Abstract
Recent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have re-opened the debate about the strategic utility of special operations forces (SOF). This article follows the debate and identifies the main factors that contribute to the strategic utility of SOF in various types of conflicts. Drawing upon Israeli experiences with special operations it demonstrates that, contrary to the commonly held view that Israeli SOF have significant strategic utility, Israel is has difficulties utilizing its SOF during large-scale military campaigns, despite their impressive utility in discrete operations. The article draws inferences from the Israeli case regarding the tension between the potential for unique strategic utility of SOF and the desire to have special operations complement the general military effort. The article concludes that the geostrategic environment informs the SOF's strategic utility: the operational concept determines expected strategic utility, and the organizational setting shapes the SOF's ability to fulfil their potential utility.
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