Toward Operational Art in Special Warfare

Dan Madden, Dick Hoffmann, Michael, Johnson, Fred T. Krawchuk, Bruce R. Nardulli, John E. Peters, Linda Robinson, Abby Doll

"Hybrid irregular and conventional military operations are playing an increasingly prominent role in international conflict, exploited by countries such as Russia and Iran. The United States requires new approaches for exerting influence, filling the "missing middle" - between the limitations of distant strike and the costly, indefinite commitment of conventional forces - to counter these increasing threats. Special warfare provides policymakers with an additional option that can help secure U.S. interests and manage risks. These campaigns stabilize a friendly state or destabilize a hostile regime by operating through and with local state or nonstate partners, rather than through unilateral U.S. action. Currently, there is no shared understanding of how special warfare compaigns should be designed and executed. This RAND study sought to fill this gap by (1) adapting conventional...