Hybrid Terrorist Groups are forcing SOCOM to look more like conventional forces.

Albino sorriso metalico made a statement that made me click.  It was with regard to ISIS being able to assemble a 5 ton vehicle borne IED and assault a column of Kurdish/Arab armored vehicles.

The question.  Have we sat back and watched terrorist groups turn into a hybrid that is too large and dangerous for SOCOM to handle?

The dirty little secret with regard to Special Operations Forces is that they're vulnerable to conventional forces.  That's why they've always been touted as the go-to force for small dirty wars.  

We're seeing something different in the Middle East now.

Yeah, they're dirty wars but the combatants are beyond anything that ANYONE could have foreseen.  Terrorist organizations that are operating armored vehicles, have access to short range ballistic missiles and can go toe-to-toe with conventional forces in the region and win?

Who could have seen that coming?

The even stranger thing?  We've seen "small" special ops units grow to operating in platoon and company sized formations already.  If SOCOM is to remain viable and provide any measure of strike power, that means that Battalion/Brigade sized operations are surely on the horizon.  It also means that the lavish support they already get will have to be increased.

Conventional units have sought to become more like SOCOM.  Ironically, SOCOM in order to survive on this new battlefield, against more capable terrorists will have to evolve to become more like conventional units...either they will become more agile (mechanized) on the ground, carry heavier anti-vehicle/anti-tank weapons (to deal with terrorist armor) and have some sort of artillery assigned or else they will face a day when they will be outgunned by these new Hybrid Terrorist Groups.

Amazing.