IINSTP: SOF Support to Political Warfare White Paper

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited

UNITED STATES ARMY

SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

SOF Support to Political Warfare

White Paper

Final

10 March 2015

This white paper presents the concept of SOF Support to Political Warfare to leaders and

policymakers as a dynamic means of achieving national security goals and objectives.

Embracing the whole-of-government framework with significant targeted military contributions,

Political Warfare enables America’s leaders to undertake proactive strategic initiatives to shape

environments, preempt conflicts, and significantly degrade adversaries’ hybrid and asymmetric

advantages.

Applied at the regional or global level, Political Warfare emerges from a persistent and

purposeful synergy of diplomatic, economic, informational, and military efforts in unified

campaigns where military contributions support the attainment of broader strategic end states.

Taking advantage of skills, methods, and approaches resident in Special Operations Forces

(SOF), Political Warfare's military aspects integrate counter-unconventional warfare (C-UW)

and unconventional warfare (UW), foreign internal defense (FID), Security Sector Assistance

(SSA), and Information and Influence Activities (IIA), closely calibrated with and in support of

those of other government departments.

Political Warfare is a strategy suited to achieve U.S. national objectives through reduced

visibility in the international geo-political environment, without committing large military forces.

Likewise, Political Warfare can function as a critical, integrating element of U.S. national power

against non-state adversaries such as the current Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Most often, the Department of Defense role in Political Warfare will be one of supporting other

U.S. Government agencies that are more likely to lead strategy and planning development.

IINSTP