In U.S. Army Special Forces, commitment is 360 degrees

In U.S. Army Special Forces, commitment is 360 degrees.

This was my sixth combat deployment and I thought I developed a thorough appreciation of the complex and dynamic operational environment in Afghanistan.

 To become Special Forces, you must first be assessed and then complete up to 2 years of arduous physical, tactical, cultural, and language training to prepare you to work on small, 12-man teams, who excel in austerity as masters of *Unconventional Warfare (UW)... 

By the time you complete Special Forces training, you have been challenged mentally and physically, have a basic subject matter expertise in the skillsets and planning considerations required to conduct UW, and possess at least a working proficiency in a foreign language. However, you must consistently demonstrate your commitment and value to the Team.  

On this occasion, I was visiting one of my Special Forces Teams partnered as advisors to elite Afghan Commandos when we were notified of the unthinkable. An insurgent posing as an Afghan Police Officer turned his machine gun on a Special Forces Team preparing for a mission at a nearby camp. 

US and partner Afghan casualties were high, and the command called for exclusively US Special Forces volunteers to airlift into the camp to secure it and stabilize the situation. But most importantly, to support a Special Forces Team in dire need of assistance. 

We answered the call without hesitation. When I explained to the volunteers, we may have to fight our way in, the numerous casualties, and austerity of the situation, ... no one batted an eye. 

When our air lift arrived, we boarded the aircraft fully appreciating the imminent danger we were placing ourselves into; however, the thought of a Team in distress pushed any fear aside and replaced it with an overwhelming desire to help. 

When we hit the ground, we didn’t have to fight our way in, but we were there, we arrived as fast as we could, …to be there for our Brothers, ..for our Team Mates.  …This 360 degree commitment to each other, no matter the situation, is the essence of Special Forces 

What occurred to me over numerous combat deployments were no matter how much we trained, there were always variables in combat that required nuanced and mature decision making and unconditional commitment to each other to get through it. I am in no way discounting the extreme relevance of training, but there is more... 

We executed thousands of missions over numerous deployments, the only thing consistent was inconsistency within the operational environment and a sustained reliance on each other to accomplish each mission... 

I’ve observed almost any person can be trained, but developing awareness of something greater than yourself is an individual conscious decision. 

Bottom Line: Training and competence matter; however, in Special Forces, the concept of Team is paramount. Here, your commitment is 360 degrees and your resolve for the collective good and accomplishment of the mission is demonstrated through your actions.  

*Joint Publication 3-05 defines Unconventional Warfare as activities conducted to enable a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt or overthrow a government or occupying power by operating through or with an underground, auxiliary, and guerrilla force in a denied area.