Special Forces Operations In The Ugly American

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In this paper, I will relate how The Ugly American is a useful tool to teach and reinforce application of the Special Operations Forces Imperatives in planning and execution of Special Forces Operations. Characters and their story in the book clearly demonstrate the importance of SOF Imperatives shaping the outcome of operations. The novel is set within the Cold War and highlights the failures of the US Diplomatic Service to influence the third world towards pro-Western policies verses the Soviet Union's refined and effective tactics. The message of the book had a profound effect on many within the political realm including John F. Kennedy. The role and growth of Special Forces expanded under Kennedy, as they were a military force that…show more content…
His story starts out in the countryside of Burma. After putting his driver, named U Tien, through a series of tests he has the man find others of a like anti-communist mind and the first of a series of meetings take place between the nine men. At each of the discussions, they dig deeper and deeper into why they stand against communism and what they are going to do about it. What's remarkable to the Burmese men was that Father Finian never imposes anything as a stipulation. His only function was to assist in the indigenous organization to identify the problem as they defined it and ensuring their employment was legitimate and credible in the eyes of the local provincial people. Through Father Finian's assistance, the men started a small paper cleverly injecting communist leader speeches that spoke ill of peasants that lived in similar conditions to the Burmese province. This forced the true communist propaganda machine to operate in a reactionary mode and reduced its messaging effectiveness. Toki, one of the original nine men, and his network, conducted the final act to end the communist agenda. They secretly recorded a revered Soviet counter-insurgent expert in Burmese affairs during a staff meeting. For days, an important radio broadcast advertised by underground elements produced a sizeable and palpable…show more content…
The Legionnaires under Monet spent the next few weeks under harassment attacks from the communist insurgents without ever seeing their enemy. Ambassador MacWhite is present as well and asks Tex why the French keep losing. Tex replies there's no simple answer. Tex never read about this type of war and the conventional weapons and tactics that have always worked are completely ineffective here. He was oriented on doctrine and not on understanding his operational environment. MacWhite then asks why the Legionnaires didn't employ unconventional tactics because they seemed to work for the communists. Tex remembers reading Mao Tse Tung's military writings and finds that the enemy is following his teachings. Tex had an epiphany in that they had failed to understand the dynamic between the communist strategy and objective. The French had been fighting a battle for control of terrain whereas the enemy had been waging a campaign for support of the population across the spectrum of the indigenous' operational variables. Tex knew that focusing on the book was wrong and that they would need to focus on the composite of conditions and circumstances around them to influence a new way to fight. He brought his findings to Monet who is reluctant to accept that doctrine could come from someone other than the teachings of Clausewitz and Jomini. Following the grotesque mutilation of some of Monet's men, the French major
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