Military Review English Edition July-August 2016 | Page 58
The rise of violent extremism and the recent terrorist attacks
show we are dealing with a qualitatively new challenge.
—NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
without a doctrinal CT mission, it is likely NATO SOF
will formally, or informally, be supplanted by a member
state’s national SOF CT units in the event of a large-scale
terror crisis, a much less effective approach to dealing
with a collective problem. Consequently, in light of the
he Islamic State (IS) has expanded into the
rapid expansion of IS and the increasing threat of terrorrealm of international terrorism, with the
ism in Europe, it is time for NATO SOF to establish CT
downing of a Russian airliner over the Sinai
as a principal mission.
in October 2015, suicide bombings in Turkey in 2015
NATO’s website makes it clear that NATO SOF are
and 2016, and attacks in Paris in November 2015.1
ready to deploy to Asia, Africa, or the Middle East, but
Consequently, North Atlantic Treaty Organization
it also acknowledges that its SOF may be required to
(NATO) member states, overwhelmed by the magoperate in Europe as it adapts to new threats.7 Although
nitude of a foreign-directed threat,
France chose not to invoke Article 5 in
could invoke Article 5 of the 1949
the latest terrorist event, it is not inconNorth Atlantic Treaty for collective
ceivable that one or more member states
defense in Europe.2 Article 5 states
that possess less robust SOF capability
that the signatories “agree that an
than France could be overwhelmed by
armed attack against one or more of
a large-scale terrorist attack similar to
them in Europe or North America
9/11 or, more likely, a series of complex
shall be considered an attack against
attacks similar to the attacks in Mumbai
3
them all.” This principle of collective
and Paris.8 Many of the NATO signatodefense recognizes that terrorism is a
ries that joined after the fall of the Soviet
threat to the NATO alliance.
Union simply do not have the organic caIn the weeks that followed the
pability to deal with foreign-directed and
2015 attacks in Paris, there was sigwell-resourced terror networks operating
(Image courtesy of NATO Special
nificant discussion of whether France
in or between European countries. Any
Operations Headquarters)
4
would invoke Article 5. France chose
member state with underdeveloped law
not to. In fact, the al-Qaida attack against the United
enforcement CT or SOF CT capabilities is more likely to
States on 11 September 2001 is the only case of an allied invoke Article 5, thus obliging allied nations to take “such
nation invoking Article 5 in an effort “to restore and
actions, as it deems necessary” intended to “restore and
5
maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.” In
maintain security.”9 Therefore, NATO SOF should be the
less than twenty-four hours following 9/11, the NATO
NATO element capable of providing CT support to these
alliance determined that the United States was the obyounger member states.
ject of an armed attack and that the attack had been forOn 29 September 2015, Hungary’s prime minister
eign directed. Subsequently, NATO assisted the United
warned that mass migration from countries such as
States with seven NATO airborne warning and control
Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Libya risked destabilizsystem aircraft, conducting more than 360 sorties in
ing Europe.10 Germany alone expected to receive eight
U.S. airspace as well as supporting maritime operations
hundred thousand to one million refugees by the end
6
in the Mediterranean.
of 2015. Some of these are believed to have traveled on
fake Syrian passports.11 At least one of the Paris attackNeed for NATO Special
ers from November 2015 was found to have traveled
Operations Forces
on such a passport, and Frontex (the European Union’s
Notwithstanding a clear and demonstrated crossborder agency) has reported that a number of individborder terrorist threat to NATO as a whole, whether
uals have requested refugee status based on false Syrian
through a failure of politics or a rejection of reality,
citizenship.12 The Danish General Intelligence and
counterterrorism (CT) is not yet a principal mission
Security Service reported that in the first decade of the
of NATO special operations forces (SOF). As a result,
twenty-first century, terrorist groups such as al-Qaida are
T
56
July-August 2016 MILITARY REVIEW