Strike from the Sea: SOF Underwater Operations in Great Power Competition

Abstract

The United States is in an era of renewed great power competition. This competition spans a multidomain environment with a renewed focus on the maritime domain as China seeks to expand its global maritime influence. America's Special Operations Forces (SOF) have been involved in primarily land-based counterinsurgency for the last twenty years, and maritime and underwater operations capability has atrophied. This study examines the organizational structure and underwater operations record of the Italian Decima MAS frogmen during World War II. Utilizing Benjamin Jensen's theories on innovative organizations, and a statistical analysis, recommendations for U.S. SOF underwater operations potential within great power competition are provided, based on the characteristics of Decima MAS's successful organizational and operational examples.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2020
Accession Number
AD1127114

Entities

People

  • Aaron A. Taylor

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Boats
  • California
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Divers
  • Employment
  • Explosives
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Seal Teams
  • Special Operations Forces
  • Standards
  • Statistical Analysis
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Oceanography.