O210 Army Special Operations Forces (Davis)

Question 1

Army Special Operations Forces defined

Answer 1

Those Active and Reserve Component Army forces designated by the SecDef that are specifically organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special ops.

Question 2

Functions of SF Operational Detachment - Alpha

Answer 2

• plan and conduct SF operations separately or as part of a larger force
• infiltrate and exfiltrate specified operational areas by air, land, and sea
• conduct operations in remote or denied areas for extended periods of time w/ minimum of external direction/support
• develop, organize, equip, train, and advise or direct indigenous forces up to battalion size
• train, advise, assist other U.S. and multinational forces and agencies
• plan and conduct unilateral SF operations

Question 3

Where do regional teams work out of mainly?**

Answer 3

U.S. embassies

Question 4

How do SF provide and obtain information and influence?

Answer 4

• interacting, directly or indirectly, with foreign friendly, neutral, adversary, and enemy target audiences (TAs) for persuasive and psychological effect
• publicizing U.S., friendly, and coalition military activities to inform and influence foreign audiences
• publicizing civil-military ops (CMO) and activities
• developing information programs in support of a HN govt. or U.S. country team public diplomacy programs
• disseminating public information to support lead Federal agencies in response to domestic man-made and natural disasters

Question 5

Functions of Civil Affairs Teams

Answer 5

• conduct civil reconnaissance
• conduct key-leader engagement within the CAT’s AO
• plan, coordinate, and enable CA ops and project management
• provide civil info to supported unit and civil-military operation center for inclusion of civil inputs to the supported CO’s common operational picture
• provide cross-cultural comms and elementary linguistic capabilities to the support maneuver commander

Question 6

SOF Core Activities

Answer 6

• unconventional warfare
• direct action
• special reconnaissance
• countering weapons of mass destruction
• counterterrorism
• foreign internal defense
• security force assistance
• hostage rescue and recovery
• foreign humanitarian assistance
• military information support ops
• civil affairs ops
• preparation of the environment
• counterinsurgency

Question 7

Unconventional warfare

Answer 7

Activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt or overthrow a govt or occupying power by operating through or with an underground, auxillary, and guerrilla force in a denied area

Question 8

Direct action

Answer 8

Short-duration strikes and other small-scale offensive actions conducted as a special op. In hostile, denied or diplomatically sensitive environments and which employ specialized military capabilities to seize, destroy, capture, exploit, recover, or damage designated targets

Question 9

Special reconnaissance

Answer 9

Reconnaissance and surveillance actions conducted as a special op in a hostile, denied or diplomatically/politically sensitive environment to collect or verify information of strategic or operational significance, employing military capabilities not normally found in conventional forces

Question 10

Countering weapons of mass destruction

Answer 10

Efforts against actors of concern to curtail the conceptualization, development, possession, proliferation, use, and effects of weapons of mass destruction, related expertise, materials, technologies, and means of delivery

Question 11

Counterterrorism

Answer 11

Activities and ops taken to neutralize terrorists and their orgs and networks in order to render them incapable of using violence to instill fear and coerce govts or societies to achieve their goals

Question 12

Foreign internal defense

Answer 12

Participation by civilian and military agencies of a government in any of the action programs taken by another govt or other designated organization to free and protect its society from subversion, lawlessness, insurgency, terrorism, and other threats to its security

Question 13

Security Force Assistance

Answer 13

DoD activities that contribute to unified action by the USG to support the development of the capacity and capability of foreign security forces (FSF) and their supporting institutions

Question 14

Hostage rescue and recovery

Answer 14

Crisis response missions in response to terrorist threats and incidents; offensive ops in support of hostage rescue and recovery can include the recapture of US facilities, installations, and sensitive material overseas

Question 15

Foreign Humanitarian Assistance

Answer 15

A range of DoD humanitarian activities conducted outside the US and its territories to relieve or reduce human suffering, disease, hunger, or privation

Question 16

Military Information Support Operations (MISO)

Answer 16

Planned ops to convey selected info and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign govts, orgs, groups, and individuals in a manner favorable to the originator’s objectives

Question 17

Civil Affairs Operations

Answer 17

Actions planned, executed, and assessed by civil affairs that enhance the OE; identify and mitigate underlying causes of instability w/n civil society; or involve the application of functional specialty skills normally the responsibility of civil government

Question 18

Preparation of the Environment (PE)

Answer 18

Actions taken by SOF to develop the environment for current/future ops. SOF conduct PE in support of GCC plans and orders to create conditions conducive to the success of military ops.
-the regional mechanisms and characteristics of SOF provide access and the capability to influence nations where the presence of conventional US forces is not warranted

Question 19

Counterinsurgency Ops (COIN)

Answer 19

Comprehensive civilian and military effort designed to simultaneously defeat and contain insurgency and address its root causes.
-are population-focused because of the importance of building support for the govt and its programs

Question 20

ARSOF limitations

Answer 20

• limited organic sustainment elements
• vulnerable to a larger, more heavily armed or mobile forces
• long time to develop skills and capabilities
• cannot be quickly replaced or reconstituted nor can capabilities be rapidly expanded
• not a substitute for conventional forces
• most missions require non-SOF support
• improper employment risks rapidly depleting SOF resources

Question 21

2 core competencies of SOF:**

Answer 21

1) special warfare (units capable of long duration operations to train, advise, and assist host nations)
2) surgical strike (units trained to provide primarily unilateral, scalable, direct action capability that is skilled in hostage rescue, kill/capture ops, and other specialized tasks)

Question 22

Integration

Answer 22

The arrangement of military forces and their actions to create a force that operates by engaging as a whole

Question 23

Interoperability

Answer 23

The ability to act together coherently, effectively, and efficiently to achieve tactical, operational, and strategic OBJs

Question 24

Interdependence

Answer 24

Purposeful reliance by one Soldier on another Service’s capabilities to maximize the complementary and reinforcing effects of both

Question 25

How does ARSOF enable large scale combat operations?

Answer 25

• provide SOF/indigenous intel to support maneuver
• integrate IO efforts with CFLCC
• support population resource control efforts
• conduct disruption/sabotage in deep area
• conduct counter-SOF ops and precision strike against enemy networks

Question 26

Phases of joint phases of operations

Answer 26

0: shape (develop and maintain operational plan)
1: deter
2: seize initiative
3: dominate
4: stabilize
5: enable civil authority