This has been a long and very tough war for your command, which has taken its share of casualties and been busier than ever before. What has this almost decade-long conflict done to your command and warriors, and what kind of shape are they in today in 2012?

A decade of war coupled with a consistently high demand for SOF has exerted a physical and emotional stress and unsustainable pressure on our force and families. On any given day, USSOCOM has forces deployed in more than 70 countries worldwide. Deployment data from the last 10 years shows a constant demand for a “steady state” deployed force of nearly 12,000 SOF to support the requirements.

My top priority and directive is to win the current fight. But, we cannot win the current fight without preserving the force and its families. Our people are our most valuable asset. I am fully committed to doing everything I can to ensure our exceptional SOF warriors and their families are taken care of now and in the years to come.

The USSOCOM Care Coalition program provides outstanding support to wounded SOF warriors and their families and is a model for patient advocacy within the Department of Defense.

I have appointed a brigadier general and my command sergeant major to lead the Preservation of the Force and Families Task Force, a program that takes a holistic approach to support and implement innovative solutions to improve the well-being of our force and families. Resiliency programs are facilitating early identification of underlying SOF issues relating to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. We’re examining new ways to add more predictability to SOF deployments and increase what I call “head on pillow time.” Predictability is a key element of long-term performance and resiliency. We are also looking at education opportunities, training opportunities, along with pay and incentives.

The USSOCOM Care Coalition program provides outstanding support to wounded SOF warriors and their families and is a model for patient advocacy within the Department of Defense.

When it comes to supporting our people, to me everything is on the table. Every opportunity I get I tell them I hear them, I am aware of the strain placed on them, and I am personally committed to alleviating the pressure on them and their families.

One hurdle we have to overcome is we have a force of Type A personalities who came into SOF because they are hard, tough men and women. Now we want them to come forward and expose their problems and fears. That’s not easy for them to do.

What do you think the state of training is within the force today and what are the plans for improving training in the future?

In the 25 years since SOCOM was created, we have adapted and performed beyond expectations, but times are changing and our enemies are on the move. I think our combat skills are at an all-time high due to 10 years of multiple rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Where I see a need is in improving our leader development and education. In that regard we are developing programs designed to train, educate, and manage the career paths of our SOF leaders. These programs will result in a tailored SOF professional military education plan along with more training opportunities that will provide our leaders with the tools necessary to effectively operate in today’s complex environment, especially in language and cultural awareness.

We are working with the services to effectively manage career progression of SOF leaders, including assignments to key combined, joint, and interagency organizations.

SOF’s future success depends on the qualities and experiences gained by our force while working in diverse circumstances, not just working in diverse conditions and theaters. The key will be for us to remain adaptive so we can remain relevant. We will do that not by looking back at what we did well, but looking forward to how we can do it better.

The key will be for us to remain adaptive so we can remain relevant. We will do that not by looking back at what we did well, but looking forward to how we can do it better.

 

What is the current status of the planned expansion of SOCOM? What will be the organization and strength of SOCOM when this program is completed?

We are currently at an authorized strength of approximately 66,000 personnel growing to approximately 70,000 by fiscal year 2015. The increased personnel authorizations are spread across our five subordinate component commands: the United States Army Special Operations Command; Air Force Special Operations Command; Naval Special Warfare Command; Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command; and the Joint Special Operations Command.

One of the USSOCOM SOF “truths” is that SOF cannot be mass-produced. Even with the Quadrennial Defense Review-directed expansion of the force, the increase in operational tempo to meet the current demand by the geographic combatant commanders has placed incredible pressure on the SOF force. Continuation of the QDR-directed SOF growth is essential to meeting this current and projected demand for SOF. As total forces start to draw down in Afghanistan, SOF’s specific capabilities will likely drive increasing requirements.

Over the last 10 years, the nation has recognized the value of SOF in this ambiguous operating environment. Because our force is uniquely recruited, assessed, selected, and trained to perform these difficult missions, the projected SOF growth rate through fiscal year 2017 is 3 to 5 percent.