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Rep. Jackson’s remarks as prepared for delivery:
Today we will hear from our witnesses on “U.S. Special Operations Forces and Command – Challenges and Resource Priorities for Fiscal Year 2026”
Over the past several years, as our Nation has confronted an evolving landscape -- the evolving landscape of great power competition––our special operators have adapted to meet the challenges posed by our adversaries while continuing to combat the continuous and evolving threats posed by violent extremist organizations, military proxies, and non-state actors.
Despite the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq coming to a close, the demands on special operations have increased – and continue to rise.
Special operations continue to be our greatest hedge against strategic distraction, as they singularly respond to crises around the world, and neutralize terrorist networks with the intent and means to attack the homeland.
The complexity of these “no-fail missions” continues to rise as the battlefield becomes increasingly contested and denied by the proliferation of peer adversary capabilities and malign influence.
We similarly rely on our special operations forces to impose cost on adversaries, critical to re-establishing deterrence and providing the Nation with a position of advantage should deterrence fail.
We ask a lot of our special operations forces, and the demands on and for them will only continue to grow. It is critical we provide you with the resources you need.
We look forward to hearing how Congress can best support SOCOM so that you can continue to provide the high return on investment the Nation requires, while simultaneously modernizing for the challenges of the future.
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