Special Forces (SOF)
13 Articles
Congress Should Limit, Not Expand, Irregular Warfare Authority
Section 1202 of the NDAA is an overbroad authority that risks widening the aperture for U.S. forces to engage in and direct combat in unauthorized, foreign wars.
Just Security Podcast: The Biden Administration’s Secret Drone Policy (Pilot Episode)
New York Times national security correspondent Charlie Savage reported that the Biden administration has issued a still-classified policy on some types of counterterrorism operations,…
Still at War: The United States in Yemen
Relying on military force alone in Yemen, a longstanding front in the "forever war," will not promote US interests or regional stability.
Introduction to Symposium: Still at War – Where and Why the United States is Fighting the “War on Terror”
As the "war on terror" enters a third decade, it is time to reevaluate the aims and utility of relying on military force around the globe.
Failure to Warn: War Powers Reporting and the “War on Terror” in Africa
How prior administrations failed to tell Congress about special forces engaged in combat operations in Cameroon, Niger, Somalia, Tunisia, and what it means for War Powers and AUMF…
Not a Coup at DOD: How Acting Sec. Miller’s Reorganization May Improve Special Ops Oversight
"The key question is whether Miller’s move will actually increase civilian oversight of Special Operations Forces."
What Can Stop the Next Black Hawk Down: Risks to Special Operation Forces in the Trump Era
(Editors’ note: This article first appeared as a three-part series. We are reproducing it here in full.) Twenty-four years ago this month, President Bill Clinton, a first-term…
We Shouldn’t Forget the Lessons of Black Hawk Down: Part I
Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Somalia, 1993. (Editors’ note: This article is the first of a three-part series by the author on the Trump administration’s…
Let’s Start Calling Combat Combat
On Tuesday, a Special Forces soldier died and two others were injured in a skirmish with Taliban fighters near Marjah in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan. Al Asad air…
“Expansion” or contraction?: The case of Special Operations forces in the Middle East
In today’s New York Times, Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt have a very interesting and informative story about President Obama’s use of Special Operations Forces in the U.S.…
Congress: Troops to Syria Means It’s Time (Finally) to Act
News that the United States has sent its first — albeit “fewer than 50” — troops to fight ISIS in Syria highlights once again the need for a new authorization to use military…
When Do Countries Have to Investigate War Crimes?
In late August, the New York Times and others reported that the US Army had reopened a criminal investigation into the murders of at least 17 civilians in Afghanistan in 2012 and…