United States Army Special Forces: Versatile Element in the Future Security Environment
Abstract
This monograph examines the utility of U.S. Army Special Forces in the changing world security environment. It first analyzes the security environment by looking at several theories and assessments. Then it focuses on the post-Cold War national military strategy of the United States. From this analysis the monograph develops evaluation criteria against which the study judges how useful Special Forces will be for campaign planners at the Unified Commands around the globe. The monograph uses the criteria as evaluation tools to judge the performance of Special Forces in four case studies of recent operations that represent four different situations and models for the future. The four case studies include-. Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Provide Comfort, the professionalization of the El Salvadoran Armed Forces, and Silver Anvil. The study does not describe each operation in detail but gleans the essential operational features in order to evaluate them in light of the evaluation criteria. The monograph can be valuable in the current debate over roles and missions because it shows how Special Forces are actually used by the Unified Commanders and in what ways they are operationally effective in today's complex security environment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 13, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA274110
Entities
People
- Hayward S. Florer Jr.
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College