Operating on The Margins | Canadian Special Operations Command

Operating on the Margins: SOF in the Gray Zone, edited by Howard Coombs and Christopher Marsh, Canadian Special Operations Command (2023).

“This volume examines ‘gray zone conflict,’ or the space between peace and war in which state and non-state actors engage in competition. Even with the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, this interpretive paradigm retains great utility and helps explain the current strategic environment and the holistic nature of contemporary conflict. The idea of the gray zone needs to be kept in the special operations forces planners’ conceptual toolkit since it helps clarify and articulate the contemporary global operating environment, particularly in Russia’s near abroad and in the South China Sea and China’s relations with Taiwan. This conflict model – the gray zone – is a valuable cognitive tool that facilitates a holistic comprehension of the unseen competitive struggle in which the West is currently engaged against various adversaries.”

Published in 2023 as well,  The Fourth Age: The Future of Special Operations presents an anthology of fictional stories that help readers visualize a future era of special operations. Through a creative narrative grounded in subject-matter expertise, the authors portray what lies within the realm of the possible while drawing on lessons from the past to imagine how SOF may evolve.

Operating on the Margins and The Fourth Age offer a clear, combined focus on how special operations forces operate in today’s competitive environment. One defines the logic and utility of gray zone conflict, while the other projects how SOF may evolve to meet those demands. Both emphasize small teams, partner-centric operations, and the integration of intelligence and technology. Together, they show how closely aligned partner-nation SOF conduct continuous, coordinated competition short of war.