This is part two of a three-part series elaborating on U.S. Special Operations Command’s line of effort to expand and reinforce generational relationships with allies and partners at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
It is critical for U.S. Army special operations Soldiers to continue "developing and strengthening the partner and ally piece that's a comparative and competitive advantage for this nation," Lt. Gen. Bryan Fenton, commanding general of the U.S. Special Operations Command, testified during his confirmation hearing for USSOCOM commander in July 2022.
The "placement, access, and influence" of U.S. special operations Soldiers in other countries to provide "training, advising, and assisting" has been shown to be "extremely powerful" in countering aggression, Fenton said.
At the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, fostering relationships with partners and allies is one of its priorities and aligns with SOCOM’s initiatives.
The SWCS contributions in developing initial interpersonal and professional relationships are represented in a snapshot of the larger global special operations forces network. It creates an opportunity for attendees to connect and further develop intercultural exchange. Relationships formed at SWCS become the bedrock from which many tactical, operational, and strategic partnerships develop.
A benefit of having international students enrolled at the various campuses and courses across Special Warfare Center and School is their experiences help build the foundation of interoperability and integration that are critical to special operations forces.
Illustrating Fenton’s comments is an international student who recently completed the Special Forces Qualification Course. The student’s name is not being released to the public as the student is a current foreign allied special operations service member.
“We’re building the relationship with each other,” the student said. “As partner nations, we might have to face the same enemy in the future, so we are now building the rapport and making our relationship stronger by doing so.”
The foreign partner student elaborated on his experiences training alongside U.S. Soldiers and other foreign students.
“I think it was a good experience for me to get the training with American and partners from other country because I could learn a lot from them,” the student said. “We are all military, but the way we train and how we think are different from each other. My country might have our own standard operating procedure to do anything. However, through the experience I got, I could come up with the better ways to adjust that. It could not only help me realize the things we were supposed to improve, but also found out the good aspects of other countries that we could learn from. But sometimes it is a struggle because we have different culture and languages. Overcoming these barriers is tough, and that’s also what we were supposed to do. By doing that, we could learn more how to work with others.”
These partnerships not only occur between U.S. Soldiers and allied partners, but new relationships form between allied partners, as well.
A foreign allied graduate student officer from Romania attending the Joint Special Operations Master of Arts Program commented on creating new relationships.
“One of the most enriching aspects of this program, apart from the academic content, has been the opportunity to interact with professionals from various countries and backgrounds the Romanian officer said. “I've established relationships with fellow students, instructors, and even visiting experts. “These interactions have given me a broader perspective, deepened my understanding of global challenges, and exposed me to different methodologies and strategies employed around the world.”
At the core of Army special operations forces is fostering relationships built on trust and understanding to strengthen capabilities. This creates a unique opportunity for an exchange of language training for both U.S. Soldiers and foreign allied students.
For example, a U.S. student in the Special Forces Qualification Course, who grew up speaking Mandarin Chinese at home had the opportunity to partner with a Taiwanese student through the qualification course. They made an agreement that when working together, the U.S. student would only speak Mandarin and the Taiwanese student would only speak English. They both improved their respective language markedly, and a strong relationship was formed. Because of this experience, they fostered a relationship and can provide a basis for immediate insertion and cooperation for future work with foreign allied partners.
Brig. Gen. Guillaume "Will" Beaurpere, commanding general of the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, emphasized the importance of foreign partnerships, “The strength to stand against our adversaries will never come alone, it will come together.”
To read the first part of the series, visit https://www.army.mil/article/274310/starting_from_beginning_strengthening_of_strategic_foreign_partnerships_from_initial_acquisition_training_education.
For more information about the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, visit www.swcs.mil.
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