Opening Statement (As Prepared)
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I want to thank the Chairman for convening this hearing on “U.S. Special Operations Forces Command - Challenges and Resource Priorities for Fiscal Year 2026.” I also want to thank our witnesses for their testimony.
In previous years, we’ve opened this hearing by acknowledging how dynamic the current global security environment is. I think to say the current global security environment is dynamic would be a massive understatement.
The United States is facing an increasingly turbulent global world order strained by accelerating strategic competition among major powers, more intense and unpredictable transnational challenges, and multiple regional conflicts with far-reaching implications.
The bar to access advanced technology like AI and complex cyber tools has never been lower, allowing non-state actors and violent extremist organizations to punch above their weight and enabling them to destabilize countries and negatively influence our partners and allies.
And those are just the things we know to be true today. Who knows what challenges tomorrow will bring.
The challenges and threats of today and tomorrow demand the full attention of this Administration and the Department of Defense, and I urge them to especially consider how we support the unique capabilities of the special forces community, who are called upon to assist combatant and functional commands and their campaigns at a rapidly increasing tempo.
For more than 20 years, the special forces community has served as the primary tool in the fight against terrorism and countering violent extremist organizations. That was the mission required of us in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere – a mission that I carried out as an Army Ranger.
And while we still need to maintain that capability and not lose sight of those hard-won gains, we must also prepare to face future challenges:
• In the era of great power competition, how is the special forces community postured to support this effort?
• Do they have the right training, manning, equipping, institutional support, funding, and professional military education system?
In a rapidly changing threat environment, the special operator is one of this country’s greatest advantages and it is our job to ensure we continue to hone and support this highly capable and agile force.
I know that our special forces will continue serving at the forefront of America’s defense strategy, and will be essential to supporting the whole of government integrated deterrence approach, as articulated in the 2022 National Defense Strategy.
Indeed, the 2022 National Defense Security Strategy uses a variation of the word “deter” 56 times when outlining how we:
• Check Russian aggression,
• Out-compete adversaries like the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and
• Check rogue states like North Korea, Iran, and non-state actors.
The special forces community is best equipped to provide the U.S. with strategic options to deter conflict and ensure the joint force prevails should conflict occur.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on how they have prepared to do what is needed for deterrence while ensuring we maintain the capability to find and eliminate violent extremists, and be ready to respond to an international crisis.
Deputy Assistant Secretary Jenkins and General Fenton, I want to thank you and your teams—the men, women, and families within the special forces community today and those who came before. Their dedication and sacrifice represent the very best of who we can be as Americans.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.