You are cordially invited to a discussion on the topic of
Special Operations Forces in Diplomacy
with
Ambassador Charlie Ray, Former U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe and Cambodia
Jesse Lee, Principal, Institute for the Management of Conflict (Humanitarian Development and Stabilization Operations)
Glenn Pangelinan, Founder, Reliance Project (Anti-Human Trafficking, Sex Slavery, Child Soldiering)
Monday, June 27 ● 4:00 PM
The Institute of World Politics
1521 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Parking map
Today’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) elements have been trained to face the challenging environments that lie ahead. Over the last decade, the U.S. has moved from high-visibility interventions to ones that emphasize a lighter footprint through contingency and counterinsurgency operations. The dismantling of Al Qaeda in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan, with the use of only a few SOF elements in partnership with local forces, has shifted the way policymakers view the impacts of low-intensity conflict. The flexibility and adaptability of U.S. SOF elements support the integration of SOF intelligence and operations into the ambit of U.S. diplomatic, strategic and operational planning.
U.S. policy now requires capacity-building programs in pre- and post-conflict communities through foreign security assistance and development partnerships. In all aspects of strategic conduct, the intelligence, operational and civil affairs skills of SOF elements prove integral to the planning of U.S. policy and diplomacy.