Go to the homepage

Definition of 'task force'

Task force in american english, task force in british english, examples of 'task force' in a sentence task force, trends of task force.

View usage over: Since Exist Last 10 years Last 50 years Last 100 years Last 300 years

In other languages task force

  • American English : task force / ˈtæsk fɔrs /
  • Brazilian Portuguese : força-tarefa
  • Chinese : 特遣队
  • European Spanish : grupo de operaciones
  • French : corps expéditionnaire
  • German : Sonderkommando
  • Italian : task force
  • Japanese : 機動部隊
  • Korean : 기동 부대
  • European Portuguese : força-tarefa
  • Spanish : grupo de operaciones
  • Thai : หน่วยเฉพาะกิจ

Browse alphabetically task force

  • task a team with
  • task completion
  • task involves
  • task performance
  • task requires
  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'T'

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

Image

Wordle Helper

Tile

Scrabble Tools

A Brief History of the 'Task Force'

English has many areas of jargon that have given us specialized words which then have broadened and moved into generalized use. The military is responsible for many of these; words such as deadline and blockbuster started off being used exclusively in militaristic settings, before taking on new and expanded meanings.

a group of volunteers arranging donations

We're going to get in and get out.

Meaning and History of 'Task Force'

In current use task force most often carries the meaning “a temporary grouping under one leader for the purpose of accomplishing a definite objective.”

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to create a task force for separated families. — Catherine Rampell, The Washington Post , 24 Nov. 2020

The word has been in use since the 1920s, and its earliest meaning was a distinctly militaristic one: “a temporary grouping of armed forces units under one commander for the purpose of accomplishing a definite usually operational objective (as taking an island from an enemy).” This use appears to have begun in the United States Marines, before spreading to other branches of the armed forces in the 1930s.

It should be noted that in no place in the order is any subordinate task force commander told how he shall execute the task (what to do) assigned him. — E. W. Broadbent, Marine Corps Gazette (Quantico, VA), Dec. 1929 For tests of the fighting values of the various task forces and type groups of the United States Fleet, some 100 ships and 350 planes of the fleet put to sea yesterday for five days of tactical exercises. — The Los Angeles Times , 16 Nov. 1937 A task Force, composed of one composite company of three platoons of three squads each will embark in boats of the U. S. Power Squadron and leave here at 12:30 p.m., Saturday June 10th, and proceed to Monroe State Park, Monroe, Michigan, where a ship to shore landing exercise will take place. — Leatherneck (Quantico, VA), Jul. 1939 Like any task-force designed to ward off thrusts from the air and sea (and like its prototype, the Coast Artillery), the Defense Battalion embodies a group of varying weapons which range from antiaircraft guns, machine guns and searchlights to seacoast-batteries equipped with Navy five-inch guns and machine-guns for beach-defense. — Robert D. Heinl, Marine Corps Gazette (Quantico, VA), Mar. 1940

Usage Outside the Military

It did not take long for task force to expand beyond the armed forces; it began being applied in non-military use during the Second World War. The first group to adopt the term were businesspeople:

Our task force for the job consists of commercial banks, working in concert with our manufacturers and traders. — Chicago Daily Tribune , 24 May 1943 Advertisements, created by volunteer “task forces” drawn from leading advertising agencies, are sponsored by business firms and publishers. — The New York Times , 18 Mar. 1948

Today, most uses of task force are sufficiently far removed from the armed forced that its military roots seem almost obscure. Yet it is one of a number of compound force nouns that we have from this source; air force , land force , and D-day force all came from similar origins, but have not taken on the same extended sense as task force … yet.

Word of the Day

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Games & Quizzes

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries.  Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Word History

Eavesdrop, fiasco, and 8 more words with surprising origins, funner, stupider, and other words that are in fact real, etymologies for every day of the week, 'ganef,' 'galoot,' and more historical slang terms we love, 14 words inspired by dogs, great big list of beautiful and useless words, vol. 3, even more words that sound like insults but aren't, 12 more bird names that sound like insults (and sometimes are), the words of the week - feb. 16, grammar & usage, words commonly mispronounced, more commonly misspelled words, is 'irregardless' a real word, 8 grammar terms you used to know, but forgot, homophones, homographs, and homonyms.

  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

business-jargons-site-logo

Business Jargons

A Business Encyclopedia

Definition: The Task Force is a type of a group, formed temporary, in which people from different disciplinary backgrounds come together to perform a specific task or mission. These are different from the committees in the sense, these are temporary and has broader powers of action and decision, greater responsibilities for investigation, analysis, planning and research.

The task force is temporary and comes to an end as soon as the mission for which it was created gets over. The purpose behind its creation is to capitalize the skills, expertise and experience of its members to find the solution to some unusual organizational problem. The task force usually comes into the power when the organization faces a complex problem which is beyond the capabilities of an individual and even the entire department to solve it.

Such groups can either be constituted at the time of; a launch of a new product, selection of a new assignment or for the negotiation of certain terms and conditions. Also, any member of the organization could be a part of this, irrespective of his hierarchical position in the organization.

Thus, the task force is constituted to capitalize the special skills of individuals to solve a complex problem, but sometimes it can also pose serious threats to the organization. Such as people may feel miserable if not selected in the task force, a feeling of independence may emerge in the minds of task force members and might lose attachment to the formal organization.

Related terms:

  • Formal Groups
  • Johari Window
  • Sales Force Composite Method
  • Job Simplification
  • Social Loafing

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ASCP Critical Values Logo

Five Considerations When Creating a Task Force

As healthcare focuses more and more on consumer experience, we find ourselves sending out surveys for everything we do. We gather data through surveys and must make decisions about the results. Sometimes, the results of such surveys may be unfavorable enough that action needs to be taken. So, where do we begin?

One answer may be to create a task force. A task force is distinctive and should not be confused for a committee. 1 A task force is a group of stakeholders coming together to address a complex, major issue in a short period of time. 2 A task force provides diverse stakeholders an opportunity to work together to make unified recommendations. 2 Ultimately, these recommendations are reported to those who have the power to enact change.

Although creating a task force may seem intuitive, it can be challenging. 2 There are common themes to consider when creating a task force. Ultimately, addressing these themes early on may make the task force more efficient and effective in the long run. The considerations addressed in this article are not all-inclusive, nor rigid. Every issue and organization is unique, which necessitates a degree of flexibility suitable for each scenario. Nonetheless, the considerations to follow are generally applicable when creating a task force.

1. Appoint a Task Force Leader

A clear hierarchy is essential when creating a task force. There should be a task force creator, a task force leader, and task force members. The task force creator has power and influence to make impactful change, while the task force leader reports the findings and suggestions of the group to the task force creator. The task force leader should be appointed by the task force creator and should serve as a liaison between the task force creator and task force members. It should be decided early on if the task force should function as a working group with a focused leader or a team with shared leadership roles. 3

2. Select Task Force Members

Task force members should be selected by the task force leadership. Although members can volunteer to participate, the leader and/or creator of the task force must ensure the task force addresses key criteria including member accountability, group diversity, and stakeholder representation. Strategic selection of task force members may allow the task force to fulfill all of the aforementioned criteria, while maintaining a reasonable number of participants. 3

Members should be informed of expectations including roles and responsibilities before agreeing to serve on the task force. 4 Members should be accountable, dependable, and dedicated to the task force cause. Providing expectations ahead of time can help potential members make more informed decisions about their ability to serve as effective task force members. When selecting task force members, leadership should take diversity into account to ensure that the diversity of the personnel is represented. In addition to diversity, leadership should reflect on the number of members representing involved parties and decide how to appropriately distribute stakeholders to best address the issue being investigated. 2

3. Communicate Vision and Goals

The vision and goals of the task force creator should be communicated to the task force leader and members. Importantly, the vision and goals of the task force should align between all facets of the task force hierarchy and should be reconciled early in the task force’s establishment. Frequently reiterating the vision and goals of the group will foster a sense of purpose and remind members to stay focused on the group’s goals when discrepancies arise. 4

4. Create a Timeline and Agenda

A reasonable timeline should be set in advance for the task force. Doing so will not only keep the task force on schedule, but will also provide members with further information about expected time commitments. A timeline should be set for the expected establishment and disbandment of the task force as well as number of expected meetings in the interim. Meetings should be held at regularly scheduled intervals. Dates should be scheduled in advance for the task force leader to report progress to the task force creator. 2 An agenda for each meeting should be drawn up in advance with specific topics to be discussed to reinforce efficient and productive meetings. 5

5. Establish Formal Documentation

It is essential to appoint a task force secretary to perform formal documentation. This may be a task force member or non-task force member with the sole responsibility to document meeting minutes. Minutes should be detailed and describe agenda items discussed and all decisions reached. 5 Meeting minutes should be sent out after every meeting and previous meeting minutes should be reviewed at the start of every meeting. Minutes should be detailed to provide clarity between meetings and serve as a reminder to individuals of their responsibilities and tasks.

Leaders may choose to establish a task force to address problems identified in consumer surveys. There is no magical equation that guarantees the success of a task force; however, there are early considerations in the creation of the task force that may make the task force more effective and efficient. Although creating a task force may be challenging, leadership can benefit from the recommendations developed by various stakeholders with interdisciplinary expertise on a task force and can use these valuable recommendations to solve complex issues.

  • Grigsby RK. What’s the Difference? Why Does It Matter? Academic Physician & Scientist . Published online January 2008:2.
  • Leading Committees, Task Forces, or Project Teams. The Center for Faculty Excellence. Accessed October 29, 2021. https://cfe.unc.edu/leadership_old/managing-meetings/leading-committees-task-forces-or-project-teams/
  • Katzenbach JR, Smith DK. The Discipline of Teams. Harvard Business Review . Published online March 1, 1993. Accessed October 29, 2021. https://hbr.org/1993/03/the-discipline-of-teams-2
  • Lineback LH& K. For Your Team’s Success, Remember the How. Harvard Business Review . Published online November 22, 2011. Accessed October 29, 2021. https://hbr.org/2011/11/for-your-teams-success-remembe
  • Jay A. How To Run a Meeting. Harvard Business Review . Published online March 1, 1976. Accessed October 29, 2021. https://hbr.org/1976/03/how-to-run-a-meeting

Do you want to write for Critical Values ?

Questions comments email us at  [email protected] ..

what is the meaning of task force

Search form

what is the meaning of task force

  • Table of Contents
  • Troubleshooting Guide
  • A Model for Getting Started
  • Justice Action Toolkit
  • Coronavirus Response Tool Box
  • Best Change Processes
  • Databases of Best Practices
  • Online Courses
  • Ask an Advisor
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Community Stories
  • YouTube Channel
  • About the Tool Box
  • How to Use the Tool Box
  • Privacy Statement
  • Workstation/Check Box Sign-In
  • Online Training Courses
  • Capacity Building Training
  • Training Curriculum - Order Now
  • Community Check Box Evaluation System
  • Build Your Toolbox
  • Facilitation of Community Processes
  • Community Health Assessment and Planning
  • Section 3. Developing Multisector Task Forces or Action Committees for the Initiative

Chapter 9 Sections

  • Section 1. Organizational Structure: An Overview
  • Section 2. Creating and Gathering a Group to Guide Your Initiative
  • Section 4. Developing an Ongoing Board of Directors
  • Section 5. Welcoming and Training New Members to a Board of Directors
  • Section 6. Maintaining a Board of Directors
  • Section 7. Writing Bylaws
  • Section 8. Including Youth on Your Board, Commission, or Committee
  • Section 9. Understanding and Writing Contracts and Memoranda of Agreement
  • Main Section

Creating a task force or an action committee can be an effective way for your initiative to address a specific problem. Such a body needs to be directed specifically toward acting on that problem, and to involve all of the different sectors of the community that are affecting it or affected by it. In this section, we'll discuss what task forces and action committees might look like, what they do, and how to put them together and use them to shape your initiative.

What is a multisector task force or action committee?

A task force or action committee (also sometimes called an ad hoc committee from the Latin meaning "for this purpose") is a group assembled to address a specific problem or accomplish a specific goal. That problem or goal can take at least two different forms:

  • It might be related to dealing with a specific community issue - affordable housing, child abuse, early detection and treatment of breast cancer.
  • It might stem from a need of the larger group. A coalition might need a smaller group to focus on advocacy, for instance, or to draft a set of bylaws.

A multisector task force or action committee is drawn from all sectors of the community affected by or involved in the problem or goal that is the group 's focus. In the Peterson Community example, for instance, the task force leaders tried to include representatives of every group they could think of that had anything to do with the problem of teen prescription drug abuse.

Task forces and action committees, as you might assume from their names, are action -oriented. Their specific purpose is to do something. Depending upon the issue they address, their initial goals may be very specific (find community shelter space for at least 15 homeless families; draft a timeline for a community economic development effort) or more general (address the problem of youth violence). In either case, however, their purpose is to come up with real results.

In general, these groups are not meant to be permanent. They either disband when their task is done, or they become another kind of group. As will be discussed in more detail later, a task force might spin off a new community intervention, for instance. While that venture would continue the work of the task force, it might not involve any of the first group's members, and would have a different purpose and structure.

A task force or action committee is usually part of a larger initiative - a community coalition of some sort, a local or other government committee, etc. It may be one of several such groups spawned by the initiative, each aimed at a different issue or goal. It may operate independently, or may have to gain approval from the larger group before taking any action.

The North Quabbin Community Coalition, in north central Massachusetts, regularly maintains several task forces working on specific community issues. Some former and current task forces include Information and Referral, Child Sexual Assault, Homelessness, and Youth-Community Relations.

Why would you form a multisector task force or action committee?

There are really two questions here, each of which we'll consider separately:

  • Why would you form a task force or action committee?
  • Why should a task force or action committee be a multisector group?

Why form a task force or action committee?

There are a number of reasons why you might want to form a task force or action committee, rather than addressing the issue at hand within the larger group.

  • Task forces or action committees can make it possible for their parent groups to zero in on the areas that need the most, or immediate, attention, while still addressing their other concerns.
  • A task force or action committee can focus in on the specific issue, rather than being pulled in a number of directions, as the larger group may be.
  • In general, a small group can operate more efficiently than a large one to get things done.
  • Task forces and action committees give people a chance to concentrate on their major areas of interest, and to contribute more effectively to the work of the larger group.
  • Task forces and action committees can pull in members who may not be interested in the larger group to work on just the particular issue they are interested in. The community thus benefits from their talents and expertise even though they aren't members of the larger group.

Why should a task force or action committee be multisector?

Including people from as many sectors of the community as possible is almost always both more ethical and more effective than excluding them. This is particularly true when assembling task forces or action committees that are aimed at accomplishing specific goals in a community.

Advantages of a multisector task force or action committee

  • Community action usually requires the support, and often the participation, of all stakeholders if it's to be successful.
"Stakeholders" is a term used throughout the Tool Box. It refers to those who are directly affected or have some other interest in a particular issue. The stakeholders in a discussion of discrimination in housing, for instance, include not only the members of minority groups that are discriminated against, but also anti-discrimination enforcement agencies, housing authorities, realtors and their employees, landlords, the police (who may get the first call on a discrimination complaint), legal service agencies, and even homeowners in a particular neighborhood (who may have strong feelings - and not necessarily much information - about including or excluding minorities, and what that will mean for their property values).
  • Involvement of all stakeholders in planning and carrying out any action means that they'll take ownership of those plans and actions. They'll be much more concerned about making sure that the action is successful because it's theirs, rather than something imposed on them by "experts" or some other authority.
  • Involvement of many sectors of the community brings with it the information and insights that those different sectors have into the issue. More information and insight lead to better planning and more chance of successful action.
  • The perspectives of various sectors on community history and personalities can help the group to a real understanding of the issue, including the vital small things that might be otherwise ignored. (Whether or not two individuals get along well may determine whether a given plan is workable, for example. Neighborhood people, who are familiar with the personalities involved, are more apt to know that sort of thing than, say, health professionals.)
  • Involving many sectors in the task force or action committee will generate community cooperation and support for the action taken.
  • Multisector participation benefits the larger initiative and the community as well, because it brings together individuals and groups who might not, under other circumstances, have much contact, or who might distrust one another. In the work of the task force or action committee, they have the opportunity to learn about one another, and develop mutual trust and respect.
  • Finally, it's simply fair and reasonable to involve people in decisions which affect their lives. Those decisions are likely to address the issue more realistically, and to take into account the legitimate needs of the groups affected, if those groups are involved in planning and implementing them.

Possible disadvantages of a multisector group

Although there are many compelling reasons for forming multisector groups, there are potential difficulties with them as well. Even if you understand the history and current situation of your community before you start to assemble such a group, there are still problems you may run into.

  • There may be enmity and distrust among segments of the community that are normally at odds, or who have little contact. Some of these may be obvious - racial or ethnic tensions, intergenerational conflict - but some may not, or may be one-sided. Low-income people may distrust members of more affluent groups, for instance, even if the latter have good intentions and are trying to be open and welcoming. Politicians who are genuinely concerned with solving the problem may nonetheless be objects of suspicion. Academics may scorn business people, or vice-versa. These areas of conflict have to be resolved if the group is to function well.
  • There may be deep-seated disagreement about how to handle the issue. Police may see the answer to a drug problem as more rigorous enforcement, while medical professionals see it as one of treatment, and human service providers as one of addressing the underlying causes - poverty, hopelessness, unemployment, child abuse, education, etc.
The simple answer in a situation like this would seem to be "all of the above." If you strengthen enforcement, mandate treatment, and address the underlying causes, you'll make some headway. While that is probably true, you should also consider here the availability of resources and loss of focus. In order to address enforcement, treatment, and underlying causes all at once, you'll need money and personnel time from a number of different sources. In addition, if you try to focus on all three areas (and each is a tall order even by itself), you risk diluting and scattering your efforts to the point where you can't be effective at anything. Task forces or action committees usually are most successful when their goals are clear, well-defined, and well-focused. All of that leaves your group with having to somehow reconcile different views of the world and of the issue at hand. It's not impossible, given good will on all hands...but it's not easy, either. It takes good leadership, something we'll look at later in this section.
  • Different individuals or groups may have very different levels of commitment to the work of the task force or action committee. This can lead to problems in a relatively small group where everyone depends on everyone else to carry out assignments.
  • There may be differences in levels of sophistication, education, and "group skills" among members of the group from different sectors of the community. In order to ensure that everyone's capacities are tapped, some folks may need support, encouragement, and mentoring or training in order to feel comfortable participating.
This situation can either be seen as a potential problem or as a potential advantage, because, while it obviously can act to the detriment of the group if not handled well, it also provides the opportunity to develop leadership from within the community.

When would you form a multisector task force or action committee?

Some issues can be addressed within the context of a larger initiative, or by simply finding more resources for existing organizations or services. When can a multisector task force or action committee best address an issue? Here are some possibilities:

  • When the initiative as a whole identifies a specific issue, within its larger mission, that needs to be attended to. This might, as described earlier, be a community problem, such as substance use, or it might be an internal need of the initiative - advocacy, recruitment of new members, etc. In either case, the issue is important for the initiative to address, but too specific for the whole group to work on.
  • When new information points out something in the community that can't be ignored.
The North Quabbin Community Coalition referred to earlier found, in the late 1980s, that one town in the region, with a population of just over 10,000, had the third highest number of child sexual assault cases for Massachusetts communities. It was clear that action needed to be taken as quickly as possible, and the Coalition immediately formed a Child Sexual Assault Task Force, which included the police, all the relevant human service and state child protective agencies, parents, the schools, the local hospital and community health center, the YMCA, and other interested parties.
  • When an existing task force or action committee realizes its work can't be completed without addressing another area related to its own focus.
A Child Sexual Assault Task Force like that above, for instance, may find that a huge percentage of child sexual assault cases are alcohol-related (as the North Quabbin Task Force in fact found). The initiative might then, at the Task Force's urging, form another task force to address alcohol abuse in the community.
  • When a difficult situation or critical action by an external entity makes attention to a particular issue suddenly more important. If the state cuts health funding for your community, for instance, your initiative might want to form an advocacy task force to mobilize a local effort to get it restored.
  • When a group within a larger initiative sees an issue that it particularly wants to concentrate on. If the driving force for the task force or action committee comes from many of its potential members, it is likely that they will be focused and hard-working, and that their efforts will be effective.
There can be a problem here if the issue is not one that particularly needs attention. The energy of those in the self-propelled task force or action committee is then diverted from more important concerns. Leaders of the larger group might try - diplomatically - to turn the task force in a more appropriate direction.

Who might be part of a multisector task force or action committee?

The short answer to who might join a multisector task force or action committee is just about anyone. Here are some considerations when you're recruiting:

Seek members who aren't part of the larger group that the task force or action committee is part of. The only criteria for membership are their interest in the issue, and their willingness to work on it. You can recruit friends and neighbors, program participants, politicians - anyone who can help.

Look for stakeholders and other interested parties. Stakeholders might include:

  • Those directly affected by the issue
  • Target populations
  • Those who work with those directly affected
  • Those responsible for the issue in the community. If the issue involves the law, for instance, as in the case of drug abuse, the police and court personnel would be appropriate task force members
  • Those affected indirectly or secondarily. Businesses are affected by low literacy rates in a community, for instance, because they can't find workers with the skills they need
  • Interested citizens may have no specific stake in the issue, but may see it as a community problem, and therefore something they should be concerned about

Look for people who can be helpful to the effort. These folks may not be stakeholders, but may be able to offer support and credibility, as well as resources.

Some possibilities:

  • Business leaders.
  • Clergy and other leaders of the faith community
  • Local or state officials
  • People who may hold no official position, but who have high standing in the community
  • People with access to money or other resources
  • People with access to power
  • People with access to the target population

Look to engage people from different sectors. Some examples of different community sectors include:

  • Older adults
  • Business community
  • Youth-serving organizations
  • Law enforcement agencies
  • Religious or fraternal organizations
  • Civic and volunteer groups
  • Healthcare professionals
  • State, local, or tribal governmental agencies
  • Community organizations

Ultimately, a cross section of the community on your task force or action committee means more access to different sectors of the community, more credibility among those sectors, more and better information, and more chance of community support and eventual success.

How do you develop a multisector task force or action committee?

If you do decide that you need a task force or action committee to work on an issue for your initiative, what do you do next? In order to put a group together and get it working, there are a number of steps you should take. These steps are essentially the same as those a larger group might take in defining its goals and actions .

Define the relationship of your task force or action committee to the larger group

How are you going to operate within the context of the initiative? There is a broad range of options here, from complete independence to having to check back before taking any step at all.

Three common models:

  • The task force or action committee operates independently . In this situation, the larger group delegates authority for the issue in question to the task force that's working on it. It may come back to the initiative for help, support, or resources, or to report on its progress, but the decisions about how to proceed are its own.
  • The task force operates fairly independently, but reports back to the larger group on a regular basis . It doesn't need approval to do most things, but can 't commit the initiative to anything, or act in its name, without an official okay.
  • The task force needs permission to take any action steps at all . Operating this way, it would probably formulate a plan and get it approved by the larger group. Then, it would have to check with the larger group only if the plan changed.
Decide beforehand exactly what the task force can do on its own, what it needs approval for, and who can give that official okay. In the case of a coalition, for instance, permission might come from the coordinator, a steering committee, an executive board, or a vote of the whole membership. Once a decision is made about how task forces will operate, that decision will usually hold for all future task forces and action committees of the initiative as well, unless there's a need for something different in a particular circumstance.

In general, the more independent the task force, the more effective it is likely to be, since there may be times when it needs to move quickly. But, at the same time, the more informed the larger group is, the more likely it is to be supportive and available for help when needed. One reasonable way to incorporate both independence and the involvement of the larger group is to create a mechanism for checking back with the group that still allows for speed when necessary. This might mean clearing action with one or two people, or with a small executive committee.

Find the right people to lead your task force or action committee

The person(s) you choose need(s) two characteristics:

  • Have, or be able to establish, credibility with all sectors of the population that you need to draw from. (This may mean that the person is an outsider, or a neutral party with no connection to any specific group; or maybe simply someone who's known throughout the community for fairness and integrity, or liked by everyone.)
  • Be a good facilitator, who can deal with conflict and keep group members on track and all headed in the same direction.

Given these attributes, some potential leaders might be:

  • The coalition or initiative coordinator
  • The person(s) most concerned with, or with the most credibility on the issue
  • The person(s) who can best articulate the task ahead and see the process for accomplishing it
  • A group representing several sectors of the community
  • The task force or action committee may be led collaboratively by all its members (you'll still need a facilitator, but that person may change from meeting to meeting)

Identify individuals or groups whose participation your task force can't do without

The questions to ask here are:

  • Who are the actual stakeholders in this issue?
  • Who are the policy makers, powerbrokers, and others whose permission, support, or membership is necessary to get anything done?
  • Who will actually carry out any changes or reforms that your task force succeeds in establishing?

Make an actual list, with both individual names and - if you can't identify an individual - names of groups or sectors of the community who need to be involved. Ask other members of the initiative, contacts in the community, and anyone else you know to help you identify specific people to contact wherever you can.

There are some people whose direct participation is crucial. But there are others who would be ideal as well, even though they may not be absolutely necessary to success. Remember the list above of people who can be helpful.

Recruit members for your task force or action committee

Use your list and your contacts to get in touch with people. Many may be people already involved with the initiative, but many may not. Where you have an individual listed as the best representative of a particular group or segment of the community, it might help to have second and third choices from that group as well. In addition, people who may not be able to become members themselves will have ideas about others who would be good additions to your task force. Don't hesitate to ask them for names.

The best method of recruiting people is always personally. An ideal is for the first contact to be from someone the person already knows, but a "cold call" - a personal visit or phone call made to someone you don't know - is still better than an e-mail or a letter.

Gather the group and define its purpose

The issue is already a given, but how are you going to approach it, and what are you going to do about it? Some task forces or action committees are convened to study an issue, others to affect it indirectly, still others to take immediate and direct action. Members need to decide what they're going to do. One model for achieving this assumes that the task force works together as a group to plan its course of action:

The model below assumes also that someone acts as facilitator to guide the group through the process. It is aimed at a group whose purpose is to address a community issue - youth violence, homelessness, etc. A task force or action committee that has a very specific purpose, such as drafting bylaws, won't need to go through this whole process.
  • Define the problem or issue clearly.
  • Envision the ideal solution - what do you want things to look like or be like when your work is done?
  • Start with the solution and work backward. What things need to happen to get from where you are now to the solution you've envisioned?
  • Map out benchmarks - achievements along the way - between where you are now and where you want to be.
  • Brainstorm or otherwise determine ways to reach each benchmark from the one before, and to reach your final goal.
  • Identify whether your plan means that other issues have to be addressed as well (not necessarily by this group), or whether other people must be included, and decide how to deal with those realities.
  • Identify the resources you'll need to get to each benchmark, and decide - realistically - how much you can obtain. Adjust your actual goals accordingly.
  • Draft a plan based on what you've come up with. It should include a timeline for when you expect to reach each benchmark, and when you expect to reach your final goal.
Always be aware that a plan like this is a guideline. Everything always takes longer than you expect or want it to. The purpose here is to give yourself and the initiative some idea of what you're doing and how long it might take. Not only your timeline, but your plan itself will change. If it's a good plan to begin with, its major elements may survive reality, but much will be different by the time you reach your goal. The flexibility to adjust to changes in circumstances and to things you didn't anticipate or know about should be part of any plan.
  • Present your plan to the larger group. Even if you have the latitude to act independently, it will help to hear what others think. It will also help both you and the initiative as a whole if everyone knows what's happening, especially if you need help from other task forces or members of the initiative.

At this point, you've actually developed your task force or action committee, and set it on its way. Your work has hardly begun, however. There are still a number of steps before you're ready to hang up your task force hat for good. We'll discuss them briefly.

Implement your plan

Take action to reach your benchmarks and your ultimate goal.

Evaluate and adjust your plan and your actions

As mentioned in the box above, no plan is perfect. That is why it is important to evaluate plans, programs, and processes regularly. These evaluations give you a chance to see what's working well, what needs to be changed, and what assumptions are in error or outdated. Most important, evaluation makes it possible to adjust and improve what you're doing.

Celebrate successes along the way

Celebrate reaching benchmarks with parties or formal ceremonies. Give awards to task force members, community volunteers, and anyone else who deserves them. Advertise your successes to your colleagues, and use the media to tell the community about them.

Celebration keeps people going, and reminds them why they're putting in all that time. It creates way stations so that the road to success doesn't seem all that long. It makes people feel good about themselves and what they're doing, and reminds the community that you're there.

Find a way to institutionalize whatever is necessary to continue to address the issue

Task forces and action committees usually disband once they've accomplished their purposes. But public health and community issues have a habit of never being "resolved." As long as you keep working at addressing them, you can keep things flowing smoothly. But once you turn your back, there are those issues again, just waiting for you to leave so they can surface.

There are a some ways that a task force or action committee can make sure that its issues continue to be addressed:

  • The task force's work may be spun off into a new program or agency
For example, the North Quabbin's Child Sexual Assault Task Force eventually spawned Valuing Our Children, an independent organization that conducts various programs for children and teens, offers parenting classes and other support services for parents, and runs family activities to encourage parents and their kids to have fun together.
  • The implementation of the task force's plans or goals may be taken over by an existing agency
  • The initiative as a whole may assume oversight of the task force's work, and institutionalize it in the community

Reaching your goal is only the first part of your task force's job. Only when the strategies for maintaining that goal have become institutionalized is your job done.

Your initiative may need to develop multisector task forces or action committees to focus in on specific community issues or particular needs of the initiative itself. A task force or action committee is a group intended to take action; multisector refers to the group's membership, which is drawn from all sectors of the community, or all sectors that are concerned with the issue at hand.

Multisector task forces or action committees help a larger initiative focus in on specific issues, and do something about them. They can be more efficient than the larger group, and can let people concentrate on the issues that interest them. The fact that their membership is drawn from many segments of the community gives their work and that of the initiative credibility among various groups, gives those groups ownership of their plans and actions, gains their support, and leaves them feeling that they've been justifiably involved in dealing with issues that are important to them.

Multisector task forces and action committees are particularly useful when issues reach crisis proportions, or are heading in that direction; when new information identifies a hitherto unrecognized problem in the community; when an outside entity precipitates a crisis through its actions; or when a group sees a particular issue it wants to tackle. Membership, besides bridging cultural, class, ethnic, and other community boundaries, usually should include representatives of all stakeholders to the issue, people with access to policy making, and others in the community who are interested in and can be helpful to the effort.

The process of developing a multisector task force or action committee should include:

  • Defining the relationship of the task force and the larger initiative
  • Choosing good leadership
  • Listing potential members
  • Recruiting members
  • Convening the group and articulating its purpose

Once the groundwork is done, the work of the task force encompasses:

  • Implementing the action plan
  • Evaluating and adjusting the plan and the work
  • Celebrating successes at every step
  • Institutionalizing the work of the task force before it disbands

Only after the last step can the task force or action committee be considered finally successful.

Online Resources

Children and Youth Task Force in Disasters: Guidelines for Development , by Administration for Children and Families, Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response, is a 2013 report with details on how to form a task force, focusing here on response to a major storm (Superstorm Sandy) that affected the Northeast United States in 2012. These guidelines are intended for emergency management, human services, and public health professionals to support a coordinated, integrated, and effective approach to children’s needs in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.

Creating Political Action Committees (PACs) for Smokefree Air , by Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, is an example of creating a political action committee, along with a step-by-step process, as well as a development checklist. The PAC, as referred, would apply primarily at a national or state level, though the specific suggestions here generalize across many issues.

Forming a Corporate Political Action Committee , by Ronald M. Jacobs, Lawrence H. Norton, and Janice M. Ryan, provides an overview of PACs and summarizes the process and the steps through which a corporation can establish a connected PAC.

Multi-Cluster/Sector Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA) , by Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) 2012, is a 20-page manual “designed to identify strategic humanitarian priorities during the first weeks following an emergency,” together with an additional five annexes [appendices] providing supporting information. The emphasis here is on large-scale global responses.

The Multi-Sector Task Force: A National Response to Violence Against Children is a United Nations report focusing on violence against children in Tanzania but also illustrating how a multi-sector task force can be formed and how it can operate in practice.

  • Dictionaries home
  • American English
  • Collocations
  • German-English
  • Grammar home
  • Practical English Usage
  • Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)
  • Word Lists home
  • My Word Lists
  • Recent additions
  • Resources home
  • Text Checker

Definition of task force noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Definitions on the go

Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

what is the meaning of task force

By Stephen Owsinski

The lore of federal law enforcement agencies traditionally snubbing local cops may have once been a thing but, nowadays, city cops and county deputies work alongside federal agents in various ways, pool resources and intel, and cull criminals from our streets.

Like any other profession, real or perceived friction comes to the fore. Smoothing rough edges is the logical remediation for the enterprise to thrive. So, too, is the case in policing.

Although I didn’t quite hear of it much before my days as a policeman, the reality of law enforcement officers of any stripe and all levels of jurisdictional dominion melding together and working as interagency professionals is a relative staple in the biz of nabbing bad actors.

what is the meaning of task force

(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.)

Since law enforcement training is largely universal, no matter the governmental level (federal, state, county, municipal), why not pool resources and ally with each other to down devilish behaviors and preempt victimization? Police task forces are a workable antidote to any locale’s woes.

A task force is defined as “…a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. It is a temporary grouping under one leader for the purpose of accomplishing a definite objective. In government or business, a task force is a temporary organization created to solve a particular problem.”

I’m sure we can all agree that narcotics in our society is a particular problem, so let’s focus on that aspect, engendering a police task force…

A typical task force assemblage involves U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and local cops working in tandem to bring down criminal enterprises peddling dope. Following is a synopsis colorizing today’s topic:

“In 2016, the DEA State and Local Task Force Program managed 271 state and local task forces, which included Program Funded, Provisional, HIDTA, and Tactical Diversion Squads.

“The difference between funded and provisional state and local task forces is that the financial support for funded task forces is provided by DEA headquarters and includes additional resources for state and local overtime.

what is the meaning of task force

(Photo courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Administration.)

“Provisional task forces are supported by the operating budgets of DEA field division offices, without resources from DEA headquarters, and do not include state and local overtime. These task forces are staffed by over 2,200 DEA special agents and over 2,500 state and local officers. Participating state and local task force officers are deputized to perform the same functions as DEA special agents.”

Generally, a task force is comprised of sworn LEOs and civilian support personnel (public safety dispatchers, crime-scene technicians, administrative assistants, crime-lab scientists, etc.), exemplifying a bounty of shared experience and pooled police prowess to effectively sleuth criminality and jail evildoers.

My initial exposure to police task force concepts occurred when I was a rookie cop. One of our Street Crimes Unit cops, with a ton of law enforcement experience, was approved to join a federal task force, namely the U.S. Marshals Service . The combined effort was to round up as many fugitives in our city and other jurisdictions. Local cops’ authority outside of their jurisdiction? The answer is being “deputized” as a special federal agent operating among a task force.

what is the meaning of task force

(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Marshals Service.)

Per the DEA’s stance on task force concepts, “state and local officers could be deputized as federal drug agents, thus extending their jurisdiction.”

Some of our police officers working with federal law enforcement partners are officially deputized, issued federal-agent badges (DEA, ATF, US Marshals), and work out a schedule with the federal agents to work some of their investigations (elsewhere) and ours (locally). “Participating state and local task force officers are deputized to perform the same functions as DEA special agents,” per the DEA.

Executives in police administration either give the affirmative nod or disapprove their cops from engaging in task force outings (based on typically modest staffing of America’s majority of size-sensitive law enforcement agencies). Generally, our administration more often affirmed working with federal agents. One of our cops was pretty nifty in undercover work; he went on to be deputized by three different federal law enforcement agencies, requiring an extra-large shadowbox upon retiring.

The co-reliance was recognized by the federal law enforcement community. Naturally, local cops know the players in their jurisdiction better than agents operating in a much larger context:

“As drug trafficking increased nationwide, DEA recognized the need for cooperation and coordination of drug enforcement efforts with their state and local counterparts. This cooperation provided several advantages to all participating agencies: DEA was able to draw on the expertise of state of local law enforcement; DEA could share resources with state and local officers, thereby increasing the investigative possibilities available to all; […] state and local participating agencies could receive an equitable share of forfeited drug proceeds; and DEA could pay overtime and investigative expenses for the state and local agencies.”

As delineated in the mission statement and its explanation in the DEA material posted herein, a symbiosis exists…

Local law enforcement benefits from the extra staffing of federal agents, their myriad resources, and the robust budgets they have at their disposal, dwarfing what most of America’s police departments and sheriff’s offices salivate over. Conversely, pedigrees of local criminals are usually already established by city cops and/or county deputies, bringing the intel to the task force table.

Similarly, task force assemblies of interagency personnel train together in both federal and local settings. Our department’s task force members engaged in firearms qualifications and defensive tactics and all-things-police skillsets at federal law enforcement facilities, and they reciprocated by training at our county-level public safety training center.

I remember one of our task force cops sharing how based on the size of the criminal organization investigated and arrested for operating in our city, the feds would sometimes “take the case” and prosecute it federally, with that determination being discussed by all involved LEOs, as equals, working harmoniously in a chronically violent society. No squabbling. Just various LEOs representing different agencies focused on erasing criminal enterprises, no matter whose primary jurisdiction it is.

what is the meaning of task force

Thus, the days of so-called federal bullying of modest dominion cops matured to same-page, same-objective, same-team victories…serving citizens and merchants as avowed upon swearing in after academy graduation.

Indeed, the members of task forces meet up again if/when their police operations netting miscreants goes to trial. It is logical to assume anyone sitting in the seats of a courtroom containing cops from different levels and agencies testifying for the same criminal cases, might raise an eyebrow. As mentioned at the onset of this material: the days of yonder whereby “the feds” didn’t want to play nice with local LEOs is a bygone blemish smoother over since.

This is another example of why the National Police Association brings to our readers the substance behind the badges, to be abreast of the ways and means invested in public safety and the citizenry’s sanctity. No matter where cops are from, the tin badges are relatively homogenous, the training is largely synonymous, and the cohesive task forces representing justice principles spanning American soil.

web analytics

Subscribe Now

Join Our Mailing List.

What Are the Characteristics of a Task Force Group in Business?

  • Small Business
  • Business Planning & Strategy
  • Time Management
  • ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Pinterest" aria-label="Share on Pinterest">
  • ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Reddit" aria-label="Share on Reddit">
  • ')" data-event="social share" data-info="Flipboard" aria-label="Share on Flipboard">

How to Type in Capitals on an iPad

Characteristics of task force workgroups, how to write a constitution for a nonprofit organization.

  • Example of Meeting Minutes
  • Importance of Cognitive Skills in HR

“Taskforce or Task Force” is a wonderfully descriptive term. It’s a collection of people (a force, as in armed forces) charged with carrying out a particular task. Since everyone in a business organization is involved in getting the job done, it is helpful to understand how the term task force differs from other organizational and administrative units like division, branch or office.

Background of the Term “Task Force”

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term task force dates back to military use during World War II. A 1941 article in Time magazine reported that the infantry and the Marines were combining resources to form an Allied Expeditionary Force “task force for action overseas.”

The term remained in military use until about the 1950s, when it entered into some nonmilitary use as well, as in a 1954 article in The Economist that mentions the creation of a government “task force ... to examine the civil service.” In subsequent years, the term became increasingly common in nonmilitary use, especially in the world of business.

Characteristics of a Task Force

There is no hard and fast definition of what a task force can or cannot do. Neither are there rules as to how it must be composed. The actual character of a task force is entirely up to the organization that convenes it and decides to label it as such. However, a task force does tend to have certain recognizable features:

Project-oriented. A task force is generally charged with a specific project and is intended to produce a particular output. As an example of a task force in business, the human resources department carries out the general function of hiring new employees. But if the organization needs a particular study done, like “Hiring Needs and Challenges for the Next Decade,” it may opt to create a task force focused on developing this specific report.

Concise. A task force is generally comprised of the people considered necessary to get the job done, without much in the way of excess staff. The group is meant to be agile, focused, responsive and productive.

Temporary. Most task forces cease to exist once their project comes to completion. The task force is deliberately intended to be a temporary collection of people that convenes long enough to finish the job at hand, but no longer.

Cross-programmatic. Business task forces often pull together individuals from diverse sections of an organization. Bringing the necessary talent together in this way is often the best means of securing all the needed talents and expertise for accomplishing the task at hand, without regard for traditional barriers between office departments, divisions and other boxes on the organizational flowchart.

Products of a Task Force

The “task” part of a task force can be almost a one-off project pertinent to the organization. A task force can be convened to write a report, make a set of recommendations, identify candidates for a new job position, hire a candidate for a new job position, design a building, raid a drug lab, source a new product line, solve a technological problem ... and so on.

Governments are particularly fond of creating task forces, such as these examples from the federal government:

  • Opioid Crisis Task Force – Drug Enforcement Administration
  • Task Force on 21st Century Policing – Department of Justice
  • Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion – Department of Labor
  • Speaker’s Task Force of Intergovernmental Affairs – U.S. Congress

Taskforce or Task Force

The term appears as both a single word and as two separate words in business literature. However, the two-word usage is far and away more common and should be considered the preferred usage.

  • Oxford English Dictionary: Task Force
  • ASCD: Understanding Committees and Task Forces
  • Collins: Task Force

David Sarokin is a well-known Internet specialist with publications in a wide variety of business topics, from the best uses of information technology to the steps for incorporating your business. He is the author of The Corporation, Its History and Future (Cambridge Scholars, 2020) on the role of big business in the modern world, and Missed Information (MIT Press, 2016), detailing how our social systems like health care, finance and government can be improved with better quality information.

Related Articles

How to force quit ms word, the different types of corporate teams in a task force, how to find group categories on facebook, types of team project organization, the importance of teamwork in an organizational setting, summary tasks vs. milestones in a project, complementary skills in a team, advantages and disadvantages of using project planning documents, how to brainstorm with marketing, most popular.

  • 1 How to Force Quit MS Word
  • 2 The Different Types of Corporate Teams in a Task Force
  • 3 How to Find Group Categories on Facebook
  • 4 Types of Team Project Organization

Modern War Institute

  • Senior Fellows
  • Research Fellows
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Media Inquiries
  • Commentary & Analysis

Upcoming Events

  • Past Events
  • October 2021 War Studies Conference
  • November 2020 War Studies Conference
  • November 2018 War Studies Conference
  • March 2018 War Studies Conference
  • November 2016 War Studies Conference
  • MWI Podcast
  • Urban Warfare Project Podcast
  • Irregular Warfare Podcast
  • Social Science of War
  • Urban Warfare Project
  • Irregular Warfare Initiative
  • Project 6633
  • Shield Notes
  • Rethinking Civ-Mil
  • Competition in Cyberspace Project
  • Book Reviews

Select Page

Task Force Smith and the Problem with “Readiness”

T.S. Allen and Jackson Perry | 07.17.20

Task Force Smith and the Problem with “Readiness”

In the rainy predawn darkness of July 5, 1950, two US Army rifles companies reinforced by six howitzers—about four hundred men in all— dug in on a saddle-shaped hill straddling a highway just north of Osan, South Korea. The hill was an outstanding north-facing defensive position: to this day, a soldier on that hill can see eight miles of the crucial strategic road that bends northwest, towards the city of Suwon, today known as the home of Samsung, but in 1950 famous for the ancient walls of Hwaesong Fortress that surround it. Two weeks before, communist North Korea, with Soviet support, had crossed the 38th parallel and invaded America’s partner South Korea. The American soldiers entrenched on the hill, called Task Force Smith after their commander, Lt. Col. Charles B. Smith, were about to become the first American soldiers to see ground combat in the Korean War.

The US Army remembers Task Force Smith vividly. “No more Task Force Smiths” has been a mantra since the 1990s. T.R. Fehrenbach’s 1963 book This Kind of War: A Study in Unpreparedness , which includes a detailed account of the battle, is a perennial feature of military reading lists that was recently recommended by former Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Fehrenbach writes that Task Force Smith had “neither arms nor training” and that due to stingy defense spending and poor leadership, its defeat was inevitable. The Army constantly invokes the legacy of Task Force Smith as a justification for “readiness,” its catch-all term for preparedness for any war, which of course requires big budgets.

Ironically, on paper, Task Force Smith was “ready.” Smith’s outfit—1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment—had received the highest score of any unit in Japan on its battalion tactical test in March 1950. Nonetheless, few of them had expected that readiness to be tested. They had been occupying Japan when they received urgent orders to fly across the Sea of Japan and help stop the rout of South Korean forces, which were in full retreat after abandoning Seoul. The task force’s higher commander, Brig. Gen. John H. Church, told them their mission was to provide “moral support” to the Koreans, casually telling Smith: “All we need is some men up there who won’t run when they see tanks.” Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander of American forces in the Far East, would later say he intended the task force to deliver “an arrogant display of strength.”

Around 0730 local time, a column of thirty-three North Korean tanks moving south became visible on the highway. They were Soviet-made T-34s, the same tanks used to defeat Nazi Germany in World War II. When the lead enemy tanks were four thousand yards away, the American howitzers opened fire. To their surprise, most of their artillery shells ricocheted off the tanks’ angular steel armor. A heroic second lieutenant, Ollie Connor, was even more shocked when he fired twenty-two rockets with a bazooka at the lightly armored back of a T-34 that was only fifteen yards away, and they bounced off. By 1000, the harassed North Korean tank column had rumbled down the highway that bisected Smith’s defensive position and disappeared to the south. The artillerymen had destroyed two tanks and disabled two more, but in the process the forward howitzer’s crew had expended all six of the task force’s precious antitank rounds, their only weapon that could penetrate the armor of a T-34. Task Force Smith had seen tanks and not run, but it had also learned it was impotent against armor. The tanks had cut the communications wire connecting the infantry and artillery, overrun the artillery positions, and inflicted an unknown number of casualties, leaving the task force battered.

At about 1115, another North Korean column appeared. It stretched six miles to the horizon and included tanks and thousands of infantry. Task Force Smith opened fire again, but within half an hour, they were surrounded, and North Korean tanks were raking their positions with machine-gun and cannon fire. Any of the arrogance that MacArthur had hoped for and that the soldiers still had evaporated, and many began to “bug out,” a polite term for desertion. Outnumbered and outgunned, Smith ordered a retreat, abandoning the dead, the wounded who couldn’t walk, and the howitzers. By the end of the day, 150 American soldiers were dead, wounded, or missing, and the North Koreans’ advance continued for weeks more.

Fehrenbach’s assertion that Task Force Smith was materially unready for war is certainly true. Its weapons were simply inadequate: its howitzers had been salvaged from scrap after being condemned, and there had been only eighteen antitank rounds available at nearby depots in Japan when the war started, so Task Force Smith was lucky to receive six of them. The unit’s ammunition, most of which had been in storage since World War II, proved unreliable. And perhaps most significantly, Task Force Smith’s bazookas were no match for Russian-built tanks, because the Army had not yet fielded an advanced bazooka that could defeat them. The issue of Army readiness soon became political, and shortly after the battle, LIFE magazine ran a photo of an American soldier’s corpse and blamed President Harry Truman for not spending enough on defense. Everyone agreed that, as Gen. Matthew Ridgway put it at the time, Army readiness before the Korean War was “shameful.”

Nonetheless, Task Force Smith had met the Army’s abstract standard for “readiness” before the war. While the actual training reports do not survive, according to Bill Wyrick, who served as a platoon leader in Task Force Smith, on paper the unit had completed all “individual and collective training program tasks,” and as mentioned above, the battalion had achieved the highest score in Japan on its tactical evaluation.

So, was Task Force Smith “ready” or not? Lt. Col. Smith himself would later say that his training regime “was almost non-existent” and that claims that he conducted useful live fire training were “hogwash,” seemingly contradicting Wyrick. If you tell this to modern soldiers while conducting a staff ride at Osan, they suspect they know the game the unit was playing. The late-1940s Army was beginning to adopt mandatory training regimes to ensure readiness that survive in other forms to this day. In all probability, the soldiers of Task Force Smith were among the first representatives of the Army’s enduring tradition of achieving impossibly ambitious training objectives by recording training that never occurred , thus achieving “paper readiness.” Indeed, the veterans of Task Force Smith seemed certain that the higher echelons of their chain of command were blissfully unaware of their low readiness. As a group of them wrote to President Reagan in 1985: “We are sure President Truman did not know how badly we were equipped when we were committed.”

None of this should undermine the legacy of Task Force Smith. It was an understrength battalion that faced the nearly impossible mission of stopping an enemy division. Many of its members performed exceptionally valorously in combat. Moreover, no matter how “ready” Task Force Smith was, abstract readiness does not win battles. It is based on an idea, enshrined in law since 1999, that a force can be quantifiably “ready” for a broad set of possible contingencies. War is often not that abstract, however: today, a war in Korea would require radically different equipment than a war in Poland, because of the radically different terrain and enemy equipment involved. The real lesson of Task Force Smith is that striving to achieve abstract readiness creates perverse bureaucratic incentives that make readiness harder to measure, and no amount of arrogance—or spending—can make up for that.

Capt. T.S. Allen is a military intelligence officer who has served in Korea and Afghanistan.

Sgt. Maj. Jackson Perry is an infantryman who has spent over thirty-three months in combat in Afghanistan.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.

15 Comments

George avery

Let's not forget that MacArthur totally neglected forces in South Korea despite the Communist insurgency in the South and ignored CIA warnings of North Korean mobilization (he disliked the agency going back to his OSS days, largely due to his jealousy of William Donovan's WW1 Medal of Honor), KMAG commander General William Lynn Roberts bragged that any North Korean invasion would merely provide "target practice" despite the ROK forces he was training being equipped with only light infantry weapons, no tanks, and an Air Force with only liason and trainer aircraft, and the State Department had signaled that South Korea was of no interest. In addition, MacArthur had allowed his Japan-based divisions to lay back on their laurels, allowing training to be ignored and equipment to deteriorate. The problem was not just TF Smith – the 24 ID was essentially shattered in the Punsan defense at Taejon and its commander captured by the North Koreans. In fact, it took the First Provisional Marine Brigade to stop the Northern offensive after it was hastily assembled at Camp Pendleton and shipped to Punsan. It was better equipped and trained than any of the Army formations that MacArthur had available – in part because Commandant Archie Vandegrift had the foresight, remembering how the Marines had been second fiddle in allocations of equipment in the World War, to acquire the most modern equipment the Army was disposing of as surplus after 1945 to maintain and store at Camp Pendleton. The result was the Marine Provisional Brigade went into action with well maintained M26 Pershing and M4A3E8/76mm tanks as well as the newer M20 3.5 inch "Super bazooka" (Task Force Smith still had obsolete M1 and M9 2.75" bazookas – as their primary AT weapon!, and most functioning Army tanks in Japan were older 75mm equipped Shermans). The T-34s that were rolling past Task Force Smith and follow-on Army formations became smoldering wrecks once they encountered the better-equipped and trained Marines.

The story of Task Force Smith, and the pitiful attempts of the other Army formations MacArthur tried to rush to Punsan is a cautionary tale of what happens when units are allowed to sit back with inadequate training, inadequate maintenance, and failure to replace obsolete equipment – all failures of leadership at both the theater commander's level AND the Department of the Army. Unfortunately, such leadership failures would continue to plague the Army in Korea – MacArthur's focus on Japanese politics in the war, the inept and already well-known lack of leadership by his sycophant Ned Almond, MacArthur's lack of support and undercutting of LTG Walton Walker (a "European General" who had fought in the ETO in the World War rather than one who had served in the Pacific under MacArthur). MacArthur's refusal to accept reality or political control, of course, led to his overextension and the disaster that occurred after intervention by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The situation was truly only rectified when MacArthur was relieved and operational control assumed by Matthew Ridgeway and James Van Fleet. MacArthur SHOULD have been relieved and cashiered for incompetence after the Philippines disaster, but instead was allowed to wreak havoc for yet another decade.

Jim

Most of the tanks the Army had in Japan were M-24's with a few M-4's. The reason they did not have any M-26's was the roads and bridges in Japan could not handle their weight. So they were shipped back to the US.

McArthur wanted Task Force Smith to get their quickly, so he ordered the infantry to fly in to Pusan (now called Busan). Due to weight, they left behind their anti-tank mines. But then they had to wait for the LST's from Japan to bring the artillery. Think if they had been allowed to board the LST's, they could have brought all three infantry companies, the weapons company and the artillery, along with lots of mines, ammunition, etc.

The men fought hard and only started retreating when they were being surrounded by thousands of enemy infantry. But they had to retreat across open ground with no fire support.

In the end, this battle was lost because of poor leadership and planning.

L. K.

Of course Task Force Smith was woefully unprepared for combat. They had not passed the Army Combat Fitness Test, which only became available more than 70 years in the future.

I couldn’t let this go with only the ACFT quip. But other than the ACFT, what will we have for the next conflict? Let’s take an inventory:

1. Armor that’s been around longer than the 75mm Shermans of 1950. Who believes that’s a good sign? Does anyone think a near-peer adversary doesn’t have an answer to the Abrams by now? The USMC is ditching them; there’s a hint.

2. A hopelessly bloated, mindless bureaucracy that yields ideas like the Universal Camouflage Pattern. Also, replacement of green dress uniforms with blue dress uniforms because blue is the traditional color. Then replacement of the blue dress uniforms with greens because green is the traditional color. Rinse and repeat. So expect nothing but nonsense from the Pentagon from now on. And bureaucracy, LOTS more bureaucracy.

3. We’ve had three failed programs to replace the Bradley and the fourth (as described above) makes no sense. It was known by the end of 1973 that light-skinned personnel carriers are death traps. So until someone has a better idea, the only practical solution—i.e. saves both money and lives—is a well-considered mix of open trucks and something like a Namer. The perfect compromise between them simply does not exist, and that applies to ‘optionally-manned’ vehicles also. Even the JLTV has already been declared a relic of a (soon to be) past conflict. And at $433,000 per two- to five-seat truck, with protection from nothing but small arms or hand-carried explosives, that can only be a good thing.

4. It should have been known by the end of August, 1942 that raids don’t win wars. The wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan should have served as reminders. Yet the focus of the Army’s Future Vertical Lift program seems to be faster, longer-range versions of the Air Cavalry’s OH-6s and UH-1s of 1965. Quicker, deeper, aerial Dieppe raids will NEVER work against near-peer adversaries. Even large air-assault operations such as to FOB Cobra (of the Gulf War) seem hopelessly outdated. Yet if something like that was attempted again, are non-stealthy aircraft which carry 8-12 troops and no heavy weapons the right tools for the job? Of course not.

5. There seems to be no preparation for mass mobilization, which certainly would be required at the beginning of the next war. The popular consensus is that 99% of draftees won’t be usable. How will we deal with that? And don’t expect to have years to implement such fundamental programs, say as in December 1941. Heads are buried deep in the sand to avoid issues such as drafting females, or even realistic standards for their employment in the armed forces. As long as we pretend the average woman can carry an infantryman’s/paratrooper’s field pack, this charade is continuing. Realistic physical standards for both males and females, across all MOSs, is really the right answer. Entry-level military training which addresses emerging technologies will also be needed. Why aren’t such things being developed and implemented, instead of fixating on politically-based nonsense?

6. Expect an adversary not to wage war against the US unless and until they have masses of remotely-operated or autonomous combat vehicles which can dominate the battlefield. The US seems totally incapable of that kind of innovation prior to the next war. Even if the technologies were developed, how could such systems be fielded when no new weapons systems have been fielded for decades? Even if a new weapons system could be fielded—which seems questionable, at best—could such a thing happen in less than a decade?

7. Even worse, at the end of the post-9/11 era, we seem to be looking to the more-distant past than the future. That’s even worse than preparing for the last war.

This will not end well.

Robert

Here is the future of our infantry "readiness" as described in the Army's Infantry School's own words:

https://www.army.mil/article/239135/infantry_school_ends_traditional_shark_attack_adopts_new_way_of_instilling_warrior_ethos_in_recruits

I didn't feel like Boot was as tough for me as what my grandfather described his experience to be like. I thought they had lightened up in BCT compared to my experience when my son went, but at least they were still allowed to put recruits under stress.

Now imagine how a generation of recruits who were not even forced to handle the stress of being yelled at would react when faced with a similar situation as those faced by Tall Force Smith.

I weep for the future of our soldiers when faced with a truly hardened force if we don't quit worrying about their feelings and stay preparing them to be warriors.

Brice H Dyal

Back during the Clinton years they started to issue "stress cards" that way a PATHETIC recruit could take a "time out"

A sign of things to come….

I was at a "training" camp as a opfor (I LOVED AND ENJOYED TORTURING OG SORRY TRAINING YOUNG RECRUITS" LOL I AM ONLY MILDLY SADISTIC I SWEAR….. LOL

LONG STORY SHORT….

I had a promising recruit pull a :stress card" liitle Johnny all american linebacker was having a rough day…… tears welling up in BOTH OUR EYES….

I had never heard of a :stress card"

18 consecutive months of living with drill sergeants for 2 mos's and another 12 months with Cadre and airborne, air assault and a little tier 1 influence as well as 13 years training for the Olympics in freestyle wrestling under my fathers tutelage ALLL CONCURRENTLY flooded my mind body and soul IMMEDIATELY AND ALL AT ONCE!!!!!!

junior all American AND HIS 3 SQUAD MATES…..

BETWEEN, PUKING, CRYING, MOANING, GROANING AND JUST PLAIN TRYING TO SURVIVE THE MADMAN HELL I CREATED INSTANTLY…..

I am pretty sure Johnny never ever even considered pulling a "stress card" out again….

I know if I was his squad mate i would have fed it to him….

Ending the "shark attack" is a mistake just like stress cards….

I see a future like the last battle in "saving private ryan" where we see more and more "Emotional Breakdowns" like Ryan and Oppum where men curl up in the fetal position and just "Give up"!!!

Arnold

Your story reminds me of my first come across with a blue card. For those of us who went to basic training prior to the mid 80s. The only blue ever saw saw was the rage of a combat tested (mine Vietnam) drill staff.

To get on with the story, my first occurances with the blue card was as an AIT instructor at the Intelligence School in Arizona. Since we were more concerned with they minds in this particular career field, discipline was not the top concern, but still important. On that particular day after nine hours of analysis training two trainees were assigned to straighten up the straighten up the classroom. This was la common task and only required picking up the trash and checking for any unsecured classify materials.

That is when one of the privates reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the blue card, yelling "time out". The only thing I could do was say, "what",. He explained that the card was standard issue and had been given to him in basic training. I said, "Wow can I see that", and with a broad smile he handed it to me. At that time I promptly tore it up into little pieces and deposited them on the floor. I also explained to the private that he was in the Army now and if he didn't like it McDonalds was always hiring.

That was over twenty-five years ago and most of those have been war years. I feel for the drill sergeants and drill instructors who constantly fight the battle of will my trainees survive because the discipline was toned down. Knowing that you are sending a fellow service member of to fight without fully learning discipline, and I don't mean hazing, creates a special type of PTSD much like the parent who loses a child over someone else's negligence.

Maybe the answer is to require all officer selections have a prior minimal enlisted service of two years; including the academy, ROTC, etc. With the rare exception being medical doctors who would be required to attend some type of basic training and extended training. This may sound cruel as the saying goes,"Don't expect your soldiers to do anything that couldn't or wouldn't do yourself. For those that have actually done this you know what I mean.

No service member should want their names to memorialized for the same reason as (Task Force) Smith or Custer

Michael Z Williamson

I keep hearing about these mythical "Stress cards," but I've never actually seen a pic of one, a legitimate article about one, or any bona fide cadre document the existence of one, and I was in service from 1986-2010.

It seems to be up there with the mythical Mattel contract M16s that everyone knows about but no one can document because they never existed.

So, they don't exist, and you're probably none of what you claim.

http s://ww w.wearethemighty. com/articles/truth-behind-basic-training-stress-cards/

timothy riley

went to boot camp in 1990 at Ft. Sill, 1/31 FA. We had Mattel made M16A1s. The joke was that our weapon was just a toy.

Neal F

I spent 22 years in the US Army and retired over 24 years ago. I have seen a lot of changes since. I continued to work as a DA Civilian and spent time in Iraq with a short stint in Afghanistan. Talking with troops I saw a lot of morale issues and most had to do with the Military insistence of being politically correct, which was not evident in my Infantry days (74-78, most leadership being Vietnam Veterans). I fear we will see our youth tested severely in the not too distant future.

D Y

Yeah, I don't think the chinese will care how inclusive our military is next time we face them, either.

Richard L. Williams, Jr.

I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which defend my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

This mantra was drilled into me when I was in basic training. When I stood guard on the front line of democracy in West Germany, the difference between the two systems of government was stark.

But to stand in the front line with a rifle against four to one odds with no air support…the soldiers of Task Force Smith stood longer than they should have.

CK

Great article but I hate how the guys who left comments just completely missed the point. I fear that their collective opinions are representative of why we continue to see the problems we have. The problem is simple, but everyone wants avoid the truth and insert personal issues or topics that have nothing to do with anything. “You know why we will lose the next war? Well I’ll tell you it’s because women are allowed to wear pony tails now” No. It’s because everything we do reinforces a lie that perpetually motivate goobers in charge to fluff capabilities so that they can then create arbitrary tasks that prevent anyone from actually becoming effective at their specialization all in the name of career advancement. It has nothing to do with discipline, PT, uniformity, or generation. It’s because this bureaucratic institution is fueled by dishonesty and ego.

Jennifer

My grandfather was a part of Task Force Smith. He didn't talk about it very much because it was painful for him. He did receive a Special Certificate of Valor and medals.

John Rock

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The articles and other content which appear on the Modern War Institute website are unofficial expressions of opinion. The views expressed are those of the authors, and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.

The Modern War Institute does not screen articles to fit a particular editorial agenda, nor endorse or advocate material that is published. Rather, the Modern War Institute provides a forum for professionals to share opinions and cultivate ideas. Comments will be moderated before posting to ensure logical, professional, and courteous application to article content.

Most Popular Posts

  • Ending the Churn: To Solve the Recruiting Crisis, the Army Should Be Asking Very Different Questions
  • The Army Has a Competition Problem
  • Gaza’s Underground: Hamas’s Entire Politico-Military Strategy Rests on Its Tunnels

Announcements

  • Announcing the Modern War Institute’s 2023–24 Senior and Research Fellows
  • Essay Contest Call for Submissions: Solving the Military Recruiting Crisis
  • Call for Applications: MWI’s 2023–24 Research Fellows Program
  • Join Us This Friday for a Livestream with Ambassador Michael McFaul and Secretary Chuck Hagel

Denver Post

Definition of child abuse in Colorado law should be narrowed, task force finds

A statewide task force created to reform Colorado’s mandatory reporting laws cannot do so without first asking lawmakers to change the state’s definition of criminal child abuse and neglect, members wrote in a 12-page report published this week .

Colorado’s definition of criminal child abuse and neglect is too broad and should be narrowed to avoid conflating circumstances like poverty or homelessness with neglect and abuse, the task force members wrote in the report, which was published after the first year of the group’s two-year effort to reform the state’s mandatory reporting laws.

The group plans to meet for 11 hours in January and February in order to create recommendations for change in the child abuse statute, according to the report, which noted that the laws around child abuse in some states are more nuanced than Colorado’s, and are better designed to ensure cultural differences and socioeconomic statuses don’t drive unfounded child abuse cases.

After that piece is addressed, the task force then plans to return to studying and making recommendations for reform of the state’s mandatory reporting law, which requires dozens of types of professionals to report suspicions of child abuse to the state or law enforcement.

State lawmakers established the task force in 2022 following a Denver Post investigation into the 2017 death of 7-year-old Olivia Gant, a long-term patient at Children’s Hospital Colorado. In 2019, Olivia’s mother was accused of faking Olivia’s illnesses and manipulating doctors and nurses at Children’s into providing unnecessary and even life-threatening care. Originally charged with murder, the girl’s mother pleaded guilty to child abuse negligently resulting in death in 2022 and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Before Olivia died, some of her caregivers at Children’s Hospital Colorado suspected Olivia’s mother may have been medically abusing her, but the hospital did not alert any outside authorities to their suspicions until after Olivia’s death, despite the state’s mandatory reporting laws .

An attorney for Olivia Gant’s family, Hollynd Hoskins, said Wednesday that the task force seems to have been sidetracked into “extraneous details,” rather than focusing on practical, immediate changes that can be made to the mandatory reporting system to better protect children.

“Obviously the legislature acted specifically in Olivia Gant’s memory by creating this task force to enhance the mandatory reporting of child abuse to prevent her horrific death from happening to another child, because what happened to Olivia shocked everyone,” Hoskins said. “We are very disappointed in the task force’s interim report that so far fails to make important changes to enhance the reporting laws, leaving vulnerable children unprotected.”

Related Articles

  • Colorado News | Effort to reform Colorado’s mandated reporting laws begins in wake of 7-year-old Olivia Gant’s death
  • Colorado News | Olivia Gant abuse suspicions within Children’s Hospital Colorado detailed in police interview videos
  • Colorado News | Policies to review child abuse internally violate spirit of Colorado’s reporting law, ombudsman says
  • Colorado News | Children’s Hospital Colorado chose not to report caregivers’ abuse suspicions before Olivia Gant died, records show
  • Colorado News | Medical child abuse — like that alleged in Olivia Gant case — is rare and hard to identify, experts say

The task force met for the first time in December 2022 and will meet through 2024. Lawmakers gave the group a list of 19 specific issues to examine that ranged from developing training for mandatory reporters to considering the disproportionate impact of mandatory reporting laws on communities of color, to clarifying how quickly suspicions of abuse must be reported. The mandates also included examining how suspected medical child abuse in particular should be handled.

The interim report doesn’t include any recommendations on changes to how medical child abuse is identified or reported, noted Michael Weber, an expert on medical child abuse and investigator with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Worth, Texas.

“It’s a very different investigation from a normal child abuse investigation,” he said. “If you put in the boxes that (child protective services) normally put things in, you’re going to fail.”

The task force will turn to the specific 19 topics in more detail during its second year and make recommendations for change at the start of 2025, the group’s report said.

During the first year of work, the group picked out five themes for the reform:

  • The disproportionate impact of mandatory reporting laws on people of color
  • The current vague definition of child abuse
  • The need for a separate system for professionals to report concerns about families that don’t rise to the level of abuse and overreliance on the child protective system for such reports
  • The impact of the mandatory reporting laws on professionals who need to form “trusted relationships” with children and families

“The initial findings encapsulated in this report form the bedrock for future exploration,” the report reads.

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.

©2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at denverpost.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

  • Today's news
  • Reviews and Deals
  • Climate change
  • 2024 Election
  • My portfolio
  • My watchlist
  • Stock market
  • Biden economy
  • Personal finance
  • Stocks: most actives
  • Stocks: gainers
  • Stocks: losers
  • Trending tickers
  • World indices
  • US Treasury bonds
  • Top mutual funds
  • Highest open interest
  • Highest implied volatility
  • Currency converter
  • Basic materials
  • Communication services
  • Consumer cyclical
  • Consumer defensive
  • Financial services
  • Industrials
  • Real estate
  • Mutual funds
  • Credit card rates
  • Balance transfer credit cards
  • Business credit cards
  • Cash back credit cards
  • Rewards credit cards
  • Travel credit cards
  • Checking accounts
  • Online checking accounts
  • High-yield savings accounts
  • Money market accounts
  • Personal loans
  • Student loans
  • Car insurance
  • Home buying
  • Options pit
  • Investment ideas
  • Research reports
  • Fantasy football
  • Pro Pick 'Em
  • College Pick 'Em
  • Fantasy baseball
  • Fantasy hockey
  • Fantasy basketball
  • Download the app
  • Daily Fantasy
  • Scores and schedules
  • GameChannel
  • World Baseball Classic
  • Premier League
  • CONCACAF League
  • Champions League
  • College football
  • Horse racing
  • Newsletters

Entertainment

  • How To Watch
  • Fall allergies
  • Health news
  • Mental health
  • Sexual health
  • Family health
  • So mini ways
  • Style and beauty
  • Unapologetically
  • Buying guides

New on Yahoo

  • Privacy Dashboard

Biden Creates Task Force on Handling of Classified Documents

  • Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden is forming a task force to address the issue of classified documents being mishandled during presidential transitions, following a special counsel report that found he had willfully kept such material after he was vice president.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Musk Says Putin Can’t Lose in Ukraine, Opposes Senate Bill

Wall Street Caught Off Guard by ‘Sticky’ CPI Signs: Markets Wrap

StanChart Weighs Break Up of Corporate, Investment Bank

Putin Seeks Revenge on a World Order He Once Wanted to Join

Lyft Corrects Earnings Margin Gain to 50 Basis Points From 500

The Presidential Records Transition Task Force will evaluate current policies and procedures and identify best practices for a transition to “address the inadvertent removal of classified documents and to help prevent it from happening in the future,” according to a White House fact sheet.

The goal is to ensure that sensitive records are preserved by the National Archives and Records Administration in accordance with the terms of the Presidential Records Act.

Katy Kale, the deputy administrator of the General Services Administration, will lead the task force, which will convene officials from government agencies, including members of the White House, GSA, National Archives and Records Administration, National Security Council and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The task force will provide recommendations before the next presidential transition.

White House officials have said the handling of classified records is a systemic issue that has affected past administrations of both parties.

Biden knowingly stored and disclosed classified material that was kept in unsecured locations at his homes, according to a Justice Department report released last week. The report found Biden willfully kept classified materials, but cleared him of criminal wrongdoing.

Earlier: Biden Mishandled Classified Papers But Won’t Be Charged

“President Biden takes classified information seriously – he returned the documents that were found, he fully cooperated with the investigation, and it concluded that there was no case,” Ian Sams, a White House spokesman, said in a statement late Monday night. “Now he is taking action to help strengthen future transitions to better prevent classified documents from being accidentally packed up and removed from the government.”

The president has objected to Special Counsel Robert Hur’s findings, including claims that he had memory lapses, insisting that he had done nothing wrong.

“They made a firm conclusion: I did not break the law, period,” Biden said at a press conference on Thursday night. The president and his allies have also sought to draw a contrast between Biden’s handling of the investigation, saying he fully cooperated with investigators, and the probe into former President Donald Trump.

Trump is facing criminal charges over claims that he kept classified documents from his time in the White House and tried to block the federal government from recovering them.

(Updates with White House statement, in eighth paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

Adobe’s Very Cautious Gambit to Inject AI Into Everything

What’s Really Behind Tesla’s Slowdown

Can I Hire My Crush?

It’s Time to Talk About Those Taylor Swift Super Bowl Bets

OpenAI’s Secret Weapon Is Sam Altman’s 33-Year-Old Lieutenant

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

Recommended Stories

William byron wins daytona 500 under caution after crash at the white flag.

Byron was ahead when a caution came out on the final lap.

Minnesota stuns Canucks with franchise-record 10 goals, pair of hat tricks in win

The Wild scored six goals in less than six minutes on Monday in the fastest stretch of its kind in the NHL since 1999.

Cowboys OT Tyron Smith reportedly wants new deal to return to Cowboys next season in free agency

Tyron Smith, the longest-tenured player in Dallas, has been battling injuries consistently over the past several seasons.

Nationals owner Mark Lerner said the franchise is no longer for sale after nearly 2 years of exploration

The Lerner family is keeping control of the Washington Nationals after all.

A truly presidential deal: The newest iPad is down to just $349 — that's a commanding $100 off

There's no debating it — this major price break on Apple's popular 10.9-inch tablet is rare, indeed.

Techtaka raises $9.5M for its e-commerce fulfillment service

Techtaka, a South Korean online shopping fulfillment startup that provides third-party logistics services for e-commerce sellers, has raised $9.5 million (12.6 billion KRW) in a Series B round of funding from a sole investor, Altos Ventures. The outfit helps e-commerce sellers manage the supply chain, from warehousing, order packing and shipping, so that Techtaka users can focus on product and marketing. The startup also provides a SaaS operating system to optimize the online vendors' supply chain and logistics operations.

GlobalFoundries secures $1.5 billion in CHIPS Act funding for US expansion

GlobalFoundries has secured $1.5 billion in CHIPS Act funding to bolster domestic semiconductor supply chains. Among other things, the company aims to produce "high value technologies not currently available in the US" at a new facility.

Keep your shower soap-scum free with Method's daily spray — it's just $3 for Presidents' Day

Tired of scrubbing all that tile and glass? A few spritzes are all it takes to stop grime from building up, reviewers say.

Presidents' Day laptop sales 2024: Big deals on Apple, HP, Acer and more

We hold these truths to be self-evident: Everyone deserves an amazing deal on a computer, including $600 off one gaming machine.

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Revitalized Andrei Kuzmenko is a solid pickup option

With players returning from absences for a variety of reasons or changing teams, now is a good time to consider these six skaters for your roster.

These ‘White Paw’ dog toys have been a hit with my resident party animal — now 25% off for Presidents’ Day

From a 'Stanley Pup' cup to a Coco 'Chewnel' purse, here are the most luxe animal toys for the aspiring four-legged influencer.

This touch-free soap dispenser makes washing your hands more sanitary — and it's just $25 for Presidents' Day

The nifty kitchen and bathroom essential has more than 27,000 Amazon fans.

Monday Leaderboard: Matsuyama rewrites Genesis, Spieth's DQ, Tiger's new woes

A big Jordan Spieth misfire and an even bigger Hideki Matsuyama win — along with a quick Tiger Woods appearance — highlight the golf stories of the week.

How to watch the 2024 Daytona 500 right now

It's time for the NASCAR Cup Series' biggest race of the year: the Daytona 500. Here's how to tune in.

Mike Trout says leaving Angels would be 'easy way out,' wants owner to sign 'big guys'

Mike Trout knows owner Arte Moreno isn't big on spending money and will probably say no to signing bigger-name free agents.

The women in AI making a difference

To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved -- and overdue -- time in the spotlight, TechCrunch is launching a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who've contributed to the AI revolution. In a New York Times piece late last year, the Gray Lady broke down how the current boom in AI came to be -- highlighting many of the usual suspects like Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Larry Page.

The best Presidents' Day mattress sales: Get up to 60% off Casper, Nectar, Saatva, Tuft & Needle and more

Plus, enjoy limited-time deals on bed frames, bedding and accessories to complete your restful retreat.

I’m a home editor, and these are my favorite deals from Nordstrom's Presidents' Day sale — up to 60% off

Treat yourself (or someone else!) with Presidents' Day deals on Le Creuset, Staub, Viking, Casper, Pendleton and more.

Snag these editor-approved deals at the Nordstrom Presidents' Day sale — up to 50% off

Grab killer deals on big brands like Le Creuset, Kate Spade, Ugg, Casper, Dry Bar and more.

Red Sox, injured closer Liam Hendriks reportedly agree to 2-year, $10M deal

Hendriks won't pitch in 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August.

‘Force alone is not the answer’ says UN counter-terrorism chief

Vladimir Voronkov, UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, speaks at the Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security.

Facebook Twitter Print Email

International cooperation is vital to confront the multi-faceted challenges resulting from terrorism, the head of the UN Office dedicated to confronting the scourge worldwide said on Thursday, calling for decisive multilateral action.

“Force alone is not the answer,” Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General for the Office of Counter-Terrorism, told ambassadors in the Security Council .

“Comprehensive responses, firmly grounded in political strategies, anchored in international law, and based on all-of-government and all-of-society approaches, are indispensable.”

Progress against Da’esh

Referring to the Secretary-General’s report on the ongoing threat posed by Da’esh – also known as ISIL - Mr. Voronkov emphasized the group remains a menace, particularly in conflict zones, despite recent progress made.

Notably, there has been a substantial reduction in Da’esh’s operational capacities. The prolonged delay in announcing a new leader following the killing of his predecessor was indicative of internal challenges within the group, he said.

Furthermore, Member States’ efforts to counter terrorist financing have yielded tangible results, with Da’esh’s current financial reserves estimated between $10 million and $25 million, significantly less than previous years, Mr. Voronkov added.

Da’esh affiliates

He also highlighted important progress in countering Da’esh affiliates in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, and Mozambique.

Despite these achievements, the risk of Da’esh resurgence remains, as evidenced by increased attacks in Iraq and Syria since November, showcasing the group’s resilience, he continued.

Da’esh and affiliates remain a force in West Africa and the Sahel, with the vast region experiencing a deteriorating and increasingly complex security environment due to local disputes coupled with the agenda and operations of these extremist groups.

Need for prevention

In conclusion, Mr. Voronkov reiterated the UN’s commitment to counter-terrorism efforts, urging Member States to consider unintended consequences that result from some measures.

He also stressed the importance of grounding counter-terrorism efforts in international law, including human rights and humanitarian law, and cited the importance of prevention.

“Addressing the conflict itself remains our best hope to mitigate the threat posed by Da’esh and other terrorist groups,” he said.

  • counter-terrorism

Cambridge Dictionary

  • Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of task force – Learner’s Dictionary

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

(Definition of task force from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of task force

Get a quick, free translation!

{{randomImageQuizHook.quizId}}

Word of the Day

egg-and-spoon race

a race in which people run with an egg balanced on a spoon

Bumps and scrapes (Words for minor injuries)

Bumps and scrapes (Words for minor injuries)

what is the meaning of task force

Learn more with +Plus

  • Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
  • Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
  • Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
  • Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
  • English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
  • English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
  • English–Dutch Dutch–English
  • English–French French–English
  • English–German German–English
  • English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
  • English–Italian Italian–English
  • English–Japanese Japanese–English
  • English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
  • English–Polish Polish–English
  • English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
  • English–Spanish Spanish–English
  • English–Swedish Swedish–English
  • Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
  • Learner’s Dictionary    Noun
  • Translations
  • All translations

Add task force to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

IMAGES

  1. PPT

    what is the meaning of task force

  2. Structure of Task Force- Task Force Mechanism

    what is the meaning of task force

  3. Organizational Structure of Task Force

    what is the meaning of task force

  4. Conceptual Display Task Force. Concept Meaning a Group of People Who

    what is the meaning of task force

  5. The task force in the design and implementation states

    what is the meaning of task force

  6. What does this task force mean for the US?

    what is the meaning of task force

VIDEO

  1. The Full Story of Task Force 141 (Modern Warfare Story)

  2. The Story of the DEADLIEST Task Force in U.S. Military History

  3. How The Task Force 141 Was Formed (Ghost, Soap, Gaz)

  4. The REAL Task Force 141 (TF 145)

  5. Task Force 141

  6. Combined Task Force 151 Highlights

COMMENTS

  1. Task force Definition & Meaning

    : a temporary grouping under one leader for the purpose of accomplishing a definite objective Examples of task force in a Sentence They appointed a task force to review the situation.

  2. TASK FORCE

    a group of people working together to do a particular job, esp. to solve a problem (Definition of task force from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) task force | Business English

  3. TASK FORCE

    a group of people working together to do a particular job, esp. to solve a problem (Definition of task force from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) task force | Business English

  4. Task force

    A task force ( TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, [1] the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology.

  5. task-force noun

    /ˈtɑːsk fɔːs/ /ˈtæsk fɔːrs/ a military force that is brought together and sent to a particular place Oxford Collocations Dictionary Take your English to the next level The Oxford Learner's Thesaurus explains the difference between groups of similar words. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary app

  6. task-force noun

    Definition of task-force noun in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

  7. TASK FORCE Definition & Usage Examples

    TASK FORCE Definition & Usage Examples | Dictionary.com task force See synonyms for task force on Thesaurus.com noun Navy, Military. a temporary grouping of units under one commander, formed for the purpose of carrying out a specific operation or mission.

  8. Task force Definition & Meaning

    TASK FORCE meaning: 1 : a group of people who deal with a specific problem; 2 : a military force that is sent to a particular place to deal with a problem

  9. Task force Definition & Meaning

    Task force definition, a temporary grouping of units under one commander, formed for the purpose of carrying out a specific operation or mission. See more.

  10. TASK FORCE definition and meaning

    Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers Word Frequency task force in American English US 1. a specially trained, self-contained military unit assigned a specific mission or task, as the raiding of enemy installations 2. any group assigned to a specific project Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition.

  11. TASK FORCE definition in American English

    1. Navy & Military a temporary grouping of units under one commander, formed for the purpose of carrying out a specific operation or mission 2. a group or committee, usually of experts or specialists, formed for analyzing, investigating, or solving a specific problem Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC.

  12. 'Task Force': A Brief Phrase History

    Meaning and History of 'Task Force' In current use task force most often carries the meaning "a temporary grouping under one leader for the purpose of accomplishing a definite objective.". President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to create a task force for separated families. — Catherine Rampell, The Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2020 The word has been in use since the 1920s, and its earliest ...

  13. task force

    task force meaning: a group of people, often a military group, who are brought together in order to do a particular job. Learn more.

  14. What is Task Force? definition and meaning

    Task Force Definition: The Task Force is a type of a group, formed temporary, in which people from different disciplinary backgrounds come together to perform a specific task or mission.

  15. Task force

    task force n. 1. A temporary grouping of military units or forces under one commander for the performance of a specific operation or assignment. 2. A temporary grouping of individuals and resources for the accomplishment of a specific objective: a presidential task force to fight drug trafficking.

  16. TASK FORCE Definition & Usage Examples

    task force See synonyms for task force on Thesaurus.com noun Navy, Military. a temporary grouping of units under one commander, formed for the purpose of carrying out a specific operation or mission. a group or committee, usually of experts or specialists, formed for analyzing, investigating, or solving a specific problem. Recommended videos

  17. Five Considerations When Creating a Task Force

    A task force is distinctive and should not be confused for a committee. 1 A task force is a group of stakeholders coming together to address a complex, major issue in a short period of time. 2 A task force provides diverse stakeholders an opportunity to work together to make unified recommendations. 2 Ultimately, these recommendations are report...

  18. Section 3. Developing Multisector Task Forces or Action Committees for

    A task force or action committee (also sometimes called an ad hoc committee from the Latin meaning "for this purpose") is a group assembled to address a specific problem or accomplish a specific goal. That problem or goal can take at least two different forms:

  19. task-force noun

    Definition of task-force noun in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

  20. Behind the Badges: Task Forces

    A task force is defined as "…a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. It is a temporary grouping under one leader for the purpose of accomplishing a definite objective. In government or business, a task force is a temporary organization created to solve a particular problem."

  21. What Are the Characteristics of a Task Force Group in Business?

    Concise. A task force is generally comprised of the people considered necessary to get the job done, without much in the way of excess staff. The group is meant to be agile, focused, responsive...

  22. Task Force Smith and the Problem with "Readiness"

    The story of Task Force Smith, and the pitiful attempts of the other Army formations MacArthur tried to rush to Punsan is a cautionary tale of what happens when units are allowed to sit back with inadequate training, inadequate maintenance, and failure to replace obsolete equipment - all failures of leadership at both the theater commander's ...

  23. Definition of child abuse in Colorado law should be narrowed, task

    The task force met for the first time in December 2022 and will meet through 2024. Lawmakers gave the group a list of 19 specific issues to examine that ranged from developing training for ...

  24. Biden Creates Task Force on Handling of Classified Documents

    The task force will provide recommendations before the next presidential transition. White House officials have said the handling of classified records is a systemic issue that has affected past administrations of both parties.

  25. 'Force alone is not the answer' says UN counter-terrorism chief

    "Force alone is not the answer," Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General for the Office of Counter-Terrorism, told ambassadors in the Security Council. "Comprehensive responses, firmly grounded in political strategies, anchored in international law, and based on all-of-government and all-of-society approaches, are indispensable." ...

  26. task force

    task force definition: a group of people, often a military group, who are brought together in order to do a particular job. Learn more.

  27. Steven Borden on Instagram: "I almost always have something explosive

    151 likes, 21 comments - stevenborden on January 17, 2024: "I almost always have something explosive at the beginning of my lift. This has two benefits: 1. ..."