How America's Special Operators are Preparing for a High-Tech Future

War on the Rocks

News, Politics

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Down in Tampa on the sidelines of SOF Week, Ryan spoke with Lt. Gen. Frank Donovan, vice commander of Special Operations Command, in front of a live audience about how America's special operators are leading the way on the the future of warfare, from great power competition to data and AI — or, how our guest puts it, from the seabed to low earth orbit.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to the War on the Rocks podcast on Strategy, Defense, and Foreign Affairs.
0:14.1	My name is Ryan Evans. I'm the founder of War on the Rocks.
0:17.2	We went down to Tampa for Soft Week recently, and we're joined by a very special guest for a live podcast recording, Frank Donovan, the vice commander of Special Operations Command. We recorded this at a party made possible by our friends at One Brief. Thank you so much to them for helping us throw such a great party down in Tampa. I hope you enjoy the episode.
0:38.7	So last time you were on the show, we were talking about what you guys were doing in terms of
0:43.3	proving the Commandant's vision for the transformation of the Marine Corps and the stand-in
0:47.6	force. How did you end up at Special Operations Command? Ryan I, thanks for doing this again.
0:52.5	The last time Ryan and I talked, I was Commanding General's second Marine division, and I live a lifestyle that is much like a ranger in the soft community.
1:00.5	I spend time in the Marine Corps, and then I have an opportunity to serve and soft, and then I go back and forth.
1:05.7	So I'd been at J-Soc prior to the Second Marine Division, and then after that, I was fortunate enough to come back to serve
1:11.1	and as a vice commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, unique job. So comes the only four-star
1:16.2	command with two, three stars. But the reality is I serve not here in Tampa, but in the Pentagon.
1:22.2	My job there is to fight their battle for resources, to make sure our soft forces get what they need
1:26.7	to continue their missions.
1:28.2	So again, to close it out, last time we talked, we were working things I'd learned on previous
1:33.1	deployments, forces down for the Marine Corps 2019.
1:36.3	How do we evolve the force for the modern conflict?
1:39.9	We took those lessons learned, went to Europe, and applied them against the threats in Europe
1:45.0	at the opening phases of the Ukrainian conflict in support of a fleet commander.
1:48.5	So it worked out well.
1:50.0	It worked out pretty well.
1:51.0	Well, the mission in some ways has changed.
1:53.6	And so what is the return of great power rivalry done to the priorities and mission sets
	...

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