The Evolution of Special Forces in Counter-Terrorism: the British and American Experiences

Military Review, March-April, 2003 by K.L. Jamison

J. Paul de B. Taillon, Praeger, Westport, CT, 2001, 190 pages, $62.50.

The title is the only mistake in this book. Special Forces did not evolve in counterterrorism; it evolved into counterterrorism. While counterterrorism might be the topic currently in vogue, the other missions of Special Forces remain. Overall, this brief book does an excellent job showing how Special Forces evolved in Britain and the United States.

Britain, with its perpetual Northern Ireland Training Area and colonial experience, has the advantage of an institutional memory and a military of veterans with practical experience. America's experience has been more eclectic. J. Paul de B. Taillon points out that America has also been prone to fashionable attitudes toward special operations. Contrasting the two experiences, the author finds that the British stress the human element of Special Forces, while the United States stresses technology. Both are necessary; however, Taillon finds the reliance on technology to be self-defeating.

Along with the history of the respective Special Forces establishments, Taillon identifies principles of unconventional warfare, which will be useful to scholars in the field. Of relevance to the title, Taillon argues the need for international cooperation against terrorism. Far from writing antiterrorist platitudes, he argues specific areas in which nations can share technology, information, and expertise.

K.L. Jamison, Attorney at Law,

Gladstone, Missouri