US Commander who Transformed Special Forces Steps Down

Local Editor

The US commander who helped place special operation forces at the forefront of the American military hung up his uniform on Thursday, hailing a "golden age" for the elite commandos.

Admiral William McRaven, 58, rose to prominence for his role in overseeing the successful 2011 raid by Navy SEALs that killed Osama bin Laden at his Pakistani compound.
But his influence inside military circles extends far beyond the storied nighttime operation that took out the al-Qaeda mastermind.

At a ceremony Thursday marking McRaven's retirement as head of the US Special Operations Command [SOCOM], Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel said the admiral had "deepened our relationships abroad, working more closely with allies and partners to better anticipate and counter threats."

As proof of McRaven's bid for a "global network," Hagel cited special forces who had recently delivered humanitarian aid in the Philippines, assisted Peruvian forces in targeting senior figures of the Shining Path rebels and advised Eastern European allies facing a resurgent Russia.

The commandos also were advising African armies to help counter Boko Haram militants and were on the ground in Iraq assisting Baghdad government troops confront the so-called "Islamic State" [IS] , Hagel said.

McRaven has said high-stakes raids like the one that killed Bin Laden represent only a small part of the work done by the 67,000-strong force.

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has called special operations forces "the embodiment of smart power," but skeptics argue the commandos are too often seen as a panacea for daunting threats facing the United States.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team