Pushing the easy button: special operations forces, international security, and the use of force

Abstract

In the “golden age of special operations,” elite forces have become a “go-to” form of military power. While special operations security practitioners have paid considerable attention to the increasing significance of elite forces in policy and practice, international relations scholars have generally overlooked this evolution in military affairs. In this essay, I argue that special forces, like drones, have become an attractive, “remote” option for decision-makers because of their clandestine nature, lethality, and comparatively small footprint. Because these qualities make it easier for decision-makers to privilege military instruments of power in statecraft, pushing the special forces “easy button” risks lowering the threshold for the use of force and, therefore, risks destabilizing regional and international security orders.