Tuesday 28 April, 16.00
Lecture Theatre, Manor Road Building
Into The Void: Special Operations After the War on Terror
Martijn Kitzen, Netherlands Defence Academy
At this very moment an uncertain void exists between what Western armed forces are focusing on and what they might be required to do. The rise of China and the resurgence of Russia have led militaries to reorient towards conventional warfare. Yet today’s great power competition also involves hybrid activities that share many characteristics with irregular forms of warfare. Moreover, the threat of violent extremism persists. This presentation explores the question of how to fill this void in one form of military capability: Special Operations Forces (SOF). SOF were intimately involved in the War on Terror and became associated with it. In addition, they were often the most responsive and discrete capability to meet political needs. It is easy to understand why today’s politicians, policy makers and military leaders again are looking at such units to pick up new roles that help to fill the capability gap. The issue, however, is that during 20 years of GWoT special operations have been focused on manhunts and building local proxy forces to counter violent extremist organizations. As such, SOF have become highly specialized in missions associated with countering such non-state organizations and are less prepared to fulfill other tasks. Observers suggest SOF is on the cusp of a generational transformation, between what some have characterized as “third age” counterterrorism and its innovations into a “fourth age” of both ongoing competition and commitments and preparation for potential high intensity conflict. But how exactly do SOF evolve after the War on Terror and can they fill the void?
This presentation is based on Into the Void, Special Operations Forces after the War on Terror, (Hurst, 2024) edited by James Kiras & Martijn Kitzen https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/into-the-void/
Martijn Kitzen holds the chair in irregular warfare and special operations at the Netherlands Defence Academy where he also heads the war studies department. Additionally, he is a professor by special appointment in war studies at Leiden University. His research and teaching focus on irregular warfare in fragmented societies with a particular interest in the way special operations forces can be deployed in such an environment. Martijn has published extensively about these topics and most recently co-edited the books The Conduct of War in the 21st Century and Into the Void: Special Operations Forces after the War on Terror. He regularly lectures at various international military institutes and staff colleges and his research activities include previous fellowships at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Oxford’s Changing Character of War Centre as well as field work in Afghanistan and the Sahel region. In addition to his scholarly work, Martijn has been involved in pre-deployment training and advise for various nations, worked as in-theatre advisor in Afghanistan and the Sahel, and served as academic advisor for the revision of NATO’s AJP 3.4.4 (counterinsurgency). Martijn holds a PhD in history, a MA in political science, and is a graduate of the Royal Netherlands Military Academy. As a former military officer, he has experience in NATO and UN missions.
All are welcome, no need to book.
