Special Operations Liaison Officers: (SOLO) or Team Effort?

• Main Author: Schmitt, Paul J
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: AMERICAN EMBASSIES; BILLETS(PERSONNEL); CAREERS; CHIEF OF MISSION; COOPERATION; COUNTRY TEAMS; DEFENSE ATTACHES; DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; DEPARTMENT OF STATE; DIPLOMACY; FOREIGN AREA OFFICERS; FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS; Government and Political Science; INTEGRATION; INTERAGENCY COORDINATION; Military Forces and Organizations; MILITARY FORCES(FOREIGN); OFFICER PERSONNEL; OVERSEAS; PARTNER NATION SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES; Personnel Management and Labor Relations; SECURITY; SECURITY COOPERATION; SECURITY COOPERATION OFFICERS; SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIALS; SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES; SPECIAL OPERATIONS LIAISON OFFICERS

U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has significantly increased its roles, responsibilities, and resources since the beginning of the Global War on Terrorism's operations in September 2001. This resultant growth has complimented, and occasionally competed with, existing U.S. conventional military and other government agencies' security capabilities. The growth of USSOCOM has the potential to collide with the long-standing Department of Defense (DoD) foreign engagement presence in U.S. embassies, especially in an era of increasing austerity. This paper will review existing DoD security cooperation positions within embassies, and the special requirements that resulted in the creation of Special Operations Liaison Officers (SOLOs). The paper concludes that SOLOs impart a specialized, high-demand capability and create cooperative ties useful to our allies and partners that the United States can leverage in future conflicts. To maximize their utility, DoD, DoS, the Geographic Combatant Command (GCCs), and USSOCOM must pay special attention to SOLOs' integration into existing embassy security cooperation and military-diplomatic structures, training, and career-long utilization of embassy experience. Strategy Research Project.