Considerations for Integrating Women into Closed Occupations in the U.S. Special Operations Forces

The Afghan model of warfare uses indigenous allies to replace American conventional ground troops by exploiting U.S. airpower and small numbers of American special operations forces. Some argue that this model is widely applicable, enabling a major restructuring of the U.S. military and considerable freedom for American military intervention. An assessment of such claims in light of recent combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, however, finds the model's applicability to be more limited. Where U.S. allies have had skills and motivation comparable to their enemies', the Afghan model has proven extremely lethal even without U.S. conventional ground forces. But where U.S. allies have lacked these skills, they have proven unable to exploit the potential of American airpower. The model can thus be a powerful tool, but one with important preconditions for its use—and these preconditions limit its potential to transform U.S. force structure or defense policy.

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The U.S. Strategic Paradox, Third-Party Proxies, and Special Operations Forces

Special Operations Journal ◽

10.1080/23296151.2016.1239986 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 135-145

Author(s):

Richard Rubright

Keyword(s):

Third Party ◽

Special Operations ◽

Special Operations Forces ◽

The U.S

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How Can the United States Move toward Gender-Neutral Special Forces?: Lessons from the Norwegian Military

Expeditions with MCUP ◽

10.36304/expwmcup.2020.06 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mariah Loukou

Keyword(s):

The United States ◽

Training And Education ◽

Special Operations ◽

Support Teams ◽

Training Systems ◽

Special Operations Forces ◽

Separate System ◽

Female Soldiers ◽

The U.S

Militaries serve as cornerstones of many nations, and often behaviors within these militaries are reflected in society, and vice-versa. This article discusses key instances of female soldiers serving in the U.S. military and, more specifically, U.S. special operations forces. Team Lioness, Female Engagement Teams (FETs), and Cultural Support Teams (CSTs) have demonstrated not only that women are capable of serving in frontline roles but also that there exists a need for them to serve in those roles. This leads to an examination of whether a separate system of training and education for female soldiers could add value to the U.S. military’s current training systems. This article also takes a close look at the Norwegian Special Operations Forces all-female unit Jegertroppen, or Hunter Troop, to assess its advantages and drawbacks. The article concludes that despite some drawbacks regarding long-term deployment, the Jegertroppen program confirms the advantages of a separate system of training and education for female soldiers that could perhaps benefit the U.S. military.

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