Retired Colonel Urges Redesign of 36,000-Strong Army Special Forces for Digital Warfare
Updated
Updated · irregularwarfare.org · May 18
Retired Colonel Urges Redesign of 36,000-Strong Army Special Forces for Digital Warfare
1 articles · Updated · irregularwarfare.org · May 18
Ned Marsh, a retired Special Forces colonel, argues Army Special Forces have become an operational afterthought and need revolutionary restructuring rather than incremental reform.
Three gaps drive that case: 12-person A-Teams cannot survive in heavily surveilled states such as China or Russia, current training does not produce tactical multidomain operators, and rotational deployments do not create deep cultural expertise.
Marsh proposes immediately moving one Special Forces Group, one Civil Affairs Company and one Psychological Operations Company into Joint Special Operations Command while the rest of USASOC sprints to design and test a new model.
He says the force expanded from about 15,000 active-duty billets before Sept. 11 to more than 31,000 by 2022, leaving a 36,000-person Army special operations enterprise too large, visible and deployment-driven to transform itself.
The critique casts decades of missions in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere as tactically skilled but strategically inconclusive, arguing Special Forces optimized for global presence instead of capabilities suited to modern contested warfare.
Is the Special Forces' crisis a symptom of a larger Pentagon failure to adapt to irregular warfare?
Beyond the beret, what new force can master the digital shadows and cultural codes of future conflicts?
USASOC’s Digital Revolution: Overhauling Special Operations for Modern Threats and Technological Superiority
Overview
The U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) is undergoing a major transformation because the landscape of modern warfare is rapidly evolving. Traditional Special Forces models are no longer effective against adversaries who use advanced technologies and hybrid tactics. This urgent change is based on lessons learned from recent conflicts and a careful look at future threats. USASOC recognizes the need for a more agile and technologically skilled force to stay ahead. By analyzing past experiences and anticipating new challenges, USASOC aims to adapt its doctrine, training, and organization to succeed on today’s complex battlefields.