Return on investment: ensuring Special Forces can fight another day

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to identify possible cultural and policy changes within the Special Forces Regiment that can elongate the operational lifespan of a Special Forces operator through improved physical conditioning and recovery. Since inception, Special Forces Soldiers have conducted operations differently from any other Soldiers or Service Members. These differences are not only in the types of operations or missions themselves, but in frequency, duration, austerity, and level of resources. As Special Forces Soldiers have continued to succeed at the challenges set before them, many have prematurely worn their bodies down and become less than fully physically capable to continue in their highly demanding field of work. In the situations where these exceptional Soldiers are removed from an operational role, their units lose the vast amount of experience that the individual Soldier had, and need to use additional resources training a replacement. This thesis argues that improving the Special Forces Regiment's focus on physical readiness through some slight cultural and policy changes can significantly decrease the inevitable losses of Special Forces Soldiers to operational units, and allow the individual Green Beret to remain at a healthy state throughout his career and beyond.