Special operations must continue counterterrorism and crisis response while also competing with peer adversaries such as Russia and China, experts said. What will the role of special operations be as the U.S. competes with China and Russia? The mission has shifted dramatically as the United States ratchets up competition in the frequency bands with peer competitors like Russia and China. New tech for language and text translation, as well as secure data transfer, gives operators an edge. And why not throw in some new explosives, too. Sensors that can run for weeks or month are on the wish list. The gunships still take center stage but require advancements to keep up with the pace of warfare. Positions and capabilities such as data scientists and natural language processing hold promise for better battlefield awareness. Perhaps Taylor Swift will name her next single "All-American Tiger." Women are still in in the vast minority in the military, but experts say they are an important recruiting pool. Load More