Terrorist Threats Multiplying

“Autonomous capability is critical to our understanding from a sensing perspective as well as it is from surveillance, to be able to sustain containment of an objective that you would want to watch, and then finally clearly for the ability to project violence, should that be required,” said Bradley.

SOCOM is adapting its force design and adopting new technology rapidly, he explained.

In written testimony, Bradley noted that pressing threats include proxy forces by state actors and transnational criminal networks who “increasingly blur the lines” with non-traditional means of inflicting damage while seeking to achieve goals "while avoiding direct confrontation."

Additionally, “the persistent threat of ideological and narco-terrorism continues to demand our integrated interagencies’ constant vigilance," Bradley told lawmakers at the hearing.

“The bottom line is, we do not have the luxury of focusing on only a single goal or mission," he said.

Electromagnetic Warfare Training Sites Needed

Training models have become more complex due to a spike in unmanned systems. Special warfare operators must constantly sharpen their skills and cohesion in rigorous training. They seek out environments and situations that mirror whatever enemies can hurl at them to perfect their abilities to defeat and surpass opposition.

Nowadays opposition includes electromagnetic interference. It is commonly used to disrupt and deny the use of drones and navigation technologies, among other cutting-edge systems.

Operators must now find ways to fight around the static for missions pairing new technology with stealth and precision.

“We modernize not just through the development of new means–new articles and new devices–but also the ways in which those means are used," Bradley said, adding that SOCOM training must allow “operators to mimic our adversaries."

In addition to electromagnetic warfare, operators must also rehearse using existing weapons systems “with teamed and collaborative autonomy."

Overcoming Gaps in Investment

Financial limits, however, make this a challenging task. While training environments to match new fighting methods are urgently needed, these are expensive and difficult to set up domestically, Bradley told lawmakers.

Efforts to revitalize the fighting strength of Special Operations Forces follow a budgetary drought spanning roughly five years that hampered the command’s capabilities. This included a 14% decrease in buying power and a drastic reduction of about 5,000 personnel within a span of only three and a half years.

Bradley emphasized that steady and predictable investments are needed to meet evolving mission targets.

Despite being thrown back on its resources, Special Operations Command has punched above its weight. The command has applied counter-terrorism lessons learned over the past 25 years to benefit allies in Ukraine and elsewhere, according to Bradley.

These lessons demonstrate the value of close cooperation between law enforcement, the intelligence community and the military, he said. SOCOM continues this approach.

Drones and unmanned systems are not self-contained solutions for the diverse set of challenges facing U.S. special warfare operators. The age-old necessities of rigorous training and human operators to skillfully wield new weapons across emerging domains of war are arguably more relevant than ever.