No Ordinary Men. Bernd Horn

in ambiguous, complex, and very dangerous environments is not enough. SOF also inculcates its members with an ethos that shapes the community and all those in it. The CANSOF ethos is captured through the expression of its core values:

      1 Internalization of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Core Values – this entails understanding, accepting, and intern­alizing the four core values of the CAF, which are fundamental to CANSOFCOM members as Canadians and practitioners of the profession of arms. Specifically the CAF values as interpreted by SOF are:Duty – First and foremost: service to country before self; unwavering dedication to mission success; acceptance of hardship and sacrifice; compliance with law and adherence to the law of armed conflict; maintenance of the highest levels of tactical and technical competence; audacity in accepting personal risk for mission accomplishment; the relentless pursuit of excellence in the execution of all tasks; constant dedication, initiative, and discipline; maintenance of the highest standards of personal conduct; being responsible and accountable for one’s actions at all times; and always making the correct moral decisions regardless of situation or circumstance;Loyalty – Unquestioned allegiance to country and faithfulness to comrades; dedicated support of the intentions of superiors and obedience to lawful direction and commands; the strength to question and challenge decisions and directives when required (truth to power); and the adherence to the two moral imperatives of mission success and the safety and well-being of one’s subordinates; Integrity – Unconditional and steadfast com­mitment to a principled approach to meeting obligations; trustworthiness in the context of handling the nation’s most sensitive missions and information; maintaining the nation’s values; operating to the highest moral standards and always being responsible and accountable for one’s actions regardless of situ­ation or circumstance. It requires transparency in actions and honesty in word and deed within the constraints of operational security and the tenet of “need to know”; andCourage – Willpower and the resolve not to quit; an uncompromising and unrelenting drive to overcome all obstacles and achieve mission success; an overwhelming desire to fight and win; willingness to disregard the cost of an action in terms of physical difficulty, risk, discomfort, advancement, or popu­larity; and ability to make the right choices among difficult alternatives. SOF demands uncompromising moral and physical courage under all conditions.

      2 Relentless Pursuit Of Excellence – An uncompromising, persistent effort to excel at absolutely everything; a consistent and driving focus at attaining the highest stand­ards of personal, professional, and technical expertise, competence, and integrity; an unremitting emphasis on continually adapting, innovating, and learning to achieve the highest possible standards of personal, tactical, and operational proficiency and effectiveness.

      3 Indomitable Spirit – The unconquerable desire to fight and win; the acceptance of risk; a mindset that accepts that no challenge is too great; a tenacious, unyielding and unremitting pursuit of mission success; and a disregard for discomfort.

      4  Shared Responsibility – The exercising of professional military judgment and disciplined initiative to achieve the commander’s intent; an acceptance that neither rank nor appointment define sole responsibility for mission success; the requirement for everyone to contribute to the plan, conduct and execution of a task through collaborative planning, innovative ideas, feedback, the sharing of expertise and competence; and the unwavering loyalty and support of those entrusted with a task or command. This includes the responsibility of “Truth to Power,” that is the requirement to address shortcomings in ability, experi­ence or training whether it is found in subordinates, peers, or superiors.

      5  Creativity – The realization that innovation, agility of thought and action, as well as inventive and unconventional solutions to unexpected problems are the only response to a battle space that is complex and chaotic, as well as rife with ambiguity, uncertainty, and change; the rejection of risk aversion or a reliance on status quo traditional responses to new, unique, or changing circumstances.

      6 Humility – An adherence and dedication to quiet professionalism; a personal commitment to the highest stand­ards of professionalism; and a focus on serving a higher authority — the nation and the people of Canada.[6]

      In sum, the term SOF is more than an official descriptor; it applies to more than a suite of equipment and is more than a unit designation. It signifies a mindset and philosophical approach to war as much as it does an organizational capability. It is the agility, courage, and cognitive capacity, as well as tenacity and the relentless pursuit of mission success embodied in its practitioners that truly form a nation’s SOF core capability. It is the spirit that strives for perfection and is undaunted by any challenge, regardless of how formidable it may seem. It is an ethos that accepts nothing short of mission success. This book captures that spirit and outlines Canada’s SOF legacy. But more specifically, it provides insight into six Canadian SOF operations in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2011 that clearly demonstrate that the nation’s SOF operators are no ordinary men.

      Chapter 1

      THE CANADIAN SOF LEGACY[1]

      The general public has become more attuned to SOF as a result of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan. For many, though, the existence of an elite C anadian counterterrorist unit only became known as a result of a media disclosure that they were deploying to Afghanistan in support of the American effort. However, the nation’s SOF legacy goes far deeper than that. In fact, Canada has a long history and association with SOF.

      After all, nothing embodies the idea of daring special operations more than the practice of la petite guerre by the French Canadian raiders during the struggle for colonial North America. Facing a harsh climate, unforgiving terrain, and intractable and savage enemies, the intrepid Canadian warriors personified boldness, courage, cunning, and tenacity. Their fearless forays and daring raids behind enemy lines struck terror in the hearts of their Native antagonists, as well as the British and American colonists and soldiers. In fact, for an extended period of time, these tac­tical actions had a strategic effect on the bitter struggle for North America.

      Schooled in the bitter war of annihilation with the Iroquois in the seventeenth century, the French Canadians developed a class of fighters who were able to adapt to the new style of warfare required in the New World.[2] Moreover, they demonstrated an intellectual and tactical agility that made them unsurpassed in “raiding” and what would later be dubbed commando operations. Their emphasis on stealth, speed, violence of action, physical fitness, and courage, as well as their ability to mount joint operations with indigenous allies created a force that successfully wreaked havoc on their enemy.

      This capability, much to the misery of the English, was consistently displayed as the two competing European powers increasingly fought for control of North America. Quite simply, the French consistently relied on the outnumbered Canadians to hold onto French territory through their proficient execution of their distinct Canadian way of war, specif­ically small parties of experienced coureur de bois and partisans who conducted dangerous scouts, ambushes, and raids in English territory.[3] Raids against the English in Hudson Bay in 1686, the Seneca in New York in 1687, the Iroquois in 1693 and 1696, and a number of devastating strikes against English settlements such as Casco, Deersfield, Haverhill, Salmon Falls, and Schenectady during a succession of wars from 1688 to 1761, provided proof of the effectiveness of the French Canadian raiders who specialized in the conduct of lightning strikes behind enemy lines.

      Many French and Canadian leaders, particularly those with extended exposure to the North American manner of war, or those born and raised in Canada, came to reject the conventional European manner of making war. Rather, they believed that the optimum war-fighting technique was achieved by a mixed force — regulars, with their military strengths (e.g., courage, discipline, tactical acumen), and volunteers and Natives, with their strengths (e.g., endurance, familiarity with wilderness navigation and travel, marksmanship) — who relied more on initiative, inde­pendent action and small unit tactics than on rigid military practices and drills. The effectiveness of the Canadians was evidenced in the fear they created in their enemies. British generals and numerous contemporary English accounts conceded that the Canadian raiders “are well known to be the most dangerous enemy of any … reckoned equal, if not superior in that part of the world to veteran troops.”[4]

      The impact of the French