Training for Victory: U.S. Special Forces Advisory Operations from El Salvador to Afghanistan
Overview One of the most difficult security challenges of the post–Cold War era has been stabilizing failing states in an era of irregular warfare. A consistent component of the st rategy to address this problem has been security force assistance where outside powers train and advise the host nation’s military. Despite billions of dollars spent, the commitment of thousands of advisors, and innumerable casualties, the American efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq failed catastrophically. Nevertheless, among those colossal military disasters were pockets of success. The Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) held back the Islamic State in 2014 long enough to allow American and allied forces to flow back into the country, and many Afghan commando units fought to the bitter end as their country disintegrated around them. What made those units successful while the larger missions ended disastrously? Author Frank K. Sobchak explores security force assistance across five case studies, examining what factors were most critical for U.S. Special Forces units to build capable partners like the ISOF and the commandos. More specifically, the book assesses the impact of five components of Special Forces advisory missions: language training and cultural awareness of the advising force; the partner force-to-advisor ratio; the advisors’ ability to organize host-nation forces; whether advisors are permitted to guide in combat; and the consistency in advisor pairing. Based on the experiences of U.S. Army Special Forces in El Salvador (1981–1991), Colombia (2002–2016), the Philippines (2001–2015), Iraq (2003–2011), and Afghanistan (2007–2021), Sobchak argues that the most crucial factors in producing combat-effective partners are consistency in advisor pairing and maintaining a partner force-to-advisor ratio of twelve special forces soldiers advising a company-sized force or smaller. Intriguingly, and counter to conventional wisdom, at first glance language training and cultural awareness do not seem to be critical factors, as most of the Green Berets that trained units in Iraq and Afghanistan lacked both capabilities. Despite an orthodoxy that argues the opposite, there is little evidence that combat advising is decisive in producing effective partners and there is conflicting evidence that language training and cultural awareness are important. Many of these findings, while focused on Special Forces operations and doctrine, could be used to improve the odds of success for larger security-force assistance missions as well. About the Author Frank K. Sobchak, PhD, is a retired Special Forces colonel who served in various assignments in war and peace during a twenty-six-year military career. He is Chair of Irregular Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, U.S. Military Academy, a Senior Fellow at the Global and National Security Institute, University of South Florida, and a Fellow (contributor) for the MirYam Institute. Dr. Sobchak is the coauthor of the acclaimed two-volume The U.S. Army in the Iraq War and has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, Newsweek, Time, the Jerusalem Post, Defense One, The Hill, and the Small Wars Journal. His doctorate is from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is married to his West Point classmate, Lt. Col. Iris Sobchak (Ret.), and they live in Holliston, Massachusetts, with their four children. Additional Information Format: HardcoverPages: 352 pagesIllustrations: 26 B/W PhotosPublished: November 19, 2024ISBN-10: 1682471330ISBN-13: 9781682471333Product Dimensions: 9 × 6 × 1 inProduct Weight: 20 oz Editorial Reviews "A superbly written, extensively researched, and very illuminating examination of what most determines success in the conduct of security force assistance missions – endeavors that have become increasingly important for the American military in recent decades because, if they are done right, they can preclude substantial employment of US forces on the front lines of irregular conflicts. In Training for Victory, former Special Forces officer Frank Sobchak upends much of the conventional wisdom of security force assistance and provides a compelling explanation of how to do it right. Training for Victory clearly establishes Frank as one of the preeminent contemporary voices on how to build foreign armies. A very important book!"—Gen. David Petraeus, USA (Ret.), former CENTCOM Command, former Director of the CIA, co-author of Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine. "Training for Victory may be the most important book on military affairs to be published in recent years. The history of training and advising partner forces reveals that the United States can remain engaged in the world and advance the interests of the American people at low cost and risk. The alternative - retrenchment and disengagement - would result in high-cost wars and interventions."—Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, USA (Ret.), former National Security Advisor and author of Dereliction of Duty "Frank Sobchak's excellent analysis of Special Forces partner development operations goes a long way toward explaining the factors underpinning the Green Berets' well-deserved reputation as the preeminent trainers of foreign partners. In a discussion often dominated by dogma, Dr. Sobchak provides a welcome evidence-based study. It is particularly timely, as the US military grapples to understand its strategic failure to develop credible partners in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite an enormous expenditure in time, treasure, and lives. It is a must read for those that will be asked to attempt to do so in the future."—Lt. Gen, Ken Tovo, USA (Ret.), former Commanding General, U.S. Army Special Operations Command "An important examination of the handful of effective military units built during the 9-11 wars. Sobchak’s penetrating analysis and actionable recommendations are a must-read for anyone concerned about future proxy wars with China, Russia, and Iran."—Sean McFate, Professor, Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, NDU’s College of International Security Affairs, and author of The New Rules of War "Frank Sobchak is a scholar-practitioner of the highest caliber, and there is no one better qualified to examine the critical subject of security force assistance. His Training for Victory offers valuable lessons on how to successfully build foreign militaries that should inform policymakers on such a critical foreign policy tool."—Richard Shultz, Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of International Security Studies, The Fletcher School, Tufts University "An outstanding contribution to the literature on special operations and irregular warfare, one that is full of strategy and policy insights for senior leaders to consider. Bravo!"—Michael G Vickers, former Special Forces officer, CIA officer, Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, and author of By All Means Available "As both a professional historian and a Special Forces officer with multiple deployments Frank Sobchak is perhaps uniquely qualified to assess what worked and what didn’t work across multiple conflicts during which US Special Forces worked “by with and through” local forces such as the Iraqi Special Operations Forces. Training for Victory is an invaluable contribution both for practitioners in the field and for those interested in the history of America’s “advise and assist” missions."—Peter Bergen, Chairman, Global SOF Foundation and author of The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden. "Sobchak challenges one of the long-held consensus views in the American advising community, which attaches high importance to advisors knowing the language and culture of the partner nation. He makes a compelling case that a low partner-to-advisor force ratio is the key to success."—Forrest Marion, author of Flight Risk: The Coalition's Air Advisory Mission in Afghanistan, 2005-2015. "While U.S special operations forces pursue a high-tech future (e.g., the “triad” of special operations forces, cyber, and space) there is one foundational Special Forces capability that will remain enduring across the spectrum of conflict from peace through strategic competition and the gray zone, to before, during, and after large scale combat operations. That is the ability to conduct campaigns “through, with, and by” indigenous forces and populations and partner militaries. Frank Sobchak objectively analyzes five case studies to provide critical lessons and insights for future advisory operations: El Salvador, the Philippines, Colombia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. While the focus is on Special Forces, the author recognizes that to build viable host nation partner forces with a broad range of capabilities requires more than Special Forces, thus this book is of value to all those who will participate in advisory operations in the future."—War on the Rocks "The real strength of the book for most readers is in the historical presentation of the chosen conflicts, the results in the context of the wars they were part of, and the case studies showing SF operations and capabilities. The missions selected involve El Salvador, Colombia, the Philippines, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The book is broader than a technical analysis, as it provides an explanation of the conflicts in these countries and a description of the core capability of the SF, unique among US forces and, in fact, the world, in their ability to conduct such missions. This detailed and well-done book is a useful guide for many audiences. Anyone with specific interests in the conflicts listed will find information on focused aspects of them. Military leadership at all levels (conventional but maybe in particular special operations leadership from non-SF units) needs to understand better what the SF can do with local forces and some of the challenges in training soldiers in other countries. Lastly, for SF soldiers themselves or those aspiring to join the SF, these case studies are exceptional examples of “the business” of the SF."—H-Net "Few, if any, authors have analyzed Special Forces operations to understand if and how they worked. Training for Victory is an attempt to remedy this and determine which recent 'by, with, and through' efforts have been successful—and why. Sobchak’s book is important and should encourage a much-needed critical examination of Special Forces and other advisory operations. Training for Victory is for those with a strong interest in Special Forces and the challenges of building effective partner forces. As the author contends, advisory operations are ‘a difficult, long-term, and often thankless endeavor,’ but one that the Army must be ready to execute."—Army Magazine "This book provides timely insights as the Department of Defense considers changes to force structure. A renewed focus on large-scale combat operations as both a capability and deterrent may suggest a decreased need for small advising missions. This is a potential oversight. Clear American conventional overmatch will likely incentivize nations to seek asymmetric means of achieving policy objectives, similar to the proliferation of small wars throughout the Cold War. By working with allies committed to improving their SOF capabilities, we can frustrate adversary operations away from our homeland and leverage deep relationships as a powerful diplomatic tool. If the United States intends to maximize the benefits from the increase in allied defense spending, we should look at sustainable Security Force Assistance missions as a way to ensure that the dollars and euros spent will result in real lethality. Fortunately, Training for Victory helps identify the key planning considerations that our Special Forces soldiers apply when turning dollars into deterrence."—Small Wars Journal “The author's firsthand experience with and knowledge of the challenges of these operations is evident in this practitioner-oriented but policy-relevant piece of scholarship. Evidence from interviews, government documents, public reporting, and reflective publications contribute to a formidable body of notes and tables that augment the body of the work” — Prism “Sobchak takes his time, using numerous interviews and research tools, to describe and explain his methods as well as the results of his research, including backup charts and voluminous notes and bibliography citations to support his conclusions. Training for Victory is proof that his experience, his research strategy into this topic, and his choosing the correct benchmarks to examine, was correct, and resulted in a superbly documented and eminently readable contribution to the Special Forces history.” — On Point
