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Document created: 1 June 2007
Air & Space Power Journal
- Summer 2007
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Doctrine Note |
Lt Col Alexander M. Wathen, USAF, Retired
Air Force special operations forces (AFSOF) provide unique capabilities to the war-fighting combatant commander. Air Force Doctrine Document (AFDD) 2-7, Special Operations, 16 December 2005, describes AFSOF’s support to the joint force commander and reiterates the command relationships that enable him or her to leverage the capabilities of those forces as part of a greater campaign plan. This operational doctrine document guides the employment of AFSOF to meet today’s threats.
AFDD 2-7 supersedes its previous version (dated 17 July 2001) and updates key AFSOF doctrine concepts and terms. As America continues to engage in the global war on terrorism, AFSOF has shifted from a platform-based to a capabilities-based model that can accommodate such a campaign. Signaling a change in paradigms, this publication offers a revised discussion of modern AFSOF and the application of certain enduring principles and guiding truths; places more emphasis on AFSOF’s core tasks and missions as defined by US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) directives; updates and clarifies command, control, and organizational relationships; and refines AFSOF planning and support considerations.
AFDD 2-7 includes short, interesting, and well-written vignettes portraying the birth of AFSOF and its evolution through the present day. Readers unfamiliar with the terms carpetbaggers or air commandos as they apply to airpower don’t know AFSOF. Particularly notable is the fact that these vignettes include not only success stories but also examples of failures and the way those failures have helped the force evolve.
Every Airman having an investment in the application of airpower should read AFDD 2-7 because it provides a worthy introduction to AFSOF’s unique mission, command relationships, and operating motive. For example, the document amply describes Air Force Special Operations Command’s responsibility, as the air component of USSOCOM, to organize, train, and equip AFSOF to provide the necessary air capabilities to conduct USSOCOM’s nine core tasks:
• counterproliferation of weapons of mass destruction
• counterterrorism
• special reconnaissance
• direct action
• unconventional warfare
• foreign internal defense
• information operations
• civil affairs operations
• psychological operations
In the process, AFDD 2-7 provides short explanations of each of these tasks. Furthermore, it goes on to list and describe AFSOF’s core mission areas:
• air-to-surface interface
• agile combat support
• combat-aviation advisory operations
• information operations
• intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
• personnel recovery / recovery operations
• precision fires
• dissemination of psychological operations
• specialized air mobility
• specialized refueling
These examples reflect the range of information about AFSOF available from AFDD 2‑7. Furthermore, the doctrine document provides a strong understanding of how AFSOF interacts with the joint force, detailing operating and command relationships. It is a must-read for all Airmen.
Disclaimer
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University
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