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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsU.S. Special Operations forces deployed to 147 countries—75% of the nations on the planet
Why Are U.S. Special Forces Operations Expanding Across the Globe?This year alone, U.S. Special Operations forces have been deployed to a record-shattering 147 countries75% of the nations on the planet.
Nick Turse
In These Times
Theyre some of the best soldiers in the world: highly trained, well equipped, and experts in weapons, intelligence gathering, and battlefield medicine. They study foreign cultures and learn local languages. Theyre smart, skillful, wear some very iconic headgear, and their 12-member teams are capable of conducting the full spectrum of special operations, from building indigenous security forces to identifying and targeting threats to U.S. national interests.
Theyre also quite successful. At least they think so.
In the last decade, Green Berets have deployed into 135 of the 195 recognized countries in the world. Successes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Trans-Sahel Africa, the Philippines, the Andean Ridge, the Caribbean, and Central America have resulted in an increasing demand for (Special Forces) around the globe, reads a statement on the website of U.S. Army Special Forces Command.
So what of those Green Berets who deployed to 135 countries in the last decade? And what of the Special Operations forces sent to 147 countries in 2015? And what about those Geographic Combatant Commanders across the globe who have hosted all those special operators?
I put it to Vietnam veteran Andrew Bacevich, author of Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country. As far back as Vietnam, he tells me, the United States military has tended to confuse inputs with outcomes. Effort, as measured by operations conducted, bomb tonnage dropped, or bodies counted, is taken as evidence of progress made. Today, tallying up the number of countries in which Special Operations forces are present repeats this error. There is no doubt that U.S. Special Operations forces are hard at it in lots of different places. It does not follow that they are thereby actually accomplishing anything meaningful.
Theyre also quite successful. At least they think so.
In the last decade, Green Berets have deployed into 135 of the 195 recognized countries in the world. Successes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Trans-Sahel Africa, the Philippines, the Andean Ridge, the Caribbean, and Central America have resulted in an increasing demand for (Special Forces) around the globe, reads a statement on the website of U.S. Army Special Forces Command.
So what of those Green Berets who deployed to 135 countries in the last decade? And what of the Special Operations forces sent to 147 countries in 2015? And what about those Geographic Combatant Commanders across the globe who have hosted all those special operators?
I put it to Vietnam veteran Andrew Bacevich, author of Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country. As far back as Vietnam, he tells me, the United States military has tended to confuse inputs with outcomes. Effort, as measured by operations conducted, bomb tonnage dropped, or bodies counted, is taken as evidence of progress made. Today, tallying up the number of countries in which Special Operations forces are present repeats this error. There is no doubt that U.S. Special Operations forces are hard at it in lots of different places. It does not follow that they are thereby actually accomplishing anything meaningful.
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U.S. Special Operations forces deployed to 147 countries—75% of the nations on the planet (Original Post)
portlander23
Oct 2015
OP
hack89
(39,171 posts)1. Training other countries' militaries has always been a core mission. Nt
Octafish
(55,745 posts)3. I prefer those countries train their own troops.
Once there were a lot of Democrats who took that stand.
hack89
(39,171 posts)4. We have a lot of friends and allies in the world
This is one way we help them out.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)2. So why are none of them in Saudi Arabia neutralizing ISIS funders
What good does it do having bullet pushers if you do nothing about the source of money that finances terrorists? Oh, they own a bunch of big banks and multinational corporations. Now, that makes sense.