Deception seems to be a vital part for special forces operations and a new prioritized task in the future. Despite that, is deception a phenomenon that is not taking an independent starting point in special operations theories.
The purpose of this study is to contribute to the debate about the role of deception in special forces operations. This has been done by examining the extent to which Barton Whaley’s theory can explain the outcome of special operations. By analysing Operation Neptune’s Spear and Operation Gothic Serpent with Whaley’s theoretical framework, the conclusion is that deception can, to some extent, explain the outcome. The operations are opposites, one successful and the other unsuccessful. The result shows that deception is more common in the successful one.
Despite this, the result suggest that more research is needed to draw relevant conclusions. One can only say that the result gives an indication about the role of deception in these kinds of operations.