Safeguarding “By, With, & Through” in Strategic Competition: A SOF CI Professional’s Perspective
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Authors
Parrott, Michael W.
Issue Date
2024
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Professional Commentary
Abstract
U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) across the globe often integrate into
their operational environment by facilitating partner force engagements
through a comprehensive approach that accomplishes the mission at hand.
This “by, with, and through” concept is an essential part of America’s diplomatic
and military power projection. Nowhere is this more evident than in strategic
competition, which requires leveraging relationships with allies and partners, to contend
with challenges from other states and actors that include the People’s Republic
of China (PRC), Russia, Iran, and Violent Extremist Organizations (VEO). However, contemporary SOF partner engagements can trace their lineage back to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II.1 The OSS explored the use of partisan forces (like the French Underground, but also similar efforts in many other places) to disrupt,
deny, and exploit the Axis Powers. In working with resistance forces, OSS officers quickly discovered the dangers of what is commonly referred to today as “insider threats.”
Insider threats tear the fabric of trust built between partner forces. Trust is not just an essential element for all SOF engagements; it is both the metaphorical and literal lifeblood for these partnerships as U.S. and Coalition forces learned in Afghanistan. In 2012, insider or “green-on-blue” attacks accounted for 15% of coalition force deaths.2 Again, in 2019, green-on-blue attacks resulted in 172 killed and 85 wounded in 82 separate incidents perpetrated by Afghan soldiers and Taliban infiltrators.3 In addition to lessons learned by the OSS, today’s SOF must not abandon lessons learned from the past 20 years of counterterrorism. Instead, SOF must preserve these lessons and innovate new approaches to confront a more sophisticated insider threat challenge posed by strategic competitors.
Description
Citation
Parrott, Michael W. (2024). Safeguarding “By, With, & Through” in Strategic Competition: A SOF CI Professional’s Perspective. Managing Insider Risk & Organizational Resilience (MIROR) Journal, 2(1), 29-42. West Point Press.
Publisher
West Point Press
License
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
2832-5427
2832-5419
2832-5419