The term ‘strategic influence’ is utilized to describe how SOF can project soft power around the globe. How can we measure strategic influence? Who are we seeking to influence? What are we seeking to achieve with influence? Influence to do what, and for what ends? What does strategic influence imply in terms of military strategy? How do measures of strategic influence inform operational design? What does success in achieving a strategic influence end state look like, and how can it be measured? How can SOF set objectives for influence, and how can SOF’s objectives be nested within larger USG strategic influence initiatives?
Information has a critical role to play within strategic competition. Words are powerful, and our messages affect both our friends and our adversaries. What is the relationship between information and influence? If information is a form of power, what does that imply for the strategic pursuit of influence? How can SOF achieve information advantage throughout the competition continuum? How can SOF better understand, apply, and integrate information across operations to achieve strategic influence objectives? How can information strategies be tailored to address mission-specific needs? What is the balance between attributable and nonattributable operations, and which would provide the highest probability of success while minimizing political and operational risk? How can SOF address risk aversion to information activities?
What are the best methods/practices to assess the effects of operations in the information environment? How do we measure and assess results from information operations and campaigns, and how do we communicate these results to stakeholders/authorities? What types of organizational structures and resourcing would best set the conditions to integrate information and influence efforts across SOF; the Services; and joint, interagency, intergovernmental, multinational, and commercial (JIIM-C) partners? Are there capability gaps across doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy (DOTMLPF-P) that need to be addressed? How can SOF work with centers such as the Global Engagement Center, Joint Military Information Support Operations Web Operations Center, and the NATO's Strategic Communications Center of Excellence to enhance strategic influence operations?
A component of strategic influence is credibility. How can SOF build and maintain persistent and meaningful relationships with relevant partners and allies? How can USSOCOM minimize the disconnect between rhetoric and reality? What are the implications of a words and deeds mismatch? How can SOF contribute to building USG credibility? How do you achieve balance between accountability and ‘speed of need’ when seeking influence? In addition to efforts to build strategic influence, how can SOF counter adversarial strategic influence efforts?
- Amico, Maj. Brandon J., "Words as Weapons: Counterintelligence-Driven Rhetoric in US Defense Strategy," SAASS thesis, 2024, 73 pgs.
- Belcher, Brandon, "Special Operations in Somalia: Strategies for Success in the Horn of Africa," AFGC thesis, 2025, 36 pgs.
- Belcher recommends utilizing Military Information Support Operations (MISO) to broadcast rewards and tip lines leading to the capture of high-value targets. Crucially, he argues that US SOF must work strictly behind the scenes and allow the Somali central government to take all the credit. This non-attributable US footprint prevents al-Shabaab from using visible foreign intervention or civilian casualties as recruiting propaganda, while simultaneously building the local population's trust in their own central government.
- Higgins, Jenna E., "The Missing Instrument: Information Power in Australia's Strategy of Denial," SAASS thesis, 2025, 99 pgs.
- Higgins addresses the pursuit of strategic influence by defining information power as a grand strategic tool that is essential for building credibility and legitimacy among regional partners. She explains that for middle powers like Australia and Japan, achieving an information advantage is not about raw material strength, but rather about deploying cohesive strategic narratives that perfectly align political rhetoric with operational behavior. By studying Japan's successful regional integration, Higgins illustrates that influence in the information age depends on maintaining a consistent, credible narrative that reassures allies while engaging audiences through rational, emotional, and moral appeals. This holistic approach allows nations to proactively shape their security environment and achieve a strategic advantage across the competition continuum without resorting to direct confrontation or arms races.
- Piercy, Maj. Kevin, "I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means: Information Power and Deterrence," ACSC paper, 2022, 29 pgs.