Across the globe, our adversaries and their state-sponsored proxies are conducting irregular warfare activities, operating in the shadows and seeking to disrupt U.S. economic activity, weaken our traditional alliances, and disrupt U.S. national security objectives.
In this evolving and increasingly complex security environment, U.S. special operations forces are uniquely capable, creating dilemmas and imposing costs on our adversaries while providing options and – when needed – decisive action for policymakers.
America has seen firsthand the amazing courage and ability of special operations in stunning fashion in Operations Midnight Hammer, Just Resolve and Epic Fury. Much like in the post-9/11 era, special operations are the go-to force for the most difficult and ”no-fail” strategic missions for the United States.
Yet we continue to under-resource this game-changing capability.
Since fiscal 2019, the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) budget has been flat, eroding purchasing power by about 15 percent, the equivalent of $1 billion. Special operations now represents less than 1.6 percent of the Pentagon’s budget, which is approaching historic lows, while demand surges. According to Adm. Mitch Bradley, the SOCOM commander, demand for special operations capabilities has risen 300 percent in the past five years alone.
Bradley, testifying to the House Armed Services Committee on March 18, said that in the past year alone, SOCOM had to deny requests for special operations capabilities on 70 different occasions because they did not have the resources available to meet the obvious and growing need. On April 28, in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Bradley added that “after five years of flat budgets, only with increased investment can we continue to meet the demands of competition, crisis, and modernization for future conflict.”
Continued failure to make strategic investments in special operations capabilities means delayed modernization and limiting our ability to stay ahead of our adversaries.
Special operations require advanced tools and capabilities to maintain superiority across the global security landscape. This includes electronic warfare capabilities, edge computing and communications in denied environments, survivability upgrades to legacy platforms, enhanced maritime domain sensing and awareness, and managed digital signatures for operators and their platforms alike.
Failure to properly resource special operations means a reduced ability to shape environments and confront adversaries below the threshold of open, armed conflict. Special operations rely on access and placement, enabled through decades of trust and relationships with our international partners. The tools and platforms necessary to conduct special operations activities at the pace being requested by global combatant commanders and policymakers requires a commensurate investment.
Most importantly, it means increased strain on a continuously high-demand force. One of the core tenets of special operations is that humans are more important than hardware. With increased operational tempo, coming on the heels of two decades of the Global War on Terrorism, we owe it to the exceptional men and women of the special operations community to ensure they have the resources needed to do the job.
Fortunately, Congress can help.
First, Congress should ensure the Assistant Secretary for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict position is elevated to a level which sufficiently reflects the more significant role special operations plays in our national defense. That office currently lacks the seniority, budgetary control, and authorities necessary to effectively advocate special operations resources and priorities, leaving special operations without a seat at the right table. (Ultimately, given the evolving nature of warfare, Congress may need to elevate special operations to its own service branch.)
Absent the seniority and authority needed to force change, the results are evident: a force that is heavily relied upon, but which has seen its share of the Pentagon’s growing budget decrease, year after year. In an organization where rank matters, special operations has earned a promotion.
Second, as Congress begins consideration of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act and annual appropriations, it should ask SOCOM to describe in detail the impact of flat and declining budgets and provide necessary authorities and resources to close the gaps. Instead of allowing Pentagon bureaucrats to decide what SOCOM can live with, Congress needs to ask what special operations needs.
In its FY27 request, the Pentagon has bracketed for SOCOM $10.89B for O&M, $2.79B for procurement, and $1.62B for RDT&E — with a little rounding, that’s roughly $15.3 billion, or a little over 1 percent of the total defense budget. Now think about all SOCOM brings to the table, and consider if that seems right.
Of course it doesn’t, so then the next question is what adequate funding would look like. Budgeting for the minimum necessary and strictly keeping pace with inflation going back to FY19, the SOCOM budget should be at least $24 billion by FY31. With the projected FY31 national defense budget to be $1.355 trillion, that would still be less than 2 percent of overall defense spending. We cannot afford to waste more time shortchanging SOCOM.
Ultimately, increasing SOCOM’s budget is a strategic imperative and investment in preserving America’s asymmetric advantage. It ensures that when policymakers need flexible and scalable options, those options are ready. Our adversaries have already adapted, and we need to ensure we stay one step ahead.
Incrementalism is not sufficient in meeting the moment. Bold action is needed to stem the tide. Getting back on track starts now, and Congress can help provide SOCOM with the desperately needed resources to remain the premier irregular warfare force in the world.
Until then, Congress can help strengthen one of the most cost-effective instruments of American power and put SOCOM on a path towards the $24 billion minimum needed to ensure America’s safety and security.
Christopher Miller was the former Acting Secretary of Defense. Phil Anderson is the President of SOF Action and Advisory Board Member to the Global SOF Foundation.