A Military Liaison Element (MLE) is small group of special forces

Special forces

Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

 personnel, sometimes just one or two at a time, attached to embassies in Africa, Southeast Asia, South America, or somewhere else where terrorists are thought to be operating, planning attacks, raising money or seeking safe haven, especially those teams in the United States. MLEs report to the local US combat commanders and Special Operations Command

Special Operations Command

Special Operations Command may refer to any of these military or police organizations:*Special Operations Command *Special Operations Command elite unit of Maldives Police*Special Operations Command...

 (SOCOM) and not to the local ambassador or CIA station chief.

These units work to gather information on possible terror threats, but do not actively hunt down terrorists. In addition, MLEs are not undercover. SOCOM, under then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...

, first deployed MLEs in 2003 under the name "Operational Control Elements" a term changed in 2005 because it raised the hackles of regional commanders and ambassadors.

MLEs were first introduced to the general public by a New York Times expose.