Special Operations Forces in the Gray Zone: An Operational Framework for Using Special Operations Forces in the Space Between War and Peace

Abstract

In September of 2015, the United States Special Operations Command published a report on the challenges presented by hostile adversarial actions that exist outside of the “traditional peace/war duality.” Yet neither that paper nor subsequent treatments of the subject address the central question of when and how to employ the most innovative, subtle, and adaptable instruments of national power—special operations forces—in these ambiguous threat environments. This article provides an initial inquiry into this question. After discussing the inadequacy of current operational models to address “gray zone” challenges (however loosely defined), the article introduces and uses an alternative model to illuminate the utility of special operations forces power at various points on the escalatory spectrum. The paper closes with additional questions to spur further research and a synopsis that addresses the implications of the model to the United States’ overall approach to gray zone competition.