ISOLATION FACILITY

5-23. The ISOFAC is a secure facility established to isolate the committed SFODAs and SOT-As physically when they perform their mission planning and preparation. OPSEC is paramount throughout this time. SFODAs committed to separate missions and separate AOs are isolated physically to preclude mission compromise. The base commander must balance the competing demands of synchronization and security by determining the

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degree of physical isolation and mission compartmentation required for each mission.

5-24. For planning purposes, an ISOFAC can isolate up to six SFODAs or SOT-As simultaneously. The limiting factor is the inability of the base staff to plan and prepare more than six missions at the same time. The ISOFAC should include separate briefing, planning, billeting, and storage areas for each operational element in isolation. Its layout should incorporate a dining area, latrine and shower facilities, a dispensary service, a recreation and exercise area, and administrative support sections and areas.

5-25. The FOB (or SFOB) commander tasks an SF company HQ (SFODB) to establish and operate the ISOFAC under the staff supervision of the OPCEN director but reporting directly to the base commander. The SFODB commander thus has the same command relationships in the base as he does as a company commander in garrison. The SFODB commander task- organizes into three cells to conduct continuous operations with two overlapping shifts.

5-26. An AOB does not have sufficient resources to isolate and deploy SFODAs independently. It may, however, task-organize as an ISOFAC to isolate SFODAs at a location distant from its higher SFOB or FOB while taking advantage of FOB OPCEN targeting and mission planning products. The AOB may then reorganize to deploy and control the SFODAs during mission execution.

Command Cell

5-27. The SFODB commander and sergeant major constitute the command cell. The ISOFAC commander is directly responsible to the base commander for the mission preparation of committed SFODAs, from the moment of their tasking and physical isolation until their deployment from the base. He treats the committed SFODAs as he would his organic SFODAs in garrison. He makes sure the SFODAs receive proper support from the base centers. He ensures the proper degree of OPSEC and compartmentation within the ISOFAC as well. This use of an SFODB enables the OPCEN director to plan and coordinate future operations and to direct and control current operations without becoming embroiled in the minute details of SFODA mission preparation.

Support Cell

5-28. The SFODB executive officer, supply sergeant, medical sergeant, and two communications sergeants normally constitute the support cell. They provide the interface between the ISOFAC and the SPTCEN and SIGCEN. They make sure SFODA equipment is mission capable. They receive, consolidate, and track support requests to make sure the SFODAs receive the mission support they require. The cell secures and maintains nondeploying equipment for the deployed SFODAs. The cell also helps SFODAs prepare automatic and emergency resupply bundles.

Operations Cell

5-29. The SFODB operations warrant officer, two operations sergeants, and the augmenting MOC constitute the operations cell. The MOC consists of a MOC director and two liaison NCOs (LNOs) for each isolated SFODA. (NOTE: When referring to the MOC, the term “liaison officer [LNO]” replaces the old terms “area specialty team” and “area specialty officer.”) The operations cell provides the interface between the ISOFAC and the OPCEN. It also establishes and operates the ISOFAC distribution center, which processes all correspondence (including SFODA mission support requests) between the isolated SFODAs and the three base centers. Cell personnel make sure the isolated SFODAs receive sufficient operational guidance and intelligence support. The cell provides current updates on the SFODAs’ status and situation to the OPCEN director. It assists the SFODAs and base S3 operations in preparing mission support plans.

5-30. The operations cell coordinates all training requirements for all isolated SFODAs and SOT-As. During sustained combat operations, uncommitted SFODAs and SOT-As are not the responsibility of the ISOFAC. Instead, they are the responsibility of the SPTCEN, under the direction of the FOB’s or SFOB’s OPCEN, as the ISOFAC must focus on preparing isolated SFODAs and SOT-As to execute their missions. Directing attention elsewhere can lead to mission failure and lost SF lives. The operations cell reviews the SFODAs’ concepts and plans before they go to the OPCEN director.

5-31. The operations cell coordinates operational activities that involve more than one isolated SFODA. It ensures proper OPSEC and compartmentation throughout the process. During isolation, the cell obtains training and rehearsal sites. At least one member of the cell is present during all SFODA training and rehearsals to make sure all training requirements are met in preparing the committed SFODAs to perform their assigned tasks. The cell prepares and coordinates the isolation schedule and coordinates the briefback schedule with the base command group.

5-32. For planning purposes, an SFODB can isolate up to six SFODAs or SOT-As simultaneously, with augmentation. The base commander can greatly improve the capacity and efficiency of the ISOFAC operations cell by augmenting it with an SFODA tasked to serve within the MOC as the MOC director and as the LNOs for the isolated SFODAs.

5-33. The MOC LNOs provide 24-hour interface between the isolated SFODA and the ISOFAC cells. They actively participate in all aspects of mission planning and deployment preparation. The MOC LNOs process and track mission support requests. They act as escorts to move the SFODAs in and out of the ISOFAC as required. After their supported SFODAs deploy, the LNOs move to the S3 operations to monitor and track the missions until mission completion. They process SFODA message traffic, compile and maintain a written record of the missions, track and provide intelligence updates for the deployed SFODAs, and otherwise assist the deployed SFODAs in accomplishing their assigned missions. MOC LNOs must remain committed to the SF unit they support until mission completion.

5-34. To preserve OPSEC, the LNOs normally do not deploy on another mission until the mission they are supporting is complete. Once committed, due to OPSEC considerations, the MOC LNOs do not deploy beyond friendly

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lines until the mission they are supporting is complete. The SFOB or FOB commander, however, has some discretion to permit an LNO to participate in operations supporting the deployed detachment, such as in resupply operations. In addition, during linkup operations, the LNOs may deploy forward to accompany the conventional unit linking up with the SFODA. Upon recovery of the SFODA, the MOC LNOs assist the SFODA in debriefing and preparing after-action reports (AARs). In supporting SFODAs, the MOC LNOs become intimately familiar with the SFODAs’ POEs and the personalities of the SFODA members.

5-35. Each two-man MOC LNO team can normally support one SFODA during isolation, depending upon the duration and complexity of the mission. An ISOFAC, therefore, needs an augmentation package of 18 two-man MOC LNO teams to deploy 18 SFODAs in 3 isolation cycles. The number of personnel needed to fill MOC LNO requirements may shift as missions are completed, SFODAs return to base, and MOC LNOs become available for redirection to new SFODAs entering isolation.

5-36. The MOC is an unresourced requirement in the company staff. Although the requirement exists, no one is assigned to the MOC on a permanent basis. Instead, the MOC is established as the need arises. It consists of SF officers and NCOs from one or two SFODAs. MOC members may also come from nonorganic SF assets. They may come from another SF group, battalion, or company. If external augmentation from an uncommitted SF battalion is unavailable, the commander normally attaches limited duty SF personnel or an uncommitted SFODA to the ISOFAC to perform the MOC functions. The mission of the MOC is to act as a facilitator for the deploying companies or for the deployed SFODs. During isolation, the MOC is the liaison between the detachment and the different staff sections of the ISOFAC and other agencies and units having impact on the deployed SFOD’s mission or the operational area. The MOC’s mission derives from two basic tenets—compartmentalization and deconfliction.

5-37. Compartmentalization. One of the basic tenets of SF operations in hostile or denied areas is compartmentalization. A deploying SFOD usually does not need to know the mission of other SFODs outside its AO. If an SFOD member with knowledge of more than one mission is captured, the other missions may be compromised. In some situations, the exchange of information before infiltration to obtain current intelligence is imperative, barring OPSEC concerns and any operational compartmentalization requirements. Command guidance must address this exchange of information for SFODs and nonorganic units deploying into the same or adjacent AOs. If compartmentalization is necessary, each of the deploying SFODs must have a MOC assigned to it. Access to operational information must be limited to that which affects the mission of the assigned SFOD.

5-38. Deconfliction. After the SFOD has deployed, the MOC member monitoring the deployed SFOD deconflicts events impacting on the team’s assigned AO by—

• Reviewing SITMAPs.

• Attending operational briefings for units entering the team’s area.

• Reviewing intelligence reports to extract pertinent data on the enemy, the weather, and other relevant information.

5-39. The MOC’s mission begins when the MOC is assigned to the team preparing for deployment, normally while the detachment is in the ISOFAC. The mission ends after the exfiltrated team has been debriefed.

5-40. While assigned to the team, the MOC member must be knowledgeable of the following:

• The supported SFOD’s mission execution plans and OPORDs.

• Primary and alternate infiltration and exfiltration plans.

• E&R plans.

• Resupply plans and schedules.

• Key equipment lists.

• Radio frequencies, call signs, and contact times.

• Code names.

• Linkup plans.

• Training plans.

5-41. The above partial mission-planning list demonstrates the amount of information the MOC member must learn. For optimum results, commanders must remember the one-mission rule and the two tenets of compartmentalization and deconfliction.