Quote Originally Posted by pcmfr View Post
I think COL Macgregor's premise is wrong. Rightly or wrongly, if SECDEF really wanted to emphasize the "indirect" methods in GWOT, then the new SOCOM and his Deputy wouldn't have both come from high-end DA backgrounds.
First, ADM Olson's public remarks and actual actions since taking over SOCOM have demonstrated he is looking for the right balance of the direct and indirect approaches. They are not "either/or" or mutually exclusive - they can be mutually supporting and reinforcing if applied correctly. Second, you have to look beyond the Cdr and the Deputy but also to the Director of the Center of Special Operations which is the element within SOCOM charged with synchronizing the WOT and the director is one whose experience is the indirect approach from Bosnia to Haiti to the Philippines. So I am optimistic that SOCOM is working on getting it right.