Special Operations Forces (SOF) have played a critical role in US counterterrorism operations. But now, as policymakers’ focus shifts from counterterrorism (CT) to great power competition (GPC), the implications for SOF are unclear. Two panelists, Senator Joni Ernst and Owen West, argue that SOF is uniquely suited to address irregular warfare (IW) challenges in the era of GPC.

Senator Joni Ernst served in the military for over twenty-three years and is now representing Iowa in the United States Senate. She serves on the Senate Committee on Armed Services. Owen West is a former assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict (ASD SO/LIC). Previously, Mr. West has worked in the private sector and as a Marine Corps officer He served two deployments to Iraq and is the author of three books on military affairs.

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“The View from Washington: Civilian Oversight of SOF”, Irregular Warfare Podcast, October 25, 2022, 37 minutes. This episode originally aired on March 23, 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGrfE1m031Y

The new National Defense Strategy has special operations forces spending less time on GWOT and more time on great power competition (GPC). SOF has to be prepared to meet the GPC challenge in many parts of the world. With climate change, the Arctic region is presenting opportunities for new sea lanes for shipping, access to gas and oil reserves, and mineral resources. It also offers a platform for power projection. Russia and China are moving aggressively to gain greater access and influence in the Arctic – often counter to the interests of the United States.

The 10th Special Forces Group is focused on Europe to include the high north of the Arctic region. This requires special equipment, training, and new ways of operating in a cold weather environment. Capt. Barrett Martin, of 10th SFG, recently deployed his Special Forces detachment to the high north. He shares what his team learned during that experience while training with Norwegian and Swedish forces. The commander of the 10th SFG, Col. Brian Rauen, provides the big picture about operations in the high north.

The discussion is led by Dr. Ryan Burke – co-director of Project 6633, which is an effort to explore the topic of polar security. In addition, the panel discusses an essay contest that is inviting submissions that address the question of how American special operations forces can operate in the Arctic north.

Special Operations Forces in the High North
Modern War Institute at West Point
April 2, 2021, 36 minutes
https://mwi.usma.edu/mwi-podcast-special-operations-forces-in-the-high-north/

Photo: 10th Special Forces member on a snow machine during a four week long winter warfare training exercise in Sweden. (photo by SSG Matthew Britton, SOCEUR, February 28, 2018.

Podcast – Proxies and American Strategy in Africa. The U.S. withdrawal from Somalia of 700 military personnel has put the U.S. military involvement in Africa back in the news. This podcast explores what US forces are doing when they’re deployed in countries across Africa. In many cases these US forces (SOF and conventional) are working with local partner forces. – which helps the United States to retain a degree of influence and situational awareness in the country. Two guests featured in this podcast provide an examination of proxy warfare in Africa.

Retired Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks was the former commander of Special Operations Command Africa from 2017 to 2019. In that role he was responsible for all Special Operations Forces conducting counterinsurgency operations and foreign internal defense (FID) across the continent of Africa. Hicks is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in AC-130H Spectre and AC-130U Spooky aircraft. He has commanded units within the special operations community and conventional Air Force at all levels.

Dr. Eli Berman is the co-editor of the book Proxy Wars: Suppressing Violence through Local Agents. He is a professor at the University of California San Diego and has served as the Research Director for International Security Studies at the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.

Irregular Warfare Podcast, December 23, 2020, 56 mins.
https://mwi.usma.edu/mwi-podcast-proxies-and-american-strategy-in-africa/

Two best-selling authors have a conversation about the future of irregular warfare and implications for policymakers, practitioners, and academics. August Cole and P.W. Singer have recently collaborated on a book – Burn-in: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution. Both authors, singly and together, provide action-packed fiction in short story and book form to describe the future of conflict.

The authors use fiction to explore how technology, social media, autonomy, artificial intelligence, weaponization of information, cyber, and other changes to society will have an impact on irregular warfare in the future. They explain how a suite of technologies available to the ‘strategic corporal’ will be integrated into the future operating environment.

Part of the discussion is about how Russia is once again a ‘great power competitor’. It isn’t because of their large conventional army, aircraft carriers (or lack of), and advanced combat aircraft – rather it is about other factors that the U.S. is not quite currently competing with. Also discussed is China’s centralized approach to artificial intelligence (AI) . . . and a comparison is made with the United State’s approach to AI (not focused or integrated).

Singer and Cole talk about how the special operations community will need to incorporate new technologies into its doctrine, organization, equipment, and training. SOF will continue to play a role in the future of irregular warfare and needs to stay abreast with the rapid technological revolution that is affecting society, economics, politics, and national security. The future SOF operator will need to be able to understand and leverage the coming technological changes of the future.

The Future of Irregular Warfare, Irregular Warfare Podcast, Modern War Institute at West Point, August 28, 2020, 52 minutes.
https://mwi.usma.edu/the-future-of-irregular-warfare/

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August Cole is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brute Krulak Center of Innovation and Creativity at the Marine Corps University and Senior Fellow at the Brent Scowcroft Center on Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council. He is an author of numerous short stories about the future of conflict.

P.W. singer is a Strategist at New America and Professor at Arizona State University. He conducts research about the future in the national security environment. Dr. Singer has also been proclaimed an official Mad Scientist for the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command.

Photo: From the podcast. Image credit: Cpl. Matthew Callahan, US Marine Corps.

Burn-in: A Novel of the Real Revolution.
https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Novel-Real-Robotic-Revolution/dp/1328637239/

The Irregular Warfare Podcast is a new podcast series launched in May 2020. This podcast should prove to be valuable for the special operations professional as well as other members of the military. The podcast is brought us by the Modern War Institute at West Point and the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project of Princeton University.

The hosts of the Irregular Warfare Podcast are Kyle Atwell and Nick Lopez. Atwell is an active duty U.S. Army officer and Ph.D. student in Security Studies at Princeton University. He has had operational assignments in Afghanistan, South Korea, Europe, and Africa. His current research interests include military strategy, irregular and partnered warfare, and more. Lopez is an active duty Special Forces officer, a graduate of West Point, and currently engaged in graduate studies in preparation for an assignment as a Foreign Area Officer.

The first episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast was published on May 25, 2020. The episode was entitled “What Are Small Wars?”. The two hosts (Atwell and Lopez) discuss questions of small wars with Dr. Jake Shapiro and Colonel Patrick Howell. Shapiro is a professor of political science at Princeton University and Howell is the director of the Modern War Institute. This episode centers around the nature of small wars, whether they matter in an era of great power competition, and what are the lessons learned over the past few decades about how to fight small wars.

You can subscribe to the Irregular Warfare Podcast via Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, Podbay, or other podcast apps. You can also follow on Twitter, and Facebook.

The podcast series will assist in bridging the gap between scholars and practitioners. It will be a forum that provides for the exchange of big ideas and best practices for irregular warfare scholars, practitioners, and policymakers. The topics to be explored will include small wars, counterterrorism, proxie warfare, special operations, drone strikes, and more.This podcast will likely become a favorite for SOF professionals.

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Podcast: “What Are Small Wars?”, Irregular Warfare Podcast, May 25, 2020, 32 minutes.
https://mwi.usma.edu/introducing-irregular-warfare-podcast-episode-one-small-wars/

Photo and Image: From Irregular Warfare Podcast.

A 30-minute long podcast provides an explanation of the latest iteration of the command strategy of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). The strategy was presented in a document published in October 2019 by USASOC in an eight-page PDF entitled Army Special Operations Forces Strategy.

The podcast, published on May 8, 2020 by the War Room of the United States Army War College, features an interview of LTC(P) Bryan Groves of USASOC. He is the Chief of the Strategic Planning Division, U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He is interviewed by Ron Granieri – an Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College.

Synopsis:

“In the realm of national security very few elements ever remain stagnant, and those that do are relegated to irrelevance. As the environment changes, capabilities are developed, motivations shift, loyalties fade, new players rise and old players fall. In order to account for those changes new guidance flows downward from the highest levels of leadership increasing in detail and specificity as it descends to the lowest echelons of the military.”

This strategy “charts our course to drive evolutionary changes in how we man, train and equip our formations in the Information Age.”

LTG Francis Beaudette, Commanding General, USASOC

Groves and Granieri examine how USASOC forces intend to execute their mission in support of the national defense amongst general purpose, joint and coalition forces against ever changing adversaries.

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Podcast:

Granieri, Ron, host. “Evolutionary Strategy to Combat Strategic Atrophy”, War Room, Army War College, 8 May 2020, 30 minutes.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/usasoc-strategy/

References:

Army Special Operations Forces Strategy, USASOC, October 2019, PDF, 8 pages.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/ARSOF_Strategy.pdf

Image Credit:

Image derived from cover of Army Special Operations Forces Strategy.