United States Army War College

Irregular Warfare: Counterterrorism Forces in Support of Counterinsurgency Operations United States Army War College

Publisher Marketing: United States counterterrorism (CT) forces have been employed in Afghanistan since October 18, 2001. Over the last decade, the CT force profile and method of operating has evolved. Historically, the CT force was a secretive organization that did little to directly assist conventional battle space owners (BSO) operating in a shared counterinsurgency (COIN) environment; today, the CT force overtly supports the BSO from the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (COMISAF) to the many dispersed battalion commanders operating throughout Afghanistan. The CT force's evolution was born of necessity. As the battle space became more complex and conventional forces controlled large tracts of land, ensuring operations were mutually supporting aided if not guaranteed the CT force's freedom of action (FOA); conversely, operations that were not fully coordinated routinely inhibited the CT force's FOA. In January 2009, the CT force aggressively revamped its method of operating in Afghanistan in order to provide unprecedented support to BSO and consequently guarantee FOA for the CT force. This study will seek to ensure the unclassified lessons amassed are captured and ideally learned, trained, rehearsed, and implemented.