Theater Variations in Naval Special Warfare Command and Control Violate Joint Doctrine

摘要

The debate surrounding forward-deployed Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Command and Control (C2) has been conducted since before 1987 when Special Operations Forces were organized under U.S. Special Operations Command. Why the NSW C2 debate continues today is a mystery considering the unambiguous doctrine and law that have been established on the subject. An examination of the variations in theater NSW C2 structures reveals there are doctrine and law offenders in a chain from the NSW community to the JCS staff. The CJCS approved doctrine governing NSW C2 and the law that supports it are apparently being ignored based on theater variations in NSW C2 structures. This paper identifies the issue's possible origin that manifests itself in each of the operational theaters, identifies additional issues related to NSW C2, and finally proposes a generic NSW C2 architecture that adheres to established doctrine and law.