This study reviews the current roles and capabilities of U.S. Army Military Freefall (MFF) and Underwater Operations (UWO) teams in the Special Forces Groups (Airborne), the Ranger Regiment and Battalions, and the Corps and Divisional Long Range Surveillance Units (LRSU). It also provides a historical background to demonstrate successful employment of these infiltration techniques and to generate ideas for their future use. Next, it looks at the U.S. Army's ability to respond to possible near-future situations with its limited number of MFF and UWO capable teams. Finally, it recommends various techniques to increase the number of MFF and UWO qualified personnel in the U.S. Army without creating a burden on current training institutions. Recommendations for alternative techniques of infiltration which, in most cases, are as effective as MFF or UWO are provided. This study explains the rationale for suggestion of these alternative techniques. Available school allocations, changing unit priorities, limited assets and resources, and unit missions are some of the factors which led to such recommendations. The overall purpose of this research was to provide the U.S. Army with ideas to increase its ability to infiltrate forces into an area accurately and intact, day or night, in order to increase its combat multiplier ability.

ADA 272720 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)