SOCOM leaders testify about special operations’ role in today’s unstable world

Last week, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, Derrick Anderson, and Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), U.S. Navy Admiral Frank Bradley, testified before the Senate’s Committee on Armed Services.

Specifically, the special operations leaders testified on the U.S. military’s special operations capabilities and the state of the world today.

In short, commandos still have a role to play in a strategic environment that starts to resemble that before the two world wars.

SOCOM is seeking to empower its seven strategic commands across across the world, called Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOCs) to facilitate rapid reaction in the event of a contingency but also to ensure that they will have an effect over the long term in their respective theater of operations. The latter goal applies particularly to missions involving foreign internal defense (the training of friendly militaries) or unconventional warfare (the training of guerrilla forces).

“As the primary SOF integrators for Geographic Combatant Commanders (GCCs), TSOCs require appropriate authorities, resources, and decision-making space to synchronize operations, integrate partners, and adapt to rapidly evolving conditions,” SOCOM’s leaders stated.

SOCOM is also aiming at increasing the capabilities of its partners as a way of freeing up more of its resources.

Partner training is a key mission of special operations forces during peacetime. And this mission is not limited to units specializing in such roles, such as the Army’s Green Berets or the Marine Corps’ Marine Raiders. Navy SEALs and Air Commandos also train regularly with allied and partner special operations and conventional units with the goal of increasing interoperability, as well as the host nation’s military capabilities.

“Strong partners are the best partners. Enabling allies and partners to assume primary responsibility for their own defense is essential to sustaining long-term deterrence and managing global demand,” SOCOM’s leadership added.

A dangerous world

A member of the French Special Operations Forces provides over watch as a two-man element with one French operator and one U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operator assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing move around a corner in a training exercise during Emerald Warrior 21.1, Feb. 23, 2021, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Emerald Warrior focused on U.S partner nation relationships while emphasizing joint force interoperability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ridge Shan)

Conventional warfare is back on the menu as the primary aim of the U.S. military.

The end of major operations under the Global War on Terror and the strategic pivot toward near-peer threats, such as China and Russia, have taken the spotlight off the special operations community.

However, special operations units do have a role to play in this new environment.

“Although not all threats are of equal severity, the global security environment is one of the most dangerous in our Nation’s history,” SOCOM’s leadership stated about the current strategic environment.

China undeniably poses the largest threat to U.S. national security. And this is a multifaceted threat that materializes in varying forms, including conventional military operations, intelligence operations, and information operations. SOCOM has the capabilities to counter this threat in support of the U.S. military’s wider pivot to the Indo-Pacific.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to be a persistent near-peer threat, mainly in Europe, but with global reach in some areas.

In many ways, the special operations community needs to go back to its core missions – direct action, strategic reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and foreign internal defense – but as the supporting element to conventional forces. And yet, it needs to do that in a complex strategic environment in which terrorism and organized crime threats continue to exist.

Nevertheless, the nature of special operations forces – globally employed, low-visibility, and able to partner with local forces – makes them ideal for this changing world.

Feature Image: FORT JOHNSON, LA – Soldiers assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) prepare to infiltrate an objective from a boat during a training exercise at Fort Johnson, LA, Apr. 22, 2025. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Oscar Reyes)

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