One of every 10 Army soldiers works in special operations, yet commanders are weighing where the service’s most dynamic force belongs when war is dominated by traditional, large scale formations. The central question is how small teams can influence a battlefield built around major conventional units.

“Obviously, 90% of the Army is not part of USASOC,” said Lt. Gen. Lawrence “Gil” Ferguson, commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command. “So in our small formation we, you know, punch above our weight so to speak with what we do for the joint force.”

Special operations teams helped define the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Task Force Dagger and other Army Special Forces teams organized the assault on Kabul, while Navy SEALs killed Osama Bin Laden after being flown by Army special operations helicopters.

A conflict with a foe such as China or Russia would likely look far different, with large division formations taking on a much greater role than the small teams used during the last 20 years. The 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, for example, has 17,000 soldiers.

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That scale raises a practical challenge for Army leaders considering what a 12 man Green Beret team could deliver during such a fight. Ferguson and Brig. Gen. Joseph Wortham addressed that question during the annual Association of the United States Army conference this week.

Wortham directly oversees the Army’s Green Beret teams and related units as commander of 1st Special Forces Command. He and Ferguson pointed toward capabilities beyond direct combat, including reconnaissance, psychological operations and the ability to rally allied forces inside a warzone.

“You’ll hear the sensor-to-shooter conversation. We are one of those sensors out there,” Wortham said.

Special operators can help other parts of the joint force and bring partnered capabilities against targets deep in the battlefield, Wortham said. Their influence and deception capabilities are also drawing interest from commanders of large conventional formations.

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USASOC has 22,000 soldiers supported by 10,000 civilian employees, with forces covering both direct action assaults and unconventional missions. Its combat elements include the 75th Ranger Regiment, seven Special Forces groups and the helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

The Special Forces groups deploy 12 man teams that connect with friendly local forces. USASOC’s influence organizations include seven psychological operations battalions and five Civil Affairs battalions, giving the command tools that reach well beyond direct firepower.

Ferguson said Civil Affairs and PSYOP units would likely face heavy demand during the consolidation phase of a large scale war, after major units capture ground and move forward. Those specialized forces could assume duties that otherwise consume conventional troops and commanders.

“Our Civil Affairs may be able to help with the consolidation of gains, as we would put it, to free up some of the corps and division’s combat power, so the division and corps can move and do what they’re being asked to do,” Ferguson said.

Civil Affairs units work with partners and allies in a host country, including emergency services and first responders. Ferguson said that work can reduce the burden on conventional commanders while freeing decision space and combat power for continuing operations.

PSYOP units can spread false information intended to confuse enemy commanders and slow their decisions. Green Berets can also assist conventional leaders without firing a shot by using their personal relationships with officials in allied nations.

“They’re culturally aware, culturally trained in language and all of those groups spend almost all of their career inside of that geographic combatant area,” Ferguson said. He added that senior officers and noncommissioned officers often develop relationships over generations with national and military leaders.

“If a [conventional] commander wants to go somewhere, there is a probably 100% chance there is somebody in our force that knows those senior leaders and they’re able to make those connections out there,” Ferguson said.

Wortham declined to discuss how special operators have been used in the largely conventional Iran war, but said they have not lacked missions. During the last 12 months, he said, Army Special Operations has sometimes served as the main effort, while in other cases it has operated as the second or third supporting effort.

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