This course offers a broad survey of the history of modern special operations forces, from their antecedents in the ancient, medieval and early modern world, through the formative years of the first half of the 20th Century, to the contemporary era. Particular attention is paid to the history of Australian and New Zealand special operations as well as that of close allies the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It discusses what history can teach us about how and why governments decide to deploy special operations personnel, examines a range of missions by special operations forces from a variety of nations, and places the use of special operations units within the wider context of the continually evolving nature of armed conflict.