Interdependence between Army Conventional Forces and Special Operations Forces: Changing Institutional Mental Models

This monograph explores opportunities to reduce institutional impediments in U.S. Army doctrine and education, and their effect on understanding interdependent capabilities between Army conventional forces and Army special operations forces. Interdependence between conventional and special operations forces is an important topic in future operating environments of constrained resources, adaptive adversaries, and increased demand for Army forces from geographic combatant commands. Through interdependent doctrine, education, and joint activities, Army forces can prevent steep organizational learning curves and poor unity of effort in the early phases of future campaigns. The monograph contends that interdependence in its current construct suffers from uninformed mental models. Specifically, these mental models consider task-based interdependence, which focuses on the employment of special operations in the direct approach, versus combined symbiotic interdependence in long-term campaigns. The Army's institutional generating force manages the doctrinal and educational processes for improving organizational learning. However, the responsibility falls to special operations organizations to inform doctrine and education with special operations theory, and joint opportunities geared toward an indirect approach to special warfare.