The Posse Comitatus Act: Reconstruction era limits on military law enforcement

¶ … Comitatus Act

What does the creation of the DHS do to enhance Special Operations Forces Structure?

The establishment of the DHS led to the largest reorganization in the federal government since 1948. This resulted in various agencies sharing more information and working together in addressing a host of issues. At the same time, they must have effective communication between the different entities. This requires having better coordination and collaboration on a host of issues. (Brown, 2005) (Smith, 2002)

For special operations forces, this means that they will be playing a larger role in working with DHS and local law enforcement officials. This is because these individuals are trained in monitoring and tracking terrorists from abroad. When dealing with any kind of terrorist threat there is the possibility that they could be carrying a weapon of mass destruction (WMD). Under 18 USC Sec 831 and 10 USC Sec 382 of the Posse Comitatus Act, military forces can be utilized in these kinds of situations. These are exemptions authorized by Congress for the use of armed forces in dealing with terrorist threats. As a result, one could argue that these groups will continually try to bring WMDs into the U.S. To deal with these threats requires having special operations forces involved with tracking and preventing them from being successful. (Brown, 2005) (Smith, 2002) POSSE

This will enhance the SOF structure by creating more specialized units that are focused on locating, following, targeting and eliminating terrorist threats. These groups will serve as teams that are supporting international and domestic agencies. When they work in conjunction with the DHS, there will be more specialized task forces developed. This will change the mission of SOF by moving away from international operations and supporting allies to focusing on domestic issues. In the future, these transformations will lead to stronger ties between state and federal officials. Once this takes place, is when these units will be utilized most effectively on the domestic and international level. (Brown, 2005) (Smith, 2002)

What similarities are there between the force structures of Israel, Great Britain, and the United States?

The biggest similarities between the structure of Israel, Great Britain and the United States armed forces are the in the focus on overwhelming air superiority. This means that the air force will be utilized to soften up targets on the ground (with a high intensity campaign). Then, there will be a smaller contingency of grounds forces that will conduct mop up operations. The basic idea with this strategy is to use overwhelming power to achieve quick victories in high intensity campaigns. This has influenced the structure of the military by focusing on SOF and rapid response units. In the event that larger forces are needed there is a heavy reliance on reserve troops to perform many of the traditional functions (such as: logistics and supply). (Sapiro, 2003)

What are the unique characteristics of SOF and counter terror forces compared to conventional military and paramilitary forces?