Filling Special Operations Gaps with Civilian Expertise

摘要

The time has come to consider adaptive techniques in accessing the skills and expertise required for special operations mission success. This monograph looks at leveraging civilian personnel outside USSOCOM who possess unusual skills that can enhance and support special operations-designated activities. It also suggests solutions for bringing these uniquely skilled people in for a brief period and addresses using technology to aid in locating, assessing, managing, and retaining these experts. Filling existing and emerging special operations-related gaps in skills and competencies with civilian expertise affords the most innovative and cost-effective means of mission support while ensuring Special Operations Forces (SOF) remain focused on core competencies and congressionally mandated special operations activities. Specific objectives are as follows: (1) Provide an innovative look at leveraging civilian personnel outside USSOCOM who possess certain nontraditional, special operations-related skills and competencies; (2) Determine whether current U.S. law and Department of Defense (DoD) policy would permit the use of civilians to alleviate, on a temporary basis, recruiting and retention shortages; (3) Provide some practical solutions on how to contract these uniquely skilled civilians for a short time period; and (4) Provide a discussion on the use of technology to aid in locating/targeting, recruiting, assessing and selecting, developing/training, managing, and retaining these civilians for repeated, case-by-case use. Chapters are as follows: (1) Introduction; (2) Candidates, Historical Examples, and Precedents; (3) Special Operations Skills and Competencies: Defining the Unconventional; (4) The Legal Basis: Can it be done. What are the costs; (5) Practical Solutions for Short- Term Use; and 6. Summary and Conclusions.