By Margie Gibson, Marshall Center College of International and Security Studies

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany — The top U.S. special operations commander in Europe gave participants in the Marshall Center’s Program in Terrorism and Security Studies a glimpse into the challenges of combating terrorism on an international scale during a visit here Feb. 9.

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Commander of Special Operations Command Europe Rear Adm. William H. McRaven

Navy Rear Adm. William H. McRaven, Commander of Special Operations Command Europe, presented a comprehensive model for combating terrorism to the participants, who come from 52 countries as diverse as Jordan and the Philippines. Participants come to Garmisch to learn how nations can effectively combat terrorism while adhering to fundamental democratic values.

McRaven described the U.S. Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism Program, which has drawn together nine nations in the Sahel region of Africa to combat terrorism before it begins. These countries grapple with problems that contribute to terrorism, McRaven said. Such problems include unstable governments, conflicts, refugees, pandemic diseases, human trafficking, and high population growth, he said.

Military power alone can not address the myriad issues that breed terrorists, McRaven explained. “Unconventional warfare is much more powerful and appropriate [than traditional military methods] as we deal with terrorism and extremism today.”

The U.S. initiative aims to mobilize all facets of national power in the fight against terrorism and concentrates on the needs, aspirations and desires of the people in the region to create sustainable relationships that will build regional cooperation, McRaven said.

The program uses a four-step approach to evaluate a region’s needs, making a special effort to listen to and engage the people of the region throughout the process, he explained. The four steps are:

• A Military Information Support Team meets with host nation representatives, U.S. embassy personnel and other aid providers to learn their concerns;

• Civil-Military Support Elements visit remote villages to start infrastructure projects. The teams support local projects such as improving electrical supply systems or digging wells;

• The Joint Combined Exchange for Training reinforces the host country’s ability to handle its own issues. A team of Marines proficient in local languages trains host nation personnel to tackle their most critical needs and to use available resources most appropriately; and

• Doctors and veterinarians deliver much-needed medical assistance and care for livestock in remote regions to address some of the most basic and common problems that can sap the strength and well-being of local people.

Listening to the people most intimately involved with the problems and beginning with basics such as infrastructure highlight the long-term nature of the program, McRaven said.

“We work hard to teach the values of leadership, the value of good order and discipline, the value of a non-commissioned officer corps, and the value of civilian control of the military. We are not taking a short term view: this is a 20, 30, 40 year project. . . the participating countries will learn the right values over time,” he said.