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For decades, the Navy SEALs have been among the most recognized names of the U.S. military's elite warfighters. This month marks 64 years since the establishment of this storied force, which traces its roots back to the amphibious scouts, raiders and demolition units of World War II.
The SEALs — an acronym for sea, air and land — are the Navy's most well-known special operations force. They require some of the most grueling training in the world; only a fraction of those who try out for the notoriously difficult six-month Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training course finish it. After BUD/S, only those who graduate from SEAL qualification training are lucky enough to be awarded the coveted trident insignia and earn the Navy special warfare operator rating.
Irregular warfare (IW) has re-emerged as the dominant mode of great-power competition in the twenty-first century, driven by accelerating globalization, digital hyperconnectivity, and the strategic behavior of revisionist states seeking advantage below the threshold of open armed conflict. Unlike conventional warfare, IW is not defined by decisive battles or territorial conquest. Instead, it is characterized by persistent, ambiguous, and multidomain competition designed to shape political environments, economic systems, social cohesion, and institutional legitimacy over time.
Derek Leebaert’s To Dare & To Conquer is an ambitious, sweeping tour through roughly 3,000 years of conflict, using one central argument as its compass: small, skilled forces, when properly employed, can change the destiny of nations. Leebaert frames “special operations” broadly, reaching back to ancient stories like the Trojan Horse and forward to modern counterterrorism-era case studies, arguing that history repeatedly turns on the actions of comparatively few people operating with speed, surprise, and specialized purpose.
One of the most striking patterns I have observed across recent wars has little to do with drones, artificial intelligence, or precision fires. It has to do with darkness. In three major conflicts involving forces that range from professional to semiprofessional—the 2020 war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and Israel’s campaign against Hamas after October 7, 2021—large-scale night operations have been notably rare. Outside of highly specialized units conducting limited raids, most decisive fighting has occurred during daylight. At night, both sides tend to pause, reorganize, and recover. In effect, the night is ceded rather than dominated.
Twentieth-century warfare was defined by industrial-scale lethality: mass mobilization, mechanized destruction, and the pursuit of decisive battlefield supremacy. In contrast, the strategic environment of the twenty-first century reflects a profound transformation. The digital revolution has fractured traditional hierarchies of power, accelerated the flow of information across borders, and empowered individuals and non-state actors in unprecedented ways. As a result, warfare is no longer confined to the physical domain. It has expanded decisively into the cognitive realm, where perceptions, narratives, legitimacy, and belief systems constitute the primary battlespace.
This article argues that cultural competence and relationship-building are essential force multipliers for special operations forces. When “the population is the center of gravity,” understanding that population becomes imperative for mission success. Comprehensive interdisciplinary cultural education, not just hardware or superficial “Dos and Don’ts,” is a critical skill that special operations forces need to build partner resilience and prevail in irregular warfare against peer competitors.
The authors join many leaders across the special operations enterprise who have expressed concern that the trend toward SOF convergence with exquisite technology may signal higher leadership’s overemphasis on tech at the expense of human-centric competencies and core tasks.
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