Exclusive: Inside the ongoing ‘evolution’ of Army special operations
By Davis Winkie
Nov 9, 03:03 PM
WASHINGTON — The distinctive patch of the Army’s Special Forces units dates back to 1955, when Capt. John W. Fry of the 77th Special Forces Group reportedly submitted a design he felt reflected the new units’ all-domain mission.
According to Army heraldry officials, the three lightning flashes represent the elite troops’ ability to “strike rapidly by air, water or land.”
Nearly 70 years later, the service’s top special operations leader sees a resonance between that original all-domain concept and the “modern day” deterrence triad of space, cyber and special operations that senior leaders unveiled in recent months. The military’s top space official, Gen. James Dickinson, dubbed it the “influence triad” when he unveiled the concept in August.
The influence triad is intended to complement the nuclear triad. Where the nuclear triad deters a foe’s strategic forces, like inter-continental ballistic missiles, the influence triad is intended to deter and help respond to irregular activity that stops short of armed conflict, and then dominate foes in those domains when a war begins.
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/11/09/exclusive-inside-the-ongoing-evolution-of-army-special-operations/
