Adapting the Image and Culture of Special Operations Forces
Emma Moore and Stewart Parker
July 22, 2020
Despite the highly publicized strikes and manhunts of the past two decades, there is a diminishing need for special operations forces to shoot, move, and communicate. Special operations forces must reorient and diversify their collective skillset to compete against state adversaries and prepare for major wars. The Trump administration’s 2018 National Defense Strategy postured the U.S. military toward revisionist regimes such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, all of whom are actively undermining the liberal world order. The Department of Defense has not explained what it expects irregular warfare to look like in coming years, and special operations forces today are still heavily engaged in counter-terror and counter-insurgency operations. “Special Operations Command must adapt to combatting nations that pose threats,†Gen. Richard D. Clarke, now its commander, acknowledged in confirmation hearings. As the command shifts away from violently kinetic raids against terrorists, it must adapt its image and culture to be more attractive to individuals with a broader array of skills to defend the United States in the uncertain future.
https://warontherocks.com/2020/07/adapting-the-image-and-culture-of-special-operations-forces-for-the-missions-of-the-future/
