Special Forces Combat Deaths In Africa Will Continue Until…

Special Forces Combat Deaths In Africa Will Continue Until…
by Doug Scott

Editor’s Note:  We usually don’t publish articles that take aim at “the brass” in the Special Operations community, especially since our owner falls into that category.  However, being “the voice of the veteran community” means that we pay particular attention to voices from the field.  This is one of those stories.

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It saddens me to know that another brother is gone and more of my friends and teammates have been wounded.  But what angers me more is that this might have been prevented if it wasn’t for the inaction and inability to make decisions at nearly every senior leadership level both on the military side with the general officers at AFRICOM and SOCAF (among others) and at home with our own politicians who have seemingly not learned from our nation’s military past when warnings were raised by those on the ground tasked with carrying out policies that put American soldiers at risk.

Without complaint we leave our friends and family to deploy to the most dangerous locations at the will of our American government and all we ask in return is to let us do our job in the way we have been trained and in the way only we know how… isn’t that why you sent us in the first place, our innate capabilities?  Don’t tie our hands and feet, don’t hobble us, and don’t ask us to sit around and do nothing while chaos reigns in the region we are tasked to stabilize.

Special Forces is not a strategic place holder.  We are a fighting force.  The strongest and most deadly fighting force ever seen.  Yet currently we’re asked to go to these places and do almost nothing.  If you want to know why we are losing soldiers in Africa, it’s because we are not currently allowed to bring the fight to the enemy.

We are forced to sit back and let our enemies grow stronger, let our enemies gain momentum, let our enemies thrive and fill their ranks.  Finally, in the ultimate insult, we are forced to let our enemies bring the fight to us, letting them pick the time and place allowing them the opportunity to wait until they have the upper hand when they strike us.  Our chosen profession is a dangerous one, we all know this and we all do it of our own free will and desire to make the world a better place.  We are not frightened of the fight, we only ask to be able to fight in the manner which we were trained, and in the manner in which we have proven that we excel.

It is not too late.  We can mitigate the risks by allowing us to choose when and how we meet our enemies on the battlefield.  Let us do our job and take the fight to enemy.  A strong offense puts the enemy on their heels and maintains their fear of our unpredictability.  It puts them on notice that at any moment we will find, fix, and finish them without mercy.  It keeps them running scared, it stops them from filling their ranks, and it makes the world a safer place.  We are willing to put our lives on the line everyday in service to this mission… but we’ve got to be able to do it right, our way, the Special Forces way and bring the fight to the enemy’s doorstep.

If you’re not willing to let us be aggressive and offensive, then leave us at home until you are.

De Oppresso Liber!