What’s Wrong With ARSOF? | Small Wars Journal

LTC Eric Udouj interesting article: It gets worse, SF battalions and brigades normally don’t fight as battalions and brigades. They don’t maneuver subordinate formations during battle. SF’s maneuver units are the teams and even companies don’t maneuver teams. Teams maneuver their partner nation’s forces. They organize and conduct most of their training. They conduct the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP), forecast and execute budgets, and plan and prepare for and execute overseas deployments. An SF battalion operations officer does little more than track metrics like teams deployed and training requirements. During a combat tour an SF battalion operations officer sits in an operations center and tracks where teams are and what they are doing. He does not assist the battalion commander in maneuvering those forces on the battlefield, it is a very different experience than a conventional forces battalion. But, that is where SF gets its future general officers. Not from guys working at embassies who have built decades of relationships with foreign nationals and worked in their armies. Not from guys who have worked at the Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOCs) and understand the strategic and operational levels. SF gets its future general officers from guys who track tactical metrics.

Interesting article. There has always been a battle between SOF and regular forces, but I was unaware of the battles within Army SOF. One thing that I have always questioned though, is SOF the best place for CA and Psyops units? I don't know that answer. Just throwing the question out there.

As humans, we like the tangibles that can be measured ASAP. Psyop takes time to measure is effect. SOF can be measured both physically in effect, as well as its morale effect against the enemy.