This is dedicated to the
few, the strong, the brave, the unsung, the man on the ground, and yes the
dead. The Canadian government recently debated in their parliament about their
involvement in the battle against ISIS in Iraq. Members of parliament wanted
details as to what exactly was the nature of the mission, how many troops would
be sent, how long would they be there, and what is the overall exit strategy.
In any military mission lives will inevitably be put on the line. For the
members of parliament to ask these types of questions it only makes sense I
suppose. I mean after all, they represent the Canadian populace and families of
soldiers involved in any mission would want to know their loved ones are going
to get back home safely.
I on the hand have a
different thought process to these debates. There should not be any debates at
all about mission specifics. Once it is decided in parliament that the military
will be engaging in a mission, parliament should cease asking any further
questions about what, when, who, where, and why. These types of answers about
mission specifics should be answered and handled by military commanders only. Military
commanders have the expertise to make the decision as to what is exactly needed
to complete a mission successfully. Imagine a General states that they will
need 500 soldiers for a year to complete a particular mission based on the
intelligence they have gathered about the part of the world they are dealing
with but only receive 100 soldiers for six months because members of parliament
with likely next to zero military experience and/or knowledge decided that they
don’t want to give anymore. You can’t honestly expect that mission to be
completed successfully. If you hire a plumber to do the job you have to let
them do the job and expect a bit of water to be spilled. If you want Christmas
dinner to be cooked you have to let the person doing the cooking shop for the
groceries that they need. If you want breakfast you have to be willing to crack
a few eggs. Overall, I think you are starting to get the point I am trying to
make here and if you don’t here is the point. “Always trust the man on the ground.” That is a Special Forces
mantra which basically means exactly that. You trust the individuals who have
the expertise, knowledge, and are dealing with the issues first hand because
they can provide you the most valuable intelligence to achieve a “Mission Accomplished”.
Hugh McManners is former
British Royal Marine who fought in the Falkland Islands War and is the author
of a great book called “Ultimate Special
Forces”. In his books he talks about the history of military Special Forces
throughout the world, the missions they have been on, the equipment they use,
the training required, and a glimpse of what the future of warfare will look
like in the 21st century. The book is filled with some fantastic
pictures and great anecdotes about various military commanders, enemy combatants
and their exploits. I often find that following and studying the history of
warfare is basically the following and studying history. It is through war that
you can learn the political climate, the mood of the general populace, pop
culture, economies, and technological advancements.
Firstly we must understand
that Special Forces differ from general infantry. Special Forces soldiers go
well beyond basic training and are highly trained in a variety of different
military and survival strategies and tactics. Their missions are usually of the
secret variety and their orders will often come from high levels in the
military and government structure. All Special Forces need to be ready at a moment’s
notice to be called upon anywhere in the world in any environment to accomplish
just about any mission. Their window of opportunity is usually quite small and
they are expected to operate efficiently and quickly to get the job done. The
selection of individuals to make a Special Forces unit is extremely difficult
and the failure rate is quite high. In fact, it is not uncommon for some
recruits to die while in training. This has been known to happen when training
for the British SAS and Russian Spetsnaz.
For the earliest known
special forces units we must travel back to the ancient times where will
discover the “Immortals” from the
Persian Empire who were 10,000 troops strong and tasked as being the personal
bodyguards of the royal family. The Praetorian Guard were the defenders of Rome
and their emperors and numbered 9,000 men. Through just about every war in
history there have been elite soldiers put in play all tasked with a similar
duty and that is giving their side a significant advantage to win the war. In
my opinion the side that wins is usually the one that has the best intelligence
and intelligence gathering is a staple of special forces units especially units
like the Green Berets who focus not just on their own objectives but training
local inhabitants the basics of warfare.
The equipment that Special
Forces get to use is always the best of the best in terms of military
operations but make no mistake all soldiers are trained how to handle
themselves when they have next to nothing. You never quite know what a
situation will bring. One could find himself without their equipment and will
have to learn how to survive off the land if need be. Regular training in
survival tactics in environments like a dessert or jungle are a must.
Consistent training and drills are also a necessity to maintain high levels
otherwise a soldier is likely to find himself kicked out of their unit rather
than being put into a mission if their skills are starting to lack.
One of the most fascinating aspects
of the book I found was the equipment that Special Forces soldiers get to use.
The weapons they have access too are straight out of an action movie or video
game and surveillance equipment used for intelligence gathering looks like the
type of stuff that James Bond is familiar with. I must admit I was quite
excited going through those chapters.
Special Forces soldiers are
probably some of the most if not the most well-trained individuals in what they
do. Literally thousands of hours are dedicated to perfecting their craft yet at
the same time when in an actual mission it is scary to know that all it takes
is one shot or being in the wrong place at the wrong time and it is all over.
These individuals sometimes have to make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of
their country. Do you think you would have what it takes to join the likes of
the Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Delta Force, 101st Airborne, British
SAS, Spetsnaz, French Foreign Legion, or any of the other highly trained and
skilled special forces units in the world. In my mind I like to think that I
do. I did research heavily about joining the military myself but ultimately
chose to pass. I still think about it from time to time not so much that I am
dedicated to the mission or have this surge of patriotism flowing through me
but the training and pushing myself to be the best, that is what makes Special
Forces soldiers great and that is what I want to be.
If you enjoyed reading this be sure to check out my other blog post on a similar topic.
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