Special Operations Forces In The 21st Century

This book sets out the major social scientific approaches to the study of Special Operations Forces. Despite consistent downsizing, over the past two decades the armed forces of the industrial democracies have seen a huge growth in Special Operations Forces (SOF). Through increasing numbers of personnel and more frequent deployments, SOF units have wielded considerable influence in conflicts around the world, with senior SOF officers having led major strategic operations. This increased presence and unprecedented expansion for SOF is largely a result of the ‘new’ kinds of conflicts that have emerged in the 21st century. At the same time, even with this high profile in the military, policy and media and popular cultural arenas, there is relatively little social scientific research on SOF. This volume aims to fill this gap by providing a series of studies and analyses of SOF across the globe, since the end of World War II. Analysing SOF at the micro, mezzo and macro levels provides broad and diverse insights. Moreover, the volume deals with new issues raised by the use of such forces that include emerging modes of civilian control, innovative organizational forms and the special psychological characteristics necessitated by SOF operatives. It concludes with a discussion of a question which continues to be debated in today’s militaries: what makes SOF ‘special’? Filling a clear gap in the literature, this book will be of much interest to students of strategic studies, civil-military relations, irregular warfare, security studies, and international relations.

This book examines the challenges that military forces will face in multinational operations in the 21st century. Expanding on Rupert Smith’s The Utility of Force, the volume assesses the changing parameters within which force as a political instrument is ultimately carried out. By analysing nine carefully selected mission types, the volume presents a comprehensive analysis of key trends and trajectories. Building upon this analysis, the contributors break the trends and parameters down into real and potential tasks and mission types in order to identify concrete implications for military forces in future multinational operations. The context of military intervention in conflicts and crises around the world is rapidly evolving. Western powers’ shrinking ability and desire to intervene makes it pertinent to analyse how the cost of operations can be reduced and, how they can be executed more intelligently in the future. New challenges to international military operations are arising and this book addresses these challenges by focusing on three key areas of change: 1) An increasingly urbanised world; 2) The changing nature of missions; 3) The commercial availability of new technologies. In answering these questions and embracing some of the insights of a growing field of future studies, the volume presents an innovative perspective on future international military operations. This book will be of much interest to students of international intervention, military and strategic studies, war and conflict studies, security studies and IR in general.

Volume 8 of the Army University Large Scale Combat Operations series. The Competitive Advantage: Special Operations Forces in Large Scale Combat Operations presents twelve historical case studies of special operations forces from World War I through Operation Iraqi Freedom. This volume sheds light upon the emerging roles, missions, and unique capabilities that have forged a path for Army Special Operations Forces today. These case studies set Large Scale Combat Operations in the center and place ARSOF's role in the forefront. If a reader were to take one piece from this volume, it would be the clear understanding of the close synergy that occurs between the Conventional Force and SOF in Large Scale Combat Operations for major wars in the 20th and early 21st century. That synergy should provide a broad azimuth for military planners and practitioners to follow as the Army, SOF, and the Joint Force combine to preserve the peace, defend the Nation, and defeat any adversary.

This report considers the 21st century security environment, previous work on special operations theory, and various other perspectives of SOF gleaned from the author's research to synthesize an American SOF school of thought, which he argues provides a foundation for developing an American special operations theory for the 21st century. The author offers definitions, premises, and principles that explain modern American special operations over the last 70 years and can serve SOF well into the future. Based on his research, the author identifies major areas of concern for SOF leadership. As USSOCOM confronts the challenges offered by the 21st century and policymakers continue to look at SOF as a preferred means to address numerous and complex security issues, theory is essential in determining and explaining the appropriate roles and missions for SOF in the 21st century.

The increasingly complex nature of warfare from nuclear to low intensity to the unconventional requires the dependence on an elite band of troops. Special operation forces can meet unorthodox security needs that the conventional military find difficult to accomplish. This study addresses these aspects alongwith the relevance in our context About The Author: - A second-generation paratrooper commissioned in the 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment in 1974. He has varied experience on instructional, staff and command appointments having served as an instructor at the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, at Indian Military Training Team, Bhutan and on the Directing Staff of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He has also been the Brigade Major of a mountain brigade and the Colonel General Staff of an infantry division. He went on to command his battalion in 1994. Prior to the award of the Field Marshal KM Cariappa fellowship for the year 2003-04 at the United Service Institution of India, on the subject of Special Forces Employment in the Indian Context: An Appraisal, the officer served as Director of Parachute and Special Forces in the Directorate General of Infantry at the Army Headquarters. He is presently commanding a Parachute Brigade. Contents: - Contents # Introduction: Development and Organisational Models: Overview of Indian SOF: Reshaping SOF: Conclusion: Appendices: Bibliography: Index. The Title 'Beyond the Bayonet Indian Special Operations Forces In the 21st Century written/authored/edited by Brig. Deepak Sinha', published in the year 2006. The ISBN 9788121208611 is assigned to the Hardcover version of this title. This book has total of pp. 304 (Pages). The publisher of this title is Gyan Publishing House. This Book is in English. The subject of this book is Terrorism / Defence

In this volume, John Collins speaks with the authority of one who was literally present at the birth of the low intensity conflict era. His long-term, intimate, and direct contact with the esoteric world of special operations has few parallels. Their roots go back in time and history considerably farther, but today's Special Operations Forces are largely products of the past three decades. Their development has been in response to the pressures of world-wide situations perceived to bear upon or which actually do affect American strategic interests. The use of raw military power may not provide solutions to the complex problems involved and may even be counter-productive. Special Operations forces, uniquely suited to fill the quasi-military gap, require the highest degree of professional competence in the application of the classical principles of war. This is a big order. It is difficult in a few words to pay John Collins the tribute he deserves for continuing efforts to educate both the Congress and the U.S. Armed Forces concerning the capabilities and limitations of special operations and the forces they involve. This latest addition to his carefully researched studies combines history, philosophy, factual data, and reference materials in a single document that should be on the desks of civilian and military leaders whose responsibilities relate in any way to special operations.