This was necessary because, as modern armed forces became more sophisticated, ‘special’ means of conducting warfare such as airborne, air assault, mountain, and amphibious operations were no longer special in the bigger picture. ‘Strategic effect’ is that which can negatively impact on your enemy’s capability to conduct military operations, or indeed, simply put, to continue to make war.
Therefore we have to distinguish between special operations and special forces, since increasingly the former are carried out by ‘normal’ troops. The subject is replete with terms that must be defined before any discussion of special operations can be pursued. Here any discussion of special forces gets obfuscated by confusion of terms, particularly ‘special’, ‘unconventional’, and ‘elite’ forces. The latter are visible and stand out in the public eye for their superior…