Logo: to the web site of the Swedish Defence University

Special forces have been a part of nations military capabilities for quite some time but what is it really that they can contribute with that is beyond the means of more conventional forces, and how should an operation executed by special forces be conducted? During the Falklands war, the Special Air Service (SAS) performed numerous operations that were important to the overall campaign of retaking the Falkland Islands, but why were they successful, and in some cases unsuccessful?

This paper aims to utilise McRavens theory on relative superiority to see if it possible to explain why special operations succeed or fail. Through a qualitative case study, the principles of McRavens theory are applied on two separate operations which were conducted by the SAS during the Falklands war. The principles being Simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed and purpose. These principles together form the basis on which relative superiority is achieved and as this paper shows can help to explain why special forces succeed or fail with their missions. The results of the paper also show that even if the principles are a prerequisite for success, the elements which make up these principles do not necessarily need to be fulfilled for an operation to be successful.

In summary, this paper shows that McRavens theory on relative superiority can be used to explain why special forces succeed or fail. But it is important to note that the elements themselves which the principals are built upon of do not necessarily spell success on their own.