Special Operations Forces: Documented Policies and Workforce Planning Needed to Strengthen Civilian Oversight

The Department of Defense (DOD) has increased the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict’s (ASD SO/LIC) oversight responsibilities for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

The DOD has also increased resources for the Secretariat for Special Operations, which assists the ASD-SO/LIC in conducting oversight. However, as of September 2023, the Secretariat’s staffing levels remained below the 80–94 full-time equivalent levels the Secretariat identified as required to oversee SOCOM.