Another challenge is the need for agile innovation and technology adoption in an era of unprecedented technological change. Tools are required, therefore, that are capable of communicating credibility in bargaining while avoiding inadvertent escalation in both of these realms (economic and military). Unlike the Cold War, in which the task was to shape Soviet behavior under the shadow of catastrophic war, the task is now to shape Chinese behavior under the shadow of the cataclysmic disruption of our interdependent economies as well as catastrophic war. The first is the challenge of deterrence. These changing conditions, in turn, pose serious challenges for US security. Finally, since China and Russia are legitimate (if sometimes adversarial) nation-states, strategic competition requires the seamless weaving together of calculated diplomacy, active contestation, and even cooperation across a range of domains. Additionally, today’s strategic competitors, China and Russia, are not limited to any geographic war zones: they enjoy reach across the globe and can synchronize their strategies across all domains of competition. Today’s competitors are true peers across a range of strategically relevant technologies (and are leading in many), which puts the United States in the uncomfortable position of playing catch up. The transition to an era of strategic competition has upended all three of these conditions, which necessitates significant adjustment for the US military. US Army Special Operations forces in Shok Valley of Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. This lack of legitimacy removed the need to synchronize diplomatic bargaining with the use of force, as the primary military objective of these conflicts was the utter defeat of these VEOs to achieve larger strategic goals such as preventing terrorist attacks on the US homeland. Finally, the violent extremist organizations (VEOs) in Iraq and Afghanistan were seen as illegitimate entities that needed to be destroyed outright (not bargained with). This limitation in scope drove US military forces to emphasize tactical prowess to drive battlefield victories. Further, these wars were largely restricted to specific “war zones” that were constrained by scope and geography. This resulted in little impetus for significant technological innovation, but rather a focus on linear improvements of legacy systems and approaches. For example, the United States and its allies enjoyed overwhelming technological superiority. This impact was driven by the specific conditions that characterized the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Making adjustments for the emerging era of strategic competition has been challenging due to the deep impact the global war on terror has had on the US military in general, and the special operations community in particular. Transitioning from the global war on terror They do so by leveraging their globally distributed access, placement, and influence to achieve effects in collaboration with allies and partners. Further, small and agile ARSOF units provide increased options and positional advantage in today’s strategic competition with China and Russia. More directly, ARSOF’s regional alignment creates cultural expertise and generational relationships in critical locations around the world. US Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) can play an important role in the era of strategic competition, but it will largely do so through its long-standing “superpower” of building networks and fostering relationships. For the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) community, such adaptation will require the development of some new capabilities while other skills will simply need to be revived from previous eras of great power competition. As a consequence, the entirety of the US military is seeking to update capabilities to meet these challenges. Successful adaptation to this new strategic landscape will require the capacity to do several things well: deterring rivals, integrating rapidly changing technology, and actively accumulating strategic advantage around the globe. The United States is still adjusting to an era of strategic competition with adversarial nations. OctoWhere do US Army special operations fit in a world of strategic competition?īy Richard Angle, Leo Blanken, and Philip Swintek
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