Combating ISIS: The Special Operations Approach to an International Threat
Posted March 8, 2016
On February 22, 2016 the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy (CISTP) hosted a lecture from Lieutenant Colonel Paul Brister who presented contemporary military strategy with a specific focus on Special Operations strategies for combating ISIL.
He began with an overview of three contemporary military strategies: attrition, annihilation, and strategic paralysis. Attrition is a long term plan based on resource control and focuses limiting or sustaining supply lines to industrial capabilities. Annihilation is a short term plan that aims to outmaneuver the opponent in order to destroy their armed forces in decisive combat, but he noted that this strategy does not guarantee that an opponent will surrender. Finally, Strategic Paralysis is a short term shock and awe or decapitation strategy. Specifically, it is a parallel form of warfare designed to strike critical nodes of an enemy’s system. Brister noted that this strategy has a mixed track record. Longstanding competition and debate between the branches of the military has caused significant problems regarding which strategies should be employed.
The role of Special Operations was broken down into two operational categories: Surgical Strikes and Special Warfare. Surgical Strikes generally receive wider political support, especially in the aftermath of the raid against Osama Bin Laden, and normally bring in significant funding for Special Operations. In contrast, Special Warfare does not require lethal operations, but relies on knowledge of the cultures and language of a specific region to win the population over.
Brister uses this narrative to propose a 4th theory for victory, Strategic Momentum, which is a long term strategy that would use Special Forces along with producing a narrative to help achieve a goal. He relates this theory to compound interest, explaining that momentum will continue to grow exponentially over time until the ultimate goal is achieved. Unfortunately, there are problems to implementing this theory. Political impatience in the United States is one – it does not achieve headlines as Surgical Strikes do. There are also issues building the narrative, as the United States is often too mistrusted in some regions for these ideas to catch hold.
Lieutenant Colonel Brister currently serves as the Commander, 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. In this role, he commands a 224 airman-strong squadron comprised of Combat Control, Pararescue, Special Operations Weather, Tactical Air Control Party, and specialized Combat Mission support. Lt. Col Brister also has multiple combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations in support of the Global War on Terrorism. In addition, he holds a PhD in Strategic Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School.