There is a new Special Operations Forces (SOF) Vision Statement and Strategy. United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (SOLIC) have teamed up to publish the document. This partnership is in itself noteworthy, given the quiet angst surrounding the SOLIC’s new “Service-Secretary” role in overseeing U.S. SOF.

It should come as little surprise that the new SOF Vision shifts focus toward great power competition, as can be seen in its thesis statement:

The SOF Strategy provides a framework to guide our evolution from the world’s premier Counter Terrorism (CT) force into one optimally suited to support the Joint Force and the Nation as part of integrated deterrence. Across this spectrum, SOF will conduct sustainable, priority CT operations, while supporting integrated deterrence, and preparing for potential high-end conflict.

The SOF Vision, which was released on April 11, 2022, has much to unpack, and deserves to be reviewed in its entirety.