Look at Great Power Competition Through a Special Operations Lens
U.S. Marine Cpl. Joseph Josleyn talks with troops of Indonesia's Korps Marinir during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2014.
Christopher P. Costa
June 18, 2020
Cpl. Matthew Callahan | U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific
Most of this competition is far short of combat, which makes the principles and expertise of SOF keenly relevant.
Recent events in Crimea, Syria, Libya—even the COVID-19 pandemic– show that state adversaries compete with the United States deliberately below the threshold of intensity likely to escalate to conventional war. Success in great power competition, therefore, requires more than preparation for conflict and high-intensity warfare. Instead, it demands an immediate focus on building global influence, credibility, and legitimacy. In other words, Washington must emphasize the human element of competition before hostilities occur.
Such competition is inherently focused on people. This is the traditional wheelhouse of Special Operations Forces (SOF) and the center of the U.S. military’s expertise in population-centric aspects of competition, despite its predominant post-9/11 focus on direct action in counterterrorism. As a result, our nation’s reorientation towards global competition should be informed by several key SOF principles.
First, emphasize a clear unity of purpose. Since 9/11
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2020/06/putting-special-operations-lens-great-power-competition/166241/
