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1st Special Forces Command (A) Geostrategic Symposium 2023
Dates: May 16 & 17, 2023 / Fort Liberty, NC and via Zoom
Call for Papers and Presentations
Topic: Sharp Power - ARSOF's Role in a Hyper-Globalized World
At first glance the geostrategic environment within which 1st Special Forces Command (A) operates may appear less complex than even a few years ago, but under closer examination this complexity is remaining steady-state at best, and increasing at worst. Revisionist actors and Great Power Competitors seek to flood the strategic environment with numerous tactics and operations across the globe through which they hope to spoil US strategic objectives and degrade the liberal world order write large. 1st Special Forces Command (A) mission sets and operations stand as an increasing variable in US Strategic planning and foreign policy actions. How these mission sets and operations further US foreign policy objectives and hinder malign actors around the globe is understated and under-discussed within academic and open source policy discussions; however, this symposium’s goal is to reverse that trend.
Within the confines of the mixture of hard and soft power, 1st Special Forces Command (A) leverages Joseph Nye’s sharp power to a great extent. Discussions and presentations within this symposium will present a number of the sub-topics below as they relate to this idea of 1st Special Forces Command sharp power within the larger geostrategic environment.
Sub-topics are in relation to contemporary Geostrategic Concerns for the Command:
- CIV-MIL Relations
- Transitional Governance
- Machine Learning / VR / Tech integration
- Partner Force Relationship Building and Sustaining
- SOF Education
- SOF Training / VALEX / CERTEX
- Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture
- Integrated Deterrence
- Contingency Operations
- Information Operations / Psychological Operations
- Perceptions of US to Competitors and Partners
- Great Power Competition / Strategic Competition
We are especially interested in papers and presentations that link the sub-topics to specific case studies of what went right, what went wrong, or just a general discussion of how you see 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) units / MOSs better operating within the contemporary geostrategic environment.
Please send all Paper and Presentation pitches to the following address:
- Proposal Deadline: 03 April 2023
- If you choose to write a paper to coincide with your presentation, they will be distributed to all who register for the event. If submitting a paper please submit a 250 word abstract to the email address above. Presentation will be limited to 20 minutes with 10 minutes allotted for question and answer.
- The G3 LREC office is working on a potential special issue of Special Warfare Magazine for official publishing of papers.
- If you are only submitting a presentation proposal, please submit a 250 word abstract to the email address above. Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes with 10 minutes allotted for question and answer.
- If you would like to propose a panel discussion (3-5 panel members) please email the symposium email address above with your idea. A member of the G3 Language directorate will be in contact shortly to discuss.
*** If you are wishing to present and are not located on Fort Liberty, North Carolina please indicate that you will be presenting via Zoom. Presentation groupings will be comprised of both in-person and Zoom participants ***
Attendee Registration for the Symposium
Please send an email to the following address requesting registration as an attendee only. There is no cost for attendance. Please annotate if you will be attending in person or over Zoom.
**Registration Deadline is 24 April 2023**
Once the schedule is finalized, it will be sent to all registered attendees with locations and Zoom links.