US Special Ops Commanders Sound Alarm: Enemies' Tech Prowess 'Impressive'

America is lagging behind its rivals in technological advancements, according to special operations forces commanders who addressed the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

Rear Adm. Milton Sands III, Maj. Gen. Peter Huntley, Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, and Lt. Gen. Michael Conley all expressed concerns that bureaucratic hurdles are slowing down critical tech upgrades for special ops. It's like trying to order a pizza with a government form – takes forever!

Maj. Gen. Huntley, leading the Marine Forces Special Operations Command, highlighted that modernization is accelerating globally, but the U.S. is struggling to keep pace.

He pointed to artificial intelligence as an example, noting its impact on U.S. forces' ability to "sense the enemy before they sense us," a long-held advantage.

Rear Adm. Sands also warned about the need to rapidly equip U.S. troops with the tools they need to survive on the modern battlefield.

"… our priority is getting equipment that's required for the modern battlefield rapidly into the hands of our operators, and the reason is because they need it to survive," Rear Adm. Sands told lawmakers.

Lt. Gen. Braga, commander of Army Special Operations Command, echoed these concerns, emphasizing the impact of existing systems on modernization.

"Our people are great at innovating, they have fantastic ideas," Lt. Gen. Braga stated, but funding challenges and bureaucratic processes can delay even simple modifications for months or years. He suggested streamlining funding and oversight as potential solutions. Seriously, who designed these processes?

Lt. Gen. Conley, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, added that his troops are adept at turning lessons learned into actionable items, but face procurement challenges when scaling those items.

Lt. Gen. Conley also noted that air fleet modifications are time-consuming and expensive, trapping the U.S. in a "constant loop of trying to catch up with the enemy threat." He warned that America’s adversaries "continue to improve every day," while the U.S. "can’t keep up with the threat because our it takes us a long time to modify."

The military leaders also addressed threats from non-state actors, with Maj. Gen. Huntley noting their rapid technological upgrades.

"What they bring to the tactical fight is, frankly, pretty impressive," Maj. Gen. Huntley said, adding that the forces "know what we have to do," but the "critical" challenge is getting those capabilities into the hands of troops.