Reorganization is what military leaders do when they know things aren't as good as they could be, but have no real idea what the problem is or how to fix it.

A couple of "simple" fixes:

1. We must change how we think. We are currently attempting to implement a national strategy that is essentially to sustain a status quo of a US dominated global system through a policy of attempting to convince others to think and believe and value more as we do. We do this in an era of accelerated power-shifting within, among and between systems of governance, when people everywhere are much more focused on attempting to be more like themselves, not more like us. The result: Massive strategic friction and associated US strategic frustration. It makes the world appear to be full of "threats."

So, the US must first gain a greater awareness of how the world actually is, and a greater empathy for the perspectives of others. We must then seek to avoid the empire-killing inclination of "Imperial overreach" and focus our interest more narrowly so as to better posture ourselves to hold onto what is truly important as hegemony naturally transitions to more multi-polar, regional systems of influence.

We must think in terms of interests, and problems; not in terms of problematic threats that become to us an "interest" simply because they exist and challenge our world-view.

2. Shift from reactive applications of SOF to proactive applications. Counterterrorism, Counter insurgency, FID focused on building partner CT and COIN capacity; etc. We are in the react mode and chasing threats. We never catch up, and our strategic goals, are mirage-like, in that no matter how hard we work, we never reach them. This is the problem of defining problems in tactical terms of named threats, and applying a reactive "strategy of tactics" to defeat and disrupt said threats. It is a treadmill we can't seem to get off.

A more proactive approach recognizes that the US is a nation at peace in a dangerous and evolving world. It is also a world full of pockets of revolutionary energy. This is a target rich environment for unconventional warfare-based approaches that rely on leveraging the insurgent energy within populations governed by others in order to advance one's own interests.

To implement such a proactive approach one would need a program of persistent, benign, transparent activity that placed special operators among the populations living in the places most critical to our truly vital interests. Not in some Embassy. Not in some military base teaching soldiers for the 20th time how to zero their rifle or clear a room. Not in some ninja squirrel clandestine operation. Just in plain sight, and focused on developing our own understanding, influence and relationships. This will gives us timely warning when some other independent (AQ, ISIS, etc) actor or state (Russia, etc) actor shows up to conduct their own UW; and also posture us to conduct whatever mission might someday come down the pipe from civilian authorities.

To do this requires gaining control over the SOF personnel system, so that SOF can protect, reward and promote those who do what is vital for SOF, but bizarre and unvalued by the services. It also requires SOF to turn the cart around from our current reactive, threat-centric mindset.

I do not hold high hopes for either to happen in time to avoid the cliff we are currently racing toward.