INDOPACOM wants more special operators in the Pacific
“SOF’s greatest power is early leverage” in deterring conflict, Adm. Sam Paparo said.
Jennifer Hlad | August 16, 2024 04:45 PM ET
Asia-Pacific Special Operations AI & Autonomy
HONOLULU, Hawaii—U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is “underinvested” in special operations forces, “and I think SOF is underinvested in PACOM,” the command’s leader said Thursday. “But the time is now to get the SOF enterprise focused on the Indo-Pacific to the extent that we can.”
Speaking at the Indo-Pacific Irregular Warfare Symposium here, Adm. Sam Paparo said “SOF’s greatest power is early leverage” in deterring conflict—which he calls the U.S. military’s “highest duty.”
Though many in the general public tend to think of special operators in terms of direct action, Paparo said, “SOF is a cognitive space. It’s an idea space.” He added that allies and partners “are absolutely indispensable to the effectiveness of special operations.”
Paparo opened with brief remarks before fielding questions on a variety of topics:
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/08/indopacom-wants-more-special-operators-pacific/398882/?oref=d1-featured-river-secondary
