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When is it appropriate for Army special-operations forces to conduct foreign internal defense, or FID? When should general-purpose forces, or GPF, conduct FID? How is ARSOF FID different from GPF FID? The doctrine writers at the U.S. Army JFK Special Warfare Center and School are working to answer these questions as they write the new ARSOF FID manual. FID is an ARSOF core task that has been the topic of much interest and debate lately, as we increasingly emphasize the "indirect approach."
In light of such recent guidance as the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, which directs GP ground forces to "train, mentor and advise foreign security forces,"1 and in light of the realities of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army as a whole is focusing more than it ever has before on training foreign forces. This increased interest requires that ARSOF clearly understand FID, what their role is in it, and why ARSOF will remain the force of choice for conducting FID in certain circumstances. This article will review the definition of FID in the context of irregular warfare and examine when FID is more appropriately conducted by ARSOF than by GPF.
Although on the surface, FID appears to be a relatively simple concept, that appearance is deceptive; FID is a much more nuanced and complicated operation than its definition at first implies. FID is often confused with or equated to training foreign forces, when in reality, there is much more to it.
A common perception is that when the scale of a FID operation is small enough, it is appropriate for ARSOF to execute the mission, but when the scale of the operation increases in size - beyond the ability of ARSOF to support - it becomes appropriate for GPF to participate in FID. This perception was clearly presented in a recent Military Rewew article by lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli, in which he wrote, "The Special Forces do this mission [developing other countries' indigenous security forces (ISF)] well on the scale that is normally required for theater security cooperation and other routine foreign internal defense missions. ... We should ensure our conventional forces have the inherent flexibility to transition to ISF support when the mission becomes too large for the Special Forces."2
The...