FM 100-5 Operations - Survival Ebooks Military Manuals Survival ...

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMOPERATIONScomposition and capability of hostile and potentiallyhostile forces. The US can thus assess the total capabilityof foreign nations to conduct war and tailor itsforces to effectively counter the threat.Airlift and SealiftArmy forces depend upon airlift and sealift toproject their capabilities into the theater of operationsand to sustain themselves throughout the assigned mission.They are critical elements of the Army’s forceprojectionstrategy. Airlift provides quick insertionand limited capability to move supplies and equipmentfor Army elements. Sealift provides the movement oflarge tonnages of supplies, heavy equipment, and weaponssystems over the length of a campaign. Sealiftalso allows for the projection of power through amphibiouslandings and transport to ports within or adjacentto the theater of operations.Airlift and sealift can be strategic (intertheater) oroperational/tactical (intratheater). Both extend therange of options available to military forces engagedin operations in peace and war. They enable a strategicarmy to project forces anywhere in the world.Airlift provides rapid and flexible movement offorces and limited amounts of equipment and suppliesto the theater. It provides the best means of movementfor replacement personnel and time-sensitive resupplyand equipment. Airlift requires careful management,overflight agreements, host nation support, andsecurity of air lines of communication (ALOCs).Sealift complements airlift with its ability to movearmored forces, heavy equipment, and the vast majorityof the materiel for sustained operations. Althoughslower than airlift, sealift operations can begin withoutprerequisite diplomatic negotiations required foroverflight. Sealift can concentrate forces and suppliesnear the theater of operations prior to their commitment.Sealift operations depend upon security of theSLOCs.Special OperationsSpecial operations are actions conducted by speciallyorganized, trained, and equipped military andparamilitary forces to achieve military, diplomatic,economic, or psychological objectives by unconventionalmeans. US SOF consist of Army, Navy, and AirForce units. Special operations occur frequently inhostile, denied, or politically sensitive areas across thefull range of Army operations. In operations other thanwar, they may substitute for the commitment of general-purposemilitary forces. Joint Publication 3-05 discussesspecial operations.The theater SOF commander executes special operationsas part of the theater commander’s joint specialoperations effort. Preestablished command arrangementshelp determine how the combatant commanderassigns missions to his SOF. The five principalmissions of special operations are unconventionalwarfare, direct actions, special recon- naissance, foreigninternal defense, and counterterrorism. In addition,SOF may participate in collateral activities ofsecurity assistance, humanitarian assistance, antiterrorism,counterdrug operations, personnel recovery,and special activities with other components.Special operations during war and in other hostileenvironments usually occur deep in the enemy’s reararea or in other areas void of conventional maneuverforces. They may also extend into the territory of hostilestates adjacent to the theater. While each specialoperations action may be tactical in nature, its effectsoften contribute directly to theater operational or strategicobjectives in support of the theater campaign plan.Special operations may seek either immediate or longrangeeffects on the conflict.Typical SOF missions include interdicting enemyLOCs and destroying military and industrial facilities.SOF detachments may also have missions associatedwith intelligence collection, target acquisition, terminalguidance for strike aircraft and missile systems,personnel recovery, and location of weapons of massdestruction. These detachments conduct psychologicaloperations (PSYOP) to demoralize the enemy andcollect information in the enemy’s rear areas. SOForganize, train, equip, and advise resistance forces inguerrilla warfare for evasion and escape, subversion,and sabotage. They add depth to the campaign, forcingthe enemy to deploy significant combat forces toprotect his rear area.SOF are an invaluable tool across the range of militaryoperations. In war and operations other than warthey work with indigenous people in regions of conflictin support of US national interests. They are alsohighly capable of unilateral actions of extreme sensitivity.They can be relied upon for quick, decisiveaction at long ranges, as well as protracted operationsin remote regions of the world.Naval Special Warfare Forces. Naval SpecialWarfare (NSW) forces support the requirements of sea2-20