Lessons of the OSS

The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is seeking ways to improve its organizational and institutional structure as it takes the military lead in the Global War on Terror (GWOT). The demands of the GWOT require USSOCOM to balance the conflicting requirements for unity of effort with the equally compelling need for regional integration. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) faced similarly complex global command and control situations and this makes it seem to be a convincing model for USSOCOM to emulate. However, deeper examination highlights some significant problems with the wholesale transfer of the OSS organizational construct to modern SOF. Asking probing questions about the OSS analogy begins to uncover a wealth of lessons, both positive and negative, about synchronizing and conducting global special operations. The OSS was a unique institution for a variety of reasons.