New Strategy Rolled Out for U.S. Army Special Operations Command

By U.S. Army Press Release - October 18, 2019

U.S. Army Special Forces assigned to 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) prepare to assault an objective near Cincu, Romania June 19, 2019 as part of Trojan Footprint 19. Trojan Footprint is an annual U.S. Special Operations Command Europe-led exercise that incorporates Allied and partner special operations forces, this year’s exercise brought together 1400 SOF from ten nations for training over land, sea and air across Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and the Black Sea. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Patrik Orcutt).

Just in time for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command rolled out its new, Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) Strategy outlining priorities and capabilities in pursuit of the ARSOF Vision, while aligning with the Army’s plan to build momentum to modernize capabilities for the future.USASOC socialized the new strategy with Army and Department of Defense senior leaders along with congressional staff at the 2019 AUSA conference, Washington, D.C., Oct. 13-16.

“The 2018 National Defense Strategy was clear in its call to shake off strategic atrophy and restore America’s competitive edge,” said Lt. Gen. Francis M. Beaudette. “As state and non-state actors actively threaten our national security objectives, it is our professional obligation to provide the Army and Joint force with the most ready and lethal Army Special Operations Forces…”

Great power competition means the Nation is in conflict right now. USASOC remains ready and engaged against violent extremist organizations (VEOs) while also adapting to compete against Russia and China, and preparing for war as part of the Army Team.

Like the Army, USASOC’s priorities are People (the Army priority is Reform — taking care of People), Readiness, and Modernization. People remain the ARSOF platform and number one priority. Their strength, agility, and lethality are the foundation of Army Special Operations. The management of this priority ensures ARSOF continues to provide the Department with disciplined and premier problem-solvers who are the Army’s force of choice in competition and who set conditions to win in war.

USASOC invests in its Soldiers, Civilians, and Families through modern programs and policies. Utilizing the Army’s “21st Century Talent Management” initiative, USASOC will attract and retain the best Soldiers and Civilians, leveraging their expertise throughout their entire careers and beyond.

ARSOF seeks to improve each Soldier’s ability to meet requirements and maintain high levels of resiliency. USASOC will move to the next phase of Preservation of the Force and Family (POTFF) initiatives by enabling the holistic health of every ARSOF Soldier through innovative and multidisciplinary approaches to physical health, cognitive enhancement, as well as social and spiritual wellness.

Readiness is striking the right balance between preparation and execution with a healthy force that is brilliant at the basics. Utilizing discipline in sourcing ARSOF will achieve a sustainable 1:2 deployment to dwell as they continue to execute Counter-VEO operations while shifting to compete with near-peer adversaries. Through rigorous training and validation, USASOC Soldiers will remain ready for the nation’s most demanding war plans. By building the capacity of its Special Operations Joint Task Force (SOJTF) headquarters, USASOC’s ability to provide expeditionary campaigning in contingencies will meet any combatant commander’s wartime requirements.

Modernization consists of transitioning ARSOF to the Information Age. ARSOF formations excel in ground-up innovation — they will take this to the next level, using live battle labs of combat zones and Combat Training Centers to experiment and industrialize what works. ARSOF will secure quick access to technology and develop revolutionary force structure through the new USASOC Force Modernization Center (UFMC), focusing on Soldier lethality, mobility, survivability, and capabilities that enable a better understanding of the information environment and the weaponization of information. USASOC will reduce bureaucracy and optimize its processes to deliver what the ARSOF warfighter requires at the speed of need.

The ARSOF Strategy synchronizes efforts across the ARSOF enterprise to provide the Army with capabilities required to field a Multi-Domain Operations (MDO)-Capable Force by 2028, setting conditions to achieve Multi-Domain Dominance in 2035.

ARSOF continues to answer the Nation’s call — with more than 4,000 Men and Women deployed every day. ARSOF retains the hard-earned expertise from 18 years of war, while simultaneously leveraging every advantage of cutting-edge technology, firmly founded on the bedrock of Army and American values. With its world-class men and women, there is no problem ARSOF cannot solve.