Roles and Missions for Special Operations Forces in the 1990's

The challenges of the new world order in which the United States finds itself in the 1990s mandate a fresh look at how our special operations forces should be employed. Without a Soviet Union to serve as our defense focus, we must reconsider the various threats to our security and national interests, and consider how best to train, equip and organize to address them. The public groundswell demanding economies from the government in general, and the defense establishment in particular, forces the special operations forces to examine their capabilities and to look for ways to accomplish additional missions. While many tend to link special operating forces with low intensity conflict, recent experience in mid-intensity conflict proves their usefulness in that level as well. We must be prudent in the choices we make about missions and capabilities in the near term, so that we dont eliminate or degrade forces which offer a great deal of flexibility across the wide spectrum of conflict.