Media Platforms Design Team01 YemenDIRECT ACTION: AirstrikesOBJECTIVE: Hunt members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula who are seizing towns and attacking government officials. UPDATE: Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the CIA pick targets for drone and manned aircraft attacks against al-Qaida leadership and clusters of fighters. The website Long War Journal estimates that 23 strikes have been carried out since December 2009.02 PhilippinesINDIRECT ACTION: Foreign Internal DefenseOBJECTIVE: SOCOM deployed to the island of Basilan to counter gains made by the Islamist insurgent group Abu Sayyaf.UPDATE: A 500-man spec ops task force trains local military units to take and hold ground from Abu Sayyaf. Since the mission’s inception in 2002, 17 U.S. service members have died while advising and assisting Filipino forces.03 Latin AmericaINDIRECT ACTION: Foreign Internal Defense OBJECTIVE: Promote military relationships with an annual competition, Fuerzas Comando. UPDATE: Commandos from 19 countries participated in the 2011 competition. Events included a timed 11-mile forced march, sniper contests, and a combined airborne operation. U.S. troops placed sixth; El Salvador took first place04 Trans-SaharaINDIRECT ACTION: Civil–Military Support Element OBJECTIVE: CMSE teams advise local governments on how to meet the needs of at-risk populations.UPDATE: CMSE teams from the 91st Civil Affairs battalion provide veterinary services, construction, and partnerships with reliable business leaders. This work is expanding; SOF Civil Affairs quietly added a fifth battalion in 2012. >Spec Ops Weapons Wish List »>Media Platforms Design TeamJoe PappalardoJoe Pappalardo is a contributing writer at Popular Mechanics and author of the new book, Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight.
