HQ$History - United States Special Operations Command

“operations in support of selected USSOCOM-authored DOD GWOT campaign
campaigns” and for “selected special plan. The secretary appoved the plan on 28
operations missions.”
April. The plan was designed to be reviewed
Now, a single agency, USSOCOM, would
write global counterterrorism plans and would
“synchronize” with the GCCs in developing
regional plans that supported its global plans.
The 2004 UCP clearly articulated the Secretary
of Defense and the President’s decision to designate
USSOCOM the lead combatant command
periodically as the GWOT campaign evolved,
and on 14 February 2007, OSD approved the
first revision to the plan.
As part of the campaign plan, USSOCOM
would “synchronize” the combatant commanders’
regional war on terror plans to ensure that
they meet all of USSOCOM’s requirements. The
for the GWOT. In April 2005, USSOCOM and coordination was done during global synchronization
component commanders designated “synchronize
the Global War on Terror” a core USSO-
COM mission.
conferences.
UCP 2004 and related documents and plans
resulted in changes to USSOCOM’s mission
Secretary Rumsfeld’s July 2002 order for statement. In December 2004, General Brown
USSOCOM to develop a plan to deal with terrorist
changed it to read:
organizations led not only to the overhaul of
the UCP, but also marked the start of a collaborative
process to write GWOT plans. However,
it would take several years to write, coordinate,
and win approval for a family of plans and execution
orders so that USSOCOM could discharge
“USSOCOM plans, directs, and executes
special operations in the conduct of the War
on Terrorism in order to disrupt, defeat,
and destroy terrorist networks that threaten
the United States, its citizens and interests
its GWOT responsibilities.
worldwide. USSOCOM organizes, trains,
Because the GWOT plans would become and equips Special Operations Forces provided
DOD’s campaign plan, USSOCOM had to coordinate
to Geographic Combatant
its plans with the other combatant commands,
the Joint Staff and OSD, and also with
the interagency departments and agencies.
During the writing phase, USSOCOM briefed
Commanders, American Ambassadors and
their Country Teams.”
In May 2005, he shortened it:
Secretary Rumsfeld numerous times, apprising
him of the plans’ assumptions, mission statements,
“USSOCOM leads, plans, synchronizes,
and as directed, executes global operations
intent, and revisions. Lieutenant against terrorist networks. USSOCOM
General Dell Dailey, CSO Director, also briefed
the combatant commands’ staffs on the GWOT
trains, organizes, equips and deploys combat
ready Special Operations Forces to combatant
plans. The UCP made USSOCOM responsible
commands.”
for planning OPE, and during the coordination
General Brown also changed USSOCOM’s
process, some in the interagency arena
vision statement because the previous one was
expressed concerns over whether this mission
too broad for the command’s new GWOT focus.
would impinge on their responsibilities. Such
In the new vision statement, USSOCOM was:
issues were resolved at the Secretary of Defense
level.
“To be the premier team of special warriors,
thoroughly prepared, properly
During a 2005 Defense Senior Leaders
Conference, Deputy Secretary of Defense equipped, and highly motivated: at the
Gordon England told the combatant commanders
that DOD would use USSOCOM’s GWOT
plans as guides for resourcing the combatant
right place, at the right time, facing the
right adversary, leading the Global War
on Terrorism, accomplishing strategic
commands’ GWOT programs. In effect, to get objectives of the United States.”
their GWOT plans and programs resourced, the
The expansion of USSOCOM’s mission for
combatant commanders had to integrate them
the GWOT led to dramatic changes in the organization
of the headquarters. General Holland
with USSOCOM’s efforts. On 29 March 2006,
USSOCOM briefed Secretary Rumsfeld on the
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