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Email this citationCIAO DATE: 05/04
Not Many Jobs Take A Whole Army: Special Operations Forces And The Revolution In Military Affairs
Malcolm Brailey
Paper #64
March 2004
Abstract
This paper studies the recent transformation in the employment and operations of 'Special Operations Forces' (SOF). In this paper, I argue that these changes constitute a 'revolution', and I use the theory of 'revolutions in military affairs' (RMA) as a framework of analysis to demonstrate this. SOF have moved from a marginal, albeit important part of traditional conventional strategy towards being a central component of any government war fighting or security calculus. The SOF 'revolution' may be seen in the context of the missions they are called on to perform and the capabilities they therefore must posses. Second, the organizational structures, doctrine and tactics of SOF also demonstrate high levels of innovation; and the combination of technology with SOF's traditionally high-levels of resourcefulness and adaptability has resulted in new approaches to the conduct of operations. Taken together, these changes may offer governments an increasingly viable and effective alternative to traditional approaches to the use of force by states.
