Special Operations Forces and Elusive Enemy Ground Targets; Lessons from Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War

Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2001. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Trade paperback. Very good. xi, [1], 60 pages. Footnotes, Maps. Illustrations. Appendix: Supplementary Materials. References. This was prepared for the United States Air Force. William Rosenau, Ph.D. is a senior research scientist at CNA's Center for Strategic Studies. CNA Corporation is a non-profit research center in Alexandria, Virginia. He has also worked as a political scientist at RAND; as a counterterrorism adviser at the State Department; as a senior analyst at SAIC; and as a special assistant to the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict. His research interests include Cold War history and culture; the history of terrorism and counterterrorism; and domestic and international organized crime. This report was written as part of a Project AIR FORCE FY 2000 study on elusive ground targets. The larger effort, sponsored by the Director of Strategic Planning, Headquarters, USAF, explored the possibility that warfare is evolving in reaction to the dominance of standoff sensors and weapons. The study looked in particular at how elusive forces (ranging from light forces in a peace operation to mobile ballistic missiles in a larger conflict) operate, why the United States has a limited capability against them today, and how we might do better in the future. This report explores the role of ground observers in efforts to detect and defeat such forces. Drawing on U.S. experiences during the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars, the study examines the challenges associated with employing ground observers to search large areas for elusive targets. The report also suggests ways in which ground observers might be usefully employed during future conflicts.