Senator Ted Budd Questions Generals on Special Operations Forces Investment

Fighter Unit Deployment and Strategy

• ✈️ The 336 fighter squadron's mission at Kadina Air Base is part of an agile combat employment strategy, providing an immediate layer of capability to impose costs and achieve ephemeral air superiority.
• 💡 The F-15 EX is highlighted for its dominant electronic warfare capability, complementing the Eagle's existing strengths in range, speed, sensors, and payload, making it indispensable.

Special Operations Forces (SOF) Demand and Resources

• 🎯 Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) is augmented with specialized intelligence assets to enhance situational awareness in the region.
• 📈 Admiral stated that SOF are currently underinvested and that increased resources would provide significant early leverage and deterrent capability.
• 🌍 SOF are critical contributors to counter command, control, information, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting efforts, as well as intelligence collection and traditional direct action roles.

Geopolitical Concerns and SOF's Role

• ⚠️ Increased military cooperation between the DPRK, Russia, and China is a concern, particularly regarding escalation containment on the Korean Peninsula.
• 🛰️ SOF operations, including the use of UAS and regional activities, help to monitor and counter adversarial actions in the information environment and other domains.
• 💬 During Freedom Shield, violations of the Northern Limit Line by Chinese ships and the Korean air defense identification zone by Russians were observed, necessitating non-kinetic responses that SOF can facilitate.