special operations warfare

Introduction
Differences between special operations warfare and conventional warfare
Economy and risk
Special designation, equipment, and training
Flexibility and adaptability
Direct and indirect force

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command training mission

Russian Interior Ministry special forces (Spetsnaz) and a civilian volunteer searching for Islamist militants in a village in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan, 1999.

David Stirling and members of the Special Air Service

Members of Indonesia's Kopassus special forces command marching in Jakarta, 2012.

Afghanistan: U.S. Special Forces and Northern Alliance

U.S. special forces training members of Iraq's elite emergency-response police force, Baʿqūbah, Iraq, 2010.

Quizzes

Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)

World Wars

Related Questions

How are Navy SEAL platoons organized for operations?
How can civil affairs projects support indirect special operations?
How can special forces use guerrilla warfare against a conventional enemy?
How did David Stirling envision the role of the Special Air Service in World War II?
How did Navy SEALs operate during the Vietnam War?
How did Navy SEALs take part in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?
How did the 2011 U.S. mission in Abbottabad, Pakistan, target Osama bin Laden?
How did the Special Air Service counter Scud missile attacks during the Persian Gulf War?
How did the Special Air Service help fight the Dhofar insurgency in Oman?
How did the Special Air Service operate in Iraq and Afghanistan during the 2000s?
How did the Special Air Service use local tribesmen during operations in Borneo?
How did the failed 1980 attempt to rescue U.S. hostages in Iran affect the United States?
How do counterproliferation operations address weapons of mass destruction?
How do special designation, equipment, and training distinguish special forces from conventional troops?
How do special forces counter guerrilla warfare and insurgencies?
How do special forces work through local proxy forces during indirect operations?
How does Delta Force fit within the Joint Special Operations Command and Army Special Operations Command?
How does special forces training develop self-reliance and teamwork?
How does special operations warfare differ from intelligence agency sabotage and subversion?
How is the U.S. Navy SEAL BUD/S program structured?
What duties did underwater demolition teams perform before amphibious landings in World War II?
What is the purpose of counterterrorism raids by special operations forces?
What kinds of targets are attacked during direct special operations?
What political risks can result when a special operation fails?
When and why was the British Special Air Service formed?
Which World War II naval units were predecessors of the U.S. Navy SEALs?
Which World War II units helped shape modern special operations warfare?
Which qualities are tested during special forces selection?
Why did Operation Enduring Freedom–Philippines receive little publicity?
Why did President John F. Kennedy expand U.S. special forces in 1961?
Why do direct special operations require detailed intelligence and repeated rehearsals?
Why do special forces units use distinctive uniforms and insignia?
Why do special operations carry high risks for the personnel involved?
Why is Hell Week considered a difficult part of Navy SEAL training?
Why is psychological endurance important for special operations personnel?
Why might special operators choose equipment based on personal needs?

History Wars, Battles & Armed Conflicts

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special operations warfare

Written by

James Kiras

Associate professor of irregular warfare, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., U.S. Author of Special Operations and Strategy: From World War II to the War on Terrorism.

James Kiras

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

special operations warfare, unconventional military actions against enemy vulnerabilities that are undertaken by specially designated, selected, trained, equipped, and supported units known as special forces or special operations forces (SOF). Special operations are often conducted in conjunction with conventional military operations as part of a sustained politico-military campaign. Some special operations are spectacular direct raids that capture wide publicity, but others are long-term indirect efforts that are never made known. No matter what form it...