Almost all of us now know that the guys in Afghanistan after 9/11 on horseback with GPS technology in one hand and gun in the other were Army Special Forces, a part of Special Operations Forces. They were (and are) impressive. David Tucker & Christopher J. Lamb (both served in an office in DOD that had "special operations and low intensity conflict" in its title; you gotta love that!) just published a volume in which they cover, as far as I can tell, everything important (and therefore controversial) about what SOF are and have been, how they are organized, and how againt Islamic extremism and other irregular threats SOF can provide the greatest strategic value.
"SOF are less a model for information-age transformation of conventional forces than they are a model for how to fight irregular warriors with discrimination, at low cost, and through emphasis on indirect methods." Theoretically exciting as this is, I glance at a photo of some scruffy guys fondling their cold guns and unlit cigars in some desert village far away. Their American eyes see both good and evil. This good book is dedicated to such good men (and their families).
I have a high school buddy/football college who is part of that group.
SOF was never about making the military aware of the capabilities of the internet and of networking.
To link those together is stupidity of the infinite degree.
SOF is SOF. It is what it is.
Sure, that may appear to be a cliche, but, seriously, we have been fighting SOF techniques since at least the Revolution.
I am truly tired of those that refuse to recognize history!
They're good as long as they don't have lawyers following them around.