About 60% US Special Forces Focus On Great Power Competition - Commanding General

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2021) About 60 percent of US Special Forces formations are focused on the ongoing great power competition while 40 percent are engaged in combating violent extremism around the world, the Commanding General of the United States Army Special Operations Command Francis Beaudette said in a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

"Approximately 60% of our men and women are focused on great power, competition, while the remaining 40% remain focused on countering violent extremism," Beaudette said.

"We have an excess of 3000 men and women deployed in 71 countries."

At this time, US Special Operations Forces (SOF) has access and placement in 80-100 countries around the world with an additional several dozen countries which allow overflight landing, the Commander of the Air Force Special Operations James Slife added during the hearing.

SOF is a division of the US Defense Department's Special Operations Command that is used for special operations.