Force of Choice: Perspectives on Special Operations

Special operations conjures images of SAS commandos in the Falklands, black-clad supermen taking out hijackers, or super-hackers in virtual wars. Special by virtue of training and employment, these elite military forces continue to be deployed by major powers. In Force of Choice top-ranking American, British, Canadian, and German officials discuss special operations within the context of the new demands created by the war on terror.

Contributors, many with practical military experience, argue that strategic planners and political leaders must reconcile the historical reality of special operations with the new circumstances in which countries like Canada must now pursue international security and stability, especially when the line between special and conventional is being redrawn. Force of Choice considers the historical experiences of several countries to consider the future of special operations and address two crucial questions: Does Canada have a special forces ? Can land, sea, and air forces incorporate elements of the special to respond to new threats?

Contributors include Alan Bell (British Armed Forces, Royal Marine Commandos, and Special Air Service Regiment), Colonel Scott Crerar (Special Forces), Captain William H. McRaven (active-duty United States Naval Officer, Special Warfare), General Peter J. Schoomaker (US Army, special and conventional operations), Lieutenant-Colonel Scott Moore (Future Concepts Branch, Center for Operations, Plans and Policy), Dr. Anna Simons (associate professor, Naval Postgraduate School, California), and General Ulrich Wegener (German Federal Border Guard).