Lt. Col. Yeo Wee Lian (left), Special Officer, Singapore Armed Forces; Brig. Gen. D. Udeni Munasinghe, Division Commander, Sri Lankan Army; and Brig. Gen. Gabriel Ledesma (standing), Commanding General, 1st Scout Ranger Regiment, Armed Forces of the Philippines, explore the impact of transnational terrorism during a panel discussion.

Maj. Gen. Duncan Lewis, Commander, Special Operations Command, Australia, said his country places much value on routine peacetime exchanges and combined exercises. “An increased need for effective joint, inter-agency, and alliance counter terrorism and anti-terrorism activities requires defense to establish an appropriate mechanism to ensure increased responsiveness of Australian Defense Force assets involved in these tasks.”

Col. Young Oh Song, Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command — activated in 1958 with the motto “make the impossible possible” — also supported a coalition effort during his briefing to the conference. “Terrorism is a faceless war that used to be limited to a select few,” he said. “But it has become a global matter. This calls for continuous international cooperation.”

Throughout the conference, attendees devoted much thought to improving coalition partnerships, increasing training events, and sharing of information. Over the years, PASOC attendees have created strong bonds among themselves. PASOC fosters and strengthens many relationships. Relationship building is an essential part of the PASOC conference, where almost a brotherhood of SOF from across the Pacific region is created and nurtured year after year. “A SOF coalition will be the wave of the future”, said Gen. Charles Holland, Commander, United States Special Operations Command. “If we bond together we have a better chance of surviving terrorist threats. We can play to the strengths that each member of the coalition brings to the fight. So if we get into a fight, it’s the blood of your people and the blood of our people, so we need to ensure all capabilities are represented.”

One tool the SOF will use in the war on terrorism is the Coalition Support Team (CST). A CST is a small group of Special Forces soldiers who work closely with the host nation using special skill sets. These skill sets enable them to understand the situation on the ground, so U.S. forces can modify training or assistance according to the current situation. The CSTs were very successful during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM – Philippines.

During his briefing, Brig. Gen. David Fridovich, Deputy Director for Operations, U.S. Pacific Command, pointed out that the CSTs helped to leverage technology and skill sets, and worked through, by, and with the host nation, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the lead.

Brig. Gen. Bajra Gurung, Director, Nature Conservation, Royal Nepalese Army (left); Maj. Sylvia McDonald, SOCPAC escort (center); and Col. Young Oh Song, Director Training and Education Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare, participate in a discussion on emerging missions and Special Operations Forces.

Maj. Gen. Herbert L. (Buz) Altshuler, Commander, U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), explains his unit’s vision of a seamlessly integrated active Army and Army Reserve Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations soldiers and units who work across the full spectrum of military operations in peacetime and war.

Mr. Robert W. Fitts, Political Advisor to the Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, briefs the Global Web of Terrorism.

Indian Army Col. Mandeep Singh Mann, Commanding Officer, 21st Parachute (Special Forces) Battalion, recommends a methodology to combat terrorism in his briefing.

During Operation ENDURING FREEDOM – Philippines, the CSTs spent much time in the communities, measuring the effects of their presence. Based on their findings, they modified their assistance and advice to the AFP and local community leaders.

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Michael S. Kuehr (left), Commander, 351st Civil Affairs Command, talks with Maj. Gen. Duncan Lewis (center), Commander, Australian Special Operations Command, and Capt. Richard Shalders, Australian Special Operations Command, during a coffee break.

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