[House Hearing, 119 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.A.S.C. No. 119-4]
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THE ROLE OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS IN
GREAT POWER COMPETITION
__________
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND
SPECIAL OPERATIONS
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD
FEBRUARY 26, 2025
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
63-873 WASHINGTON : 2026
=======================================================================
SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS
RONNY JACKSON, Texas, Chairman
AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia JASON CROW, Colorado
TRENT KELLY, Mississippi WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts
NANCY MACE, South Carolina JARED F. GOLDEN, Maine
MORGAN LUTTRELL, Texas SARA JACOBS, California
CORY MILLS, Florida PATRICK RYAN, New York
DERRICK VAN ORDEN, Wisconsin GILBERT RAY CISNEROS JR.,
PAT HARRIGAN, North Carolina California
ABRAHAM J. HAMADEH, Arizona DEREK TRAN, California
Craig Greene, Professional Staff Member
Will T. Johnson, Professional Staff Member
Austin Richards, Research Assistant
C O N T E N T S
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Page
STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
Crow, Hon. Jason, a Representative from Colorado, Ranking Member,
Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations............ 3
Jackson, Hon. Ronny, a Representative from Texas, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations............ 1
WITNESSES
Braga, LTG Jonathan P., USA, Commander, United States Army
Special Operations Command..................................... 4
Conley, Lt Gen Michael E. USAF, Commander, Air Force Special
Operations Command,............................................ 5
Huntley, MajGen Peter D., USMC, Commander, Marine Forces Special
Operations Command............................................. 8
Sands III, Rear Admiral Milton J., USN, Commander, Naval Special
Warfare Command................................................ 7
APPENDIX
Prepared Statements:
Braga, LTG Jonathan P........................................ 33
Conley, Lt Gen Michael E..................................... 41
Huntley, MajGen Peter D...................................... 53
Jackson, Hon. Ronny.......................................... 29
Sands III, Rear Admiral Milton J............................. 48
Documents Submitted for the Record:
[There were no Documents submitted.]
Witness Responses to Questions Asked During the Hearing:
Dr. Jackson.................................................. 67
Questions Submitted by Members Post Hearing:
Dr. Jackson.................................................. 71
Mr. Hamadeh.................................................. 72
THE ROLE OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS IN GREAT POWER COMPETITION
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House of Representatives,
Committee on Armed Services,
Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations,
Washington, DC, Wednesday, February 26, 2025.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 1:30 p.m., in
room 2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ronny Jackson
[chairman of the subcommittee] presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RONNY JACKSON, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
TEXAS, CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SPECIAL
OPERATIONS
Dr. Jackson. The subcommittee will come to order.
I ask unanimous consent that the chair be authorized to
declare a recess at any time. Without objection, so ordered.
We have a few members that aren't here yet, but one of the
things about this committee going forward is we're going to
start on time. So, we're starting on time.
Today, we'll hear from our witnesses on the role of Special
Operations Forces in great power competition. The United States
is facing a dramatically different geopolitical environment now
than at any other time in recent decades. While this century
has been dominated by our efforts in the Global War on
Terrorism, the new era of great power competition presents
strategic challenges from revisionist states in China and
Russia and their rogue state allies in Iran and North Korea.
Over the past several years, as our Nation has confronted
the evolving landscape of great power competition, our special
operators have adapted to meet the challenges posed by our
adversaries, while continuing to combat the continuous and
evolving threats posed by violent extremist organizations,
military proxies, and non-state actors.
U.S. Special Operations Forces are ideally suited and
organized for great power competition. The core activities of
our Special Operations Units, from working with our partners
around the world to help bolster their defenses in
unconventional warfare capabilities to counterproliferation and
special reconnaissance, is more needed today than ever before
or decades in the past and offers the ability to present
significant strategic and operational challenges to our
adversaries, while simultaneously enabling our allies and
partners to resist outside aggression.
The relationship our Special Operations Forces have built
and sustained through decades of partnership with our allies is
critical for our access and placement to counter our
adversaries. The United States will continue to rely on the men
and women throughout the Special Operations Forces community to
prepare future battle spaces, rapidly respond to contingencies
in multiple theaters, and extend American influence by
operating across the spectrum of competition, including below
the threshold of traditional military conflict and in the gray
zone.
To address this continuously changing environment,
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-
Intensity Conflict and Special Operations Command recently
released the Joint Special Operations Forces Operating Concept
for Force Development and Design Guide to the Special
Operations Forces community and the Department to ensure we
develop, and I quote, "a Joint Special Operations Force that
rapidly fuses all-domain capabilities for tailored and
simultaneous missions across the full spectrum from competition
to conflict, enabled by persistent campaigning for global
advantage." That sounds a little verbose and a little academic,
but if you read it slowly, it makes sense.
This concept will require the Special Operations Forces
community to be culturally literate in dynamic regions across
the globe and proficient across evolving domains in the cyber,
space, and information realms -- all while maintaining the
ability to provide unique tactical combat capabilities for the
Joint Force.
Today's hearing is focused on the role of Special
Operations Forces as the United States embraces an era of great
power competition. The subcommittee will seek to examine the
unique capabilities of the Special Operations Forces service
components and how Special Operations Forces' core activities
may complement and enable the Joint Force to operate against
strategic adversaries.
We hope to further understand how the Special Operations
Force components determine what the appropriate capabilities
and force structure are to support and respond to the
Geographic Combatant Command requirements for great power
competition and counter adversaries and non-state actors.
Our witnesses today are the commanders of the Special
Operations service components and have decades of experience
with the Special Operations community. I want to welcome
Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga, Commander of the United
States Army Special Operations Command; Lieutenant General
Michael Conley, Commander of the Air Force Special Operations
Command; Major General Peter Huntley, U.S. Marine Corps,
Commander, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, and Rear
Admiral Milton Sands, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command.
In the interest of time, I will ask the witnesses to keep
your opening statements or your opening remarks to 5 minutes or
less, so that we have sufficient time for questions and
answers.
With that, let me thank our witnesses for appearing before
us today.
I now recognize Ranking Member Crow for his opening
remarks.
[The opening statement of Dr. Jackson can be found on page
29.]
STATEMENT OF HON. JASON CROW, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM COLORADO,
RANKING MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SPECIAL
OPERATIONS
Mr. Crow. Thank you, Dr. Jackson.
And thank you to our Special Operations Forces Component
Commanders for being here today to provide testimony on the
role of U.S. Special Operations in great power competition.
The global security environment is changing rapidly. Our
adversaries regularly engage in malign gray zone activities
intended to challenge the United States in the global order.
As stated in the 2022 National Defense Strategy, countries
like China and Russia use a broad range of diplomatic,
informational, economic, and military tools to undermine our
national interests.
So, to address and to protect our national interests and to
combat these malign activities, we have to find various ways to
counter these efforts.
Although the authority to leverage irregular warfare is not
unique to Special Operations, it is essential. Irregular
warfare highlights core Special Operations Forces activities
like foreign internal defense, unconventional warfare, Military
Information Support operations, Civil Affairs operations, and
others which are essential if we are to successfully counter
our competitors in the gray zone.
Indeed, our Special Operations Forces are uniquely
qualified to support the whole-of-government approach of
integrated deterrence when it comes to great power competition.
Our partners and allies remain key to addressing these
challenges. The history of our Special Operations Forces is
rooted in partnership. The generational relationships that
Special Operations Forces develops with our partners gives
these forces a unique understanding of the global operating
environment, allowing them to work in some of the most
difficult locations around the world.
These relationships also help us to identify key
vulnerabilities, mitigate security concerns, and alter
competitor perceptions of risks, costs, and benefits of certain
actions.
So today, we will examine the core activities of Special
Operations Forces and how they apply to great power competition
after over two decades of Special Operations Forces focus on
counterterrorism and countering threats from non-state actors
and violent extremist organizations.
We must not forget the hard-won lessons of the last 20
years and we should endeavor to maintain Special Operations
Forces ability to conduct counterterrorism operations, while
ensuring they can support the Joint Force in great power
competition.
We will examine how the new Joint Special Operations Forces
Operating Concept for Force Development and Design will assist
the components in shaping force requirements to focus on great
power competition.
Lastly, I want to take a moment to recognize the key
successes of our Special Operation Forces and what makes them
the best at what they do; it's the people, and it's their
families, and it's the support network. Because we would be
nothing, and our Special Operations Forces would be nothing, if
it weren't for the exceptional talent of Americans who step up
day-in and day-out, at great risk to themselves and at great
sacrifice, to perform the hardest missions that our country
asks them to do.
So, thank you, Dr. Jackson, and to our witnesses.
And as always, Rangers, lead the way.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you.
We will hear from our witnesses now, and, then we will move
into a question-and-answer session. Immediately following one
round of questions, we will reconvene for the classified
session, which will take place in Rayburn 2337. We are going to
try to set a stop time of 2:30. So, I think everybody should
get their questions in, based on the number of folks here, but
if we don't, any questions that we don't get to, we will ask in
the classified session.
So, with that, Lieutenant General Braga, we will begin with
you.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL JONATHAN P. BRAGA, USA,
COMMANDER, UNITED STATES ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
General Braga. Chairman Jackson, Ranking Member Crow,
distinguished members of the subcommittee, thanks so much for
the opportunity to represent the 36,000 members of the United
States Army Special Operations Command here today. I look
forward to highlighting just who we are; how we are
transforming for the future, and what we require to protect the
homeland and enable the Joint Force.
United States Army Special Operations Command generates
combat-ready forces and innovates for today's fight and
modernizes for tomorrow's challenges, while also caring for our
soldiers and families in an uncertain fiscal environment.
Although there is tension between these efforts, we continue to
generate exceptionally high return on investment with
Regionally Aligned Forces and unique capabilities.
United States Army Special Operations Command comprises
less than 10 percent of the Army and receives one-half of a
percent of the Army's budget, and similarly, we constitute over
half of Special Operations Command and are standing with 16
percent of the budget.
Our Green Berets, Rangers, Aviators, Civil Affairs, and
Psychological Operations Soldiers are lethal warriors who
provide a unique value proposition and options for the Nation.
We are in the contact layer with approximately 3,000 soldiers
deployed every day in 80 different countries, where the defense
of the homeland begins.
Our people maintain generational relationships and sustain
the connective tissue with our interagency and international
partners.
Forces assigned to United States Army Special Operations
Command also stand ready to execute crisis response activities
anywhere in the world on short notice. Our formations have
supported an exponential increase in crisis response
requirements over the last several years.
Army Special Operations' role today is clear and the value
proposition for tomorrow is valid. The future of conflict will
find our forces operating in the contested, in the deep, and
the denied areas supporting the Joint Force.
United States Army Special Operations Command is undergoing
its largest transformation in decades. We're updating our
doctrine; developing multi-domain-capable units of action;
creating battle labs; consolidating lessons learned, and
innovating forward with our partners.
For the first time in decades, we have created a new
occupational specialty and courses focused on technology and
unmanned systems.
United States Army Special Operations Command established
an Irregular Warfare Task Force to buy down risk associated
with transregional threats from our adversaries.
We also cofounded the Soft-Space-Cyber Triad. This modern-
day deterrence concept ensures Army Special Operations' Space
and Missile Defense, and Cyber Command can serve as the eyes,
ears, and teeth of the Joint Force and the Army.
Our people are innovation pathfinders. They are
professional and patient problem-solvers, and their observation
of today's battlefields make it clear to me that we still have
much work to do.
The innovation cycle is measured in days and weeks, not
months or years. Yet, our funding, acquisition processes, and
bureaucracies are not optimized to innovate at the speed of
need.
We must position our people in proximity to the problem
with the right authorities and right resources to identify
emerging capability gaps, pioneer solutions, and disseminate
lessons learned to all theaters.
United States Army Special Operations Command remains
committed to our top priority, our people, who are the linchpin
of our success. Army Special Operations soldiers serve with
distinction around the world in harm's way. And since 2001,
United States Army Special Operation Command soldiers have been
awarded nine Medals of Honor, three of which of those
servicemembers and warriors still serve within our formation.
And over the last two decades, 382 of our soldiers paid the
ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the Nation.
As we work to balance readiness requirements and
modernization imperatives, we remain invested in caring for our
people and never forget the sacrifices that they and their
families make. It is our solemn responsibility to take care of
our people; set conditions for future battlefield success, and
to generate the highest return on investment for the American
people.
Thank you for your invitation to testify today and your
continued support.
[The prepared statement of General Braga can be found in
the Appendix on page 33.]
Dr. Jackson. Thank you, sir.
Lieutenant General Conley, you are now recognized.
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL MICHAEL E. CONLEY, USAF,
COMMANDER, AIR FORCE SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
General Conley. Chairman Jackson, Ranking Member Crow, and
distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to discuss the role of Air Force Special Operations
in today's strategic environment.
On behalf of Command Chief Green, myself, and the more than
20,000 men and women of Air Force Special Operations Command,
I'm grateful for the opportunity to present an overview of the
capabilities your Air Commandos provide in safeguarding the
interests of America.
Simply put, Air Force Special Operations Command exists to
support our Nation's priorities by supporting the Joint Force
and our Special Operations Forces partners. We do this through
four primary mission areas that have evolved throughout our
history: specialized mobility, strike, intelligence,
surveillance, reconnaissance, and air-to-ground integration.
This year, Air Force Special Operations Command reaches a
milestone, its 35th anniversary as a major command. We started
as a collection of helicopters, cargo aircraft, and special
tactics focused on long-range penetration, establishing
airfields, and personnel recovery.
After 9/11, we evolved into a force exquisitely tailored to
counterterrorism. By fielding new intelligence platforms,
extensive intel networks, and advancing our interdiction
capability, we honed our ability to strike terrorists at their
source.
Today's Air Commandos are evolving again, using the
ingenuity of our people and unique capabilities to meet our
Nation's needs across four key priorities: homeland defense,
crisis response, countering violent extremists, and support to
theater Special Operations Forces commands.
The common theme across each phase of our history is our
ability to adopt. Air Commandos repeatedly demonstrate their
ability to become what the Nation needs at that time at that
place.
Today, we face new challenges as we continue to adapt to
the changing threat environment. We are seeing an increased
demand for Air Force Special Operations Command capabilities.
Since 2019, demand for your Air Commandos has surged -- in some
cases even exceeding the peak levels seen during the Global War
on Terror.
As we sit here today, our airmen are forward-based in
strategic locations and forward-deployed in harm's way,
countering malign activities and actively preventing attacks on
our homeland.
And while Special Operations Forces aviation is an
irreplaceable asset, it is expensive and our budget has
remained largely flat in the face of rising costs. The more
complex the threat environment, the more expensive it is to
develop capability and maintain readiness to operate in these
environments.
I contend that Air Force Special Operations Command
provides a high return on investment, accounting for less than
one-half of 1 percent of the Air Force's budget and a
proportional part of Special Operations Command's budget, which
is, roughly, only 2 percent of the Department of Defense's
overall budget. For a small cost, the Nation sees an outsized
return from its investment in Air Force Special Operations
Command.
Air Commandos are present around the globe 24/7/365. Our
Indo-Pacific-based wing is located within the first island
chain -- actively building relationships with allies and
partners; setting conditions for future Joint Force operations,
and creating dilemmas for our adversaries.
Our wing in Europe is actually training with and supporting
NATO allies, to include mentoring partnerships with our new
North Atlantic Treaty Organization Special Operations Forces
partners, as we work together to identify both the challenges
and opportunities of operating in the Arctic.
On top of all this, Air Commandos maintain a persistent
deployed presence, targeting non-state actors capable of
threatening American interests and our homeland, all while
remaining in a 24/7 alert posture back here in the states to
respond to crisis at the direction of our President.
And while we face challenges, I also see incredible
opportunity and take pride in our ability to respond quickly
wherever our Nation needs us. Air Force Special Operations
Command is built to win. We're informed by, but not beholden
to, past missions. We remain ready and adaptable.
Thank you for your continued support of America's Air
Commandos who remain a cornerstone of America's competitive
edge, and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of General Conley can be found in
the Appendix on page 41.]
Dr. Jackson. Thank you, General.
Rear Admiral Sands, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF REAR ADMIRAL MILTON J. SANDS III, USN, COMMANDER,
NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE COMMAND
Admiral Sands. I'm proud to be here with my fellow Special
Operations Component Commanders.
Naval Special Warfare is a maritime component of Special
Operations Command's Joint Force and an integral part of
America's warfighting Navy.
I'm here with Force Master Chief Walter Dittmar, and we are
honored to represent the 10,000 men and women of Naval Special
Warfare.
Thank you for your continued support to our mission, our
force, and our families.
Naval Special Warfare's purpose is to provide maritime
Special Operations Forces capability to enable Joint Force
lethality and survivability inside denied and contested areas.
We prioritize three capabilities: support to long-range
fires, maritime kinetic effects, and maritime non-kinetic
effects. The latter is our most decisive Naval Special Warfare
capability.
Our ability to operate in the maritime provides the Nation
with unique access across the globe. Our maritime training
allows us to go where others cannot. Our operators and support
personnel use combatant craft and submersibles to conduct
decisive operations in support of the Joint Force.
Our people are the foundation of our capability, and these
bespoke maritime assets allow us to close with the enemy.
In Naval Special Warfare, we exploit our tactical and
technological advantages. Manned/unmanned teaming is our
future. We will integrate this capability into our tactical
formations to maximize our scale and our lethality.
We own the water; we embrace the robots, and we win every
fight. Maritime Special Operations Forcesvactivities have an
outsized impact on Joint Force operations. This can be a SEAL
dive pair placing explosives in the dark of night to protect
Navy ships and submarines. It can look like special boat
operators in low-visibility craft stalking an enemy vessel to
enable lethal effects. Naval Special Warfare gnaws down
opponent advantages of scale.
The Nation remains underinvested in our Maritime Special
Operations Account. In Naval Special Warfare, we refine our
capabilities with a clear-eyed discussion of risk to bridge the
gap between operations and resourcing.
Current fiscal constraints and increased deployment costs
are challenging our ability to balance modernization and
readiness. Our Nation maintains an advantage in the maritime
domain, but our opponents are closing fast.
Naval Special Warfare represents less than 1 percent of the
Navy's budget and 14 percent of Special Operations Command
funding. Like each of my Special Operations teammates here, we
provide a high return on investment. With that investment comes
solution for some of the Nation's toughest problems.
Agility has been a hallmark of Naval Special Warfare since
our inception. The return to the maritime is a return to our
original identity. The first frogmen cleared lanes across
Europe and the Pacific, so our forces could close with the
enemy. Today, our commitment to the Nation is to be ready to do
it again.
To conclude, Naval Special Warfare's purpose is our North
Star. It guides us as we decide what to do and what not to do.
As the Nation's Maritime Special Operations Force, we shoulder
the responsibility to own the water and execute the Nation's
most challenging and decisive operations.
Thank you and I look forward to our discussion.
[The prepared statement of Admiral Sands can be found in
the Appendix on page 48.]
Dr. Jackson. Thank you, Admiral.
Major General Huntley, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF MAJOR GENERAL PETER D. HUNTLEY, USMC, COMMANDER,
MARINE FORCES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
General Huntley. Chairman Jackson, Ranking Member Crow, and
distinguished members of the Subcommittee, thank you for this
opportunity to discuss the future of Marine Forces Special
Operations Command.
For two decades, Marine Forces Special Operations Command
has maintained a persistent forward presence, strengthening our
relationships with strategic partners and allies, and also,
defeating threats across the globe.
Our Raiders, our Special Operations Capability Specialists,
and, of course, our Navy Corpsmen represent the very best of
the United States Marine Corps and the broader U.S. Naval
Service. And as always, we continue to embody a proud legacy,
uphold the Marine Corps reputation for efficiency,
effectiveness, and a high return on investment.
As national security priorities shift, Marine Forces
Special Operations Command stands at the forefront of a
critical transformation. We have adapted to the landscape of
future conflict and prioritized modernization efforts which
will enhance our ability to counter adversaries across every
domain.
To do this, your continued support is foundational, and we
ask for the investment necessary to cement Marine Forces
Special Operation Command's role and to help our Nation win.
This is not just about buying new equipment or kit. This is
about maintaining and enhancing an elite, persistent inside
force that has the generational relationship with strategic
partners and the capability to sense, make sense, and act
faster than our adversaries.
Raiders continue to be persistently deployed in key
locations and our capability of surviving and thriving in
contested and, of course, denied spaces -- all this while
facilitating the success of the broader Joint Force.
In order to continue this, there are three things that we
must do.
First, we must continue to equip and further develop the
capabilities of our Raiders with cutting-edge technologies,
such as advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and
networking to not only link every sensor to every shooter, but
to turn small, disaggregated teams into the cornerstone of an
overwhelming Joint Force.
These tools will radically increase our ability to detect
and exploit adversaries' weaknesses, which will give the Joint
Force the eyes and ears it will need to defeat the most
advanced threats. Imagine, if you will, a small team of Raiders
deployed to a small, remote island chain, capable of monitoring
adversaries' movements, disrupting communications, and
providing deadly, accurate, and real-time targeting information
to joint assets that may be operating hundreds of miles away.
Second, your continued support for expanding our precision
strike capabilities is crucial. On the modern battlefield,
characterized by distributed forces, dynamic employment, and
degraded communications, Marine Forces Special Operations
Command will not just be the Joint Force's eyes and ears; we
must also provide our own lethal and accurate fires. This will
require continued investment in multi-domain strike platforms
and the associated munitions to position with our forces that
are in theater now. This will allow us to maintain our
competitive advantage against all adversaries.
Finally, but certainly not last, we must continue investing
in our people. Our rigorous training pipeline ensures we
recruit and develop operators not only capable of mastering
these new technologies, but also seamlessly supporting and
integrating with the broader Joint Force to deliver decisive
effects.
Our Raiders represent a critical asset for our Nation at
the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Their skills
are essential now in competition, as they will be in crisis and
conflict.
These investments not only benefit Marine Forces Special
Operations Command, but they will pay dividends across the
entire Joint Force by providing a more lethal, agile, and
integrated force that stands ready in theater today. We present
a deterring threat in competition and, of course, and always, a
lethal asset in conflict.
I look forward to working with this committee to ensure
your investments in Marine Forces Special Operations Command
continue to pay outsized dividends. Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of General Huntley can be found in
the Appendix on page 53.]
Dr. Jackson. Thank you, General.
We will begin with questions now, and I will start by
recognizing myself for 5 minutes.
This is to all our witnesses here today. Can each of you
describe what you think is the one critical capability that
your special operators and organizations contribute to great
power competition and counter our No. 1 adversary China?
We will start with you, General Braga.
General Braga. Chairman, I think our transregional
footprint and relationships, generational relationships, in the
deep and contact layer out there at the near abroad to all
those other places really across every Global Command and
Control System, where we find the footprint of the People's
Republic of China using all forms of their national power to
erode international rules, norms, and behavior, and ultimately,
address our national security advantage that we have out there.
We find ourselves working with our interagency partners and
our international partners to push back with the ready warfare
options. So, in different cases, this could be an information
environment; it could be in more clandestine efforts; it could
be a better understanding to inform policymakers of what
efforts our adversaries are taking to erode these national
security advantages.
So, we are like global sensors for the Joint Force. We
provide pushback in the competition phase, but we also provide
value, should it go to a high-end conflict phase.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you.
General Conley?
General Conley. Chairman, much like General Braga's
comment, I would say our greatest attribute in the Pacific is
our presence. As I mentioned in my opening statement, we have a
wing located in Kadena that has been there in some way, shape,
or form for decades. So, we understand the operational
environment. We have longstanding, decades-long relationships
with key partners over there, and we understand the
battlespace.
As I prep the rest of the Air Force Special Operations
Command formation for potential conflict in new theaters,
having that core capability and knowledge set allows me to flow
airmen in and out of that theater, pairing with partnerships of
our own formation that allow us to quickly get up-to-speed and
deliberately train back here in the states. So, when we move
forward, we are ready to go.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you, General.
Admiral?
Admiral Sands. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Our biggest Navel Special Warfare contribution to great
power competition, especially when you think of China, is our
access to the maritime. As our Nation's only Maritime Special
Operations Force, we provide the ability to access areas, both
undersea and on the sea, that no one else can go. And this
enables us to do a variety of things and support the Joint
Force lethality and survivability. We view our role in the
maritime to enable our Department of Defense forces, our larger
Joint Force, to close with the enemy and survive as they do it.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you, sir.
General?
General Huntley. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
As I spoke about in my opening remarks, we have the ability
and we do live, thrive, and survive in contested and denied
spaces. And as I talked about before, the ability to link any
sensor with any shooter. What does that mean? That in places
like the Western Pacific, or really anywhere on the globe that
is going to be contested and will be difficult for Joint Forces
to project power into, we are already there living, developing
relationships with partners and allies, but also bring along
the capabilities to link not only our organic sensing
capabilities, but also the capabilities of coalition, host
nation, or even our own surrogates, in order to be able to
illuminate the operating space at scale to facilitate Joint
Force fires and maneuver.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you, sir.
And I'm going to ask this question. This is a two-part
question. It can be pretty short. But how would each of you
assess your parent Service's understanding of the capabilities
that you each bring to the integrated deterrence in U.S.
efforts to compete against our strategic adversaries? And can
you provide us a sense of the number or the percentage of
requests that you receive from the combatant commanders for
support that you were not able to execute and, generally, why
you were not able to fulfill this request?
General Braga. Chairman, I can get you the exact number in
a follow-up, but it is increasing, the number of operational
requests that we cannot meet due to force size and/or
resources, because it is more expensive to deploy and meet this
demand. That is a challenge.
[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
on page 67.]
Dr. Jackson. Yes, sir.
General Conley. Mr. Chairman, in reverse order, I would
echo what General Braga said. We commit almost 100 percent of
our forces in each deployment cycle. So, there's no excess
left. In order to do other things, it means tradeoffs for what
we are currently tasked to do. And I can discuss more of that
in the next session.
From a parent Service view, I certainly don't want to speak
for my Chief, but I would say it is improving; it is good and
improving. I think there was a post-Global War On Terrorism
perspective that Special Operations might not be needed as much
in a great power competition setting, but over the last few
years I think the realization -- based on our presence, our
access, and our relationships -- is that they need us more than
ever. So, that relationship is strong and growing.
Dr. Jackson. Thanks.
And, General Braga, you agree that you think that your
Service understands your unique capabilities?
General Braga. Absolutely, Chairman. We feel fully
integrated, interoperable, and we are innovating on behalf of
the United States Army, and we are fully integrated with the
transforming contact efforts of the United States Army.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you, sir.
Admiral?
Admiral Sands. I would begin by saying the Navy has really
a deep understanding of our capabilities. But, like my
teammates, over the last two years, in particular, this has
really improved. The Navy is looking to us and saying what are
your five Ws? What are the things that you are specifically
going to do for us in conflict, God forbid, with China?
And so, I think we are integrated well with the Navy,
especially with our submarine force, and that is only
improving.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you, sir.
General?
General Huntley. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
We enjoy significant and great support from the Commandant
of the Marine Corps and his team. We work very closely with our
sister Marine Forces, specifically Marine Corps Forces,
Pacific, Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command, and Marine
Corps Forces Space Command, to include Marine Expeditionary
Forces as well, both I Marine Expeditionary Forces on the West
Coast, III Marine Expeditionary Forces in Okinawa, and II
Marine Expeditionary Forces here on the East Coast. So, yes, we
are providing great support.
In terms of how we are marbled into the Marine Corps force
design, we are making good progress there, but we definitely
are part of that team, and we look forward to working with the
broader Marine Corps going forward.
In terms of demands from the Joint Force, right now, we are
at max capacity. We are putting everything out the door that we
can in order to still maintain and train the force properly.
So, there's probably more things we should be doing, and
there's definitely more things that the Combatant Commands
would like us to do, but we are at max capacity at this time.
Over.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you, sir.
And with that, I'm going to yield back and recognize
Ranking Member Crow for questioning.
Mr. Crow. Thank you, Dr. Jackson.
I wanted to continue the conversation that we have had
before about the issue of lessons learned, because we can't
afford not to learn lessons learned in real time out in the
world as things are rapidly evolving. The failure to do that
would just be too costly.
And perhaps one of the best laboratories, although I
hesitate to use that term because it is a brutal hellscape of a
battle in Ukraine, but it is the Russia-Ukraine conflict and
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where we are seeing new tactics,
new techniques, entirely new ways of fighting being developed
on a weekly and monthly basis, and both forces evolving
quickly.
I'm concerned that we are not structured to do that. I
mean, you all have the agility and can evolve quicker than
most, given your size and the talent of your forces. But, even
still, I think there are very real barriers to doing that.
So, I would love each of you to comment on what are those
barriers to learning quickly. And if you could change something
today to allow us to adapt more quickly to what we are learning
and seeing overseas, what would it be?
And I will start on the other end with General Huntley.
General Huntley. Thank you, Congressman.
I would say that, first of all, we do have a very rigorous
after-action program that allows us to identify lessons. The
challenge that I will talk about here in a second is being able
to implement those upgrades, if you will, to our capabilities.
We do enjoy good, I would describe, acquisition
authorities, but right now the pace of modernization in the
tactical space across the globe, whether it is Ukraine, whether
it is in Colombia, or whether it is anywhere else in the world,
is moving very fast. Our ability to modernize on pace is
something that concerns me; it concerns me greatly.
And I think that would be one of the biggest challenges,
particularly for Special Operations Forces going forward, is
being able to keep up with the rapidly evolving. For instance,
you know, artificial intelligence is moving fast.
The difference in today's operating environment than what
we saw in the past 20 years is that we have always enjoyed a
great advantage of being able to sense the enemy before they
sense us. But with the proliferation of technologies, that is a
two-way street.
Whether you are fighting against a peer competitor or
whether you are fighting against a narco organization somewhere
else in the world, it is out there. You see al-Shabaab, ISIS,
even Clan del Golfo in Colombia, they have these capabilities
at the tactical edge. They are moving fast in terms of
upgrading. We need to be able to move just as fast. That is our
main challenge going forward.
Admiral Sands. Congressman, I think our lessons learned
capability is good. We see rapid turnover of things happening
at the front edge from our allies and partners. So, I think
that is a good system that we have got, at least within Special
Operations Command.
The challenge, and really our priority, is getting
equipment that is required for the modern battlefield rapidly
into the hands of our operators. And the reason is because they
need it to survive. And so, we would like to see -- I think
that is the challenge, not just the lessons learned, but taking
what we are learning and turning it quickly into real
capability within our force.
General Conley. Congressman, I would answer that in two
parts.
The first, from my air-to-ground integration force, which
is my special tactics community, I would say they are
phenomenal at taking lessons learned and turning them into
actionable things, whether that is off-the-shelf technology.
They do run into some of the same challenges that my colleagues
have mentioned. When we try to scale some of that stuff, we run
into harder procurement challenges. But they are exceptional at
learning real-time, adapting especially with small unmanned
aerial systems, both offensive and defensive.
On the other hand, I would say, for my aircraft fleet, our
modifications take too long. They are pricey and just the
nature of our depot system, our procurement system, they take a
long time. And my concern is that, by the time we get a fleet
of 50 aircraft of any flavor updated to where they need to be,
the technology is already irrelevant. So, it is this constant
loop of trying to catch up with the enemy threat.
We largely overcome that by training our way out of it to
the extent we can through developing of new tactics and
procedures, but that is only a small piece of what we really
need as far as advanced modifications.
General Braga. Yes, Congressman.
Approximating the problem is critical. Regardless of where
modern warfare is happening around the globe, we garner these
lessons learned and pass them back to the Joint Force very
well.
Our people are great at innovating, have fantastic ideas,
but we struggle with rapid innovation, I would say funding, and
even processes, where we treat similar modifications of drones,
commercial off-the-shelf drones, and do a modification, but it
is treated as a major end item in the acquisition kind of lens,
which sometimes can take months or years. And we are not
existentially motivated like some of our partners are in
different theaters out there. So, we have a lot of work to do
on the innovation funding and the oversight processes to make
them more streamlined.
Mr. Crow. Thank you.
And very briefly, one additional question. I would ask you
all to keep it to 30 seconds, so we can make sure the other
members have some time.
But, you know, I said in my opening that the quality of the
people is our biggest asset. Can you just speak briefly, each
of you in your Services, about the challenge of recruiting and
maintaining the force right now? Because I know everyone is
challenged across the board.
We will start on this side, General Braga.
General Braga. Thank you, Congressman.
First of all, retention is very high in Special Operations
Forces, from data pulling that we do, because of a sense of
purpose and, honestly, family support. Everyone who is getting
out of Special Operations at the end of their time highlights
those two pluses of serving inside Special Operations. If you
want to be surrounded by people who want to perform above the
mid-standard and have missions of consequence and purpose, you
come to Special Operations Forces and this high satisfaction
level.
We do need help recruiting. We do need help in everyone's
constituencies of getting our word out. We need to do a better
job of telling our story, both nationally and at the local
level. And we are working with the Army for that to tell our
story better. We haven't always been good at that. So, we do
have some work to do to improve our recruiting numbers, but
retention is as high as it has ever been.
General Conley. I would say for both recruiting and
retention, we are stable. There's room for improvement on both
sides.
I will go back to special tactics. That is an area where we
deliberately recruit, put them through assessment and
selection, as they come through. So, that is a small subset of
a small subset of American population that has a propensity to
serve and the physical condition to serve.
So, we have always had a little bit of a struggle
recruiting enough to meet the attrition rates, but we are okay
there. Retention is stable, but we have high-quality
individuals in our formation, and the same people, the same
reasons we want them in our formation are the same reasons the
private sector wants to hire them. They want airline pilots.
So, we try to incentivize them through just the quality of life
and quality of mission they have.
Like General Braga said, there is an attraction to this
mission. So, people want to serve. They want to be part of
something bigger than themselves. So, I'm not overly concerned
on the retention piece.
For our families, I think it is universal; they care about
schools; they care about affordable housing, and they care
about medical care in the area. So, that is stuff we try to
focus on with our local civic leaders.
Admiral Sands. Congressman, our numbers really reflect the
intake through the Navy. So, we are really grateful to the
Navy, and especially Navy Recruiting Command, because they
bring the talent in through the front door. Once it comes to
us, we have our Naval Special Warfare Center, which I consider
to be our most important command. That is where we actually
make SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen. Our numbers
are good. Our retention is good. But, again, it is just all
about getting the right people coming through the front door
into the Navy, and then, into our selection and assessment
programs.
General Huntley. Congressman, we are a little bit
different. We don't recruit straight from the civilian
population. We only recruit from within the Marine Corps. As
you are well aware, the Marine Corps has made mission each
year. More than that, for our purposes, they have kept the
quality very high. So, our recruiting environment has been very
good. We haven't had any problems. So, we are in good shape
regarding that.
In terms of retention, like my sister components here, we
have had a high level of retention. Once Marines are able to
get into Marine Forces Special Operations Command, they have a
tendency to stay. So, we are in good shape.
Thank you.
Mr. Crow. Thank you. I yield back.
Dr. Jackson. Mr. Scott, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
General Braga, you mentioned this, but I want to reiterate
this number. You provide just over 50 percent of Special
Operations Forces, and you are one-half of 1 percent of the
U.S. Army budget. Is that correct? Is that what I heard you
say?
General Braga. Yes, sir, we receive the majority of our
budget from Special Operations Command through P11 funding.
Mr. Scott. Okay. One of the things that we don't talk about
enough, I don't believe, because it is a very big place, is
partner forces. Can you speak to the role that you play in
building capacity abroad and how you measure success in those
fields?
General Braga. Yes, Congressman.
Ultimately, we have a fantastic relationship, global and
generational relationship around the world, built on the
bedrock of the last 20 years of counterterrorism missions that
are now being applied against nation-state adversaries where we
have a confluence of priorities and aligned strategic
competitors. So, these same relationships that we work on in
actually sharing blood and sweat on the battlefield are now
being applied against new problem sets. So, it is reaping
dividends there.
I would say a measure of effectiveness, when we have
partner forces who are doing equivalent missions as good as us,
and sometimes better than us, on the battlefield that are
aligned with U.S. national security interests.
Mr. Scott. So, Admiral, one of the things that you spoke
about -- and this is surprising to hear coming from somebody
with a trident -- you are not necessarily known for your non-
kinetic actions. And you said that non-kinetic was today one of
the most important decisive capabilities.
Could you speak -- what I'm interested in is, as we have
watched the Russians, they have been experts at this for years,
misinformation, and that is part of what we are talking about.
But, then, we have space; we have cyber; we have spectrum.
Could you speak to that issue and why you, as a Navy SEAL, feel
like that your non-kinetic actions are your most important
actions in today's warfare? As we have learned from Putin, as
Patton said, "Russians have no regard for human life."
Admiral Sands. Thank you, Congressman, for the question.
The reason I say that non-kinetic effects are the most
powerful thing that Navel Special Warfare can do for modern
warfare is because that is where the modern war takes place.
The most important regions are space, and then, cyber.
And so, our ability to get into places where other folks
can't do to enable those activities on behalf of others is
maybe our biggest value proposition. And so, it is not as much
about us taking on a target or a single-point structure; it is
more about us enabling a larger effect for the Nation.
Mr. Scott. I'm worried about -- and I will give you a
specific example. I believe it was Mali where the French
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance picked up where
Russians had killed several people, mass graves, and before the
information could be gotten to the government, the Russians had
spread through social media that it was the French that had
killed the people.
General Braga, you are shaking your head. Do you know the
situation that I'm talking about?
And the end result of that, if I'm not mistaken, is that
the French were kicked out of the country. Is that correct?
General Braga. That's correct, Congressman.
Mr. Scott. I mean, this speaks to the importance of speed
with regard to this new type of warfare that we are talking
about. And my question is, have our authorities changed, so
that we can operate fast enough when we see these things, these
messages, happening in real time to get the countermessage out
from what the Russians are doing? It seems to me that, by the
time we get our message out or our countermessage out, which
would be the truth out, that the effect of the Russian
disinformation has already occurred and forced the good guys
out of the country. How do we fix that?
General Braga. Congressman, we cede the information
environment at our own peril. It is more important to be first
in the information environment, to set the narrative,
especially when you are dealing with nation-states with nation-
state-sized resources against it who leverage artificial
intelligence, bot farms, and the rest of it. It is critical
terrain to dominate in the information environment.
Traditionally, it has been held at a very high level throughout
the world of perhaps an older lens of risk acceptance. A lower
level of risk would be very beneficial.
Mr. Scott. I'm almost out of time. I do think this is just
the area we have got to improve on with the authorities and how
we train our partner forces to address the issues in those
countries.
Thank you all for your time.
Dr. Jackson. Mr. Keating, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Keating. Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I thank all of you for your service.
And certainly demand, I think, for Special Operations
Forces presence all around the globe is higher than ever, given
those demands. I mean, even in Special Operations Forces Week
2024, General Fenton really reiterated during that period the
greater demand for the character, as the character of the
warfare evolves, as well as the convergence of our adversaries.
You mentioned, General Braga, too, the bond that we have
had with our allies and partners, how important that is. How is
the interoperability, given what you have all said about the
need to get specific assets in a timely fashion? What is the
interoperability with our allies and partners and how can that
be improved?
General Conley. Congressman, I can take that one first.
I would say just continued sets and reps. The more access,
the more time we spend forward -- you know, I would say to my
formation that virtual presence is actual absence, and there is
no replacement for being forward. So, our ability to continue
to be funded and supported, to be in a forward presence gives
us those touchpoints.
And right now, we are reaping benefits of lieutenants and
senior airmen that had interactions as lieutenants and senior
airmen that are now lieutenant colonels and chief master
sergeants that have had those relationships now for 20 years.
Mr. Keating. And I just want to shift to, General Braga
mentioned the role as global sensors. I think that is a very
important phrase that is there. That just doesn't mean working
with our partners and our allies; it also means working with
other American entities, among them, the State Department, and
among them, USAID. And given the cutbacks we have had with
USAID, can you speak to, particularly General Braga, the
importance, as part of those global sensors and your ability to
work in very difficult places in the world, having the presence
of USAID and other American entities?
General Braga. Yes, Congressman. I have had the benefit to
work with multiple embassy teams around the globe, and I think
we are strongest when we have a unified, synchronized effort of
all elements of national power for the United States national
security interests.
Mr. Keating. Yes, the communication together, and making
sure there is no seam, there's a seamlessness with that, can
you comment on that, General Huntley, too?
General Huntley. Yes, Congressman. Although I can't speak
directly to USAID, I will say that, outside of areas of
declared hostility, the interface and being tied into the local
country team, and specifically, their country plan, then helps
Special Operations Forces with their capabilities. Whether it
is civil affairs, whether it is information, or whether it is
building partnership capacity, if you are integrated with that
country team's country plan, that is the right way to do it,
and that is also in a lot of places on the globe where we
provide a significant amount of value.
Mr. Keating. Yes, I think it is not only being able to get
information, sense things in terms of being a global sensor,
but it is also a situation where you are building trust, and
that trust is important when you are dealing with our other
allies around the world.
Quickly, you know, a lot of this is going to be focused on
the shift to great power and what we have to do there. Can you
speak to what is occurring, too, with non-state actors and some
of those challenges that still remain? The shift that we made
is important, given what is happening and the character of
warfare, but also we still have these non-state actors that are
so difficult. Can anyone give us a little insight in terms of
those challenges now?
General Braga. The nexus of non-state and state is, I would
suggest, growing and I think our nation-state actors will take
every advantage they can. Whether it is relationships with drug
cartels or terrorist organizations, violent extremist
organizations, every facet of power that is available will be
leveraged by our nation-state adversaries, but the standalone
non-governmental ones are still threats to the homeland. We
look at Special Operations Forces as part of that solution to
address those challenges.
Mr. Keating. I don't know if anyone else wants to comment
on that.
General Huntley. Congressman, I talked about this a little
bit before in my opening comments. But what we are seeing is,
particularly non-state actors, their capabilities are
increasing and evolving relatively fast.
You know, just a quick, casual look at al-Shabaab or ISIS
in Eastern African, or even some of the narco organizations in
South America, what they bring to the tactical fight is,
frankly, pretty impressive. And they seem to be upgrading and
improving quickly. That is just kind of where the tactical
world is right now and that is where it is going. Our ability
to keep up with that, we can identify that; we know what we
have to do, but to be able to get those capabilities into the
hands of our operators or a small tactical units, I would
describe as critical.
Mr. Keating. I think that is important, given the nature of
their ability to deal with AI and other assets.
I yield back.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you.
Mr. Kelly, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Kelly. Thank you, Chairman, Dr. Jackson.
I, first, want to thank each of you. We conduct several
operations in Mississippi. We do Southern Strike, which is Air-
Force-centric and Special Operations Forces-specific. It is
very valuable with international partners. I think that is so
good.
I talked about earlier, General Huntley, our Marine
Raiders' training and using those resources. We have Stennis.
We have several locations. I really appreciate that and I think
that partnership is really good. I think it helps in a state
like Mississippi where we have the 20th Group or portions of
the 20th Group.
Talking about that, I know, General Braga, that you plug
into the 19th and 20th Special Forces Groups to help you
support global things. Is there anything we can do to improve
those relationships? Against all Reserve and National Guard,
Special Operations Forces forces that plug into you, what can
we do to improve that?
General Braga. Congressman, thank you for the question.
Like the active duty component entities underneath my
command, we do struggle with making choices on O&M, operational
and maintenance, funding for readiness, as well as innovation.
So, whether it is training for pre-deployment or developing a
new drone or a new munition, it is the same tension on the
funding there. So, we do find ourselves making difficult
decisions of getting our National Guard Forces ready for combat
and ready for deployment.
Mr. Kelly. And if any of you have comments? If not, I will
move to the next question.
Admiral Sands?
Admiral Sands. Thanks, Congressman. Just a brief comment
maybe on our Reserve Forces.
I would also offer that the condition of our Reserve
Forces, whether it is in the Army or in the Navy, especially
our Special Operations Reserve Forces, has really improved and
it is a huge advantage to us now.
I was a U.S. Special Operations Command Africa commander
before this. So, I had the 20th Group deploying out.
Unbelievable capability and they are really able to back up our
active duty forces.
Mr. Kelly. Thank you.
And just really quick, you know, we have the 127e; we have
several different authorities that each of you use. Are there
any new authorities that you think that we can help you get
that help you operate? Or are there improvements or
modifications that we could make to the current authorities
that would help you be better at great power competition?
General Braga. Congressman, I would say the authorities are
fantastic. The ability to blend those authorities on one
singular deployment would be advantageous for us. Whether you
are deployed and leveraging 127d or 127e, 333, or to build
partner capacity, the ability to switch between those would be
very advantageous for us, more flexibility. And I would argue
again for innovation-type funding that wouldn't challenge what
we need to build ready combat forces.
Mr. Kelly. And talking about that, International Military
Education and Training, our State Department I think has
prevented us from training almost a decade worth of people,
military training for foreigners to come here and train, which
later those guys wind up being the president or a minister of
defense or the general of their armies or navy or admirals of
their navies. How important is International Military Education
and Training in building relationships with states, which we
need to have great relationships to win great power competition
in the Pacific and Africa and South America?
General Huntley. Yes, Congressman, like my colleague to my
right, I'm a former TSOC commander, Theater Special Operations
Command. I'll tell you, in South America, International
Military Education and Training alumni are critical. The
relationship, just the connection that builds, the affinity,
frankly, for the United States, its culture, our way of
government, I think pays in incredible dividends. So, I am a
huge fan of International Military Education and Training.
Mr. Kelly. If we don't do that, do our competitors go give
them training, which is lesser quality, but also changes their
culture and values by what they learn through the military
training that they get in our country or another country?
General Huntley. They will actively exploit that space.
Mr. Kelly. And then, the final thing is, one of the things
I really push for is fungible funds that you guys -- and I
think it needs to be at the two- or three-star level, whatever
theater we are talking about -- that you can do projects,
military-type projects, that go through the State Department.
The ambassador would need to sign off. But we do lots of money,
we send money to places and we send these things, but there's
no tangible results that communities can see.
And I think of what I was in Djibouti and all they needed
was a foot bridge for some kids. And it cost like $80,000 to
do, but it was going to take us three years to do it. So, the
Chinese just built it.
Would just small-amount projects where you could build a
foot bridge, so kids don't get run over going to school, or
those things, would that be helpful to you to build
relationships?
General Braga. Congressman, it absolutely would.
And to answer your other question, International Military
Education and Training is critical. I stay in contact with two
of my foreign classmates from the Special Forces Qualification
course three decades ago. It is absolutely critical to expand
access and influence with true relationships, not partnerships,
but these are real relationships.
Mr. Kelly. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you.
Mr. Ryan, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Ryan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you all for being here.
Building on my esteemed colleague from the South with my
Yankee accent here, can you talk -- we have talked a lot about
our capabilities and our capacities, rightly so. Can you
assess, in maybe 30 seconds each, how do you assess our
adversaries on where their Special Operations Forcecs
capabilities are at; where they are going, whether that is in
some of the influence operations on other continents or,
specifically, within United States Indo-Pacific Command? I know
that is a lot in 30 seconds. But just how do we match up and
what should we learn from our adversaries that you all are
implementing?
General Braga. Congressman, thanks for the question.
I don't focus solely on Special Operations Forces versus
Special Operations Forces. I do focus on their regular warfare
approaches and their ability to use all facets of national
power -- economic, informational, diplomacy, lawfare,
psychological warfare. And that concerns me, their ease of
blending all that together for a more holistic effect.
Mr. Ryan. And are they way ahead of us on that? Or
significantly ahead of us?
General Braga. I think there are success stories around the
globe where they have succeeded.
General Conley. Congressman, I would say, from a threat
lens, they continue to improve every day. And it goes back to
my opening statement, where we can't keep up with the threat
because it takes us a long time to modify.
But from a Special Operations lens, I think we remain the
partner of choice, but that is fragile. You know, our lack of
investment, or if we take our eye off a particular country or
partnership, it is at risk of someone else exploiting that.
Admiral Sands. Mr. Congressman, as General Braga said, it
is not really a Special 0perations Forces-on-Special Operations
Forces fight most of the time, right? So, we are going at
really assessing our adversary capabilities as the larger
nation.
And what we see, certainly in United States Indo-Pacific
Command, is we see increasing capabilities across the board. I
think everybody is, obviously, tracking on that.
And then, what you are seeing, also, in places like Russia
is they are getting greater experience through combat, through
actual operations. And that is going to improve any country's
capabilities. So, we are keeping a close eye on that.
But I would say, at least in the maritime environment, we
still are out in front.
General Huntley. I will echo what my fellow commanders have
talked about, sir. That is really their ability to diffuse
everything, but also the freedom that they have, or freedom of
actions they have, to, basically, turn on issues relatively
quickly. In other words, whatever the authorities they have,
they seem to be quicker than ours.
Mr. Ryan. And just kind of building on that, as you were
saying, General Braga, before, this well-intentioned, but self-
imposed rigidity around our different authorities and what you
can do, when, and where, I think it is fair to say our
adversaries are not thinking the same way, to put it lightly.
And any recommendations that you have to us, building on
other questions from my colleagues, of how we can give more
flexibility to you all to match that is something I think we
are all very supportive of and wanting to hear and push on.
Switching gears with the small remaining time I have,
General Braga, I appreciate the time we spent the other week.
Many of my colleagues may know this, and if so, I
apologize, but could you just share the 18 X-Ray lessons
learned around, not just recruitment for you all, but,
actually, how that has affected the larger Army recruitment
piece?
General Braga. Thank you, Congressman.
Yes, the 18 X-Ray program is critical to Special Forces.
That is the off-the-street recruiting for Special Forces Green
Berets, which makes up over 50 percent of our force now. We had
a different model 20-25 years ago where it was only from the
Army, but it is a critical lifeblood to our Special Forces
Green Berets.
Since we are a high-standards organization, four out of
five both Special Forces Green Berets and Rangers do not
successfully make it through our rigorous assessment and
selection. Yet, they end up being successful non-commissioned
officers of the United States Army, which is a benefit for the
Army and recruiting efforts.
Mr. Ryan. Thank you.
And again, a lot of you are probably not aware, but I just
thought it was important to think about, as we are all dealing
-- other than the Marines, of course, where I was on -- dealing
with the recruitment challenge. And I thought it was really
creative and impressive.
So, I will yield back the balance of my time. Thanks, Mr.
Chairman.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you.
Mr. Van Orden, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Van Orden. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, gentlemen, for coming -- and, ma'am, in the
back. It is great to see you.
This is hard for me to articulate properly. We just, as Mr.
Crow said, got done with a couple of decades' worth of,
essentially, Counter Terrorism operations, and right now, it
seems like Special Operations Forces is kind of looking for,
you know, trying to find a new home.
And I would just caution you guys, you know, we talk a lot
about Unmanned Arial Vehicles and Artificial Intelligence, and
all these neato-torpedo -- information warfare, and all those
things. But, really, at the end of the day, a frogman and a
Raider and a Green Beret and a Ranger has got to be the guy
that is going to go into a room and bludgeon someone to death
with their hands. And we can't get away from that. Like we are
a different breed of people and we have to focus on our core
competency and that is killing the enemy, up close and
personal, for real. And so, I just want to make sure that we
don't lose focus on that, or we will lose, and that will not be
tolerated.
So, we have a conflict between the First and Fifth Special
Operations Forces Truths. You know, "Humans are more important
than hardware," but also most Special Operations Force missions
have to be enabled by non-special operations force operators,
right? And so, I just want to caution you, gentlemen, to
remember. There is a reason that those are written down. They
are written in blood.
So, of course, we need to have enablers. We have to have
mission specialists. We need to have people that are operating
these technologies. But we have to have the rifleman, General.
So, that is just a word of warning. Never forget who we are. A
tip of the spear, the spear is held in a hand and it is thrust
into the enemy's chest. And that is how a war is won.
So, when we are talking about this great power competition
stuff, we are trying to avoid a global conflagration, right?
Like we want to stop World War III from happening.
And my concern is this: if you are not posturing yourselves
to be able to act in these denied areas without direct
communications -- we have become so dependent on communications
and asking for the appropriate permissions, right? So, when we
are talking about operating in a denied area where command,
control, communications, computers, and intelligence is,
essentially, gone electronically, what are you guys doing, as
component commanders, to push down execution authorities to the
lowest possible level?
General?
General Huntley. Congressman, thank you for the question.
And if I could address first the part about lethality, at
our very core, now and forever, we are a lethal force. We have
talked about the character of war changing, but what hasn't
changed is the nature of war. So, even though technology is
rapidly advancing and we are doing our best to keep up, the
nature of war demands that we still be able to fight close and
personal.
Mr. Van Orden. Right on.
General Huntley. So, we have not changed in that regard.
I would have to defer questions in terms of what level the
authorities are to the combatant commanders, to my brothers in
the Theater of Special Operations Command, but the more
flexibility that we have, the more that we can provide to those
combatant commanders.
Thank you.
Mr. Van Orden. Very well. Thank you.
Admiral?
Admiral Sands. Thank you, Congressman.
To add onto the General's comments, and especially as a
fellow SEAL, our basic core competencies are never going to go
away. Like we can't ever forget that. We don't. When you talk
about Navel Special Warfare's identity, that is fundamental.
And then, we also have to do these other things where we
have to get to the target and it is really difficult to get
there. And we need to do things that are decisive.
So, it is not an either/or for us. It's an all of the
above. And I know you recognize that.
As far as pushing down the authorities, what we see,
especially in United States Indo-Pacific Command, is a
requirement -- it is going to be a different kind of fight. We
are going to be fighting more disperse. We are going to have
smaller elements and we have to fight through commander's
intent, right?
Mr. Van Orden. Right.
Admiral Sands. Purpose, method, end state, we have to push
that down, or we will have commanders who are just wondering
what to do. So, in the absence of leadership --
Mr. Van Orden. That has been my experience.
Admiral Sands. Yes, in the absence of leadership, we lead.
Or in the absence of orders and direction, right, we lead. So,
that is the way that we are moving, I think, and I think I can
say that for all of Special Operations Command.
Mr. Van Orden. General?
General Conley. Thank you, Congressman.
To the first point, well, outside of our special tactics
community, which is, you know, usually partnered with --
Mr. Van Orden. I'm totally done.
A group of your guys saved one squad from SEAL Team 4 in
Afghanistan in 20 by removing his shirt and waving his arms
because an Apache got wings level and was going to smoke him
with the Hellfire. So, thank you very much for saving our
brother's life, sir.
General Conley. Yes, Congressman. I mean, I have the honor
and blessing of working among heroes every day. But we also
have --
Mr. Van Orden. I used to.
General Conley. We haven't talked much about -- I mentioned
it as a core mission to strike, but we also have a very lethal
force that is above our Special Operations Forces partners.
Whether that is AC-130s, MQ-9s, or other things, we remain good
at that job.
Mr. Van Orden. General, I apologize, but my time has
expired, and I would like to give my colleagues the
opportunity. Thank you very much for coming here today.
I yield back.
Dr. Jackson. Thank you.
Well, we have reached our time here. So, what we are going
to do right now is we are going to adjourn the open session and
we are going to immediately reconvene in 2337 for the
classified session.
We will pick up in the order where we left off. So,
everyone can ask their questions in the classified session.
Before we leave, I just want to make one comment. I want to
thank you all for your time today. I want to thank you for your
service to our country.
I want to thank everybody in this room that is in uniform
right now for your service to our country, for the sacrifice
that you and your families endure on a daily basis to keep us
safe. So, thank you all.
And with that, we are adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 2:37 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
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A P P E N D I X
February 26, 2025
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PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
February 26, 2025
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[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
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WITNESS RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ASKED DURING
THE HEARING
February 26, 2025
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RESPONSE TO QUESTION SUBMITTED BY DR. JACKSON
General Braga. The Army views their Special Operations
Forces as integrated, interoperable, and innovating across the
spectrum of conflict on behalf of the Joint Force. Special
Operations Command and ASD SO/LIC are currently assisting OSD
and the services with accurately modeling SOF through wargaming
and simulation analysis.ARSOF are in high demand. USASOC was
able to fill 95.46% of validated requirements from Theater
Special Operations Commands and Geographic Combatant Commands
for the current fiscal year. We fill what requirements we can
while maintaining unit integrity, regional alignment, and
appropriate deploy-to-dwell ratios. If we do not fill a
requirement, it is either in order to maintain those tenants,
or, due to a lack of personnel. [See page 11.]
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QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS POST HEARING
February 26, 2025
=======================================================================
RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY DR. JACKSON
Dr. Jackson. Can you provide us the number or percentage of
requests you receive from the GCC's for support that were not able to
execute and generally why you are not able to fulfill the request?
Please include the total number of requests for forces/capability.
General Braga. USASOC receives requirements from Geographic
Combatant Commanders or Theater Special Operations Commanders once
validated by Special Operations Command. USASOC was able to fill all
but 37 of 816 (95.46%) validated requirements from Theater Special
Operations Commands and Geographic Combatant Commands for the current
fiscal year. We fill what requirements we can while maintaining unit
integrity, regional alignment, and appropriate deploy-to-dwell ratios.
If we do not fill a requirement, it is either in order to maintain
those tenants, or, due to a lack of personnel.
Dr. Jackson. What impact will the cuts to Army SOF have on your
ability to meet GCC requirements and support the joint force?
General Braga. Further cuts will have an impact on USASOC's ability
to generate forces in support of Theater Special Operations Commands
and the Geographic Combatant Commands. USASOC will continue to commit
available personnel against prioritized requirements while balancing
our mandate to generate trained and ready forces. Additionally, to
mitigate the effects of any potential cuts, USASOC is providing conus-
based support by centralizing select capabilities to conduct analysis
and planning support to deployed units from home station.
Dr. Jackson. Can you provide us the number or percentage of
requests you receive from the GCC's for support that were not able to
execute and generally why you are not able to fulfill the request?
Please include the total number of requests for forces/capability.
General Conley. In Fiscal Year 2025, Air Force Special Operations
Command received a total of 61 requests from 5 Geographic Combatant
Commanders to deploy a total of 5,601 personnel - the Command was able
to fill 47 (77%) of these requests (2,585 Air Commandos). The Command
remains 100% committed for Force Elements, in addition to Department of
the Air Force Air Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and Special Operations
Forces ad-hoc requirements. In support of EUCOM, CENTCOM, INDOPACOM,
SOUTHCOM, and AFRICOM, the Command has deployed 3.5 Special Operations
Task Groups, 11 Special Operations Task Units, and 6.5 Special Tactics
Teams, in addition to 66 ad-hoc and AEF taskings. My objective is to
provide a lethal, capable, and responsive force to the Geographic
Combatant Commanders to protect the Homeland and support the
President's objectives.
Dr. Jackson. Can you provide us the number or percentage of
requests you receive from the GCC's for support that were not able to
execute and generally why you are not able to fulfill the request?
Please include the total number of requests for forces/capability.
General Huntley. In Fiscal Year 2024, we received a total of 57
requests from the Geographic Combatant Commands (GCCs) to deploy an
additional 134 personnel across all seven GCCs beyond those already
scheduled to deploy. After carefully evaluating each request, we were
able to fulfill 3 staff support requests, accounting for 7 personnel,
with 2 requests supporting INDOPACOM and 1 supporting EUCOM.To provide
further context, we actively review and prioritize all requests based
on operational requirements and resource availability. Unfortunately,
we were unable to execute 54 of the 57 requests (94.73%) due to various
constraints, including competing operational demands, limited personnel
and unit of action availability, and existing deployment commitments.
We are working closely with the GCCs to understand their priorities and
requirements, and we are exploring ways to enhance our support to these
critical commands. By doing so, we aim to increase our responsiveness
to emerging requests and improve our overall support to the GCCs and
the Joint Force.
Dr. Jackson. Can you provide us the number or percentage of
requests you receive from the GCC's for support that were not able to
execute and generally why you are not able to fulfill the request?
Please include the total number of requests for forces/capability.
Admiral Sands. In Fiscal Year 2025 to date, GCCs have requested
Naval Special Warfare (NSW) force elements and Individual Augmentation
in support of 79 theater campaign activities validated by the Joint
Staff.Of these 79 total requirements, 50 were baseline requirements
(submitted via the annual requirements cycle) and 29 have been emergent
(out-of-cycle) requirements.Of the 50 baseline requirements, NSW did
not source 10 (20% unfulfilled). Of the 29 emergent requirements thus
far, NSW did not source 7 (24% unfulfilled). (Note: Request for
Individual Augmentation normally include multiple personnel under a
single requirement.)In aggregate, NSW was unable to source
approximately 22% of the requirements, generally due to a lack of
inventory of the force element or service member specialty requested or
lack of ability to provide the forces on an enduring (vice episodic)
basis if required.
______
RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MR. HAMADEH
Mr. Hamadeh. The Army recently announced a reduction of 3,000
positions in Special Operations Forces, including cuts to the 8th
Psychological Operations Group. This decision comes at a time when
adversaries like China and Iran are heavily investing in information
warfare and propaganda efforts.Why is the Army reducing its information
warfare capabilities instead of expanding them to counter these
threats?
General Braga. USASOC, as a Title 10 Headquarters, provided inputs
to HQDA's Total Army Analysis throughout the process. With respect to
psychological operations forces, USASOC examined where to divest of
legacy capabilities to invest for the future operating environment.Of
note, we are also committed to and participate in the Army's Continuous
Transformation initiatives. To that end, USASOC is integrating its
psychological operations capabilities within our Special Forces Groups
to enable more cohesive information operations.
Mr. Hamadeh. Did the Army conduct an analysis of how these cuts to
Special Operations Forces might impact our ability to compete in
information warfare against adversaries like China?
General Braga. The Army did conduct analysis-and included USASOC in
the dialogue-on how cuts to SOF might impact the US Government's
ability to compete against our adversaries. The Army also trusted all
of its subordinate headquarters, such as USASOC, with deciding how to
establish the right mitigation methods to meet the intent of TAA while
preserving capabilities.With respect to psychological operations
forces, USASOC examined where to divest of legacy capabilities to
invest for the future operating environment. Of note, USASOC is
integrating its psychological operations capabilities within our
Special Forces Groups to enable more cohesive information operations.
Mr. Hamadeh. Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga 8) Mr. Hamadeh. The
Army's white paper on force structure transformation states that
reductions prioritize positions that are "historically vacant or hard
to fill." However, recent data shows record-high enlistment under
President Trump's administration.If recruitment challenges are no
longer a primary issue, why is the Army still pursuing these cuts to
SOF?
General Braga. Recruiting remains a top priority for the Army and
USASOC. US Army Recruiting Command and HQDA are best postured to
address the broader state of recruiting and separately, the future Army
End Strength.TAA cycles do not wholly align with other variables, such
as SOF recruiting and retention-which has its own unique timeline.
Specifically, given ARSOF's unique training pipelines for our various
military occupational specialties, broader successes may not manifest
in our formations for 1 to 3 years. Despite these challenges, our
standards remain high.
Mr. Hamadeh. Will you commit to reversing these reductions and
rebuilding psychological operations teams? If not, will you at least
commit to halting further reductions without consulting Congress?
General Braga. HQDA is best postured to address the broader state
of future Army End Strength. As the USASOC Commander, I understand the
value of psychological operations and continue to commit to advocating
for our capabilities based on lessons learned throughout the operating
environment wherever possible.Additionally, all commanders have a
responsibility to contribute to information operations. As the
commander of ARSOF and proponent for three specific military
occupational specialties, I further commit to increasing the
cohesiveness of information operations wherever able and making the
most capable PSYOP forces with the resources provided.
Mr. Hamadeh. As adversaries like China and Iran continue to expand
their influence through unconventional means, how is SOCOM adapting its
core activities-such as unconventional warfare and information
operations-to maintain a competitive edge in contested environments?
General Braga. US Special Operations Command addressed its
adaptation of its core activities in the SOF Renaissance publication in
late 2024. It is "returning to its roots of unconventional warfare"
while balancing the needs of readiness, modernization, and operations.
ARSOF were created for this era and are well postured moving forward.
Mr. Hamadeh. Given rising demands on Special Operations Forces
amidst finite resources, what specific investments or policy changes
are needed to ensure SOF remains ready, lethal, and adaptable in this
era of great power competition?
General Braga. Investments and policy are the purview of others
(such as Congress, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special
Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, the Military Department
Secretaries, and Commander, United States Special Operations Command).
To address the challenges previously described in my testimony, I ask
for your continued support for our efforts to:
Establish an irregular warfare headquarters to address
transregional threats posed by our adversaries.
Remove barriers to establishing and training multidomain capable
units of action and the required and associated individual expertise.
Reexamine our doctrine to best integrate with the Army and Joint
Force Warfighting concepts.
Create linkages between USASOC, Space and Missile Defense, and
Cyber Commands will best enable us to support the Joint Force and the
Army.As I stated in my testimony, I see several challenges based on
observations of the current operating environment:
DoD's funding, acquisition processes, and bureaucracies are not
optimized to innovate at the speed of need.
Current fiscal authorities are not structured to meet the needs of
the operating environment.
Our people always benefit from the greatest proximity to problems
but require the right operational and fiscal authorities to identify
emerging capability gaps, pioneer solutions, share innovations, and
disseminate lessons learned.
Mr. Hamadeh. Arizona's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base has been
selected as the site for AFSOC's third power projection wing under the
"Re-Optimization for Great Power Competition" initiative. However, this
transition is currently paused by the Pentagon.Question: Can you
provide insight into how this pause will impact the timeline and
strategic importance of transitioning AFSOC operations to Davis-
Monthan?
General Conley. The establishment of an AFSOC Power Projection Wing
at Davis Monthan is separate from, and not impacted by, the larger
Reoptimization efforts currently on pause. The strategic basing
decision is awaiting National Environmental Policy Act analysis
completion to move to final decision.The Final EIS Notice of
Availability was published in the Federal Register on 14 March 2025
with a review period end-date of 14 April 2025. We anticipate an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Record of Decision and the
Strategic Basing Decision to be made in the Summer of 2025 (FY25/Q3).
(https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2025-04109/p-6)
Mr. Hamadeh. What steps can Congress take to ensure AFSOC's third
power projection wing transfer remains on track and supports Arizona's
8th District?
General Conley. Fund Air Force Military Construction requirements
within the Future Years Defense Program to ensure the timely completion
of the planned 492d Special Operations Wing beddown at Davis-Monthan
AFB
Mr. Hamadeh. As adversaries like China and Iran continue to expand
their influence through unconventional means, how is SOCOM adapting its
core activities-such as unconventional warfare and information
operations-to maintain a competitive edge in contested environments?
General Conley. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is in
a state of transformation - adapting into the force needed to operate
in this new reality. Today, Air Commandos deploy through a force
generation model, providing a repeatable, predictable, and sustainable
solution to present AFSOC forces. AFSOC counters our adversaries' use
of coercive statecraft in competition by, with, and through our Allies
and partners. Leveraging long-standing relationships, AFSOC uses our
access and placement to conduct asymmetric activities that challenge
our competitors' capabilities. AFSOC also supports irregular warfare by
employing Special Operations Air Advisors and other SOF experts to
conduct specialized activities to enhance our ally and partners
capabilities for competition and conflict. This enables them to share
the burden of their own defense. These activities help develop the
United States as a partner of choice creating interoperable and
integrated partnerships. Encouraging our Allies and partners to focus
on areas in which they have a competitive advantage allows AFSOC to
focus on areas that support our own national defense.
Mr. Hamadeh. Given rising demands on Special Operations Forces
amidst finite resources, what specific investments or policy changes
are needed to ensure SOF remains ready, lethal, and adaptable in this
era of great power competition?
General Conley. AFSOC enables the Joint Force by delivering SOF
mobility, strike, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
and air to ground integration across the spectrum of competition and
conflict. To maintain readiness, lethality, and adaptability, AFSOC
must be able to invest now in the things it will need later, providing
our force with the right tools to prevail across the spectrum of
conflict, supported by agile acquisitions processes, and reducing
barriers to unit fielding and employment of emerging technologies.
AFSOC will modernize via resilient and distributed command and control;
resilient position, navigation, and timing; modernized data links;
effective radio frequency countermeasures; crypto modernization; and
proliferated low-earth orbit satellite connectivity. Future all-domain
effects must be adaptable and modular, allowing them to be tailorable
to a range of threats while being survivable. Adaptive airborne mission
networks will allow a single operator to control multiple unmanned
aerial systems, providing mass ISR and an expanded magazine of kinetic
and non-kinetic effects. Our aircraft must be updated with capabilities
enabling long-range penetration and survivability for strike and
specialized mobility operations. Our Special Tactics Airmen need
critical sensing and enhanced communication abilities, robust command
and control, and resilient air-to-ground integration.AFSOC welcomes
further discussion at higher classification levels.
Mr. Hamadeh. As adversaries like China and Iran continue to expand
their influence through unconventional means, how is SOCOM adapting its
core activities-such as unconventional warfare and information
operations-to maintain a competitive edge in contested environments?
General Huntley. As adversaries like China and Iran expand their
influence through unconventional means, U.S. Special Operations Command
(SOCOM) is adapting its core activities to maintain a competitive edge
in contested environments. At Marine Forces Special Operations Command
(MARFORSOC), we are proactively integrating operations in the
information environment (OIE) capabilities, including cyber, space, and
influence, to deliver strategic effects in support of Geographic
Combatant Commanders (GCCs). We developed this integrated employment
concept in close coordination with the Marine Corps, Joint Force, and
inter-agency partners, and we are now expanding it to additional GCCs
to address their most pressing strategic requirements.Additionally, to
mitigate risks in this contested environment, we are developing and
implementing new policies that standardize personal and operational
communication mechanisms, techniques, and procedures for both CONUS
training and forward-deployed operations. By establishing these
standardized protocols, we are reducing the risk of adversary
collection and aggregation of unclassified data, which will
significantly decrease the overall risk to our force and mission in
support of GCCs. We are taking a proactive and coordinated approach to
enhance our unconventional warfare and information operations
capabilities, ensuring that MARFORSOC remains a key contributor to the
success of our GCCs and the broader SOCOM enterprise.
Mr. Hamadeh. Given rising demands on Special Operations Forces
amidst finite resources, what specific investments or policy changes
are needed to ensure SOF remains ready, lethal, and adaptable in this
era of great power competition?
General Huntley. Globally deployed Special Operations Forces
working with allies and partners in competition and conflict are
witnessing incredible advances in tactical sensing and lethality,
especially with small robots. SOF formations are advising and assisting
allies and partners in the development and employment of capabilities
that are unavailable to SOF formations because of legacy acquisition
models (to include requirements generation and test and evaluation) and
lack of funding to create a small, attritable robot innovation culture.
Mr. Hamadeh. As adversaries like China and Iran continue to expand
their influence through unconventional means, how is SOCOM adapting its
core activities-such as unconventional warfare and information
operations-to maintain a competitive edge in contested environments?
Admiral Sands. NSW is maintaining its competitive edge by
incorporating more man-portable, boat-portable, and vehicle-portable
combat systems into the tactics, techniques, and procedures for our
core activities. These next-generation combat systems use advanced
technologies to increase their power density, mobility, reliability,
survivability, and lethality. With these systems - which can be manned,
unmanned, or unattended - SOF teams can mitigate combat risks by
standing off from longer ranges, advising partners remotely, scaling up
actions with swarms and automation, and minimizing SOF footprints.
These advancements enable SOF to maneuver deeper into denied
environments, remain inconspicuous, target more precisely, and gauge
our lethality better.which enables SOF actions to more effectively
support our partners and allies as they are less disruptive and
destructive than conventional wide-area strikes.In the cases of
Unconventional Warfare and Foreign Internal Defense, SOF's improving
survivability and lethality is enabling US forces to provide effective
support to partners that helps preserve their legitimacy and
resilience.Smaller, more survivable, and more lethal teams in contested
environments rely even greater on effective, long range communications
and information operations.Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC)
supports the Joint Force through information Operations/Operations in
the Information Environment (IO/OIE) by incorporating non-kinetic
effects to complement kinetic actions and asymmetrically counter the
activities of our adversaries.We may use the following Information
Related Capabilities to this end:
Operations Security
Military Deception
Military Information Support Operations/Psychological Operations
Electronic Warfare
Cyber Operations
Space Control
Strategic Narratives
Special Technical Operations
Intelligence Support to IO/OIETo better meet operational
requirements in contested areas, we intend to continue to increase the
number of personnel trained in IO/OIE and to leverage emergent
technologies.
Mr. Hamadeh. Given rising demands on Special Operations Forces
amidst finite resources, what specific investments or policy changes
are needed to ensure SOF remains ready, lethal, and adaptable in this
era of great power competition?
Admiral Sands. We still require strategic investments in personnel,
platforms, technology, and infrastructure to remain ready, lethal, and
adaptable in this era of Great Power Competition (GPC). We must
prioritize talent management, budget stability, and interagency
collaboration to ensure our special operations forces continue to
excel.First, humans are more important than hardware - and so is
software! Platforms, technology, and infrastructure are key enablers of
SOF lethality. In this next generation of warfare, we will pursue
investments in maritime mobility, electronic warfare, unmanned systems,
manned / unmanned teaming and advanced sensors. Our intent is to scale
our maritime SOF capability with robots to enable Joint Force lethality
and survivability inside denied and contested areas.Second, the
acquisition communities supporting NSW require more flexibility and
agility in our budgeting processes. Continuing Resolutions create major
disruptions and reduce our ability to man, train, and equip "ready,
lethal, and adaptable forces." A stable and predictable budget allows
us to plan and execute with greater precision, as well as partner
effectively with the Defense Industrial Base, ensuring that our
personnel receive the training and equipment they need to stay ahead of
the curve.Third, we must prioritize talent management and retention
strategies within our active duty and civil service workforce. Our
personnel are our greatest asset, and it's essential that we continue
to invest in their development, whether through education, mentorship,
or career advancement opportunities. NSW will continue to work with the
Navy to recruit the best talent for assessment and selection. This will
help us retain top talent and maintain our competitive edge.Finally, we
need to focus on building stronger relationships with our interagency
partners and allies. As we face more complex global challenges, it is
essential that we collaborate more effectively across the spectrum of
conflict - from crisis response to combat operations.
[all]