cally in recent years, but their use has not yet been
translated into a new way of war.8 The definition of
Unconventional Warfare is likewise extremely narrow and tactically focused. Our current definition
of UW is: activities conducted to enable a resistance
movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power by operating through or with an underground, auxiliary, and
guerrilla force in a denied area. A “traditional” UW
campaign that meets all the parameters of this definition is a rare occurrence. Far more common are long
term UW campaigns waged by both nation state and
non-state adversaries against the U.S. and partner nations in a Phase 0 environment9.
A more accurate definition of Special Operations
has been suggested by Col. Cory M. Peterson, winner of the Joint Special Operations University 2014
essay contest: “Special Operations are tactical activities which result in political and strategic-level effects.
Special Operations are conducted by highly trained
and educated operators due to the significant, primarily political, risk of mission failure or exposure.” 10
Moving toward a theory Special Operations requires
developing a corresponding theory of CA that will
likely follow a parallel line of thought focused on tactical activities that lead to strategic outcomes. This is
precisely the intent of CA’s role in conflict prevention.
Rather than merely shaping an environment for future operations, CA has the potential to significantly
impact the strategic environment.
The lack of a comprehensive theory for CA has
also led to misunderstandings within the military
and even within the CA community as to what CA is
and what it does. Divisions within the force, such as
SOF CA versus conventional CA, and tactical general-
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