Permanent Presence for the Persistent Conflict: An Alternative Look at the Future of Special Forces
Abstract
This thesis addresses two questions: (1) What is the future role for Special Forces in the Long War Strategy, and (2) How will the roles and missions of Special Forces have a strategic impact in the current fight and in future endeavors? The thesis asserts that the future role for Special Forces soldiers rests in a permanent OCONUS presence and engagement. This will allow Special Forces teams to leverage and refine their unique skills, to include gaining a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the regions in which they can be expected to operate. The arguments presented in the thesis are conceptual in nature, and are designed to offer the Department of Defense (DoD) an alternative approach to persistent presence and engagement. What the author is advocating is a complete and total career commitment to living abroad. Special Forces groups in their entirety would be forward deployed OCONUS. The roles and posture of Special Forces would change, but their seven primary missions would remain the same. If the United States needs to move forward with a smaller footprint, forward-deployed Special Forces groups would give it a permanent global posture of strategic significance -- and one that would certainly help it prosecute the Long War more effectively. Two Special Forces groups are placed under the microscope to examine how they would deploy into three target countries within their Area of Responsibility (AOR): 3rd Special Forces group into Nigeria, Botswana, and Ethiopia; and 7th Special Forces group into Brazil, Peru, and Paraguay.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA501529
Entities
People
- Christopher D. Pratt
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School