The Covert Use of the Global Special Operations Network and the Militarization of Covert Action in Political Warfare and the Gray Zone

Abstract

The current state of world affairs is a complex and uncertain environment. Unlike during the Cold War, the world is not bi-polar, but unlike the last 16 years, counter-terrorism and the rise of non-state actors cannot be the sole focus of the U.S. security apparatus. The Gray Zone that face the U.S. government and its interests are as varied as they are numerous, however two major security challenges are the ongoing political warfare between the U.S. and its major state competitors and the GWOT. These security challenges are taxing resources and capacity for operations. Considering this resource constrained strategic environment, should the U.S. Government use the Global SOF Network under USSOCOM to conduct covert-like activities or would this be duplicative of the current capabilities and mandate of the CIA.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 09, 2017
Accession Number
AD1038811

Entities

People

  • Jeffrey M. Nephew

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combat Areas
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Gray Zone
  • Hybrid Warfare
  • Intelligence Collection
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Organizations
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Surveillance
  • Terrorism
  • Treaties
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control