Special Operators account for half of all US combat casualties
Stavros Atlamazoglou | April 23, 2021
In March, the top military and civilian leaders of the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) testified in Congress about the state of US special operations forces, offering great insight on current and future operations, initiatives, and priorities.
Army General Richard D. Clarke, the commander of SOCOM, and Christopher P. Maier, acting assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, testified in the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2022 and the future years defense program.
Here are some interesting tidbits from their testimonies.
Special operations units continue to bear the brunt of the fighting and casualties. During the past two years, 15 special operators were killed in active operations, making up 50 percent of all U.S. combat casualties. These numbers become even more impressive if you consider that SOCOM makes up only 3 percent of the US military. But it also shows that special operations units have been the go-to choice for US policymakers for almost any contingency.
https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/special-operators-account-for-half-of-all-us-combat-casualties/
