SOF Civil Affairs in Great Power Competition

Today we are joined by Major Travis Clemens, a Civil Affairs Company Commander, to discuss his published article about Special Operations Forces and Civil Affairs in Great Power Competition. MAJ Clemens opens by describing what motivated him to write this article and explains how the joint concepts (integrated campaigning, operations in the information environment and human aspects of military operation) provided the foundation for his research. In discussing how the U.S. should counter China and Russia, he emphasizes how the histories of those respective countries plays an enormous role in the decisions of their governments and the actions they take. The conversation is then rounded out by MAJ Clemens mentioning some of the tactics used by Russia and China to expand their influence abroad, such as controlling restricting resources and economic manipulation.