There is an Identity Crisis in Special Forces: Who are the Green Berets Supposed to Be?

In struggling with the effects of “mission drift” for two decades, Special Forces have drifted away from complex, long-duration partnerships toward more linear, short-term, transactional combat operations. There is subsequently an identity crisis in Special Forces, and it is influencing the culture and behavior of Green Berets. This study earned author Col. Edward Croot the U.S. Army War College Colonel Francis J. Kelley Special Operations Writing Award.