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United States special operations forces have become a core element in the nation's response to transnational terrorism and other complex security challenges. These units have trained and advised foreign military and paramilitary forces; captured or killed thousands of insurgent leaders and foot soldiers; and conducted a variety of operations around the globe. This course will focus on the ways in which United States special operations forces have been incorporated into national security strategy and policy since the Second World War. Topics will include how special operations forces are recruited, organized, trained, resourced, and utilized. Using a series of historical case studies, participants will investigate the differences between special operations forces and other elite units; scrutinize the roles, missions, and culture of these organizations; and probe the influence of bureaucratic politics and organizational relationships between the special operations community and international allies, Congress, the interagency community, and conventional military forces.