Special Operations Forces Culture and Ethics

Comprehensive Review

To All Members of US. Special Operations Command,

The American people must trust those who protect them, including the special
operations professionals in this Command. This trust is paramount and must never be
compromised. Our culture?the very fabric of our beliefs and values?is deeply rooted
in a history of honor, duty, and sacrifice. Our ethics?the principles that govern our
behavior?are the foundation for values-based decision-making at home and when
deployed in the most complex environments.

Recent incidents have called our culture and ethics into question and threaten the
trust placed in us. As a result, I am initiating a comprehensive review of Special
Operations Forces (SOF) culture and ethics. The review will gather insights and
observations from across our force and will draw upon the unique perspectives of
leaders from internal and external entities. In addition to an overall assessment of SOF
culture and ethics, the review will focus on our recruitment, how we assess and select
SOF professionals, how we grow leaders, how we educate and train our force to
operate ethically with the same excellence with which we operate tactically, and how we
address ethical failures when they occur.

The review will begin immediately and conclude in the fall of 2019. Specific details
and schedules for unit visits across the USSOCOM enterprise will follow. I expect you
to expend every effort to facilitate access and support the review team?s efforts. Be
open and candid in your feedback to the team. We will also publish the results and
discuss them broadly. This is about making us better.

Most importantly, recognize this review as an opportunity to strengthen our values
and reinforce trust. We are the nation?s special operations force and we remain
intensely focused on accomplishing our mission while upholding the highest standards
of ethical conduct?each and every day, as individuals and teams, at home and while in

harm?s way.
Vic/M

General, US. Army
Commander