Hegseth Elevates Special-Operations Civilian Office and Seeks Undersecretary Status
The move aims to shift budget and acquisition priority toward Special Operations across the Defense Department pending congressional approval.
Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum dated Nov. 2 that gives the top special-operations civilian office a secondary title, Office of Strategic Services (ASW(OSS)), and directs immediate institutional changes.
- The memo orders the office to be treated as 'Code 2' in the department order of precedence and to be included in the Pentagon’s senior governance bodies to increase its decision-making access.
- Hegseth directed staffing and funding moves that include transferring 75 civilians and 25 joint-staff members within 60 days and instructing the comptroller to identify $45 million annually from O&M to stand up the office.
- DoD has been asked to draft legislative proposals to Congress to create a permanent Under Secretary of Strategic Services, a change that would require congressional authorization and new appropriations.
- Outside experts warn Hegseth lacks authority to make statutory changes or permanently reallocate appropriated funds, and they caution the shift could force trade-offs in broader defense budgets even as it seeks to prioritize USSOCOM modernization and readiness.