Rangers and the Strategic Requirements for Direct Action Forces

The national security and national military strategies describe the objectives ends of U.S. national security policy. Special operations provide ways to achieve these ends, to include direct action. The tools for direct action include small teams and stand-off attacks with precision-guided munitions, among others. This analysis indicates that the achievement of strategic ends also requires a large-scale special operations ground direct action force to accomplish direct action missions beyond the capabilities of other assets. These fall into two groups strategic raids and tip of the spear forcible entry operations. This study presents a constellation of capabilities that a direct action force must possess in order to accomplish these missions most effectively.