trends to create advantages in irregular warfare, and a great reminder of the importance of partner forces.