Righting The Course For America’s Special Operators

“With his momentous statements delivered during a recent event at Fort Bragg, Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller significantly progressed a herculean effort some thirty years in the making. Elevating the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict to a position equal to the Defense Department service secretaries might sound like bureaucratic reshuffling, but it will change the shape of American power. This change will greatly increase the impact of special operations on national defense, improve advocacy for special operations personnel and their families, and assert real civilian control and oversight of U.S. Special Operations Command. Regardless of who serves as secretary of defense in the Biden administration, these changes ought to be sustained and institutionalized. The incoming secretary of defense should adopt comprehensive policies to advance these reforms. Further, Congress should enact long-overdue legislative changes to make them permanent.”