The Utility of Special Operations in Small States

Abstract

The author of Chap. 4 utilizes Colin Gray’s earlier work, where he explores the strategic utility of special operations. Gray’s conclusion, like most literature on SOF, is argued on the experience of larger Western military powers’ use of SOF. The sole focus on larger powers limits the value of such a theory for smaller nations since there is an inherent contradiction between larger powers’ use and utility of SOF and that of smaller nations due to divergence in ambitions and national or political interest. This chapter examines the strategic utility of SOF in a Nordic context through an empirical case study. The empirical case study is conducted on two states’ experiences of developing and utilizing SOF in special operations during the last decades.