1. Introduction

The importance and use of special operation forces (SOF) have grown considerably in the Western world during the last decades. Also, an increased focus on SOF and special operations (SO) has materialized in almost all types of military contexts, within the wide variety of states and within the whole spectrum of conflict. This development holds for differing military contexts and states, ranging from military superpowers (e.g., the US), but also for small states with limited and/or developing military institutions. However, the existing literature is mostly concerned with the use of SOF from the perspective of a military superpower, e.g., the US. Thus, there seems to be a gap in the scholarly literature regarding the field of SOF and SO regarding how small states can relate to, make use of, and develop SOF and SO capabilities—both at a tactical, operational level and as a strategic instrument for a small state in the modern complex security environment.