Special Operations Forces
Special Operations Forces
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Research
Jul 16, 2025
Book Review
The authors of Into the Void: Special Operations Forces after the War on Terror present a forward-looking vision for SOF's inherent adaptability and rapid ability to transform as their core value proposition in an era of strategic competition.
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Research
Apr 10, 2025
Exploring the Strategic Potential of Expanded Security Cooperation Support to American Irregular Warfare
The authors explore the value proposition of expanded security cooperation support for irregular warfare in preventing and countering the coercive and malign activities of adversary nation states that target U.S. frontline allies and partners.
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Research Summary
Oct 28, 2024
An Assessment and Selection Framework for U.S. Air Force Special Warfare
This research brief highlights insights from two reports on Air Force Special Warfare Assessment and Selection, focusing on a practitioner-oriented framework to enhance practices for evaluating and selecting future special warfare operators.
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Research
Sep 26, 2024
Recruiting for U.S. Air Force Special Warfare: A Review of Practices and Recommended Courses of Action
Finding potential recruits who are both qualified and motivated for demanding U.S. Air Force Special Warfare (AFSPECWAR) careers is particularly challenging. The report authors identify ways to improve AFSPECWAR recruiting practices.
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Research
Sep 9, 2024
Assessment and Selection for U.S. Air Force Special Warfare: Vol. 2, Evaluating Objectives and Considering Improvements
Air Force Special Warfare (AFSPECWAR) prioritizes rigorous assessment and selection to ensure operators possess the qualities needed for demanding missions. The authors evaluate the effectiveness of AFSPECWAR's process and recommend best practices.
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Research
Dec 5, 2023
Strategic Disruption by Special Operations Forces: A Concept for Proactive Campaigning Short of Traditional War
RAND researchers develop a new concept for strategic disruption by special operations forces, exploring how disruptive campaigns can frustrate an adversary’s preferred strategy and enable friendly gains across multiple instruments of national power.
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Research
Dec 12, 2022
Authorities and Permissions to Conduct Army Special Operations Activities Abroad
This report outlines the basic types of authorities that govern the use of Army Special Operations Forces overseas in environments below the threshold of armed conflict.
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Research
Sep 27, 2022
Assessment and Selection for U.S. Air Force Special Warfare: Vol. 1, Defining Attributes and Designing Rater Training
Air Force Special Warfare warrants specialized assessment and selection of future operators. The authors examine the nontechnical attributes needed to conduct challenging missions and the process for selecting candidates who can succeed.
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Research
Nov 8, 2021
Countering Russia: The Role of Special Operations Forces in Strategic Competition
This report establishes a strategic framework for U.S. Army special operations forces support to countering Russian activities in the competition space.
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Oct 7, 2021
Select RAND Research on Counterinsurgency, Stability Operations, Support to Foreign Internal Defense, Nation-Building, and Special Operations: 1962-2019
This volume is an important resource for those interested in gaining an informed understanding of a persistent, though usually low-level, military threat to U.S. security.
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Research
Apr 30, 2021
The Missing, Irregular Half of Great Power Competition
The U.S. military must learn to embrace a new framework for understanding competition through the lens of its current approaches to traditional and irregular warfare.
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Expert Insights
Mar 26, 2021
Special Operations Forces Culture and Climate: The Future of the Force
Testimony presented before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations on March 26, 2021.
