Golden Arrows: Leveraging Strategic Leadership Potential of Special Operations Leaders

Abstract

Intent of Research: This paper examines current and future requirements for strategic leadership of the United States Army and identifies Special Operations Forces senior leaders as potential strategic leaders of the Army based upon the alignment their professional attributes and competencies with the future operating environment and the probability of continued irregular and hybrid conflict. First this paper assesses the concept of strategic leadership within the framework of recent historical and future global conditions. Next, an analysis of U.S. Army strategic leaders identifies commonalities of educational, professional development and promotion opportunities. A comparison of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) practices for identification, development and assignment of high potential officers reveals some deviation. Finally, options are recommended for enhancing the strategic leadership of the Army and increasing the potential for future success in volatile and complex situations by including Special Operations officers.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA589220

Entities

People

  • Robert M. Kirila

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Doctrine
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Special Operations Forces
  • Students
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States
  • United States Africa Command
  • United States Central Command
  • United States Southern Command
  • United States Special Operations Command
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.

Technology Areas

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