Page 91 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo II

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place is not. Retrenchment, particularly driven by financial and budgetary concerns, is
the conventional wisdom. However, it may not be the wise course.

Further engagement could lead SOF to play a greater role in long-term global presence,
and therefore expand beyond episodic deployments, and beyond a concentrated focus
on Afghanistan. If that course is taken, SOF could then turn to diffusing conflicts before
they reach crisis levels, in ambiguous and sensitive locations. This could increase its
work with so-called bad actors, in the blurry area between peace and war, where effects
could be achieved during low-intensity conflicts, in the hopes of reducing the likelihood
of large-scale incursions in the years to come. While this may be the more difficult path,
it is likely the most strategic utility of force in the twenty-first century.