The problem with special ops is that nobody outside the fold really knows what’s going on. Right now, what’s going on is a battle between civilians in the Pentagon and Special Operations Command.
At this point, civilian involvement seems sorely needed. There’ve been plenty of scandals among special ops troops: Drugs and drug trafficking, murder, and war crimes (followed by expensive investigations). At Fort Bragg, where Special Operations Command is headquartered, 44 active troops have died -- a number of them of murder connected to illegal drug use.
A former Green Beret wrote from jail, where he was serving a term for dealing drugs, to a Rolling Stone author to describe a lawlessness where “elite soldiers have access to whatever they want to get into: whores, guns, drugs, you name it.”
It’s not hard to see how a culture of impunity settled in during the Trump administration. In 2019, for instance, a Navy SEAL was convicted of posing for a photo with the body of an enemy. He was going to be demoted, but Trump blocked the demotion.
Even with a clear need for better policing, Special Ops is not eager to see civilian involvement. A study is in progress by Special Ops's academic arm, Joint Special Operations University. It's supposed to be finished by June 30.
The study’s focus is whether Special Ops should be its own branch of military service. However, as our Politico source article puts it, “Former and current officials see the study as an elaborate straw-man argument meant to keep civilian oversight at a minimum.”
Special Operations Command claims not to want to be its own branch, but there are two possible reasons it would: More independence and a crack at better funding. But as for the latter, Special Ops already has a huge legislative affairs operation, and seems to have a lot of influence with Congress.
Needless to say, civilian oversight is essential to keep this culturally twisted group from becoming even more dangerous.
This is one fight worth watching.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/07/internal-study-defense-special-operations-forces-485825
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