Special Forces Development - facing the challenges of today and preparing for tomorrow

However, making effective investment to establish and build Special Forces capability requires considerable analysis, taking account of numerous variables.

Special Forces may be involved in both internal and external operations, bringing to bear a range of skills and tactics which are often unconventional in relation to regular military activities. The nature of the activities undertaken requires the selection and employment of personnel with suitable specific attitudes and aptitudes. These individuals are usually selected from the ranks of existing forces and undergo rigorous initial and on-going training to hone their skills and maintain currency with the use of specialist equipment.

The aim for any Force is to effectively deploy the resources available to achieve its operational objectives, but achieving this aim, particularly in a complex threat environment, requires detailed planning, preparation and training. To carry out such tasks a detailed level of analysis may be required to identify the future roles and strategies for the development of Special Forces entailing consideration of the likely future operating environment and the identification of implications for Special Forces in terms of personnel, organisation, support and facilities, training, equipment and doctrine.

One Australian company, Noetic Solutions has been engaged by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to prepare and facilitate a "futures seminar" for the Special Operations Command senior leadership group. The key outcome of the seminar was the agreement by the senior leadership group on the way forward including an action list for the next six to twelve months. In addition, Noetic produced a Human Resources (HR) Strategy for the Special Operations Command. The report concentrated on three time frames - near (0-2 years), medium (3-10 years) and long (10+ years). The strategy produced actionable and practical recommendations to address personnel, organisational and policy issues across the command and its units.

Such Special Forces analysis and planning however is not conducted in isolation, but rather it must take account of the wider Military organisational issues, including the broader issue of strategic workforce planning. Noetic Solutions has extensively assisted in the Australian Defence Strategic Workforce Planning Review with its cutting edge work. This included the development of the underpinning models, concepts and principles, producing the Defence Workforce Planning Guide from first principles and an analysis of the human dimension of Network Centric Warfare. A separate case study is available from Noetic.