About SOF Action
Our Mission
U.S. adversaries – including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea – are increasingly using irregular and asymmetric approaches to erode U.S. influence and dominance across the globe. At the same time, our nation’s premier capability for countering those activities and conducting our own highly-effective, networked irregular warfare activities – special operations forces – have seen years of flat budgets. The impact of this cumulative under-resourcing is clear:
- Since 2018, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) budgets have been flat in total dollars and steadily declining because of high inflation. As a result, over the past five years, USSCOCOM’s purchasing power has declined by 14%. This decline, coupled with significant personnel reductions, is in stark contrast to the demand for special operations capabilities. Since FY23, that demand from Global Combatant Commanders has increased by 35%.
- USSOCOM is allocated less than 1% of the Department of Defense (DOD) research budget, significantly limiting SOF’s ability to remain at the cutting edge of technical adoption and utilization of advanced tools to effectively conduct irregular warfare activities.
- In 2024, USSOCOM had 3.2% of total DOD personnel but only 1.5% of the DOD procurement budget. USSOCOM has seen also seen harmful cuts to research, development, testing and evaluation resources, with only 0.8% of the budget.
- No-fail missions and Presidentially directed crisis response requirements have surged 200% since 2022. Despite these realities, in FY25, the President’s budget request for USSOCOM was only 1.64% of the total DOD budget.
This has left us with an under-resourced SOF at a time when our adversaries have strengthened their capabilities and increased sophisticated, asymmetric warfare activities around the world.
It is time to reimagine and reinvigorate the role of SOF as our nation’s premier irregular warfare force and commit to expanding the SOCOM budget to 4% of the total DOD budget.
We have lost critical time, and U.S. interests around the world are at risk. Urgent action is needed – now – because a stronger SOF means a safer America.
SOF Action was established in response to what we believe are critical impediments to the continued success of the special operations community.
First, we are concerned by years flat budgets and declining purchasing power for USSOCOM. We firmly believe in the third SOF Truth: special operations forces cannot be mass produced. A capable and credible special operations community requires sufficient, predictable resources to meet the incredibly high standards placed on the men and women tasked with our Nation’s most sensitive missions. There are no shortcuts to this success; insufficient resources have an outsized negative impact on our national security objectives and are especially acute within special operations. Our national security interests are poorly served by forcing USSOCOM into unnecessary and dangerous tradeoffs between readiness and modernization. Our adversaries do not make those calculations and neither should we.
Second, we believe the critical skills and capabilities of our special operations community are not widely understood in today’s era of global competition. While SOF played an outsized role in the Global War on Terrorism, today some mistakenly assume the era of special operations relevance is waning. This neglects the history of SOF, which is defined by agility, innovation, and continual adaptation to meet the challenge of evolving threats. Irregular warfare is the defining element of global competition today and the skills and capabilities of special operations forces are critical in shaping the operational environment to our collective advantage.
Third, we support the agile, creative, results oriented culture that defines SOF. We are focused on advocating for the flexible authorities and tools USSOCOM needs to provide SOF with the capabilities needed to remain the most capable and lethal force in the world.
Finally, in support of these objectives, we advocate for necessary structural and bureaucratic changes to enable our SOF community to succeed. While the role of SOF only increases – from managing crisis response and counterterrorism operations to creating dilemmas for our adversaries outside areas of active conflict – we must ensure SOF has the support needed to succeed.
Recommended Structural Changes
- Designate USSOCOM in the Unified Command Plan as the Irregular Warfare Command and in the Guidance for Employment of the Force as the supported Command for Irregular Warfare.
- Task and resource USSOCOM to design and execute a global irregular warfare campaign against state and non-state adversaries, to include narcotics interdiction missions on the southern border and operations to disrupt and destroy fentanyl pipelines at the source.
- The National Security Strategy should emphasize the importance of a whole-of-government approach to irregular warfare. The National Defense Strategy should in turn specifically delineate the role of USSOCOM as responsible for executing this strategy.
- Consider elevating the role of special operations withing the Pentagon, including establishing an Under Secretary of Defense for Irregular Warfare and Special Operations (OUSD IW&SO). With effective, senior-level civilian leadership in place, this official should claim budget authority over USSOCOM consistent with how other Service Secretaries operate.
- Establish the Defense Special Operations and Irregular Warfare Council to provide independent insight and assessments of the capabilities, resource requirements, and authorities necessary to ensure an effective special operations enterprise.
Recommended Refocused Priorities
- Fully resource and expand offensive and defensive cyber activities as part of a broader irregular warfare strategy.
- Fully resource and expand information operations in every theater. This should include allowing for flexible acquisition for the implementation of rapidly evolving technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, expanding Psychological Operations units, and deepening coordination with Allies and partners.
- Develop and fully resource tools to enable global operations with low or no digital signature. Identity management tools must be developed and expanded to provide protection for all operators and supporting elements. This should include procurement of SOF unique air and maritime platforms to enable global clandestine operations.
- Develop and fully resource clandestine logistics tools and systems to provide sustainment for SOF teams operating in the most sensitive, high-risk missions and areas around the globe.
- Develop and fully resource electronic warfare and electronic attack tools specifically to be man portable or placed on small, SOF unique mobility platforms. This includes all manned and unmanned air and maritime platforms.