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The Pentagon has formally requested Congressional approval to expand its special operations authorities, enabling US-aligned countries to better train for and conduct irregular warfare.
This proposed legislative change seeks to include resistance operations and foreign internal defense within the scope of US military support, which has traditionally been reserved for counterterrorism and counternarcotics efforts.
Defined in the Pentagon’s proposal, resistance operations involve collaboration between national security forces, the civilian government, and the populace to resist invasions or occupations by adversarial powers. Similarly, foreign internal defense operations focus on defending against acts of subversion sponsored by foreign entities that threaten the stability of a nation’s government.
The document also highlights the necessity of this expansion for regions with less stable security structures, such as certain African nations. For example, despite increasing military capabilities, the Pentagon notes that Kenya faces challenges due to systemic corruption and vulnerability to internal conflicts.
Other concerns include Taiwan & Baltic Countries:
In the request, the Pentagon highlights growing concerns about Taiwan & baltic countries. They said, “Investing in the capacity of Taiwan’s internal and layered defense apparatus is a significant effort; existing security cooperation operations, activities and investments only marginally address current needs.” They continued, “Similarly, Scandinavian and Baltic countries in northeast Europe are at-risk due to possible Russian influence, incursion and conflict, and would be mutual benefactors with the U.S. of deliberate efforts to build partnership capacity for resistance operations to mitigate the threat from Russia and deter aggression.”
According to the Pentagon, the estimated annual cost of these expanded operations is projected at $1.3 million per year through 2029.
