AMMAN, Jordan — Lt. Gen. Servet Yoruk, the commander of special operations forces in the Turkish armed forces, told attendees of the Middle East Special Operations Commanders Conference here March 31 that “security is the main concern of states,” surpassing economic development and social welfare, for which it is a prerequisite.

The growing number of private security firms bore witness to “the growing importance of security,” Yoruk said.

“With the end of the Cold War, the need for security has increased for a lot of countries, including my country,” he said.

Clearly defined threats have been replaced by asymmetric threats: “a means which is used by the weak to confront the strong or between even powers to defeat one another basing their actions on difference and superiority,” he said. “The spectrum of asymmetric threats is increasing day by day.”

These asymmetric threats “are mostly created by ethnic unrest, gaps between living conditions of different countries, undemocratic regimes, [the] spread of weapons of mass destruction, illegal immigration and other results of globalization,” Yoruk said.

While special operations forces are commonly used abroad, “there are cases where special forces might be used within the scope of domestic security against terrorist groups, organized crime rings, drug dealers and human traffickers,” he said.

As examples of the sort of missions special operations forces could conduct, he cited “special reconnaissance to identify terrorist groups, their bases and supporters” and “direct action to destroy terrorist groups, their bases, logistical and communications facilities.”

Yoruk highlighted what he described as “two major challenges with regard to using special operations forces correctly”: the establishment of a force that is able to satisfy security needs, and the proper employment of special operations forces.

However, the right tactics, techniques and procedures for special operations forces will vary from country to country, he said.

Special operations forces should use the best, most modern equipment, “but it should be kept in mind that equipment does not compensate for the lack of realistic training.”

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