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Working Group 16 Charter
Special Operations and Irregular Warfare
(Last Updated 4 September 2007)
PURPOSE: The purpose of theSpecial Operations & Irregular Warfare working group is to provide a forum for the exchange of information on special operations, irregular warfare, and related non-war military activities; to foster and improve the use of operations research tools and techniques in these fields; and to provide a source of peer review for associated analytical efforts.
DISCUSSION: Irregular warfare is a warfighting philosophy that seeks to achieve strategic objectives primarily by non-traditional means. Irregular warfare may include the following operations: psychological operations, information operations, counter proliferation of WMD, counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, intelligence activities, computer network operations, foreign internal defense, and stability operations, among others. The United States directed Special Operations Forces (SOF) to focus on these mission areas. However, many organizations in the Department of Defense as well as other government departments and agencies contribute capabilities (indirectly or directly) to irregular warfare operations. Working Group 16 seeks to provide a forum for all contributors to irregular warfare.
Special Operations Forces and their operations are usually small scale efforts, characterized by small unit sizes, unconventional measures of military effectiveness, a joint and/or combined nature, and a degree of independence from conventional forces. Traditional oriented working groups within MORS do not explicitly address SOF analytical issues. Yet SOF stands to greatly benefit from the analytical community’s ability to: i) enhance mission planning tools and analytical aids; ii) use operation research tools to analyze the extremely diverse set of SOF operating environments; iii) provide a forum for the systemic collection and dissemination of lessons learned from previous SOF operations.
The conduct of operations such as peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance are also characterized by relatively small scale operations, very focused and specific missions, and a lack of conventional mission effectiveness criteria. Working group 16 (WG-16) brings these communities together not because they are the same, but because they share similar characteristics to the analytical community. These missions are predominantly joint operations; frequently conducted with interagency and allied assistance. This community can also benefit from the operations research tools and analysis: from models and simulations to seminar war-games and lessons learned. WG-16 serves as a focal point to develop requirements for new analytical tools, or to adapt old tools to new problems.
MISSION AREAS: Unconventional Warfare, Foreign Internal Defense, Counterterrorism, Special Reconnaissance, Direct Action Missions, Peacekeeping, Peace Enforcement, Humanitarian Assistance, Disaster Relief, Insurgencies, Counterinsurgencies, Counterdrug Operations, Security Assistance, Stability Operations.
MORS AFFILIATION: Working Group 16 is in Composite Group C, (Joint Warfare). Other MORS working groups that may have presentations related to those in this working group include: WG-7 – ISR & Intelligence Analysis; WG-8 – Information Operations; WG-12 – Land & Expeditionary Warfare; WG-14 – Strike Warfare; WG-17 – Joint Campaign Analysis; WG-24 – Measures of Merit; WG-28 – Decision Analysis; WG-29 – M&S and Wargaming; WG-32 – Warfighter Performance and Social Science Methods
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