Samenvatting

During the last two decades the operational environment for Western armed forces
has been dominated by the global war on terror and irregular warfare.1 Both modes
of conflict are strongly associated with unorthodox units and tactics resulting in
special operations forces occupying, or at least sharing, the main stage.2 Despite their
recent prominence, there remains a limited grasp on the conceptual nature of special
operations and the associated forces.3 Because such a limited grasp invites misuse
of special operations forces by policy makers and military commanders, a thorough
conceptual exploration of special operations is warranted.