Joint Special Operations University
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JOINT SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNIVERSITY
In this monograph Bill Knarr and Mark Nutsch recount how the Special
Operations Forces (SOF) command and control evolved with all of the
Village Stability Operations (VSO) dimensions culminating ultimately in
the creation of the Special Operations Joint Task Force. With the 2018
National Defense Strategy calling for expanding the competition space
below the level of armed conict, VSO provides a timely and relevant
example of how SOF can contribute to this vision. Just like terrorism,
great power competition will play out in countries with weak sociopo-
litical systems. The inherently political character and joint, interagency,
international/multinational, and corporate nature of VSO can be repli-
cated in many parts of the world for sustainable strategic eect. This
monograph develops the concepts for SOF on how to contribute more
eectively and eciently to the counterterrorism ght, but readers
would do well to think about VSO principles and command and control
in the context of great power competition.
ISBN 978-1-941715-44-4
JSOU Report 20-2 VSO and the Evolution of SOF C2 in Afghanistan Knarr/Nutsch
Maqsud Shrine, located at the base of the Shah Maksud mountains in Kandahar
Province, Afghanistan, is a sacred destination many regard as the third holiest Islamic
site in Afghanistan. Photo by David Ellis/used with permission
Village Stability Operations and the
Evolution of SOF Command and
Control in Afghanistan: Implications
for the Future of Irregular Warfare
William Knarr and Mark Nutsch
JSOU Report 20-2
