A Precarious Balance

American special operations forces (SOF) are in the midst of a golden age. From references in pop culture to commendations from the White House, praise for America’s quiet professionals has become anything but quiet. Such adoration is well-deserved, but underlying SOF’s newfound popularity, questions remain as to how they should be employed in the future. Achieving the optimal balance between conventional forces and SOF in the US military will require recalibration through sound policy. This report traces the history of the relationship between these two forces to examine how each might be optimized to face future conflicts.