Smart Defense: Significant Return Opportunity on U.S. SOF Investment

Abstract

Economic austerity and concerns over the United States' declared shift in focus to the Pacific have served as catalysts in prompting NATO European members to develop better capabilities and reduce military dependency on the United States through prioritization, specialization, and implementation of multinational solutions. This Smart Defense concept is intended to enable NATO to build effective capabilities to meet its declared aspirations in the 2010 Strategic Concept, entitled "Active Engagement, Modern Defence." It affords the United States a cost-effective opportunity to leverage its SOF to maintain relations with European partners, build their capabilities, and support NATO expeditionary operations. This paper examines Smart Defense and some of its challenges. It also reviews U.S. SOF strategic engagement in Europe, identifies opportunities this concept affords the United States, and provides recommendations for using SOF to move beyond NATO's Smart Defense strategy to a "Smart Security" strategy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA592969

Entities

People

  • George K. Thiebes

Organizations

  • George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

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  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
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