Don’t Overcommit U.S. Special Operations Forces

U.S. special operations forces are widely considered to be some of the most highly trained and effective military units in the world and, as a result, they have played a critical role in America’s wars. Nowhere is that truer than in the Middle East and North Africa, where the U.S. military has been in prolonged engagements since 2001. U.S. military commitments in the region have gradually decreased since the George W. Bush Administration but President Barack Obama, and now President Donald Trump, have continued to rely heavily on special operations forces.

The Cipher Brief’s Fritz Lodge spoke with Retired Brigadier General Russell Howard, former Director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, Senior Fellow at Joint Special Operations University and former Commander of the 1^st Special Forces Group, about the role that special forces play in the MENA region.