[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6084905,"mediaKeyId","2907019-6458ede2361aba402b3e735dfcbc28b4","parentId",2907019,"title","Senators warn U.S. information operations capacity weakened as China expands messaging","audioSeconds",505,"startMs",4279155,"endMs",4784825,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2907019-6458ede2361aba402b3e735dfcbc28b4&start=4279&end=4784","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2907019-6458ede2361aba402b3e735dfcbc28b4/thumbnail_4279155.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6084905/Senators-warn-US-information-operations-capacity-weakened-as-China-expands-messaging","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6084905-cbfdc9399a306b6ff40cfa9b3e1ba9a7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770759938&Signature=HJjmNaR8rnwj8LoeSPKr32c0ThvhbfvreGz-RwQvzZjsz8D7LC~cEmG9sY4ek8hi65jZTnytymx1t3T3CsvkPeDEv1bjaPcFuBPgxynRFpg1CHXoXoQ-INE1jFcCuBtF85cUFnKGxhMKEp8ivQ~4Pzxn9yNbU4fFJighTt2ZqhkezSd7fKhzrqgtoY10ARW9GRdEmYaY0fN05MtmE9FMEayqq7LNum7G6eQ9UeT7~E23483imN4yE2eFSBg5kRBnSsoXABEVlv~F1mskaikx6ixaKsXAlbqKxZAsVi47kNO6FehLQxyePvzS~okJLXDzFpRSnsSvxGvzOJrCuVccQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services","date","2025-04-08T00:00:00Z","article","Senators pressed witnesses about the United States’ ability to compete in information operations and strategic messaging as they contrasted U.S. resources with what they described as China’s large spending on influence efforts.

\"The coordination for information operations actually resides within SOLIC,\" Assistant Secretary of Defense for SOLIC Mr. Jenkins told the subcommittee, describing SOLIC’s role in coordinating messages across combatant commands and with other agencies. Senator Jeanne Shaheen raised alarm that recent personnel reductions in SOF included many enablers for military information support operations (MISO), and she cited outside testimony that China spends roughly $1,100,000,000 a year on information operations.

Gen. Bryan Fenton agreed that U.S. messaging suffers a gap. \"There's a void out there that's not being filled by our message,\" he said, adding that SOCOM pursues information operations in concert with embassy country teams and partners. When asked whether DOD spends a comparable amount, Jenkins said he would need to provide a specific figure but confirmed it is \"significantly less.\"

Why it matters: Committee members argued that diminished MISO capacity and reductions in overseas engagement platforms hamper the coordinated whole‑of‑government response needed to compete with state actors' sustained influence campaigns.

Senators asked witnesses to outline where additional authorities or funding could strengthen DOD’s messaging, with an emphasis on coordination across State, DoD and other agencies. Witnesses said they are coordinating existing capabilities but that manpower and funding constraints limit scale.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","To receive testimony on United States Special Operations Command in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2026 and the Future Years Defense Program ","oneSentenceSummary","Members of the Senate subcommittee raised alarms that cuts to special‑operations enablers and lower U.S. investment have reduced U.S. capacity to compete with Chinese information operations; witnesses said SOLIC coordinates DOD information operations but resources are limited.","taxTitle","Armed Services: Senate Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1987,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6084908,"Witnesses tell senators FTO label doesn't give DOD authority for cross‑border strikes; SOCOM partners with SDF to prevent ISIS breakouts",2354,2553170,4907195,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2907019-6458ede2361aba402b3e735dfcbc28b4&start=2553&end=4907","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2907019-6458ede2361aba402b3e735dfcbc28b4/thumbnail_2553170.jpg","/articles/6084908/Witnesses-tell-senators-FTO-label-doesnt-give-DOD-authority-for-crossborder-strikes-SOCOM-partners-with-SDF-to-prevent-ISIS-breakouts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6084908-45df3a40be93489273c26dd71141a111/orig.mp4?Expires=1770759938&Signature=ULU~gnBJ5dvBXiEr90tBMdZ1IszBZDstvjlce46VVpQH7cwBwWsiuXZCeJAJ9mlhgyjiZEVJLIBLiyc0Crd7E5iKxbVfF15LwRXaxnUtA-Bsotxv-~gpYvX2QJah2QVutJ1YqCwHeybIxAaPFYFHbsqhPH7nx4JwgdD7fHWEwDbNjuQRtvVrrAvzCWXDhagnRLZoq04-jtbQwmNII9fA7qTHKqINrA-yQ9uC9JY9kpNuNl8WcTaxdhxKhDTOd8FWxpLuXi~e89vRPbcH~h95H4EPpgIDZG4f~DjkWoTkNLUiO27UwNHDZagpW3PqzUD4VfzcPvf3Cd4M8lQ8oS4Cpw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senators at the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee hearing sought clarity on what legal authorities the Defense Department holds after the administration designated Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and on SOCOM’s role in northeastern Syria.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for SOLIC Mr. Jenkins told the panel that \"the designation of foreign terrorist organization does not grant us any new authorities as a DOD entity.\" He said the designation helps coordinate a whole‑of‑government approach by enabling threat‑finance analysts to share target packets with other agencies, but it does not, by itself, authorize Department of Defense forces to conduct lethal strikes inside another country. \"You would need commander in chief authority to go, for instance, and pursue drone attacks inside Mexico against cartels,\" Jenkins said.

Why it matters: Senators pressed for clarity because public statements had suggested the designation might permit cross‑border military strikes. Ranking Member Elissa Slotkin framed the question in the context of U.S. forces on the southern border and the presence of roughly 10,000 U.S. personnel in the area.

On Syria and ISIS, Gen. Bryan Fenton described SOCOM’s longstanding partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the command’s role in preventing prison and camp breakouts. \"The very first thing we do is partner with our SDF partners... disrupt, degrade, and work to defeat ISIS in Syria,\" he said, adding that the partnership includes activities aimed at preventing attacks that could enable breakouts.

Senators also discussed measures to reduce malign influence and to deter Iranian‑aligned militias and other actors in the region. Mr. Jenkins said SOLIC and SOCOM are working to enable SDF partners to maintain control of prisons and to repatriate detainees where appropriate to reduce the population at risk of breakout.

No new authorities were announced on the record. Senators requested follow‑up and said some details will be handled in the planned closed session.

","Committee testimony clarified that the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation does not by itself give the Department of Defense authority to conduct cross‑border lethal operations; witnesses also described ongoing SOCOM partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces to prevent ISIS escapes from prisons and camps.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6084910,"Senate subcommittee warned SOCOM faces personnel cuts, flat budgets amid surging demand",3215,1206855,4422715,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2907019-6458ede2361aba402b3e735dfcbc28b4&start=1206&end=4422","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2907019-6458ede2361aba402b3e735dfcbc28b4/thumbnail_1206855.jpg","/articles/6084910/Senate-subcommittee-warned-SOCOM-faces-personnel-cuts-flat-budgets-amid-surging-demand","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6084910-6bae7d621453621bd60acdacd4efea87/orig.mp4?Expires=1770759938&Signature=fvRYDAJLP9HWjC4uzeTnGpXtw8AFdlpgQLTmMgC8GbNsPI7TmACKNHm9qG9YFWjq6LPHCQ83ZtvbcxrV2sKPtqCnEDHH7qojK8RXsstg7cgpeRG5jNxTccGCzWmaBZXYESLQDQ3QvKtXI7Vodm676cs-kNJ9vtLLSM7uoqIlMARCmcPZ0rxIyf2ILrflgGOE9K0bFI0lTZsv7Tx3f-76L8yE5txT3eSdsmaeLqSnXajIu81kH1-GlaIWqt7EQlVq4ETVn6nWPATHQ6liZN8VNDtMWlVjDHLzztQS0vXC2-Vhp9fP~aNgcW~IIq0JvU00rJDBBaq9tYCu7p09mxAUng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee heard testimony that U.S. Special Operations Command is confronting steep operational demand at the same time its buying power and manpower have declined.

In testimony before the subcommittee, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict (SOLIC) Mr. Jenkins and Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), said years of flat budgets and personnel cuts are forcing trade-offs that undermine modernization and deterrence. \"Representing less than 2% of the defense budget, our special operations forces provide unique and outsized effects,\" Jenkins said. \"We must ensure SOF readiness while balancing operational demands and optimizing available resources.\"

Why it matters: Witnesses described SOCOM as heavily tasked across regions from INDOPACOM to Europe and the Middle East while facing fiscal constraints that reduce procurement and personnel. That dynamic, they said, increases operational risk for deterrence and heightens the chance SOCOM will be unable to meet some combatant-command requests.

Senators and witnesses gave several concrete figures during the hearing. Gen. Fenton said SOCOM has seen roughly a 5,000-person reduction in recent years and that combatant commanders’ requests for SOCOM capabilities have risen about 35% over the past two years. He also testified that SOCOM’s crisis-response mission frequency rose by about 200% over roughly the last 3½ years. Jenkins and Fenton said purchasing power has declined—Jenkins referenced a roughly 14% drop in buying power and a figure of about $1,000,000,000 in lost purchasing power over five years.

Committee members pressed for the practical consequences. Fenton said he has had to decline some combatant-command requests — \"I am taking risk, almost 41 times, in the last year\" — because of capacity shortfalls and fiscal constraints. Fenton described two places where SOCOM is accepting risk: \"deterrence\" and \"modernization,\" while asserting the command will accept no risk on crisis response. \"We are now playing a 0 sum game,\" he told the panel.

Senators on both sides urged clear reporting of unfunded requirements and faster resourcing for SOF modernization and talent management. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker told the witnesses the committee wants to see full, candid lists of unfunded requirements so Congress can consider them.

The witnesses and several senators also highlighted recent institutional changes intended to boost civilian oversight and advocacy for SOF. Jenkins pointed to congressional action establishing SOLIC’s service-secretariat functions (citing \"section 922\") as an important step while urging continued legislative engagement on authorities and acquisition to speed modernization.

Looking ahead: Committee leaders said they plan to continue questioning SOCOM’s unfunded priorities and that some topics will be handled in closed session. Witnesses asked for support on talent-management authorities, agile acquisition, and top-line budget increases that would relieve the cited trade-offs.

","Witnesses told the Senate Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee that U.S. Special Operations Command is operating with stagnant budgets and substantial personnel reductions while demand from combatant commanders has risen sharply, creating risks to deterrence, modernization and readiness.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senators warn U.S. information operations capacity weakened as China expands messaging

Witnesses tell senators FTO label doesn't give DOD authority for cross‑border strikes; SOCOM partners with SDF to prevent ISIS breakouts

Senate subcommittee warned SOCOM faces personnel cuts, flat budgets amid surging demand