Opening Satement (As Prepared)

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Thank you, Dr. Jackson, and thank you to our Special Operations Forces (SOF) Services Component Commanders for being here today to provide testimony on the role of United States special operations forces 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 and the global order.

As stated in the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS), countries like China and Russia use a broad range of diplomatic, informational, economic, and military tools to undermine our interests.

In order to effectively compete with and safeguard our national interests against these malign activities, we must find ways to counter their efforts.

Although the authority to leverage Irregular Warfare is not unique to special operations, it is essential. Irregular Warfare highlights core SOF 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.

If leveraged properly, the capabilities of our special forces will enable us to effectively counter adversarial messaging, improve the resilience and resolve of our foreign partners, and disrupt hostile networks.
 
This will require that we hone the lessons learned during the global war on terror, while also preparing to address the new challenges of 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 SOF 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 vulnerabilities, mitigate security concerns, and alter competitor perceptions of risks, costs, and benefits of certain actions.

Today we will examine the core activities of SOF and how they apply to great power competition after over two decades of SOF 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-plus years and should endeavor to maintain SOF’s 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’d like to take a moment to recognize the key to the success of our special operating forces, and what makes them the best at what they do – the people who serve and their families.

It is the exceptional people serving in our military and in our special operations forces, and their dedication and sacrifice, that truly make the difference. I want to thank all of you, and those you represent, for your service and what you do for this nation.   

Thank you again to Dr. Jackson and our witnesses. I look forward to a productive discussion.