ISSUE 183 : Nov/Dec - 2010 - Australian Defence Force Journal

NATO SOF have also been directed to provide the capability lead in for conventional forceinitiatives within the Alliance, both in terms of operational deployments as well as force restructuringand modernisation.As a result of the Riga Summit, NATO now has the mechanism through which SOF can be utilisedfor NATO-sponsored missions. The formation of the NSCC gives NATO a dedicated effort forspecial operations, weighted in the same context as the other functional components. Oncemature, NATO SOF will provide the Alliance with an effective, legitimate, credible capabilitywhich could effectively counter the political and military efforts of terrorist and other nonnationstate threats, as well as act as the catalyst for further transformational reform acrossthe Alliance.Case study: the International Security Force in AfghanistanThe terrorist threat from Salafist extremism in Afghanistan has now mutated from a centralisedTaliban into a decentralised, hierarchical, coherent insurgency across the entire nation, as wellas in the sanctuaries that straddle the borders of neighbouring countries. While al Qaedaand the Taliban have been partly defeated, its new form—unstructured, flattened, distributedand ever-changing—is harder to locate, isolate and destroy. NATO, through its deploymentof the International Security Force in Afghanistan (ISAF), is now the principal operating forcefighting the Taliban. The operational challenge for ISAF is particularly challenging, as it hasexperienced real difficulty in finding, tracking and engaging terrorists, whether in remote,rugged terrain or crowded cities. 32The urgency for a SOF capability within NATO is no better demonstrated than in this currentoperation. Since 2002, NATO has been involved in enhancing the security and reconstructionof Afghanistan. While the operation has not been without its challenges, most experts agreethat the use of SOF has been an essential component of NATO’s capacity to defeat the Taliban.Upon its formation in 2006, the NSCC immediately deployed a special operations componentto Afghanistan, with the mission of supporting Commander ISAF’s plan to defeat the Talibaninsurgency through the conduct of special operations. 33 SOF have been used to conduct tasksranging from attacks on terrorist camps, training the Afghan National Army and conductinghostage recovery operations. Direct action, strike and special reconnaissance intelligenceoperations have also led to the successful targeting of key Taliban leaders.NATO SOF have so far proven to be lethal, well-trained and appropriately conditioned for thisenvironment. The capabilities and strategic freedom of action that these forces have providedCommander ISAF have negated many of the traditional political and physical risks that haveprevented close collaboration between NATO members in the past. Under the stewardship ofthe NSCC, a unity of effort among all special operations tactical units has emerged, enabling allSOF elements to conduct full spectrum operations by leveraging off each other’s capabilities.The missions and skills that NATO SOF have demonstrated through its ISAF deployment haveexpanded the capacity, capabilities and contingency options for NATO both in its currentoperational theatres and future emerging environments. NATO SOF now provide a range ofoptions that effectively expand the operational continuum for NATO, from passive surveillanceand military assistance with local forces, to tasks such as direct action. Framework nations,such as the US via the facilitation of the NSCC, present significant national SOF capabilitiesthat, when deployed in a collaborative context with fellow members, can be a multilateral toolfor NATO military capability.62