Timothy Furnish
It’s been almost a quarter-century since the United States last fought a conventional war. That was when we invaded Iraq in 2003.
Since then, American military operations have been dominated by “low-intensity conflict” (LIC), which is “political-military confrontation between contending states or groups below conventional war and above the routine, peaceful competition among states.” LIC more often than not involves “irregular warfare,” which is “a violent struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence over the relevant populations.” (This excludes aircraft and drone strikes, which this millennium the US has conducted well over 14,000 times.)
Which units engage in such operations? Army Green Berets, Delta Force, and Rangers; Navy SEALs; MARSOC (Marine Corps Special Operations Command); Air Force Pararescue Jumpers; and several others, totaling about 70,000 personnel.
So when the DoD officials who command these Special Operations Forces (SOF) — the ones tasked with engaging in LIC — testify before Congress, we should take note.
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