The US Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) has set out its vision for dealing with the threat posed by irregular adversities.
The irregular warfare (IW) vision prioritises specific efforts necessary to achieve the objectives and guidance of the Department of Defence directive on irregular warfare.
US Joint Forces Command Commander Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis said that competency in irregular warfare was a core part of achieving a balanced joint force.
“We are determined to lead the way in a collaborative effort to deploy joint forces that are as effective in conducting irregular warfare as they are in conventional warfare,” Mattis said.
“USJFCOM will partner with interagency, multinational, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, combatant commands, services and intelligence community partners in order to achieve this vision.”
The vision outlines a timeline and expectations from directorates and subordinate commands. Over the next six to 12 months the command will focus its IW efforts in concept development and experimentation, capability development / joint integration and interoperability, training and education, joint provision / global force management and external engagement.
Several areas of USJFCOM effort include:
- Working closely with US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the services to update the IW Joint Operating Concept to improve its relevance and utility to the general purpose force, interagency and our multinational partners.
- Standardise and optimise network-enabled capabilities and services provided by DoD’s global information grid computer network in support of small units at the tactical edge conducting IW.
- Developing a joint doctrine that guides and enables joint force commanders to plan and execute IW across the four categories of military activity: combat, security, engagement, relief and reconstruction.
- Identify tracking requirements for critical skills and experiences relevant to IW.
- Capture, analyse and disseminate IW lessons learned and best practices.
The vision states USJFCOM will work with its partners to identify the most important challenges the US is facing in IW, develop concepts and evaluate capabilities solutions to address those challenges.
The Joint Irregular Warfare Center (JIWC) will prioritise efforts, proactively coordinate activities, provide subject matter expertise and collaborate closely with multinational and interagency partners in executing the IW vision.
By Daniel Garrun.
