As usual, the CFR speech led to a reversal in sentiment, with Clinton now focusing her views somewhere in between mass deployment and Special Forces deployments.
The suggestion by Saudi Arabia that it send ground troops to Syria might mean the limited deployment of Saudi special forces alongside their US counterpart or a more ambitious intervention, probably in combination with the Turkish army.
The government passed a special law allowing a limited deployment - a controversial move that many thought was unconstitutional.
Thickening the Special Operations deployments in these other regions would allow the United States to be ready to respond more rapidly to a broader range of threats.
If there is military action in direct response to the London attacks, it may center on expanded special forces deployments to track down terrorist groups.
Most telling, however, has been the exponential rise in special ops deployments globally.
Colombia is hardly an anomaly when it comes to U.S. special ops deployments ― or the results that flow from them.
Just over two months into fiscal 2015, the number of countries with Special Ops deployments has already clocked in at 105, according to Bockholt.
These special operations deployments can vary in terms of missions and goals — it's unlikely commandos are carrying out night raids in Botswana, for example — but many deployments share a clear overarching aim: counterterrorism.
What does seem clear is that the number of bases and other sites, however defined, is increasing, mirroring the rise in the number of U.S. troops, special operations deployments, and missions in Africa.
