Countering Russia: The Role of Special Operations Forces in Strategic Competition
Abstract
Although U.S. strategic guidance proclaims that the United States has entered a new era of great-power competition, concepts for succeeding in that competition remain underdeveloped. This report focuses on the role of U.S. Army special operations forces (ARSOF) in competition. It addresses three questions: - What sorts of activities is the United States likely to need to conduct in competition with Russia? - Among these activities, what are ARSOF's areas of comparative advantage? - What evidence exists on the effectiveness of the types of activities ARSOF conducts? We analyzed requirements for competition through (1) a review of official guidance, military doctrine, and the broader policy literature in this field and (2) interviews with members of the special operations community and officials throughout the U.S. government. We analyzed ARSOF's effectiveness in addressing these competition requirements through a review of quantitative evidence and select case studies focused on Russia (and, previously, the Soviet Union).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 15, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1152801
Entities
People
- Caitlin Mcmulloch
- Joseph Cheravitch
- Kimberly Jackson
- Marta Kepe
- Sean M. Zeigler
- Stephen Watts
Organizations
- RAND Corporation