Joint Operating Concept (JOC) - GlobalSecurity.org

and interests. The increasingly global nature of future IW will require joint
forces to plan and execute IW against a hostile state’s decisive points or
vital interests that reside outside the borders of the hostile state itself.
These interests may include off-shore banking accounts, businesses, oil,
and other strategic production operations and facilities. Taking action
against these interests provides the JFC with additional pressure points
that can indirectly influence the hostile state adversary without entering
the adversary’s sovereign territory.
In addition, the expanding global migration of people creates everincreasing
diasporas within which hostile states have interests. These
diasporas can serve as recruiting pools for irregular forces, indirectly
deliver strategic communications messages to relatives still residing within
hostile states, and funnel money and material to armed opposition groups
operating within hostile states.
• Executing IW Against Non-state Adversaries Operating Within Nonbelligerent
States. 27 Denied, ungoverned, or under-governed areas
will provide potential sanctuary for transnational terrorist networks
and other non-state adversaries. These areas will exist not only within
failed and failing states, but also within the borders of functional nonbelligerent
states with which we are not at war. Some of these nonbelligerent
states will be supporters or sponsors of our non-state
adversaries; others will be unwilling or unable to take effective action
against non-state adversaries operating within their borders.
While the USG will be obligated to recognize and respect the sovereign
lands of other states, our non-state adversaries will not be under the same
obligation to respect the borders or sovereignty of states. Our non-state
adversaries can violate those states’ non-belligerent status and exploit
these gaps to move and operate freely within these areas regardless of
borders. These emerging operational areas will frequently be difficult for
USG elements to access and make it necessary to work closely with
partners that have either access or legal authority to operate in these
areas being exploited by the adversary. This extends US operational reach
indirectly into these otherwise denied or sensitive areas.
This JOC cannot overemphasize the political and military risks
associated with this indirect option. These operations involve the
sovereign territory of another country. They frequently involve the
irregular forces of non-state armed groups with questionable personalities
and motives. Unethical or undisciplined partners could embarrass the
United States and negatively affect the will of the people. Direct
involvement by US forces carries a huge risk if they are compromised. The
27 Sections paraphrased from an article submitted to Special Forces Magazine by LTC Dave Duffy
titled “Unconventional Warfare support to Irregular Warfare and the Global War on Terrorism”
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