Special operations forces have been a favorite national security tool in the post-9/11 era; wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have consumed their attention and kept the special operations community focused on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency missions. However, the release of the 2017 National Security Strategy pivoted the United States’ strategic focus from terrorism to near-peer competitors China and Russia. What will be the role of special operations forces (SOF) in this era of great power competition? Where is SOF falling short in the shift to meet this new focus area?
Our two guests address these questions and more based on their extensive experience with SOF at the highest levels of the US government: one as the most senior SOF practitioner in the United States military, the other as a leading national security policymaker.
They argue SOF needs a reset from the past two decades focused on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. SOF missions, at least in popular perception, have focused heavily on direct action against terrorists and insurgents. However, SOF will have several important roles to play in support of deterrence against near-peer rivals, to include collecting information needed to better understand areas of potential conflict, setting conditions for success should conflict occur, and maintaining strong partnerships with the countries surrounding US rivals. Our guests conclude by proposing multiple policy changes to adapt SOF to the era of great power competition.
The Honorable Michèle Flournoy is the cofounder and managing partner of WestExec Advisors. She previously served as the under secretary of defense for policy in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2012, where she played a key role in formulating US strategy and policies that impacted SOF. Michèle is also the cofounder, and served as the chief executive officer, of the Center for a New American Security, a DC-based think tank.
Retired Admiral Eric Thor Olson was the eighth commander of United States Special Operations Command. Eric is a highly decorated Navy SEAL officer, having been awarded both a Silver Star and a Bronze Star for Valor, and was the first Navy SEAL appointed to the ranks of three-star and four-star admiral. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-serving SEAL in the military.
The hosts for this episode are Kyle Atwell and Abigail Gage, please contact them with any questions about this episode or the Irregular Warfare Podcast.
The Irregular Warfare Podcast is a product of the Irregular Warfare Initiative, a collaboration between the Modern War Institute and Princeton University’s Empirical Studies of Conflict Project—dedicated to bridging the gap between scholars and practitioners to support the community of irregular warfare professionals. You can listen to the full episode below, and you can find it and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast app. And be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter!
Is the future SOF emphasis against peer nations going to be putting boots and carbines on the ground to gather Intel, or would there be renewed interest in deploying UAVs and ATGMs and Anti-Armor missions? Vehicles once again will play a role as would Anti-property and Anti-vehicle destruction missions if a shooting war were to start.
Perhaps in the future, ALL SOFs need to carry rocket launchers, and with Active Protection Systems, there is no longer anything as a sure MBT tank kill anymore. So that weighs down SOFs because the current ATGMs are heavy and bulky and often one-shot launchers. Lugging loitering munitions is also heavy and bulky and one-shot deals as well.
So would SOFs be underpowdered just carrying a handgun and carbine and depending on the radio? As 20 years in Afghanistan showed, that has already been tried and tested with the F-15EX, F-18E/F, and F-35 being the new CAS planes along with UAVs. So some things have changed and some things have not with SOFs. Surely the propeller Light Attack Plane and AC-130Js can't compete well in a peer nation environment against enemy jet fighters, AAA, SHORADS, and SAMs.
With China experimenting with Exoskeletons like the USSOCOM, the capability is basically equal—but China has more troops and SOFs in numbers. Would the future be "PREDATOR" movie SOFs, heavily armed and carrying light miniguns to even the field against mass hordes of enemy infantry and robotics? It might seem that the days of SOFs with carbine and handgun and SATCOM radios might be over as future SOFs might need to carry more arms, armor, and gear to deal with peer national tactical situations, especially Anti-material situations and mass attacks.