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Best Of: How U.S., South Korean Special Ops Would Fight in
a New Korean War
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Photo:
Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
The situation
between the U.S. and North Korea remains tenuous and characterized by
uncertainty. North Korea’s cancellation of the upcoming
summit with South Korea over the recent U.S./South Korean joint military
exercises underscores the fragile nature of the proposed talks between
the two countries.
While the United
States Department of State continues to prepare for the
June 12 meeting between the U.S. and North Korea, President Trump,
speaking to reporters on Tuesday in the Oval Office said the summit “may
not work out”. As recently as March 2018, Vice President Pence stated
that “all options on the table”. Among those options are of course the US
Military, including Special Operations Forces, who would no doubt play a
critical role in any U.S. Military involvement on the Korean Peninsula.
Last June, The
Cipher Brief spoke with Retired Special Forces Colonel David Maxwell,
who shared his perspective on how U.S. and South Korean Special
Operations Forces would potentially partner in support of combined
efforts in the region, a combination that he says would provide a
“powerful capability.”
- "ROK
special operations forces are among the most capable forces with
which the U.S. partners. Although they are
not the same as U.S. SOF, they share a long history of training and
working together not only in Korea but also in Iraq, Afghanistan,
and even in places such as the Horn of Africa with ROK Navy SEALs
supporting anti-piracy operations. The combination of ROK and
U.S. SOF provide a powerful capability to the Commander of ROK/US
CFC."
- "It
should be remembered that SOF rests on the foundation of psychological
warfare.
The development of a ROK/U.S. combined whole of government
information and influence activities campaign supported by SOF
psychological operations forces is necessary to target the regime
elite, second tier leaders, and the population to psychologically
prepare them for what comes next: war, regime collapse, and
ultimately unification."
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Gen. Petraeus: The Tasks & Opportunities Facing
Gina Haspel
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"Arguably,
[Gina Haspel] is the best prepared Director in anyone's memory," writes retired
General and former CIA Director
David Petraeus.
Petraeus, who helmed the agency from 2011-2012, offers Haspel his
thoughts on how she might approach the task before her — and what
she may choose to prioritize:
- "I
would imagine that she will, in particular, want to look very
carefully at the most recent organizational reforms undertaken at the Agency
in order to determine which elements merit additional focus,
emphasis, and resources, and which should be re-examined and
refined. Key issues she undoubtedly will need to examine
revolve around whether authority and accountability are sufficiently
clear given the structural changes."
- "A
more mundane – but hugely important – endeavor likely should involve
an 'audit' of what is arguably the most critical element of the
Agency
– its human capital, especially that in the Clandestine
Service. As those in the organization know, HUMINT is still
the coin of the realm...Despite that recognition, the Agency has
frequently been well under its authorized strength in the HUMINT arena,
and I suspect a careful review of the projected retirements and
departures versus the projected onboarding will once again show the
need for accelerating the hiring processes on the Ops side."
- "I
am sure that every former Director agrees with my observation that we all envy Gina,
wish her the very best of luck, and pledge any assistance she might
ever need!"
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