Editor’s Note: Welcome back to our weekly column with former Green Beret Curtis Fox, where we explore the evolving role of Special Forces. This week, Fox discusses the challenges of the Army’s career path for Special Forces, where he proposes reforms to better develop officers, retain non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and enhance mission effectiveness.

 

The Special Forces Regiment is bound to the Army’s career management protocols. In the days of old, Captains leading Special Forces Operational Detachment Alphas (SFOD-As) in austere environments like Vietnam were expected to rotate out of the Regiment and back to the Army. Commanding an SFOD-A was a career distraction, and a young Captain was expected to take an infantry company in order to continue his progression upward. Special Forces qualified officers would always have the opportunity to rotate back into the Special Forces Regiment, but they were encouraged not to homestead.

Alternatively, the NCOs of Special Forces became known for establishing clannish relationships. It wasn’t uncommon for a Green Beret to stay on the same SFOD-A for 12 years before he was tapped to go teach at the Q-Course at Ft. Bragg. Because of this paradoxical relationship, it really was the NCOs who ran the Special Forces Regiment. The company Sergeant Major might very well have more real influence than the battalion Commanding Officer (CO).

However, in the aftermath of the establishment of the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Special Forces was codified as an official branch of the U.S. Army. This meant establishing a separate Special Forces MOS for officers and a legitimate career pathway for their advancement.

The Army Isn’t Doing Special Forces Officers Any Favors

Unfortunately, the Army mandated that Special Forces officers must follow a career pathway that resembles the rest of the Army. The Army prioritizes tactical experience in its promotion process, and top performers are kept close to the battalion or brigade HQ for advancement. The top company Captain is likely to take over the battalion S5 Plans shop. He will write the training concepts and deployment plans for the unit, and then he will take over the battalion or brigade S3 Operations shop and implement the plans he drafted as the S5. In his journey to battalion CO, he will rotate out of the S3 to other staff billets at brigade or division, but eventually, he will become the battalion XO, and then he’s primed to become the CO when he’s promoted to lieutenant colonel.

This development process works very well in the conventional Army because the battalions S3 and S5 offer important experiences regarding the maneuver of the battalion and its line companies. However, in a Special Forces battalion, the S3 and S5 have very different roles.