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Unconventional Warfare: Rebuilding U.S. Special Operation Forces
Hardcover
Series: Rediscovering Government Series
Armed ForcesGeneral Political ScienceUnited States Politics
ISBN13: 9780815754763
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Published: Apr 1 1997
Pages: 336
Weight: 1.42
Height: 1.21 Width: 6.34 Depth: 9.31
Language: English
For four decades after World War II, U.S. Special Operations Forces--including Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, Air Force special operations aircrews and Special Tactics Group--suffered from mistrust and inadequate funding from the military services. They were nearly eliminated from the active force following the Vietnam War. But in the past fifteen years, special operations forces have risen from the ashes of the failed 1980 rescue of American hostages in Iran to become one of the most frequently deployed elements of the U.S. military. They are now adequately funded, better-equipped, and well-trained. Special operations forces are often the nation's first military response when faced with a crisis in today's uncertain and unstable international security environment.
While offering insights into how the U.S. government makes policy, Susan Marquis also offers a revealing look at the special operations community, including their storied past, extreme training, and recent operational experience that continues to forge their distinctive organizational mission and culture. She describes the decade-long struggle to rebuild special operations forces, resulting in new SOF organizations with independence that is unique among U.S. military forces, an independence approaching that of a new military service.
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