Jackson: America Must Sustain And Strengthen Our Special Operations Forces

Washington, D.C., March 18, 2026
"Special operations continue to be our greatest hedge against strategic distraction, used to impose cost on our adversaries, reestablish deterrence, and provide the nation with a position of advantage should deterrence fail," Rep. Jackson said. "We ask a lot of our Special Operations Forces, and the demands on and for them will only continue to grow."
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the U.S. Special Operations Forces and Command challenges and resource priorities in Fiscal Year 2027.

Rep Jackson’s Statement 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 2027.”

The operations tempo for special operations continues to put demands on the force, even with the major force drawdowns from Iraq and Afghanistan almost five years ago.  

Recent consolidation and downsizing of forces in Syria and Iraq bring only minor relief as our Special Operations Forces continue counterterrorism efforts against violent extremist organizations, military proxies, and non-state actors in both of those countries, as well as an increase of OPTEMPO on the continent of Africa.  

Special Operators have adapted to meet the challenges of an evolving landscape of great power competition in every corner of the globe.  

Our adversaries are using cutting-edge technology, economic incentives, and illicit activities to attempt to gain footholds in every Geographic Combatant Command’s area, and the battlefield has become increasingly contested and denied by the proliferation of peer adversary capabilities and malign influence. 

All the while, our crisis response force has been called upon repeatedly over the past year to execute exquisite, challenging missions that only they can conduct. 

Special operations continue to be our greatest hedge against strategic distraction, used to impose cost on our adversaries, reestablish deterrence, and provide 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.  

I was disappointed in the Fiscal Year 26 budget submission for SOCOM from the Department.  

This committee worked diligently with SOCOM to provide critically needed resources to fill the gaps from over a decade of stagnant budgets through the reconciliation processes, only to then have the Department submit a budget with reductions to SOCOM, making the budget a wash and still flat.  

I am, however, optimistic about President Trump’s direction for a significant increase in the Fiscal Year 27 Defense Budget and what this means to SOCOM.  

I look forward to reviewing the budget and to putting SOCOM on a path of increases to get to a steady state of at least a $20 billion annual request submission. 

We look forward to hearing how Congress can best support SOCOM such that you can continue to provide the high return on investment the Nation requires, while simultaneously modernizing for the challenges of the future.