Exam info Flashcards
2 important roles/characteristics of USSOCOM (Why is it different from other commands?)
- It is combatant command with worldwide responsibility (similar to GCC). 2. It also has service and military department-like responsibilities like supply, training, doctrine. Gets own $$$ direct from congress.
What are Theater Special Operations Command (TSOC) and what to they do?
TSOC are embedded in GCC’s and exercises OPCON of all assigned or attached SOF inside of theater.
What are S.O. Limitations (5)
- Improper employment of SOF could result in the depletion of forces.
- SOF should normally be employed against targets with strategic or operational relevance.
- SOF are not a substitute for conventional forces.
- SOF logistic support is austere.
- Most of SOF is tactically deployed with limited size due to mission or political considerations.
S.O Truths
- Humans are more important than hardware
- Quality is better than Quantity
- Special Operations Forces cannot be mass produced
- Competent SOF cannot be created after emergencies occur
- Most Special Operations require non-SOF assistance
Judge Advocates play a part is what stage of joint operations?
JAs play in integral role in all stages of joint operations.
where are JAs assigned
to every echelon above Battalion (except SOF where they go to some BNs).
6 core legal disciplines
- International Law
- Criminal Law (statutory)
- Administrative and Civil Law
- Contract and Fiscal Law
- Claims
- Legal Assistance
what is operational law
relevant aspects of military law that affect the conduct of operations.
Rules of Engagement (ROE) what they do?
- delineates the circumstances and limitations under which US forces will initiate and/or continue combat engagement with other forces encountered.
What are the 4 Law of War (LOW) Principals and what is their purpose?
set up for humanitarian purposes:
4 principals:
Necessity
Proportionality
Distinction/Discrimination
Prevent Unnecessary Suffering
Law of war: Define Necessity
seizure of destruction of target is necessary to the successful accomplishment of the mission (consider Rendulic - what did you know at the time of the decision)
Law of War: Define Proportionality
Anticipated loss of life/property incidental to attacks must not be excessive in relation tote concrete and direct military advantage expected. (CDR must weigh expected advantages to be gained against anticipated collateral damages).
Define Distinction/Discrimination in LOW
Distinguish between combatants and non-combatants and VALID MILITARY OBJECTIVES and civilian objects (“Grandfather Principle”)
Define Prevent Unnecessary Suffering in LOW
Employ only lawful weapons (May not use arms calculated to cause unnecessary suffering).
Definition of a Legal Military Objective
“Those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite advantage.”
What are 3 things to remember in Joint investigations (stomp stomp)?
- Cannot combine service investigations - Can appoint officer of one branch to conduct investigation of sister service. - remember everything you put in your investigation can (and likely will) be released to public under FOIA.
Special Operations Capabilities (11)
- Can be task-organized quickly and deployed rapidly to provide tailored responses to many different situations.
- Can gain access to hostile or denied areas, and are comfortable working in those areas.
- They deploy with the capability to support themselves and those they support in terms of medical support.
- Provide limited medical support for themselves and those they support.
- Communicate worldwide with organic equipment.
- Conduct operations in austere, harsh environments without extensive support.
- Survey and assess local situations and report these assessments rapidly.
- Work closely with regional military and civilian authorities and populations.
- Organize people into working teams to help solve local problems.
- Deploy with a generally lower profile and less intrusive presence than CF.
- Provide unconventional options for addressing ambiguous situations.
When is the best time to get your JAG involved if there are questions on operational law.
Gets your JAG involved early.
Name the 11 Special Operations Core Activities (IAW JP 3-05, April 2011)
- Direct Action
- Special Reconnaissance
- Counter proliferation of WMD
- Counterterrorism
- Unconventional Warfare
- Foreign Internal Defense
- Security Force Assistance
- Counterinsurgency Operations
- Information Operations
- Military Information Support Operations
- Civil Affairs Operations
SOF: Define Direct Action (DA)
Short-duration strikes and other small scale offensive actions that employ specialized military capabilities to seize, destroy, capture, exploit, recover, or damage designated targets.
SOF: Define Special Reconnaissance (SR)
collect or verify information of strategic or operational significance, employing military capabilities not normally found in conventional forces
SOF: Define Counter Proliferation of WMD
Those actions (e.g. detect and monitor, prepare to conduct counter proliferation operations, offensive operations, weapons of mass destruction, active defense, and passive defense) taken to defeat the threat and/or use of weapons of mass destruction against the United States, our military forces, friends and allies. JP 3-40
SOF: Define Counterterrorism (CT)
Actions taken directly against terrorist networks and indirectly to influence and render global and regional environments inhospitable to terrorist networks. JP 3.26
SOF: Define Unconventional Warfare (UW)
Activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt or overthrow an occupying power or government by operating through or with an underground, auxiliary and guerrilla force in a denied area.
SOF: Define Foreign Internal Defense (FID)
participation by civilian and military agencies of a government in any of the action programs taken by another government or designated organization to free and protect its society from subversion, lawlessness, and insurgency.” Like UW, FID is an umbrella concept that covers a broad range of activities. Its primary intent is to help the legitimate host government address internal threats and their underlying causes.
SOF: Define Security Force Assistance (SFA)
Security Force Assistance (SFA) is described as that set of activities that contribute to the development of capability and capacity of foreign security forces (FSF) and their supporting institutions.”
SOF: Define Counterinsurgency Operations (COIN)
those military, paramilitary, political, economic, psychological, and civic actions taken by a government to defeat insurgency (JP 1-02)
SOF: Define Information Operations (IO)
The integrated employment, during military operations, of information-related capabilities in concert with other lines of operations to influence, disrupt, corrupt, or usurp the decision-making of adversaries and potential adversaries while protecting our own
SOF: Define MIlitary Information Support Operations (MISO)
MISO are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals in a manner favorable to the originator’s objectives. JP 3-13.2, W/CH1 Dec 2011
SOF: Define Civil Affairs Operations (CAO)
Those military operations planned, supported, executed, or transitioned by Civil Affairs forces through, with, or by the indigenous population and institutions, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, or other governmental agencies to modify behaviors, to mitigate or defeat threats to civil society, and to assist in establishing the capacity for deterring or defeating future civil threats in support of civil-military operations or other United States objectives. - CAO is what CA units do. CMO is what the ground commander is responsible to do.
Contemporary Navy Core Competencies.
- Forward Naval Presence
- Expeditionary Power Projection
- Sea Control
- Deterrence
- Humanitarian Assist / Disaster Response (HA/DR)
- Maritime Security Operations
Areas of naval combat:
- Mine
- Anti-submarine
- Surface
- Air Warfare
- TBMD
- ISR
Carrier Strike Group (CSG) capabilities
- 90-110 Sorties per day (12-hour day)
- Freedom of Navigation/Maneuver
- Full Spectrum of Warfare Capabilities
- Self-sustaining
- 700 nm per day (25 knots)
- C2 for all assets
- Sovereign territory
Carrier Strike Group (CSG) Limitations
- Carrier cannot operate like an airfield - Wind Over the Deck (WOD) requirements - Sea state considerations
- Underway Replenishment – “UNREP” - Frequent Resupply (approximately every 7-10 days)
- Sustained Ops for 12 hours per day - 24/7 requires 2+ carriers
- Self-defense Sorties Reduce Strike Sorties
- Ship or Aircraft Maintenance Affects Flight Operations
Primary purpose of an ARG/ESG w/ MEU
The ARG/MEU’s primary purpose is providing forward presence and power projection capabilities, ranging from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, to crisis response and full scale combat operations.
What is the JIACG?
Working group at the GCC level. Purpose to bridge the gap between civilian and military operational coordination across the spectrum of crisis prevention, conflict intervention, transition and post-conflict reconstruction. Key Element in Integrating the Interagency into Military Planning and Operations
