A Special Forces Roadmap

This is welcome news from the Pentagon and long overdue, I think:

Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England has approved a new blueprint for how U.S. military forces will expand their capacity and skills to conduct irregular warfare, fulfilling a central proposal of the Quadrennial Defense Review, according to defense officials.
The classified “Irregular Warfare Execution Roadmap” was signed by England on April 28. It is a collection of actions, tasks and new milestones -- focused largely on ground forces, Pentagon officials say -- that articulate how the Defense Department intends to improve U.S. forces' capability to conduct long-duration, unconventional operations...

To improve proficiency against terrorist networks in what it repeatedly termed “the long war,” the QDR calls for expanding the ranks of special operations forces by 15 percent and boosting the number of psychological operations and civil affairs units in the armed forces by one-third. A dedicated Air Force unmanned aerial vehicle squadron will also be established and assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command.

In wider terms, the QDR promises the Defense Department will rebalance general-purpose forces by shifting focus from conventional warfare to irregular warfare; boost the ranks of special operations forces; work with foreign governments to enhance the capacity of their military and security forces to deal with threats within their borders or in their regions; and forge closer cooperation with other parts of the federal government involved in the war on terrorism.

I believe our military is getting it right!