Security Studies Ph.D. Graduate Pens Most-Viewed Article on West Point Website

A controversial opinion piece on shifting the focus of U.S. special forces basic training racked up more than 17,000 views last year on a West Point Military Academy website.

The achievement earned the author, Summer 2020 Security Studies doctorate graduate Sandor Fabian, Ph.D., the distinction of penning the most viewed article of 2020 on Modern War Institute.

“My stance taken in the article offended some,” said Fabian, a former Hungarian Special Forces lieutenant colonel with more than 20 years of military experience. “Some people thought that I was speaking negatively of the American special forces, but in actuality I am suggesting a reorientation that would serve to strengthen.”

The article posits that urban warfare is growing increasingly common and the curriculum for U.S. special forces qualification course should recognize that. “Learning how to navigate and survive in major cities, how to conduct infiltration and exfiltration using nonstandard platforms on and below the surface, how to maneuver in small and large formations, and how to train indigenous forces to conduct these activities in urban terrain should be the primary focus of the second phase of the green berets qualification course,” Fabian writes.

“Without this acknowledgement we will fall behind as a country,” Fabian said in an interview. “The reality is that most conflict will be happening in urban, city settings and training for the special forces should be reoriented to reflect this.”